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!

The Inappropriate Fall Color

Anyone that knows me knows that I think a good, strong berry lip is life. And during the fall, even more so. But I've discovered a color that although has nothing to do with the festive season, has been sneakily finding its way onto my face.

Lilac. I've been obsessed with two products in particular, one of them which got me started on this bandwagon. I know that purple works with my coloring well, and I was wondering, what if I went lighter? Would it still work?

And I'm happy to report that it did! The nailpolish pictured above, NYC's Lexington Lilac (how apropos seeing that I go to school off Lex) has been on my nails for the past week. I've bought NYC's nailpolishes before and I've been absolutely stunned at the quality, for the price. It's a whopping 99c and it DOES NOT BUDGE. I put a Wet'N'Wild top coat over it and it has not chipped or faded in any way. It's a nice alternative to the reds, maroons and berries that are on everyone's fingers this season. I do recommend checking out their polishes, they're amazing!

Then I quickly decided I needed to lilac myself out. I went to the Wet'N'Wild section and I've always been a fan of their matte lipsticks. Again, I'm amazed how they can deliver such quality lipsticks at that price point. I picked up the shade Ravin' Raisin and I adore it. It's the perfect everyday neutral, with a hint of lilac thrown in. The formulation is insanely creamy and although I do have to reapply it during the day, I don't mind it.

Although I will always remain loyal to my vampy berry shades, I know I'll be wearing a sneaky bit of lilac this fall too. And these two drugstore brands never fail to disappoint!

The Budget Wine Lipstick

When I was running around Bangalore trying to find something to wear for a certain gig because a certain member of the band in question forgot to bring my bag of clothes that he was supposed to. He then patiently drove me to the mall to find something to wear. Needless to say I was laughed out of town by the remaining band members who don't seem to grasp the concept that good (black) clothes are a necessity. But they all intently listen when I tell them what to wear for shoots.
Jokes aside, their music is fucking good. Check them out here. </shamelesspublicitybyaproudfriend>

Anyway.

I knew I was running low on my holy grail wine lipstick - Loreal Moist Matte Lipstick in Arabian Night - and I was just going to repurchase it when I hit the Lakme counter. Now I've never really felt that Lakme do well in the longevity of their lipsticks, even though they get the shades pretty spot on for Indian skin. There was some discount too, so I was like, what the hell. I picked up what I thought would be a nice wine shade from the Enrich Satins range in number 421. Billed it.

Oh my Lord. I am OBSESSED. It lasted ALL freaking night. Through all the food and the drink. It's a brilliant creamy matte formula. I will say though, that it takes around 10 minutes to actually set into your lips properly. And when it does, it ain't going anywhere. Good job, Lakme!

Then I came home and decided to compare both.

Aside from the fact that the Loreal lipstick (below) is a tad bit more pink, I think for the girl that's in the market for a budget wine colored lipstick, this is the one you need. The Loreal is pretty well priced for the brand/quality (I am after a couple of other shades in the same line) and retails for around INR 899. The Lakme, on the other hand is a complete bargain at INR 230 (I snagged it for the righteous price of INR 180) and in my honest opinion - has pretty much the same quality.

Here is an old, slightly awkward blogpost of me reviewing Arabian Nights.

Let me know if any of you try either of these lipsticks out - I vouch for them both!

- A

New Hair + Viva Glam Moment

Two major life-changing things happened this week.

One. I cut my hair after a year.

Two. I discovered the perfect everyday lipstick.

Well, it's not as dramatic as all that, but for someone who thought a light pink would be the perfect everyday color (I have tried and failed to find this perfect everyday light pink) - when I came across

this lipstick in my mum's makeup stash I was like meh, mom color. Then I tried it on. Now she keeps it under lock and key.

MAC describes it as a 'foxy brown plum lipstick'. And I think that's pretty accurate. It's got this brickish, neutral thing going on with a hint of a deeper red. And the best part about this lipstick is that you can really play with the intensity. I'm wearing one coat here (blotted) so it stains out to this really nice brickish wash. Almost a MLBB moment.

 

And of course, if you want to go more intense, a couple of coats gives you this gorgeously stunning lip that you can pair up with a nice bronzey makeup look.

I'm wearing a hint of golden eyeshadow from that trust Wet'N'Wild Comfort palette and a liner/mascara situation. Another point to note here is being a girl that has been shoving kajal under her eye since she was 12, this whole transition to upper lid make up only is a big step. And I'm kinda liking it.

And the hair. This is the first time in almost 8 years that it's been completely black and free of some form of hair color. I don't think it's even been this healthy. I'm growing it out so I chopped the dead bits off in this kind of blunt lob situation. And the best part? I CAN STILL TIE IT UP.

- A

 

The Revlon Ruby that Wooed

I love a good lipstick.

And a red, can never go amiss. Recently, I rediscovered this gem that I've had for a while, because of my best friend's wedding. It's got a bit of sheen, a bit of gloss, and a LOT of character.
I'm a matte lipstick girl through and through, but I will make an exception for this one. Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Ruby (610 INR). 
It's that perfect 'Indian wear' lipstick, and I tend to pull it out when I wear more traditional outfits.

Cons? It's pretty slippery, and application is a bit tricky. Lipliner will go a long way here (need to get me one of those).

So if you're looking for a do-it-all dressy red - this one is it.

Pre Sangeet selfie :P