Review: Manhattan Soft Mat Lip Creams in 56K and 95G

While browsing make up retail sites I came across a product that looked familiar- I’d seen budget Matte Lip Creams reviewed on blogs before, and even though I wasn’t familiar with Manhattan as a brand I definitely wanted to try a couple.
Manhattan is, confusingly, not American but an affordable German brand; they sell a large range of products from their own creation to familiarly packaged products such as the Lip Lacquer Lipsticks. Being a foreign budget brand they are available predominantly on online discount websites and independent cosmetic shops, but I have also seen their products recently in Poundland.

The Soft Mat Lipcreams are applied with a wand and have a thin balmy texture that dries down on the lips to leave an opaque colour with a completely matte finish. Although described as a ‘unique lip cream’, they have a name suspiciously similar to NYX’s range, and the packaging is a dead ringer with a clear plastic tube and matte black lid.
These are available in 7 shades, and I bought the colours 56K and 95G after searching for swatches online. Swatches for these products are few and far between, and the shades looked different in each photo so the colours I received weren’t exactly the colours I was expecting. 56K is a muted warm pink and 95G turned out to be quite a dark brown with warm orangey undertones.

These creams have the exact scent of the NYX products- an artificial vanilla smell that is definitely either love or hate. They apply smoothly and, because the colour range is reasonably the same darkness as natural lips colours, they don’t appear patchy or uneven. Manhattan describe the finish as ‘veletty-matte’ with a ‘wonderfully soft feeling on the lips’, and I would agree; they have a silky, almost silicone feel about them and are almost the polar opposite of sticky. They take a good few minutes to dry and lose some of the slip, becoming a little powdery and having a bit of resistance when the lips are rubbed together. I have worn these when my lips have been very dry, which you can see in the swatch photos above. The creams don’t pick up on the dryness as much as some solid lipsticks do, but on both dry and smooth lips these accentuate the lines and crinkles of the lips close up.

Wear time for these is better for me than lipsticks, which I find it difficult to make last. They have little transfer when dry but need reapplying after eating and drinking. As they’re matte they do dry the lips, but I’ve found much worse culprits and a good layer of lipbalm helps with any dryness.

I really like 56K, even though I was expecting something brighter I’m very fond of milky pinks and it mutes my lip colour while looking quite natural. 95G is a shade that won’t suit light skintones and is a bit too dark for me (you can see in the swatch that it gives a slight orange ring around my lips, but it’s hard to tell without seeing my whole face), but with a few dots of 56k blended on top it becomes a wearable dark nude shade so all isn’t lost.
I have one NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream to compare these to- Tokyo is a very light pink and even though I like the colour I’m not at all fond of the application. I think it’s because it’s so much lighter than my lip colour that it applies patchy in the centre of the lips, settles into lines, and looks thin and chalky, which you can see in a swatch at the end of this post. As the lip creams from both brands have incredibly similar formulas, it’s interesting to see how NYX’s large range of colours can let the product down, whereas Manhattan have stuck to darker shades (similar to the Collection Cream Puffs) which you can’t really go wrong with.

I'm really pleased with the Manhattan Soft Mat Lipcreams, the application and lasting power make them a winner for me, and the price point also helps- they have an RRP of £3.99, but can be found discounted online. I bought mine for £2.99 from Xtras, but they’re available for 99p each on Fragrance Direct. If you’re a fan of the shade range, these make a great cheaper dupe for the NYX creams, and are also a great way to ease yourself into matte lip products if you don’t own any already.

I’ve tried a few other products from Manhattan, one that I really love, but another that I’m really interested to try (if I can find it in the UK) is their ProfessionalMascara with silk keratin and integrated comb in the cap. Have you tried any products from Manhattan?

 (Below- NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo)