First Impressions: H&M Beauty

When I heard that H&M were relaunching their beauty line, my first thought was about bloomin' time. The first images dripped through the grapevine and I was excited to see luxe looking packaging, and a vast line, long gone are cheap nail polishes and chunky glittery shadows in clear packaging. A real beauty line has arrived!

When I finally got to see the line, I was immediately drawn to the packaging. Whilst I'll admit, it feels a little cheaper than I had hoped, I love how it looks! I opted for the Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Deep Brown, because it reminded me of the likes of Tarte Exposed. I was after something to use as a blush bronze hybrid on days when I want a little subtle cheek definition, and this is perfect. It's super pigmented, soft and easy to blend, and it's a great shade to go with a bold red lip!

 I was intrigued by the Colour Essence Eye Cream texture, it's almost mousse like, reminiscent of the MAC Electric Cool Eyeshadows. I picked up the shade Dauphine Truffle, which is more brown on the eyes than I expected, but also much lighter than it appears in the pot. A nice all over lid shade, that lasts really well throughout the day and doesn't crease.

I'm all for tinted lip balms at this time of year, so I've been giving the Lip Saviour Balm in Sepia Tint a go too. This is really creamy and soft on the lips, with a barely there hint of colour, a great one to chuck in the handbag for on the go!

 And lastly, I picked up the Knot A Problem Hair Primer Spray, mostly because I really appreciate a good pun. I've been spritzing this into damp hair pre blow dry and it does a good job of detangling my mane without weighing it down. My one complaint is that the packaging is pretty vague, and there's no real description of what this is actually supposed to do!

So far, so good, I'm impressed, so much so that there are a few more bits on my wishlist!

Are you going to try H&M Beauty?

First Impressions: Essence Beauty

Until recently, Essence was a brand I'd never tried, and had heard little about, but after stumbling on a stand last month, I thought I'd give a few bits a go. The prices are astonishingly low, so I figured there was no harm done if the products weren't any good!

I picked up two of the lipliners, in Honey Berry and Cute Pink, the former a deep blue toned berry and the latter a muted pink. Whilst the formula of these is a little drier than I'd like, they're incredibly long lasting, and at £1.50 each you can't go wrong with these.

The shade range of the lipsticks was somewhat iffy, but I picked up the Long Lasting Lipstick in 07 Natural Beauty, a nudey pink shade. I'd liken the formula to MAC Creamsheens, glossy and pigmented, but comfortable and easy to wear. This shade is a great everyday option, it's got quite neutral undertones so it goes with most makeup looks, and at £2.30 I really can't knock it!

I also picked up a lipgloss in an almost identical shade, the Liquid Lipstick in 02 Beauty Secret. I'd definitely call this a lipgloss over liquid lipstick, but the formula is lovely, glossy and not sticky, longwearing and the shade is a beauty. 

Finally, I picked up two mascaras, the Maximum Volume Mascara and  Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara. Of the two I prefer the Lash Princess, but they're both fantastic mascaras, and at £2.80 and £3.30 respectively, they're a bargain too.

All in all, I'm really impressed with what I've tried, and I'd like to try more from the brand (I've got my eye on the blushes and eyeshadows!)

Have you tried anything from Essence?