MAC’s Surf, Baby! Collection has all the hallmarks of another hit, and for me, nothing says “Summer” quite like a bangin’ (surfer term meaning”hot”!) nail polish. I originally intended to pass on the paler shade, ‘Hangin’ Loose’, but after viewing it in person, I realized that I had nothing like it and fell in love with the way the two polishes looked together. All swatches are with Sèche Natural base coat, three thin coats of lacquer and Sèche Vite top coat.
At first, I was convinced that ‘Ocean Dip’, a vibrant turquoise crème, would be a direct match to a few other similar shades I own, but the reality is vastly different. Bright without being gaudy, I am totally in LOVE with this shade, starting with the formula which is neither too thick nor thin but a consistency somewhere in between, the smoothness of application, quick dry time and the high gloss finish. The colour is rich and saturated, yet dusty and muted at the same time, vivid without being electrifyingly so.
In direct sunlight (top two photos), ‘Ocean Dip’ takes on a more Tiffany-esque greenish blue tone, with a touch of Robin’s Egg blue thrown in to add some balance. When viewed in shaded light (bottom photo), the true turquoise of this shade can be appreciated in all its glory. I am amazed with how creamy this polish is and the formula was completely self-levelling, leaving absolutely no brush strokes behind. I opted to apply three thin coats for swatching purposes, but you can achieve the same look with two regular coats as well. Having worn this shade already twice as a pedi and once as a mani, I can honestly say that I couldn’t stop staring at it….love, love, LOVE it!!
You might think that ‘Hangin’ Loose’ is yet another rosy-beige crème, but you would be wrong. While I already own more than my shade of nude shades, once more I was surprised to find that I had nothing in my stash that matched this. The closest I found was Deborah Lippmann’s ‘Naked’ (reviewed here) but they are similar only at the surface level. ‘Hangin’ Loose’ has a secret weapon: exceptionally fine silver shimmer swimming in its depths, which takes this polish from boring to beautiful.
What I found most interesting about ‘Hangin’ Loose’, is how it shifts so much depending on the light; viewing it in full sun (top two photos), definitely brings out the peachy-pink hue in its base, while shaded light (bottom photo) gives it a more subdued coolness, looking more nude than beige. The shimmer, while very fine, is still visible in various lighting and gives this polish a more 3-dimensional look. The formula, if anything, was even better than ‘Ocean Dip’, but not by much, although my brush had a few splayed hairs which made application a little trickier; I’m hoping it was just my bad luck to get a wonky brush — other than that, I am completely impressed with this shade on every level.
Final thoughts: While MAC has not been tugging on my heartstrings lately like it once did, this collection has managed to restore my faith! These two shades were a massive HIT for me and I am so pleased with not only the colours, but how the formulas are seriously above any other polishes MAC has released to date. I will be going through my entire stash of turquoise crèmes and nude shades to do a comparison review, but even a quick glance showed me that these two definitely stand alone. As these are limited edition shades, you might want to snatch them up…while you still can!
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