MAC x Charlotte Olympia Makeup Collection Swatches, Review + FOTD

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At first glance you might see the MAC x Charlotte Olympia Collection (now at Nordstrom) and think… more reds with pretty packaging. I mean… yes. That’s what it is. BUT. The products are so amazing. Beyond my being so partial to reds the makeup that I tested from this collection are perfection, particularly one. Keep reading to see what I’ve been playing with (if you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat you already know… sneaky 😉 ) and what I’m purchasing when the line officially launches!

The outer packaging is a beauty lovers dream. It’s all glam hands with flashy red nail, haute red lips, dramatic eyes… even the spiderwebs are bewitching! ALL THE ADJECTIVES!

Peep the inside of the boxes… teal! That detail, though! Not expected at all but, because it’s the little things, I was incredibly excited.

This 20-piece collection is inspired by “pin-ups, silver screen sirens and the bygone era of old Hollywood glamour”. To get the retro-glam MAC tapped Charlotte Olympia, a British luxury shoe and accessory brand founded by Charlotte Olympia Dellal in 2008, for an “unapologetically nostalgic collection of retro-glam colour”.

The packaging of the products is everything. With the exception of the nail polish the containers don’t have any sort of heft, they’re definitely a light plastic. Some people are going to call it cheap, and maybe so, but I like that it’s kept light to showcase the gold that the lipsticks are housed in. It keeps them safe enough and they didn’t raise the price point that much (only $1) and the amount of product you get is the same. If the packaging would’ve had more heft it would have definitely been priced similarly to the couture collections – and that’s not necessary all year long.

Studio Nail Lacquer ($13.00 // Nordstrom). Three shades of Studio Nail Lacquer are released and I have the shade To Have or Have Not (orange red, cream) to show you. This is a beautiful, warm red that was easy to paint on and was opaque in two coats.

The packaging of the Studio Nail Lacquer is one of the best I’ve ever seen from MAC in terms of their nail polish. The gold triangular cap is a little weird to hold but it doesn’t take long to get used to. It’s the same price as the usual MAC Studio Nail Lacquers (which are 0.34 oz) but contains MORE product at 0.41 oz.

Lipstick ($18.00 // Nordstrom). Of the three shades released I have two to show you in Leading Lady Red (deep red, matte) and Starlett Scarlet (true red, matte). These lipsticks are fabulous, and comfortable for matte shades. Both wore on me around 5 hours but didn’t disappear quickly, even when drinking. As these mattes fade they’ll leave a nice stain behind, and not just around the lips. The CO lipsticks are priced $1 more than the permanent MAC lipsticks and you’re getting the same amount of product.

Pigment ($23.00 // Nordstrom). Only one pigment was released in this collection – Overdressed (fleshy beige with pearl). It very well may be my favorite product of life. It can be worn wet or dry, but I prefer it dry (left side in the swatch photo). It just amps up the inner corner of my eye looks to perfection levels. I’m obsessed with this color and no pictures or swatches will ever do it justice. Wearing it wet dramatically changes the color and gives it more of a deeper peach tone.

Two other things to note. (1) The size. If you buy a permanent pigment from MAC you’re getting 0.15 oz of product. In this collection Overdressed contains only 0.03oz and it’s $1 more. That is an incredible difference, and definitely not in a good way. It’s surprising because otherwise this collection appears to be priced well for an LE collab line from MAC. I seriously had to go back and forth looking at the sizing difference for several minutes. (2) That cap. Because you’re getting so little product pay attention to this. The cap is a screw on. When you’re done using this pigment and you go to put the cap back on screw it shut tight. To me, it looks like the type of cap that would just snap back on (even though you have to unscrew it to open it) and I almost experienced a devastating mistake. I’m a bit forgetful, but I figure it was worth mentioning just in case.

Below these products are swatched as marked in the photo. For Overdressed Pigment the left swatch is done dry and the right swatch is done wet.

In the look below I’m wearing MAC Overdressed Pigment at the inner corners of the eyes & to highlight as well as Leading Lady Red Lipstick with Kiss Me Quick Pro Longwear Lip Pencil (mine is from Maleficent, but it’s also in this collection and in the permanent line). My eyeshadow is from the new MAC Mellow Moderns 15 x Eyeshadow Palette (review coming soon) and the contour/blush is the MAC Zac Posen Haute Contour.

What are your favorite pieces from this collection? On my wishlist are Old Fashioned Studio Nail Lacquer, a back-up of Overdressed Pigment and the Makeup Bag (because 5,000 makeup bags is never enough… us fanatics can always use one more 😉 )

The MAC Charlotte Olympia Collection is available at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and maccosmetics.com. This collection is limited edition.

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