The H&M Beauty Department has launched in Canada! When promo pics ate up my instagram feed, I was totally sucked in by the black, white, gold and hexagonal packaging.
Generally, my expectations are pretty low for large clothing companies that sideline into beauty. For instance, I've tried a few things from Forever 21's Love & Beauty line... all of which were extremely hit or miss and mostly on the low-quality side of things. Seeing as H&M's beauty range is priced from as low as $5.99 up to $14.99, my expectations were set much higher.
The line includes everything from body scrubs to eyeliners and a rainbow of eyeshadow colours. I purchased the H&M Beauty Immaculate Compact Foundation in Golden Beige ($14.99) and the Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Golden Peach. Mostly because blush and foundation are my most used products and also - the packaging. I mean just look at them. The shapes and monochromatic colour scheme are so pleasing to the eye. However, upon picking up the compacts, they feel light and certainly not as weighty as Dior or Guerlain packaging.
The Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Golden Peach looks very, very similar to NARS Orgasm in the pan. When swatched, it's a near dupe. The differences are subtle. Oddly enough, H&M's Golden Peach is more pigmented and maybe a little more pink with a golden sheen, whereas NARS Orgasm is more peach and has a prominent golden sparkle/glitter. On the face, they're pretty much identical. In terms of texture, the Pure Radiance Powder Blusher is like a powdery cream. There's no powder kick-up when you dip your brush in and it's smooth to the touch. On my face, the blush lasted around 6 hours. Not bad, H&M...not bad at all.
Immaculate Powder Foundation, H&M Golden Peach, NARS Orgasm
The Immaculate Compact Foundation in Golden Beige is described as "a luxe cream-to-powder foundation with a velvety, semi-matte finish" on H&M's website. Don't be fooled. It's 100% powder foundation, just a powder. The powder is nice but not the most finely-milled that I've come across. The finish is semi-matte and the coverage is light to non-existent and appears non-cakey. The powder blurs pores and keeps oil at bay for a total of 3 hours, even when I use it to set liquid foundations. This one wasn't for me. If you're looking for an affordable powder foundation, try the Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder instead.
Overall, the foundation was so-so but the blush is a total winner. My curiosity (and penchant for packaging) turned out to be a great alternative to NARS Orgasm. I've been reading reviews for their eyeshadows and some body products and I'm tempted to try out more from the H&M Beauty Department!
Have you tried anything from H&M's Beauty Department? What did you think?
Featured products purchased by me
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