When in H&M…

Lesson of the day: when in the h&m beauty department, don’t do as other beauty bloggers do. Ever since the release almost a year ago (cue ‘wow how has it been a year’ comment), I’ve perused the H&M Beauty department upon every visit but never really felt that pushing urge to go for it, which for me happens whenever contact is made with makeup. I just could never decide what to try, many a YouTuber and beauty blogger has spoken about some key products but I just wasn’t sure if I was fully convinced. I bought a bronzer when it first came out; it was really lovely I was impressed. A single eye shadow came next, also satisfying; I just didn’t feel it was anything to rave about. Until I left my comfort zone (not really though considering all the neutrals). I decided to go in with a fresh mind and choose the products I felt were right in the moment and finally, a year later, do the proper H&M beauty test. It also helped that there was a special offers corner which I perused and ended up with random bits and bobs I wasn’t even sure I had heard about. I ended up with four products that I was eager to test out the next day; an eye shadow palette, an eyeliner, an illuminizer and an overnight lip mask (fingers crossed it would be a dupe for Bite’s agave lip mask).

Let’s start with what I was most impressed by; the ‘Smoky Nudes’ Eyeshadow Palette . I think I remember hearing about this from beauty guru Lily Pebbles, but either way it was on offer for $8.25!!!! I didn’t care if it was rubbish; I was going to buy an eyeshadow palette if it was at that price! The colors looked very me, neutral browns with a couple of shimmer shades for days I really wanted to go wild (sarcasm, why is my eye makeup so boring!). They swatched beautifully, one of those eyeshadow brands that feels almost creamy and blends like a dream (heart eyed emoji). So I was sold, in the back of my mind thinking they probably wouldn’t apply that well and I’d be disappointed. But I wasn’t! The eyeshadows were almost a hybrid between Too Faced shadows and Colorpop! If you’re a fellow beauty addict, I’m sure you’re completely sold after that sentence! Seriously impressed by these eyeshadows and they will forever stay warm and cozy by my daily-use eyeshadow palettes – right between the Tartelette and Makeup Geek z palette!

Now, as for the Aqua Liquid Liner in ‘Afterglow,’ I’m still unsure. What made me pick it up was the color. It was the perfect beautiful shimmery bronze liquid liner I had been searching for for years. My only problem with this was it was too liquid-y. I’m a firm subscriber to the post-it note eyeliner technique, and I’ve learnt over the years to wait till the eyeliner dries before removing the post-it. But with this liner that never seemed to happen, it took almost 10 minutes for it to completely dry. The formula is definitely water-y as opposed to typical liquid liners. For my second use I learnt to shake it thoroughly before applying and this helped but the formula is still very water-y. I will definitely continue to use because the color is beautiful and the lasting power (once it decides to dry) is better than any I’ve ever seen. Just a fair warning- shake before use!

I am strictly a champagne or peach-y highlighter girl, so this ‘Delicate Pearl’ Halo Illuminizer was completely out of my comfort zone! The swatch scared me away even more, it was definitely not your average everyday liquid highlighter. It was strong and bold and perhaps slightly too light for my skin tone. But I decided to try it none-the-less. My fear led me to use it the safe way –under foundation. Good call! It worked beautifully, I could tell when I first applied it there was no way I could make this work on top of my skin makeup, but under it worked to give me a natural glow from within that caught the light beautifully! Definitely recommend (P.s. there is apparently a Champagne version, it was out of stock!)

My obsession with Dr. Pawpaw’s Multipurpose Soothing Balm for my lips has been worrying, but my lips have never looked better! So I felt that my test of the Overnight Lip Rescue may be unfair considering my lips have been in great shape. But I figured, if it maintained their state, that would be good enough for me. And it definitely did! The formula was one of the lightest I’ve tried for an intense lip balm, but I could definitely feel the moisture seeping in with every use! It is definitely not your typical petroleum lip treatment, it’s more of a gel/balm. But so far I would definitely recommend this. May not have rescued my lips, but at least it didn’t put them in harms way!

Hope these short first impressions/reviews were helpful! Let me know what your h&m beauty experience was like, hope you enjoyed!

 

Thank you,

 

Xoxo, CFML