H&M Beauty Haul

I'm probably one of the last people in the world to talk about the new (well, not anymore) H&M beauty launch, but I still felt like I needed to post about it. I also apologize for being MIA - It's been a crazy couple of months.

I visited the Herald Square store the week everything came out, and was blown away by pretty much what everyone else was - the PACKAGING. For a low-priced, fast fashion cosmetic range, they had really spent time on the packaging. A few drugstore brands can certainly take a leaf out of their book.

I browsed around and wanted to try pretty much everything, but I narrowed it down to two lipsticks and an eyeshadow palette. And threw in a body splash cause I think I was rushing to an interview and forgot to spritz on perfume. Pigmentation and color pay off are probably the best quality parameters for any cosmetic, so this seemed like a decently representative sample.

Their shade range for eyeshadows and lipsticks are insane. There are so many colors, and a crazy amount of variety. Even while having a good ol' swatch, I realized that the color payoff was looking pretty freaking decent for the price. I took everything home, had a play, and wrote this up.

1. H&M Matte Lipstick in Lenox Lounge and Route 66 ($9.99 each)

Right off the bat, these blew me away. The formulation reminds me of a higher end lipstick and it is very forgiving through the day - it stains out instead of disappearing in chunks and sticking to the little cracks in your lips. I have been on this fruitless hunt for a day time red that isn't Ruby Woo, also was kinda pink-ish and was matte. When I put this in my basket I had 0 hopes for it. I thought it would disappoint me like all the other reds I've bought that are sitting in the bottom of my makeup bag and are now used for color correction. Lenox Lounge is pretty much the most amazing red for any skin tone.  Route 66 is a perfect no-makeup-makeup-MLBB nude. I'll be honest, it's a tad bit too pink but I make it work cause i put the tiniest hint of gloss over the top. 10/10 for both.

2. H&M Eyeshadow Palette in Aubergine Dream ($9.99)

Well, if you take a look at the photos, you can probably already tell what my take on this is. It's a 9-shade palette with some pretty beautiful colors - mattes, glitters and satin finishes - something for everyone. And a 10 Dollar price tag for 9 shades. When I swatched it in store, it gave me bad payoff (for some reason, the single eye shadows swatch BEAUTIFULLY), but I thought maybe the palette had been exposed to air for too long, or had dried up and that a new one would swatch like their single pans would. Sigh. They didn't. They're sheer washes of color at best. I use a primer or a cream eye shadow base when I use this palette which I know, isn't that big a deal, but I expected to be able to throw this in my bag as an on-the-go product. The brown and reddish brown shades stay on a little better and don't really need a primer, but aren't high on the pigmentation scale. So unless you can take the trouble to use a primer or a base for this, I wouldn't recommend it. Check out the singles instead.

3. H&M Buttercream Dream Body Mist ($4.99)

This was definitely an afterthought product, but I was so pleasantly surprised. If you like sweet scents, this is something you need. I throw it in my bag and reapply when needed, but surprisingly, the silage is pretty darn decent. I can smell it on my clothes for at least a couple days afterwards, and on my skin the whole day. And the price. Come on.

I definitely want to try out the blushes in the line, and I heard they're releasing a Conscious Beauty line - packaging looks amazing for that too!

Goodwill 101

I've gotten quite a few questions over the past few months relating to one thing - Goodwill shopping.
It's something that I wanted to do as soon as I came here because I've heard SO much about it from US based blogs and vlogs. Back in the UK, there is a similar concept called Charity Shopping but the stores are smaller and more full of bric-a-brac than clothes.

I thought I'd do a series of posts that basically help you all (well, my US based friends) shop at Goodwill!

There are a few things you need to know straight off the bat.

1. Goodwills can be HUGE. Some of them have clothes organised by size, some don't. Some organise by color, some don't. Some don't even organise past men's/women's. But that is exactly what makes it exciting. It's like a treasure hunt.
2. There are tonnes of Goodwills in NYC. Don't just look at the ones in midtown. The best ones are the ones that are in Brooklyn or even uptown (cause that's where you can score some designer shi*).
3. You need patience. Go through all the racks. It takes a few visits to really know what is worth it, what's overpriced and what you need to buy RIGHT NOW or you'll spend the rest of your life regretting it.

Items are typically priced between $5-25 (this is mostly clothing) but when you figure out the half-off color (will talk more about this later), you can score for as little as $1.50-2. I've gotten skirts for $2. With the original label on.

So here's a step by step to get you started.

1. Before you go, set a budget. It's VERY easy to buy a bunch of crap you won't even wear. There is a 7 day return policy, but who has time for that. I can say with pride that I've probably made only 2-3 bad buys out of the 38749832 things I've bought in the past six months.
2. Check which color is half off this week. Each item is color-tagged (I think it's blue, purple, green, pink, orange, yellow and white) with a specific price - so if all the blue tags are 1/2 off that week, you're going to be paying half of the price 
3. Make sure you have a good 2-3 hours set aside for this. Hit up a couple of Goodwills, not just one. Get lost in the racks.
4. Try on stuff. The lines to the changing rooms can get a bit crazy - but with the assortment of clothing, you never know what will look good on you - sometimes the most unexpected things do!
5. This is just my personal rule of thumb - either get things that look new or if they don't, at least they should have some sort of aesthetic value. Like a worn denim jacket where the previous owner has stitched on buttons and studs. NOT a ratty sweater with holes in it which looks like it's falling apart at the seams. 
6. Check out the homeware section. You can get new Ikea plates and mugs for less than a dollar. And some really cute crockery.

Some of my favorite Goodwill stores are at:

• 217 W 79th St - UWS - Great for designer/contemporary stuff. The shit that rich people throw away...
• 157 West 72nd Street - Same. I found some amazing shoes for $4
• 258 Livingston St - This one is huge. Stock changes almost every three days. My favorite buy is my camel Armani coat. 

I hope this helps! I will do another post with my favorite Goodwill buys next - seriously, this has become something of an addiction.