I was giddy with excitement as I revisited the H&M Beauty department – this time with the intention to BUY! 😀 My first visit was shortly after the launch and I was filled with longing for all the loveliness, but left me empty-handed AND empty-hearted… but now I am FULL… of makeup!
I had mentioned last year that one of the brands I wanted to try was H&M Beauty, and now I’ve fulfilled a lifelong wish (too dramatic? 😉 )
H&M overhauled their entire beauty line last Fall, expanding the offering and bringing a much more cohesive and sleek aesthetic to the collection (I do have to say though, I did like some of H&M’s old nail polishes and makeup brushes). I think they’ve done a wonderful job! Here are some photos of the store displays and details of what I got:
I was all set to buy the Smoky Essentials eye palette but then I inspected the fine print a little closer on the palette and noticed that it was made in China. The High Impact Eye Color single eye shadows, however, were made in Italy. Hmm! And there were many colours to choose from.
After swatching so many colours my hands looked bruised, I finally selected these 3 shades: Down to Earth (deep grey taupe), Cocoa Mauve (matte mauve brown), and Shiitake (light shimmery tan) They’re $8 for 2g.
And I was psyched to grab a whole whack of blushes but… I was little disappointed at the selection. There were some pretty looking colours, to be sure, but nothing jumped out at me. A lot of bloggers reviewed the shade “Apricot” and it was very powdery and disappeared into my skin.
The only colour that caught my eye was this warm nudey bronze shade called Deep Brown (not really that deep, and not that brown). $13 for 5g, made in Italy.
But the best part of the H&M Beauty collection for me was the WALL of nail polishes! They’re not exactly cheap at $7 for only 8ml but I was suckered by the colour selection and bottle design.
I finally narrowed down to 4 colours (even though I originally had a dozen in my hands!): Precious (golden opal), Cashmere (smoky mauve with silver shimmer), Rock Oyster (greige pearl), and Rose Umber (dusty mauve pink). The polishes are made in Sweden! 😕
I did a bit of research on what were considered the best items of the H&M Beauty line and came across this article by Allure which listed their top 15 picks. That’s how I learned about the perfume in Cashmere Haze. I’ve been wanting a cozy type of scent akin to Donna Karan’s Cashmere Mist and instead of paying $70 for a bottle of that, I decided to try this $13 one (55ml). Its notes are lily of the valley, jasmine, sandalwood – it’s not exactly DK Cashmere Mist, but it’s a nice soft scent. This Eau de toilette is made in Turkey.
Lastly I bought this textured makeup case. I was really drawn to this design for some reason – it looks so useful with the detachable mesh interior case. I’m thinking it could be handy for my trip. (Actually, lastly is the Precision Makeup Sponge which I forgot to photograph, it’s H&M’s version of the Beauty Blender sponge, except it is white).
I eyed the makeup brushes but wasn’t really wow’d by any to pick them up (lots of duo ended brushes, ugh) – they were a bit overpriced for what they were too, nothing was less than $10. I also wasn’t particularly interested in any of the lip or face products during this visit. Have you tried any of the new (well, new to me anyway) H&M Beauty products? Any recommendations?
PS. I’ll essentially be posting hauls for the rest of January… I hope you don’t mind, it’s been a blur of shopping this month so far. 😉
I never realized how much amazing things H&M had in their beauty department. I didn’t even realize they had a beauty department. But you got some amazing nail polish colors, now I have to stop myself from wondering into H&M. Great post!
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Not all H&M stores carry the full beauty line – they also sell it online if you can’t make it to an H&M store! 🙂 I can’t wait to wear the nail polishes – based on reviews online, they’re good quality.
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That explains why I hadn’t seen the beauty line I stores. I’ll for sure check online. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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The selection of eyeshadows are amazing! I have not tried anything from them yet, but you have influenced me to do so in the future haha
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I know – I had no idea they offered SO many colours! I was like a kid in a candy store. I wore the Shiitake shade and it is LOVELY! I was very pleased with it. I’d say the quality is on par with Inglot or Yves Rocher. 🙂
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Oooh that’s good to know!
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Urgh, now it looks like I might have to stop by H&M to check these out myself…. The design of the blush is just so pretty! I love the hexagon and the gold.
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Yes, I was very drawn to the blush packaging! Very modern and looks like a designer piece. But be warned though, it’s quite a cheap feeling plastic case. I wish the eye shadows had the same hexagon shape!
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Oh, I should have expected that from H&M. Oh well. At least the product inside is good!
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I’ve restricted myself with just shopping clothing alone in H&M and I’ve never made an effort to look into the beauty section and your post has made me realise to make an attempt next time if I pop onto H&M. Also, you’ve made a great purchase and it looks awesome. Well, I’m sure you will be given a long mileage with these products. Perfect post!
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I don’t visit H&M too often for either clothes or cosmetics since it’s always SO crowded! But the few times a year I visit, I always end up buying something. I can’t wait to try everything out! 🙂
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That’s great!
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The H&M beauty line all looks so good! Hope you enjoy all your pieces! I have an eyeshadow and the quality is really good! Those nail polishes look super pretty tho!
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I wore the Shiitake eye shadow and it’s really nice – I was impressed! I can’t wait to try the nail polishes… I have so many untried polishes waiting in my stash… 😛
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They are so good! How exciting!
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You chose the prettiest nail polish shades! Now I want to get my paws on Precious and Cashmere!
I got really excited when I started seeing H&M Beauty products online, but was so disappointed when I found out that none of the H&M locations in my city carry their beauty range. Limited myself to getting one nail polish while we were in Hawaii because of the exchange rate. You’re right, their blushes were a little underwhelming!
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Which H&M polish shade did you buy in Hawaii?
Oh that’s too bad your local H&M doesn’t carry the line!
So many bloggers ooh’d and ahh’d over the blushes and I felt deficient standing in front of the display going… hrm I not feeling it. Maybe it’s because I own too many blushes already! 😛
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I bought Mauve It Up because I was lacking a mauve shade in my collection. After seeing the ones that you bought, I’m kicking myself for not picking up some more!
Hmm, I agree – I wanted to get a blush just because I didn’t know the next time I’d see an H&M Beauty, but a lot of them seemed powdery and/or nothing special!
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I hope the nail polish quality is good!
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So far I’ve really enjoyed it – it’s not streaky at all and it’s opaque in two coats. Hoping you will like it too!
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I had no idea that H&M had that much makeup products !!! The packaging is really pretty 🙂
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Yes they did a good job with the collection – almost like a whole MAC store inside H&M! Do you have an H&M close to you?
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I do have one nearby but I never stop there. !!! For sure next time, I’ll have a look inside 😀
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My first visit to the H&M beauty section was pretty overwhelming! Luckily it wasn’t too crowded, but I still only made it out with a couple polishes and a lippie 🙂 Somehow the powder stuff didn’t call out to me, but I look forward to seeing your reviews on them! And all your haulage!
Hey you didn’t get a lippie! 😀
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It WAS overwhelming! I had no idea it would be so vast. It was pretty quiet in the section and I noticed there was one person assigned to maintain the displays – she basically followed me around and restocked each item I was putting into my basket lol.
I swatched some of the lipsticks but I guess I just wasn’t in the mood. I’m planning to do a lip product mega purge of my collection soon so I’ll wait until then to evaluate what I “need”. 😛
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Hahaha! I can’t imagine an SA doing that. Too funny!
I am going to have to do a lipstick purge soon, too. I have way too many oldies (probably good for a TBT post or two). Peanut actually just got into a box and messed up all my old pretties 😦 And my MAC O just went bad after like 10 yrs.
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Oh no! Peanut strikes again! You know, when I started reading your post about your camera, I half expected that Peanut had somehow gotten a hold of it or knocked it off a table…
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I’m a little surprised it wasn’t him, too! 🙂 He actually hasn’t broken too much important stuff, surprisingly. Possibly because I tend to watch him like a hawk. The worst thing that’s happened under my watch is he tore a hole in the fabric over one of our speakers by the TV. And of course breaking 2 old nail polishes. DH is more…lackadaisical. “Uh, you might be missing a page in that book now…”
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LOL your DH’s comment! Ummm now we’ll never know how that story ends. 😛
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Ha! It was actually a glossary (or perhaps index) page in a cookbook. Luckily the page was saved, so I’ll just tape it back in. Peanut destroys his own books on a regular basis 😦
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Ha, so much for a low-buy. Love all your polish choices. I’m curious why you don’t want to buy products made in China? I know why most people don’t, just wanna know why YOU don’t. The blush is pretty too, though I agree it’s not deep or brown, haha.
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January is NO HOLDS BARRED! 😀 I’m going to shop until I drop, lady! My Low-Buy kicks in in Feb… $50 for that month.
Re: Made in China goods – I generally find the quality to be lesser. Cosmetics is not their forte. Companies produce there for the sole reason to get cheap materials and labour, not to make a good quality product (cosmetics is not an established industry in China compared to say, electronics) Whereas Italy has a long history of producing cosmetics and that comes with more expertise and higher quality ingredients.
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Literally LOL’d at the Feb start. Huh… never thought of it that way with the China makeup but it makes sense. I’ll have to look more closely from now on 🙂
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I got one of the Gossamer Lip Stains last weekend. Not sure how I feel about it yet. Need to play with it more. I will say I don’t like how it tastes.
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Good to know! Lip products that taste bad are no-nos for me!
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The H&M shop displays look absolutely beautiful, I can see why you were so tempted! Love the look of the eyeshadows and nail polishes you picked up, looking forward to seeing swatches and hearing your thoughts! 🙂
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I didn’t even feel like I was in an H&M store – I felt like I was inside a MAC store! I’m excited to play with all the goodies. 🙂
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😀
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Those products are everything! Will be checking these out. Awesome post. . Xoxo!
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New makeup is always fun! Thank you!
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Agreed!! Xoxo
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They don’t have their beauty line here in my part of CA, and I’m kind of glad they don’t. That would mean trouble for me and my wallet!
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Haha, they’re available online too! 😉
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What a great selection! I like the blushes and eyeshadows, can’t wait for these to be available in Australia! 🙂 x
http://carylalmelor.com
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I hope you get it in Australia soon! And that the prices will be reasonable! 🙂
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Great picks ! 😍 I’ve been wanting to purchase h&m makeup ..ever since I saw it launch !! Then after seeing numerous swatch videos ..hearing how the texture is incredible ughhhh makes me want one of everything lol!! Your picks though! You chose some great colors!!!😁👍🏻
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The eye shadows are really good for sure! I’d say they’re on par with Inglot. When I finally buy some MUG eye shadows (the Canadian dollar is so terrible right now – the MUG eyeshadows at $6USD is now converted to $8.75CAD, nevermind the shipping! I can get MAC eye shadows for $12 😦 ) I’ll have to do a comparison / showdown!
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I definitely cannot wait to see that!!!! Awe:/ that sucks to hear, hopefully it gets better fast!!😄
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That Precious nail polish looks amazing!
I love haul posts so I look forward to Hauluary 🙂
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Hauluary! Hahaha I love it! I’m totally using that in my upcoming haul post! 😀
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Dooo eet! 🙂
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I love your blog and love H&M so its a good combination!
https://poppyrowe1.wordpress.com
I would be so so grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to check out my blog and possibly give it a follow as I’m only just starting up!
XXX
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I’ve been dying to try this line of cosmetics too! It’s dying wish of mine for this year…cue dramatic sigh. 🙂 I am drooling over that polish shade in “precious”. I have to know if it applies as duo chrome as it appears in the bottle! The blush looks absolutely beautiful as well.
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I saw some swatches of Precious online and it appears more golden than opal, however, I think it would look gorgeous over a dark base! I’m wearing the blush today and it’s very nice! Good quality and really pigmented. 🙂
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wait, if you could just give me a sec? I just have to screen shot the nail polishes, yes!… and the perfume. Thank you! 😁
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Do you have H&M there? It’s a fun place to shop! 😀
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Yes we do, actually I had. major damage in my pocket last holiday because of the 70% sale. 😁 Unfortunately they don’t carry the makeup line😔 I asked the SA and they’re not sure.
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Tati (glamlifeguru), raved about their blushers. I have only bought one of their makeup brushes. The makeup line is fairly new isn’t it? Do correct me…
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Yes, the makeup line is quite new! Only about 4 months old. 🙂 I’m wearing the blusher in Deep Brown today and oh MY, it’s quite pigmented! I wasn’t expecting it to apply so strongly. Let’s just say I had to do a lot of blending to tone it down. 😉 But, the shade is beautiful – perfect winter colour!
I do have a couple of H&M’s old eye shadow brushes and I quite like them!
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Your intro was everything. So funny. How exciting that you get to buy all of your heart’s desires over the year. I heard good things about the H&M line. I hope to hear reviews! 🙂
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Hehe, I’ve been so deprived of makeup. 😛 (First World Problems!)
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I have to say, I’m thoroughly impressed by H&M Beauty. My sister and I went hogwild when we visited the Eaton Centre location last time I was in Toronto. Man – I am WAY BEHIND on my beauty reviews. Congrats on your year of No Buy!
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Thanks Dom! I got these from the Eaton Centre too! Isn’t the beauty area SO amazing? I felt like I was inside a MAC store instead of H&M. Looking forward to your reviews on them! 🙂
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I know! It was incredible! My sister and I screwed around in the beauty area for about an hour! LOL!
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