makeup
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!
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!
I cannot express to you how happy I am that I live in a place that has fall again. I remember loving this season as a kid, because of the leaves, the cold but not freezing weather, and the indoor heating. Now that I'm old(er), this is the perfect opportunity to dress like it's colder (Chennai, I love you, but I can never wear a jacket without burning up) and wear vampy lipstick all day every day. I know I've been away from the blog for so long, and I apologise (I didn't give up, I swear) but going back to school and taking exams after a year takes some getting used to.
Anyway, now that I have a Walgreens loyalty card, that gives me wonderful access to the best deals a s***load of excuses to buy things for my fall face.
So, let's get into it.
Base: Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in Honey Beige
I could do a whole other blog post, raving about how brilliant this is, but I think I will contain myself. For a girl who has never worn foundation, I was on the fence about even getting one. I wanted something with light-medium coverage as my skin has been behaving this year *hopes to God I don't jinx it*. I've heard brilliant things about this foundation, and decided to try it out. They have two formulas - A dewy smooth one and a matte finish one. I decided to go for the dewy one because I figured I could always set it with powder if I wanted to mattify it a bit. I started using this really carefully (I despise anything heavy feeling on my face) and a tiny bit goes a long way. I literally use a blob as big as half my pinky nail and sheer it out over my skin. And it does a brilliant job of giving me this even, glowy base which looks natural as hell. No brush required, it goes on well with your fingers.
Lips: Milani Matte Lipstick in Sangria
I own two families of lipsticks. Reds and wines. I have one pink one which only gets pulled out if I'm wearing this particular saree (no joke). On a student budget, I feel like spending $17 on a MAC lipstick is quite atrocious. I started looking at lipsticks that were just as good in the long wearing matte department and I was disappointed again, and again and again. It was like going on a string of terrible blind dates (as I said before, the US drugstore for some perfectly good reason that I'm sure they have, does not let you test products before you buy them). And then, this Milani lipstick happened. It is the most brilliant reddish wine ever. Such a good formula as well and very easy to apply. It lasts me through two 'eating sessions' without a single touch up. It's also very forgiving and doesn't cling to any dry patches. Although I would always advise a lip scrub before any dark lipstick. Will definitely be trying out more from this line.
Elf Studio Blush in Gotta Glow
So with the whole strobing trend going on, I realized I had to jump on the bandwagon before I turned eighty. I walked into the Elf Studio here in the city and hand a browse around. I have never seen so much cheap makeup, so well organised, in one place. Mind = blown. I picked this up because it was a hefty $3, and it swatched beautifully. I use this on my cheekbones, my browbone and down the center of my nose if I'm going out somewhere special which is usually my 6:30 class. It's also a dupe for NARS Albatross which has a shameful $30. Yes, 10 times the cost. And this one does just as good a job as a highlighter, I'm sure. It really gives you that glow even if you're running on two hours of sleep and lots of coffee.
Elf Studio Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Gala
When I was having a browse in Sephora, looking wistfully at the $30 shampoos and the $40 tweezers, I came across this beautiful brown sparkly eyeshadow from the Sephora own line. It was around $14, and I realized that nothing I said or did would justify that purchase to my bank account or my soul. At the Elf Studio, there were these weird, cushiony, creamy shadow pigment hybrids on display. When I swatched Gala, it reminded me of that Sephora shadow and I put it in my basket without a second thought. It's a brilliant color, I use it as both a base and a wash of color by itself. There's a little bit of fallout but it stays in the eye area so it isn't so bad. I can see myself wearing this a lot in the holidays.
So there you have it, my fall face. I pop on a bit of liner and mascara, but these are the products I've been using pretty much every time I need to look adult and act adult.
Happy Weekend!
I recently had the pleasure of having my makeup done by my best friend and MUA Shrutilaya a.k.a Shlaya - visit her blog here. Okay, no one really calls her that but any of you who read her blog, you'll know who I mean.
This whole situation was for some work that she needed to get done, so as I have absolutely nothing to do these days, I was like OK PROFESSIONAL MAKE UP = SELFIES.
Clearly, I have my priorities down.
But I ended up being absolutely obsessed with the look she did on me. It was this clean bronzed face, with some strobing (basically a highlighting technique that is very much in vogue, you end up looking like someone lit you up from within. So glowy and pretty) and a nice berry lip.
I think this is something that I'm going to be wearing a lot, perfect for both day and nighttime makeup, depending on what kind of lip you go for.
She used a bunch of pro products on me, which I am probably never going to own, but I thought, for the benefit of myself and my readers - I asked her for breakdown with products that you can definitely find in and around your area/online.
Foundation - L'Oreal True Match - I've used this personally and they have the most amazing range of shades, so the chances of getting almost an exact match are pretty high. I love the finish. Definitely try it in stores before you buy it online, though.
Highlight - To highlight under the eyes, cheekbones and forehead, use the Maybelline Dream lumi Touch Concealer a.k.a the broke girl's Touch Eclat.
Use the Revlon Highlighting Palette in Bronze Glow as your bronzer/highlight mix on your cheeks and for any contouring that you need.
Also, use setting powder only under the eyes and around the nose. We don't want that dewy glow to go away!
Eyes - Use the darkest shade in your Revlon Highlighting Palette on your eyelid, and the lightest shade on your inner corner. Finish with some generous coats of mascara to really open your eyes up, on the top and bottom lashes. (I personally love L'Oreal Paris Volume Million Mascara)
Lips - There are two suggestions that she gave me that'd work with this look, MAC Rebel and the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush. But you can literally wear any berry lipstick/balm/stain that you think would work!
I know have additions to my 'Things to buy when I'm not broke' list.
Sigh.
Have a great weekend!
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