MAC x Charlotte Olympia Collection

The recent MAC collaboration with British luxury shoe & accessories designer Charlotte Olympia, packs major glamour coupled with a healthy vintage Old-Hollywood vibe. From the whimsical outer packaging with its kitschy designs to the spiderweb and clear lucite detailing she’s become known for, this may be a small collection (by MAC standards, that is), but loaded with lushly wearable shades.

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MAC x Charlotte Olympia

MAC x Charlotte Olympia (packaging detail)

MAC x Charlotte Olympia

MAC x Charlotte Olympia lipsticks

MAC x Charlotte Olympia lipsticks (detail)

MAC x Charlotte Olympia lipstick swatches (direct sunlight + alternate light)

Leading Lady Red, matte (CAN $22.50) | A blue based deep red but one that can still be easily worn by those with warmer skin tones. Creamy in feel and gliding easily along the lips upon application, this is highly colour saturated and benefits from a lip liner to keep the look polished, as well as to ensure no feathering. Ultra-longwearing (even through drinking and eating), I get a solid 8+ hours without needing to touch up, with a stain left behind after wiping most of it away.

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Leading Lady Red swatch (lined with Kiss Me Quick)

Starlett Scarlet, matte (CAN $22.50) | An orange based red hue and definitely more suitable for those with warmer skin tones, but which can also be a good alternative for anyone looking to indulge in a red lip that doesn’t lean too vampy. Very creamy in application and with a non-drying feel upon the lips, this shade benefits from a lip liner as well which helps to keep the look clean and polished. Wear time is about 8+ hours, with a light stain left behind even after wiping.

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Starlett Scarlet swatch (lined with He Said, She Said)

Retro Rouge, matte (CAN $22.50) | A deep brown/burgundy based red with blueish undertones in the base, making this shade highly wearable by both warm and cool complexions. Not only is this the darkest of the three, but the one that also feels drier upon the lips upon initial application; definitely not as glidingly smooth as the other two, but once on, it feels fine. A liner here is a must as well and wear time is easily 9+ hours, with a stain left behind even after wiping.

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Retro Rouge swatch (lined with He Said, She Said)

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Pro Longwear Lip Pencils

Pro Longwear Lip Pencils (CAN $25.50) | These long-wearing lip pencils so totally live up to their name, as they will definitely be the last to leave – even after all traces of lipstick is gone. Incredibly creamy in application and feel, they literally glide upon the lips without any tugging or pulling. Due to their intense pigmentation, you’ll need to keep the point sharp for precision work, as their emollient nature means they’ll round out fairly quickly.

Kiss Me Quick – the lighter of the two, a deep cerise red (both cool & warm)
He Said, She Said – a blood red hue with a slight blue undertone in the base (cooler)

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Pro Longwear Lip Pencil swatches (direct sunlight + Alternate light)

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Studio Nail Lacquer

Good Old Days (CAN $16.50) | A warm-leaning white crème hue with hints of pink/mauve in the base. The formula applies semi-translucent with the first coat and can show some patchiness – easily helped by using a ridge filling base coat first to act as “undies”. A second layer gives decent coverage but needs a third coat for more opacity, although it never becomes solidly opaque even at that – which I actually prefer in this case, as it makes Good Old Days an extremely flattering and wearable white.

Coats: 3 (thin), plus top coat

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Good Old Days swatch

To Have Or Have Not (CAN $16.50) | A fiery hot red hue with orange undertones in the base (making it more warmer leaning) in a crème/jelly hybrid formula. Displaying the best pigmentation of the three, this is literally opaque by the 1st coat, but a second layer gives it a plush and cushiony look. Self-levelling and über-glossy at the finish, it’s also relatively non-staining upon removal, but that’s with a base coat underneath.

Coats: 2, plus top coat

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | To Have Or Have Not swatch

Old Fashioned (CAN $16.50) | A glamorously lush claret red hue with blueish undertones in the base (making it cooler leaning) in a crème/jelly hybrid formula that shows some sheerness with the first coat, but which becomes fully opaque by a second layer. Totally self-levelling and coming to a high gloss finish, this is a classic red that says ‘Hollywood Screen Siren’ to me, and manages to come across as both sophisticated and totally sensual. Bonus: relatively non-staining upon removal when worn with a base coat.

Coats: 2, plus top coat

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Old Fashioned swatch

MAC x Charlotte Olympia | Studio Nail Lacquer

Apart from the glam-retro packaging, you might be tempted to think that there’s nothing all that unique about these shades – and while I probably have countless reds (and white nail polishes too, for that matter) in my collection, I still can’t help but gravitate towards these hues. What makes these pieces stand out for me, is that unlike some other collaborations with their wildly eccentric colours, these are all truly classic and wearable, with formulas that impress even a hard-core beauty lover such as myself. My faves are the Starlett Scarlet matte lipstick worn with the He Said, She Said liner, although Leading Lady Red is a close second (Retro Rouge is gorgeous on, but I found it more difficult in application). I adore all three nail polish shades, but if forced to pick one favourite, then that would have to be Good Old Days, despite its more finicky application, as this is one of the most beautiful soft whites I have ever seen and which will suit everyone.

The MAC x Charlotte Olympia Collection is limited edition and available now through select MAC boutiques nationwide. Find more information via www.maccosmetics.ca