I think I mentioned the H&M beauty department launch on this little blog before, but I haven't gone into it in detail. When I checked out the collection for the first time just after the launch, I tried to control my urge to buy everything and only took home Precious, the gold/pink duochrome nailpolish. I fell in love with the colour and the quality of that one product, and the rest is history. I've gone back multiple times and acquired quite a selection of H&M beauty items, so I figured I might as well do a review so you get an overview of the collection.
First impressions: love the elegant, simple look of the containers. You do notice that this is a low budget line, though. The plastic of the blush compact is thin, there's no complementary mirror in there, and the gold lettering wears off easily, but I don't mind as long as the packaging doesn't break on me or anything. I'd much rather pay for a good product in meh packaging than vice versa.
Let's zoom in on all of the products one at a time. First up: the nail polishes!
I got Time to shine, a gold/silver flakies top coat; Precious, a molten gold that looks rusty-pink in some lights; and Purpleheart Pearl, which is a metallic burgundy unlike anything I already own.
I love all three of these polishes. Precious and Purpleheart Pearl feel like perfect fall/end of the year colours, rich and warm and distinguished. Time to Shine is a great addition to my collection because it is SO hard to find flakies top coats over here in Belgium, and this one is affordable too! Flakies are awesome because of their unique look, but also because they give the sparkle you get with chunky glitter, without the hassle of removing it. Flakies swipe off like normal nail polish with some regular nail polish remover. All three polishes have great staying power on me, staying pretty with minor touch ups where the tips wear off for at least four to five days. H&M's nail polishes are well worth checking out, as they have a lot of different shades to choose from, and they only cost €4.99.
Of course, I also had to bring some sparkle home.
Loose glitter what what! Obviously I love glitter, no surprises there. I didn't have any cosmetic loose glitter in my stash yet, so my curiosity was sparked. I couldn't pick just one colour, so I chose Catherine Wheel, which is rose gold, and Break the Ice, white holographic glitter that shifts colour depending on how the light hits it.
Catherine Wheel / Break the Ice
Now that I've tried both, I'd say Break the Ice is definitely the best out of the bunch. While Catherine Wheel is pretty, Break the Ice is STUNNING in how it shifts from blue to green to gold to pink, like fairy dust! Cosmetic loose glitter is actually really easy to work with, although I was a bit intimidated at first. You're not supposed to use regular glitter in your make up because it can damage your eyes, so cosmetic glitter is basically the safe version of that sparkle you want. You can use it on clean skin or over powder eyeshadow (in which case I'd recommend using a brush) and it will stay put, but it works best over a sticky base like Urban Decay's Primer Potion, or Maybelline Color Tattoo as this will make the glitter more intense. I'm wearing both loose glitters dabbed on with my finger over Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, and they pair perfectly.
Pictures don't do the sparkle justice, trust me on that one. These come in different shades and cost €5.99 for a tube.
Next up, a cream concealer trio in Light to Medium.
I love that this little pot contains three different concealer shades, so you can create the perfect match for your own skin tone. I like using the pinkest one (on top in this pic) mixed with the lightest shade under my eyes, and the darker/more yellow one for the hyper pigmentation on my temple. Let's look at that in action.
Left: concealed under eye area, right: without concealer
I love how well this works! It's creamy, so it doesn't emphasize fine lines or dry patches, but it's not too rich either. Rich creamy concealers can lay too thick on the skin or move around, settling into your laugh lines, but that hardly happens with this baby. It has a great skinlike finish. I rarely bother with concealer because I don't really get zits or blemishes anyway and I don't like how concealers can sit in my eye wrinkles, but this one has become a staple in my daily routine. Sells for €9.99.
Moving on to Gossamer Lipstain in Gauzy Mauve.
Another immediate favourite: this My Lips But Better mauve-y lip stain. When it goes on the lips (silky smooth), you get a wet feel and a sweet taste. Then it dries in and you're left with the effect you see in the last pic: still glossy, but not sticky, and it barely transfers when you eat or drink. You do have to reapply now and then, but I love how fresh the finish of this lipstain is. Very light, not too opaque: soft, fresh, low maintenance and natural. These sell for €7.99.
Finally, my last purchase: the velvet cream blush in Sunny Peach.
I'm a sucker for cream blushes because you can't find many of those at lower price points, but this one got extra points from me because it's this sweet, neutral pink, but when you swirl it with your finger, you see that there's gold shimmer in there. I love shimmery blushes. Don't be too intimidated, the shimmer is really subtle once you apply it.
You can see the gold right there on my cheekbone where the light hits it. So pretty! This one is super easy to work with: not too pigmented, because I find that you can easily over-apply when using cream blushes, and super blendable. I like using my fingers with this one, but you can easily go with a stippling brush or a beauty blender. Goes very well with the Gauzy Mauve lipstain.
And this is my entire face with all of the products! Natural and sweet. I really love all of the products I picked up, and I'm really eager to try more of the H&M Beauty range. Their eyeshadows and lipstick crayons swatched amazingly well in store, so I'm pretty sure that those will be next.
Have you tried anything of the H&M beauty collection? Thoughts?
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