MAC Heavenly Creatures – review, photos & swatches

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Not so long ago, on a vanity very, very close…

photo: we heart this

Behold the beauty that is the limited edition MAC Heavenly Creature collection. The 28 piece launch (plus brushes and skincare) is a magical aura of swirling, cavorting colors that will have you moving at the speed of light to the galaxy known as the MAC makeup counter.

There are nine Mineralize Eye Shadows in the launch, we got a closer look at two of them…

Water is a swirl (MAC calls it a mélange) of a nearly matte bright yellow, shimmery lime green, navy blue with blue metallic sheen, and a chartreuse streak running through it. Applied dry, the color payoff is disappointing. It’s muddy and all of the beautiful shocks of color disappear. Applied wet, it turns into a pretty lime green with blue shimmer. It must be algae filled water, I guess!

Water; dry and wet

Universal Appeal swirls grape, dark bronze and dirty gold. The color payoff is better on the dry application than Water was, but I’m going to go ahead and say that Mineralize eye shadows just look better wet. Dry, it looks almost taupey (albeit, a very purple leaning taupe). Wet, the grape comes out swinging.

Universal Appeal; wet and dry

Unlike the eye shadows, no water required for the Mineralize Skinfinish and Blush (there are four of each in this launch). These beauties perform perfectly straight from the pan. We got a look at one of each.

Center of the Universe Skinfinish goes on as a beautiful orange bronze shimmer, coming from an orange, reddish bronze and frosty gold swirl. I’d describe this a bronzer+. You get that bronzey look, but with an added pop of color. I got excited by the description of it before it arrived; “coral with gold shimmer”. But I think the coral got lost somewhere in transit! Mine’s definitely orange, not coral.

Stratus Blush is an intense beauty best suited for darker complexions or anyone who can apply with a light hand (that’s not me, I’m a blush loader!) Just two color here, a red plum swirled with a dark golden peach.

Center of the Universe Skinfinish, Stratus Blush

from top: Astral, Meteoric, Galaxy Rose

There are five Cremesheen Glass in the collection. We received two to review, plus I had to immediately purchase Meteoric after seeing Temptalia’s swatches (How does she get them up so quick? She’s a swatching animal!) All three have beautiful, nearly opaque coverage.

Galaxy Rose is a raspberry pink creme. Astral is a bright, warm pink with a fine micro purple shimmer to it.

I expected (and wanted) Meteoric to be uber-coral. But in person, it’s a more subdued pink coral than the “vibrant” coral that MAC calls it. But maybe I’m just such a coral lover that shades are starting to not be coral enough. You know, like an addict who needs more and more to feel a buzz? Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, especially thanks to the fine golden shimmer. But I need MORE coral. Just a little bit, then I’ll stop, I swear…

from top: Astral, Meteoric, Galaxy Rose

Cusp of Dawn, Venus

Finally, of the five sheer-ish Lipsticks in the launch (lustres and glazes), we got a look at two.

Cusp of Dawn is a warm, peachy nude frost with subtle gold shimmer. It’s pretty sheer, but such a beautiful shade! The kind of shade I’ll grab over and over again. And a great segway for anyone who wants to venture on to the nude side. And Venus is a sheer, pearly yellow pink.

Cusp of Dawn, Venus

So testers and readers, are these Heavenly Creatures going to soon be in your galaxy? Let us know in the comments!

Buy the MAC Heavenly Creature here.

Here’s the whole line…

Mineralize Eye Shadow
Invincible Light Icy white – lavender and warm gold mélange
Bright Moon Grey – silver and icy green mélange
Earthly Beige – peach and cool brown mélange
Aurora Peach – green and brown mélange
Neo Nebula Cream – warm amethyst and warm pink mélange
Magnetic Attraction – orange pink and gold mélange
Water – yellow, lime green and blue mélange
Sky – green, gold, turquoise and cobalt mélange
Universal Appeal – gold, bronze and violet mélange
$20 US / $24 CDN

Mascara
False Lashes – False Black
$19 US / $22.50 CDN

Lipstick
Pleasure Seeker – Creamy peach (glaze)
Venus – Sheer yellow pink with pearl (lustre)
Cut a Caper – Mid-tone peachy pink (lustre)
Cusp of Dawn – Beiged pink (lustre)
Fire Sign – Red pink (lustre)
$14.50 US / $17.50 CDN

Cremesheen Glass
Celestial Kiss – Pale cool peach
Strictly Plutonic – Mid-tone pink brown
Meteoric – Mid-tone vibrant coral
Astral – Bright yellow pink
Galaxy Rose – Mid-tone violet pink
$19.50 US / $22.50 CDN

Mineralize Blush
Solar Ray – Peach and gold mélange
Stratus – Amethyst and golden brown mélange
Supernova – Magenta and burnished gold mélange
Ring of Saturn – Terracotta and gold mélange
$23.50 US / $28 CDN

Mineralize Skinfinish
Light Year – Peachy pink with gold shimmer
Star Wonder – Plumy pink with multidimensional pearl
Center Of The Universe – Coral with gold shimmer
Earthshine – Tarnished bronze with gold pearl and pink reflects
$29 US / $34 CDN

Skincare
Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator
$28 US / $33.50 CDN

Mineralize Charged Water Cleanser
$23 US / $27.50 CDN
Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Gel
$37 US / $44.50 CDN

Mineralize Charged Water
Moisture Eye Cream
$35 US / $42 CDN

Brushes
187 Duo Fibre Face Brush
$42 US / $50.50 CDN

188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush
$34 US / $41 CDN

286 Duo Fibre Tapered Blending Brush
$30 US / $36.50 CDN

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

Author

  • Stef Andrews

    Stef is a plethora of things. Amongst them: co-founder of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie. She also has a touch of wanderlust and, arguably, the cutest dog in the whole world... skin tone: NC 25/30 skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products

17 Comments

  1. I tried the Universal Appeal shadow combo just the other day and I LOVED it. I always use purple and gold shadows when I go out for a darker more smoky eye look and this combines the two shadows in one. Can’t say enough how much I liked using it.

  2. @stef, your need for a stronger and more intense coral fix made me laugh out loud. I feel that way about eyeshadows now–I’ve tried so many, it has to be intensely pigmented to give me a buzz!!

    I have a love/hate relationship with mineralized shadows. They look so pretty in the pan, are so underwhelming dry, and it muddles the pattern to apply them wet! These ones are especially gorgeous on the pan.

    I tested out the Cremesheen Glass in Astral. I LOVE it. It’s a gorgeous bright pink with teeny tiny sparkle. You can sheer out the color a bit but it’s a fabulous color for summer, and would be so pretty on top of an orange lipstick… It feels smooth and is just the right amount to tacky, which gives it decent lengh of wear. I’m already a huge fan of most MAC lip products, but the color of this is especially fab. I love MAC’s signature vanilla scent and how it leave my lips feeling moisturized. The tube is thick clear plastic, which feels nice and classy. The doe tip applicator makes it easy to apply. I’m over the moon for Astral! Five stars :)

  3. I received Cremesheen Glass in Galaxy Rose, the pretty raspberry pink cream that is surprisingly wearable for daytime. I love the Cremesheen Glass texture, which is lighter than regular Lipglass and not as sticky. This particular Cremesheen packs a lot of pigment, too. For a gloss, Galaxy Rose wears for an admirably long time (3-4 hours without a touchup).

    As a fellow coral lover, I’m sorry to hear that Meteoric isn’t super coral, @stef !

    Your swatch of Water applied wet is absolutely gorgeous. In fact, all of the Mineralize Eye Shadows are intriguing to me. Must get to MAC to check them out before they’re gone!

  4. @stef – I hear you about it not being coral enough and I know exactly what you mean. When you’re drawn to a color, you want saturation. I am sorry that gloss didn’t do it for you :(

    I am liking the looks of the Cremesheen in Galaxy Rose–I’ve been drawn to that shade lately in lips and cheeks. I’m even intrigued by the eye shadow in Water–the colors shouldn’t work but they do. Oddly enough, the blush shades aren’t doing anything for me–they’re too harsh and severe for this pale girl. This may be the sign of the end of days, y’all.

    1. So, I ended up getting one of the Mineralize Skinfinish powders/blushes/bronzer in Center of the Universe to try out and ended up pleasantly surprised. I saw the swirling colors in the pan and while gorgeous in the pan, no way in heck was that swirling pan of bronze, orange, brown, and gold going to work on me. As a bronzer, it was ridiculous–way too orange and Oompa Loompa/Snooki dark for this pale girl. I felt a little defeated. Then I grabbed the fluffiest brush I owned and swirled this over my cheekbones. We have blush. I repeat, WE HAVE BLUSH. The orangey-ness in this shade helps create a coral bronze blush on me, which is shockingly flattering. Perfect for fall flattering. I’ve been wearing this almost exclusively for almost two weeks flattering. This is definitely one powder you should check out in person and not judge by the picture because the reality is SO MUCH BETTER. :)

  5. Ooh, I want Water! I love the swirls and the resulting color is beautiful when applied wet. I also think Venus is a nice color.

    1. Water is pretty fabulous isn’t it? I’m hearing there’s lots of green coming in fashion this fall – so you’ll get lots of use from it. Love how it looks like a khaki green wet and more sage-y dry.

  6. I could kiss you for sending M.A.C.’s Lustre Lipstick in “Cusp of Dawn” to me to test out! I am in complete love with its color on me and anyone that likes sheer nudes will flip for this one. It’s a great shade of nude frost with peach that has a stroke of glistening gold. It may be sheer but it packs a punch on, let me tell you! I like that it can be worn lightly or heavy. It wears for hours too. It is a bit sticky, but what lipstick isn’t? It also has a pleasant smell.. I have to say Cusp of Dawn was named rightly because it goes on first thing in the morning and has become one of my most favorite MAC shades I’ve had in a long time! Perfect for summer but I think I’ll be wearing it well into the fall and then some! Five stars! *****

    1. I’m glad you love Cusp of Dawn @irene – when we were swatching these, that lipstick was the one that really intrigued me. It was so pretty! It’s a flattering nude for all skin types, which (surprisingly to me) is hard to find. Must be the hint of shine – a lot of nudes go too matte and make me look sick – the gold sheen in this lipstick adds some life to it.

    2. @tyna, one of my co-workers who does NOT wear lipstick at all even liked this one! That cracked me up.. This “Cusp of Dawn” is really pretty! All smiles and kisses! xo

    3. Cusp of Dawn was almost not yours @irene! I was {thisclose} to keep it for myself since it’s so pretty. But I seriously need another nude l/s like I need a hole in my head. So glad you like it. Isn’t it subtle and gorgeous?

  7. I have been looking FOREVER for a light, classic pink, with a little sheerness to it, and thanks to WHT I found it in MAC’s Venus. I was so excited to test out this lipstick and I absolutely love it! It’s a really pretty, lightweight, pearly pink, with just enough shimmer and just enough pigment. It has a great creamy texture and it’s become my new “go-to” shade of the moment. I will probably have to go get a second one to store away, when mine runs out. Very happy with this lipstick. Five huge stars for the color MAC!

    1. Stock up quick @spitfire77 – I think Heavenly Creatures will only be around until the end of August. So glad you liked Venus.

  8. This collection is so gorgeous and I know a lot of MAC junkies were looking forward to this collection! While I’m not a huge fan of mineralized eyeshadows, I DO love the cremesheen glasses and the lipstick shades. So pretty and wearable!

  9. Center of the Universe is certainly orange rather than coral, but oh, it must be mine!!
    I’m a little disappointed with the mineralized eyeshadows of this release, the color payoff when applied dry leaves a lot to be desired and I don’t really like applying eyeshadows wet. They’re so beautiful in the pan, I just want to see that on my lids without all the work! (Heh, first world problems, I know.)

  10. @Stef, I like Water wet and dry! Dry, to me, feels more like a pale olive cammo-type color. It’s a nice switch up from a wash of brown when I’m going neutral but not necessarily natural. But I will agree that wet is the way to go here… It’s light but vibrant, totally different from any of my other shadows. I wouldn’t buy these for a color in the swirl–they’re way to difficult to pick out. Buy these based on the dominant color knowing it will be slightly neutralized. (even muddied) by the other colors.This is not a bad thing–it’s fresh, fun and exciting. Look good in greens? Try it. Love Water.

  11. Super late to the party, but I got to try Stratus and it is GORGEOUS. It’s super pigmented and rather intense, but MAC does bold and does it right. This would be absolutely beautiful on someone with a very dark complexion but it still worked for me; I’m an NC42 and with a light touch (SO hard for me too!) I loved it.
    Plus, this whole line is just damn pretty. I mean, look at them!! :-)

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