New In : H&M Beauty

Did you ever see a more beautiful beauty range?! As soon as I laid eyes upon the gorgeous new beauty collection from H&M, all beautifully lined up in the Oxford Circus store, I knew that it just had to be mine. I barely gave a thought to the actual makeup (I know, bad beauty blogger) and instead was just so transfixed with the packaging that before long, my shopping basket was full, and I was racing home eager to photograph possibly the most photogenic beauty range, ever.

Over on my YouTube channel today, I published a haul video going through my very first impressions of each of the gorgeous goodies, but since filming it I've tried all of the products ready to report back my first impressions, so let's kick off with the blushers, as I did in the video.

Colour wise, H&M have an incredible colour selection for their blushers; the Autumnal dusky pinks and mauves are exactly what I'd been looking for, and in this incredible packaging it was hard for me to resist, so yep, I bought two. The hexagons, the gold, there's something very luxe about how these look and I was instantly drawn to the almost purple toned blushers and grabbed a cream and a powder. Of the two, the powder is my favourite, purely as I prefer that texture for my blush in general, but the cream consistency was far better than I expected; not greasy in the slightest, and a lovely colour pay off. A little hard to blend, but the final result was lovely.

I picked up this cream eyeshadow in the shade 'Glam Glow' in the hope that it would be a dupe of my Charlotte Tilbury equivalent, and while it's not quite so luxe, I would say that it's a fabulous hughstreet alternative. The colour when applied is a whimsical pinky champagne, with a subtle shimmer, and decent colour payoff. A fabulous base, but I'm not sure how well this would blend for a smokey eye.

The lipsticks are another beautifully packaged produce, with their eye-catching gold tubes, and clean white lids. I picked up two pinky shades, going for a classic nude and a slightly more autumnal pink. Both have a lovely moisturising feel, similar to the KIKO lipsticks, giving a not quite gloss, but certainly not a matte-drying finish. They leave my lips feeling moisturised, and colour payoff is good, but the lasting power isn't quite as good as I'd hoped for.

The perfect amount of shimmer lies within these gorgeous single eyeshadows, not too sparkly, and not a flat matte-shade, H&M have got the glitter-scale absolutely tipped perfectly on their powder shadows. I went for three neutral colours which all blend very nicely together, but the colour payoff is not as intense as my pricier eyeshadows, you really have to give that brush a good swirl!!

Oh the nail varnishes. In the store the display seemed to go on for miles, it was so hard to choose which to go for (MAJOR first world problem) so I ended up walking home with four autumnal shades. I've been wearing U-Taupe-Ia for the past week now, and have given it one top up after a few chips appeared, but overall considering the price I'm very impressed with both the formula, and the incredible colour range.

9 incredible colours in one palette, I wouldn't be surprised if the Smokey Nudes eyeshadow palette sells out pretty soon, as every one of these shades is just so darn wearable. With stunning packaging and a lovely mirror in the lid (and at just �9.99) I think this is my favourite piece from the collection. Again the colour payoff isn't great, but if you keep on swirling, you'll be rewarded.

Finally the powder. I said in my video that I thought it may be quite drying, as that's the effect that it had when I swatched, however I'm pleased to report that I love the effect it has when applied to my face; not drying at all, just giving a lovely subtle matte finish to my makeup, and keeping my base in place for hours to come.

All in all, a fabulous collection, and no doubt one which will send the blogosphere into a frenzy! The stunning packaging and accessible price points (most items around �5) make this range an absolute winner, and I can't wait to try more!

Don't forget to head over and watch my video for more first impressions and information about the products!

Will you be trying out the H&M beauty range?

xoxo

Cult Beauty Favourites

Beauty trends come and go, but some products remain permanent features in our makeup and beauty drawers. There are a few products that I run out of and re-buy time after time simply because they can not be beaten either in functionality, colour pay off, value etc, and this post is dedicated to a few of my favourite cult beauty products!

Firstly, Seche Vite top coat. Now I was fairly late on the band wagon with Seche Vite; I heard rumours about its incredible powers for long lasting chip free shine and finally tried it out for myself a couple of months ago, and havn't turned back since. It truly makes any nail polish the glossiest it could possibly be, and they somehow look plumped and perfect, even if I've painted my nails in a rush. 

With regards to the polish, I don't think Essie as a brand can be beaten when it comes to the shade ranges and value of the polishes. Each season they release new Must Have colours, and they always seem to be just so on trend, exactly what I wanted before I even knew that I wanted it! They have super lasting power even without a top coat, but I've recently been using a Gel Top Coat to make them last throughout my beach holidays. My current fave combo is Chillato and Peach Side Babe which you may have spotted over on my instagram.

A product which will forever be my go-to balm, whether I'm suffering from dry chapped lips, or just want a little extra moisture, is the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Lip Balm. As part of the infamous Eight Hour range, you know it's going to be good, and it's a lightweight formula which sinks in quickly but leaves lips feeling nourished for hours after application.

Since discovering Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish a few months ago, my skincare routine has been revolutionised for good and I am determined to stick with this cleanser for the foreseeable future. You may have seen my post about how I may as well give up beauty blogging, because I don't even want to try any other cleansers - nothing could compare to the Liz Earle C&P! Take a look at this post for a full review.

Finally the eyeshadow palette that every girl should own at least one version of, the Urban Decay Naked Palette. My personal favourite is Naked 3 with the rose gold and soft brown tones, however it is so battered after over a year of daily use that I chose the classic Naked to photograph for the post. With every shade you need for daytime looks through to smokey eyes, and long lasting, fantastic quality shades, I highly recommend this to anyone looking to add an eyeshadow palette to their beauty collection, and it makes a great starter product if you looking to begin building a makeup collection. 

What are your cult beauty products?