NEW from MAC: Cremesheen Pearl Lipstick Koi Coral & Little Buddha Swatches, Review


purchased affiliate links

Did anybody else notice the new Cremesheen Pearl collection of lipsticks and lip glosses, that appeared out of nowhere on MAC website the other day? I’m not one to swoon over the latest MAC releases, but even I was smitten by the beauty of these colors and picked up two to try – Koi Coral & Little Buddha.

NEW MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks are finally here! Today on the blog I posted MAC Koi Coral swatch & Review, and MAC Little Buddha Swatch & Review. Check them out on the blog >> https://glamorable.com | via @glamorable

Cremesheen Pearl, the shimmering twist on a M∙A∙C classic, is back with a brilliant bang. Cremesheen Lipstick and Cremesheen Glass, both infused with pearlized pigments, are available in 15 new Asian-inspired shades. Prominent pinks, radiant reds and contemporary corals glow strikingly against all skin tones with a finish that leaves lips luminous and decidedly lacquered. With foolproof colour coverage and gleamingly creamy gloss, this eye-catching update to Cremesheen is the new yin and yang for your lips.

Koi Coral was the first color I took note of when I saw the promo images, so I added it to my wishlist because I just have to have all the nudes 🙂 It’s described as a pale peachy nude, but what MAC doesn’t mention is the glorious pink and orange microglitter that is also present in the formula. The glitter is practically invisible when applied fresh from the bullet, but it stays on the lips as the color wears off, and eventually you will be left with nothing but glittery flakes if you don’t usually touch up your lippies midday.

NEW MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks are finally here! Today on the blog I posted MAC Koi Coral swatch & Review, and MAC Little Buddha Swatch & Review. Check them out on the blog >> https://glamorable.com | via @glamorableP.S.: Unfortunately, as soon as I twisted up the bullet to swatch it, I noticed that it was slightly tilted. When I ran it across my skin, the tip broke off and fell on the table 🙁

Little Buddha is described as a bright peachy pink, and to me it looks even a little shrimpy. The color has neutral undertones, but it leans a little cooler than I anticipated, while I normally prefer warmer shades, so I don’t particularly like how it looks on me [selfies will be added to the post a little later, I have a mountain of things to do right now and no time for editing them]. The color wears off gradually and evenly, and leaves a pretty bright pink stain behind, which makes the lips look nice even if you forget to reapply.

NEW MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks are finally here! Today on the blog I posted MAC Koi Coral swatch & Review, and MAC Little Buddha Swatch & Review. Check them out on the blog >> https://glamorable.com | via @glamorableThe bullet was nice and sturdy, and I didn’t experience any problems with it like I did with Koi Coral, so it has to be something with the softness of that bullet, as it did seem unusually buttery in comparison when I swatched them side by side.

Cremesheen Pearl formula is supposed to provide a touch of sheer pigment, but if your lips are normally pale, be prepared for some bright colors! Little Buddha in particular looks very very pink on me, for example. For comparison, check out this review, where Karen MBB posted a couple lip swatches and they look pretty sheer on her naturally pigmented lips.

NEW MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks are finally here! Today on the blog I posted MAC Koi Coral swatch & Review, and MAC Little Buddha Swatch & Review. Check them out on the blog >> https://glamorable.com | via @glamorableBoth of these lipsticks are unforgiving to any dryness or chapped spots, as they definitely accentuated all of mine. The color goes on a little patchy and evens out slightly with consecutive strokes. And in case you’re curious about the fragrance, the formula has a typical MAC vanilla frosting scent which is fairly strong but not overwhelming.

The wear time on me is roughly 2-3 hours, without eating or drinking, which is about right for sheer buttery lipsticks. I get about the same result with MAC’s Lustre finishes, which are also sheer and moisturizing, but unlike Cremesheen Pearl they don’t make my lips look drier than they are.

NEW MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks are finally here! Today on the blog I posted MAC Koi Coral swatch & Review, and MAC Little Buddha Swatch & Review. Check them out on the blog >> https://glamorable.com | via @glamorable NEW MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks are finally here! Today on the blog I posted MAC Koi Coral swatch & Review, and MAC Little Buddha Swatch & Review. Check them out on the blog >> https://glamorable.com | via @glamorableSwatch reference: My skin tone is between MAC NC15 and NW15 with yellowish hue and neutral undertones. Sometimes I can wear NW20 in the Summer. I thought this would be useful to know, since all screens show colors differently, and I also don’t have a studio setup with consistent lighting. Hope that helps!

Overall, I don’t think I’m a big fan of this particular release. Yes, the colors are beautiful, and I love the idea of Japan-inspired collection, but there were all these little things that made my experience not as good as it should have been. Koi Coral contains glitter that stays on the lips as the color fades, and it’s not mentioned on the site. If I’d known that, I probably wouldn’t have ordered this one and went for another nude shade instead [Nippon]. Also, the bullet felt very soft, which was probably the reason why it broke, so it seems like a manufacturing defect or just an odd formulation, or maybe both. And like I said, these shades are unforgiving to any dryness on the lips, showcasing all the little dry spots and gathering in them. For now, I think I’ll stick to my fave Lustres if I want to grab another sheer MAC lipstick 🙂

NEW MAC Cremesheen Pearl Lipsticks are finally here! Today on the blog I posted MAC Koi Coral swatch & Review, and MAC Little Buddha Swatch & Review. Check them out on the blog >> https://glamorable.com | via @glamorableThese colors are now permanent, and will be available at MAC stores and counters on July 23rd.

WHERE TO BUY: $17 USD for 0.01 oz. Available online at Nordstrom, Macy’sMAC.


Disclosure: This post features products purchased by Glamorable and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.

Follow:
Share:

28 Comments

  1. July 22, 2015 / 11:43 am

    The colours are pretty, to be sure I think I’d like Little Buddha for myself. I would e-mail MAC about my broken lipstick, tell them what happened and ask for a replacement or credit for a new shade. A brand new lipstick breaking under normal use is no bueno.

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:53 am

      Yeah, a brand new lippie breaking off after one use would make anyone sad. I emailed, and hopefully they will be understanding.

  2. Allison @neversaydiebeauty
    July 22, 2015 / 3:56 pm

    I adore the shades but if they accentuate dryness on you, they won’t work for me either. Too bad coz they’re so pretty

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:52 am

      And my lips aren’t even that dry! I’m hesitant to post lip swatches, because it just looks awful.

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:52 am

      They’re gorgeous indeed 🙂 I had a hard time picking two from the new collection, since all of them are so pretty.

  3. July 22, 2015 / 5:34 pm

    What pretty, wearable shades! Pity about the breakage, though. Even in the Summer, MAC lippies usually stay put.

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:51 am

      It has to be some kind of a defect, I have other MAC lippies and none of them ever broke like that.

  4. July 22, 2015 / 7:01 pm

    I love them both!! I would probably have cried if mine broke, haha.

  5. July 22, 2015 / 9:36 pm

    I love both shades, it’s so disappointing about the formula. I notice a lot of MAC lipsticks leave behind glitter with no color.

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:51 am

      I was lucky enough to buy colors that didn’t seem to have any glitter, so finding it in this one was a huge surprise.

  6. marciaf
    July 22, 2015 / 10:20 pm

    I was looking for an older cremesheen tonight that I had missed and saw they just have these new pearl ones. The colors of yours are beautiful but the glitter would drive me nuts.

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:50 am

      I am not a fan of glitter in my lipsticks, so that was an unpleasant surprise.

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:49 am

      They’re definitely gorgeous! Tell you what, I honestly don’t think they’re much better than Milani Color Statement, so you aren’t really missing out. I bought these mostly for the shades themselves.

  7. July 23, 2015 / 12:06 am

    Koi Coral is so pretty, but I’m not sure that outweighs the cons. I hope that MAC will replace it for you – I would be so sad to not be able to use their pretty bullets!

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:48 am

      Hopefully they will, since their return policy only allows for returning/exchanging of unused items, and they could just blame it all on me that I broke the bullet. We’ll see what they say,

  8. July 23, 2015 / 12:10 am

    Yum to Koi Coral! That one looks like it’s right up my alley! I have one MAC lippie – and I try to use it sparingly haha

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:47 am

      Haha, yeah, for some reason MAC lipsticks always feel like a rare commodity 🙂 I love my other MAC lippies, and I also try not to use them much.

  9. FabZilla_Kath
    July 23, 2015 / 1:58 am

    Bummer on glitters and patchiness, I don’t like ’em on lippies. No bueno for sure

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:45 am

      I was very disappointed that they didn’t work for me, because the colors are to die for 🙁

  10. July 23, 2015 / 2:27 am

    I like the colors, but I think the formula does not sound good 🙁

    • July 23, 2015 / 8:46 am

      The colors are drop dead gorgeous, I had such high hopes! Bummer that the formula doesn’t work for me, so I’ll stick with MAC Lustres or with new sheers from Colourpop. Finally tried a few yesterday, and they’re fantastic!

  11. Lisa Marie Heath
    July 23, 2015 / 11:20 pm

    I love these colors but I’m not loving the sound of the formulas. Damn 🙁

    • July 29, 2015 / 4:36 pm

      Yeah, I definitely recommend skipping these. Just read Temptalia’s review today, and looks like she had a similar negative experience with Koi Coral sans the broken bullet.

  12. Banana beer
    July 24, 2015 / 2:27 pm

    I wish I had read this before I ordered it last night. : (

    • July 29, 2015 / 4:38 pm

      Can’t blame you girl, after all MAC is known for their lipsticks, and the colors are drop dead gorgeous. I was itching to grab more, too, but now I’m glad I didn’t.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *