Tag Archives: H&M

2015 Gift Guide: Makeup Stocking Stuffers

2015 Gift Guide: Makeup Stocking Stuffers

I don’t know about you, but I often struggle to think of reasonably priced, small items for stocking stuffers. Here are some items that stick to $25 CAD and under that I think most beauty lovers can appreciate on some level.

Rollerball perfumes
Rollerball perfumes

Since they’re small and compact, rollerball perfumes are one of the easier things to pick up. Almost every brand out there has a rollerball sized perfume, but it’ll be up to you to figure out the scent the person you’re gifting will most like to receive.

My suggestions:

  • Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black ($14 CAD for the ornament sized rollerball): Nirvana Black was a new discovery for me this year and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever worn. It has notes of alluring violet, sensual sandalwood, and rich vanilla.
  • Elizabeth & James Nirvana White ($14 CAD for the ornament sized rollerball): Nirvana White is the softer side of the Nirvana line and while it’s not precisely to my tastes, it’s been a huge hit for a lot of people this year as well. It has notes of delicate peony, chic muguet (lily of the valley), and tender musk.
  • Pacifica French Lilac (~$11 CAD): I picked up this Pacifica rollerball back in May from a health food store and it was love at first roll. This smells exactly like lilacs and reminds me of the lilac bush my parents have in their backyard when I was growing up. Pacifica has an ENORMOUS selection of roll on perfumes, so there’s plenty to choose from for really reasonable prices.
Nail polish
Nail polish

Another small item that’s perfect for stockings is nail polish! And the cheap stuff is almost always as good as the expensive ones. I’ve included some of my favourites and recent collection additions:

  • Julie G: Created by beauty YouTuber JulieG, this line is not only enormous, but she also has regular seasonal collections. What I’ve tried from the line not only wears well, but also doesn’t seem to thicken up even after years of owning it! And you’re looking at less than $5 USD each! Colour pictured is Mermaid’s Tale.
  • H&M Beauty: Priced at $7.95 CAD each, H&M’s nail polish line is no joke. (Seriously, it’s enormous and the colours are varied!) Colour pictured is December Dawn*.
  • China Glaze: China Glaze first stole my heart with their yearly Halloween collections. And then I fell for their Christmas collections. China Glaze always puts out fantastic glitters (the one pictured is old and was limited edition) and they’re around the <$8  CAD price mark.
  • Formula X: A more expensive brand (~$15 CAD each), the Formula X by Sephora polishes are fantastic. They have an enormous selection and I consider them one of the better brands out there simply because their variety of polishes is so unique. The shade pictured is Alchemy II*.
Lipstick & lipgloss
Lipstick & lipgloss

Another small item great for stockings are lipstick and lipglosses. The NYX butter glosses are great for any age, but are especially good for pre-teens since they’re not as strongly pigmented as a lipstick and the glossiness of the product keeps it quite fresh looking. If you’re giving a lip product to someone who loves lipsticks, you really can’t go wrong with a lipstick by MAC (more pricey) or one by Revlon (less pricey). Or, give them a sparkly lipgloss like the Sephora* ones and they can be used alone or as a topper to any lipstick.

Lipstick & lipgloss - swatches
Lipstick & lipgloss – swatches

Look at the fine glitters in the Sephora glosses!

Lip balm
Lip balm

Lip balm is a reoccurring option for stockings in my family. My grandmother always gives me some Burt’s Bees lip balm and it usually ends up in one of my winter coats pockets for easy access when it’s blustery outside. Lately I’ve been ploughing through my Nivea lip butter in Vanilla & Macadamia (the smell is divine) and the EOS Sweet Mint has been in my bag for travelling. Sephora also has the Super Kisses* lipbalm trio that can be given as one gift, or broken apart for three separate people. These Sephora balms do pack some colour punch – just something to be aware of when you’re gifting them!

Blush & eye liner
Blush & eye liner

Don’t be fooled by the ridiculously low price tag (less than five bucks each!), essence makes some of the absolute best blushes on the market. They’re pigmented, easy to blend and the colours are gorgeous.

The Sephora Diamond eyeliners* are not just plain old eyeliners… instead, they’re shot through with small glitter particles! The black base brings out the colour and you’re left with a subtle shimmery red (Swagga – my personal favourite) or purple (Phat Rock). These liners will set you back $18 CAD, but they’re awfully unique and I think if this was received as a gift, the person would be awestruck by the colour (I know I sure was when I first swatched these).

Blush & eye liner - swatches
Blush & eye liner – swatches
Makeup crackers and spray shimmer!
Makeup crackers and spray shimmer!

Last two items!

The Body Shop has released limited edition Sparklers ($22 CAD each – comes in gold or silver) for the holidays and these guys are pure magic in a bottle. They poof out clouds of shimmer and smell like vanilla! While this is far more elegant than those old 90s bottle of roll on jelly glitter I used to love in my teens, this still makes me squeal whenever I spray it. Perfect for the holidays. (I plan to douse myself in it on Christmas and New Year’s!)

Lastly, are these amazing holiday crackers* by Quo. They come in a set of four (perfect for breaking up and putting into stockings!) and contain one lip gloss and one eyeshadow. All the colours are fairly neutral so you won’t struggle with the decision on what colour to give each person in your life. I love how the packaging adds a bit of extra flare too.

That’s it for this gift guide – good luck with your shopping!

Items marked with an asterisk(*) were provided by PR for consideration.

Introducing H&M’s Beauty Department

201510_hm_beautydepartment_1

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail out of nowhere saying that H&M was revamping their Beauty Department and they were re-launching with 700 products at the Toronto Eaton Centre that very week!

H&M has launched their Beauty Department!
H&M has launched their Beauty Department!

700 products is no freaking joke either. They’ve got all the bases covered too. There are eyeshadow palettes ($12.99 CAD), single eyeshadows in every single colour of the rainbow ($7.99 CAD), lipsticks, lip primers, liquid lipsticks, foundation, eye liners, liquid liners, concealer… The list goes on and on.

Eyeshadows in every single colour of the rainbow!
Eyeshadows in every single colour of the rainbow!

I mean just look at that colour range!

There's a LOT of variety!
There’s a LOT of variety!

Nail polishes as far as the eye can see! Lipsticks out the wazoo!

I have a few of the products to review, so here’s a look at what I’ve been applying to my face lately.

H&M Eye Colour Palette in Smoky Nudes
H&M Eye Colour Palette in Smoky Nudes

H&M has a few nine pan palettes to choose from, although they are more in the “safe” zone for colours. (Green was the wildest shade in any of the palettes.) The palettes are priced at $12.99 CAD which is fairly amazing given that most drugstores are now selling palettes in the $20 range.

H&M Eye Colour Palette in Smoky Nudes
H&M Eye Colour Palette in Smoky Nudes

The Smoky Nudes palettes is a neutral lover’s paradise. It has your typical brown transition shades, your lighter highlight shades, a few midtone shimmery shades (although that middle shade is a total glitter bomb) and a darker colours to deepen everything up. They swatch well and so far wear well, but they can be a bit powdery at first touch, so be sure to tap off that brush!

H&M Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Apricot
H&M Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Apricot

You’ll notice right off the bat that the packaging on these products is pretty freaking sleek. Given how luxurious they look, you may be taken aback by just how light they are. Keep in mind that although they’re gorgeous to look at, the products are priced in the drugstore range, so you won’t get the added weight that comes with a high end product. (This is neither here nor there, but it’s worth mentioning because when I picked up my first product I was taken aback how light it felt!)

H&M Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Apricot
H&M Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Apricot

The Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Apricot is a very, VERY pale peach. On my skin tone it just doesn’t show up enough. However, I did swatch some of the other blushes while at H&M and they are definitely pigmented, this just wasn’t the right shade for me as it’s too close to my own skin colour.

H&M True Matte Finishing Powder in Warm Beige
H&M True Matte Finishing Powder in Warm Beige
H&M True Matte Finishing Powder in Warm Beige
H&M True Matte Finishing Powder in Warm Beige

The True Matte Finishing Powder is very, VERY mattifying. I wouldn’t recommend it too much for dry skin, but oily folks – you’ll love this one.

H&M True Matte Finishing Powder in Warm Beige and Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Apricot (swatches)
H&M True Matte Finishing Powder in Warm Beige and Pure Radiance Powder Blusher in Apricot (swatches)

As you can see, the Warm Beige True Matte Finishing Powder blends right into my skintone (good match!) and the Apricot blush almost does as well. Both look rather chalky in the swatch, but I don’t feel they applied that way on my face.

H&M lipstick and lip primer
H&M lipstick and lip primer
H&M Lip Fixation Primer and lipstick in Candy Apple
H&M Lip Fixation Primer and lipstick in Candy Apple

I’m running low on my MAC Prep + Prime for lips, so I wanted to give H&M‘s Lip Fixation Primer a try. This isn’t as slippy as the MAC version – it definitely has a lot more grip. AND THE SMELL IS INCREDIBLE. It’s vanilla, but even moreso than the way MAC lip products smell. Loving the primer so far!

The lipstick I have is Candy Apple. It’s a creamy, easy to apply red shade that wears well with the primer. It has some slip to it so it won’t wear as long as a matte, but I had no issues when I wore this for several hours at work. The lipstick far less scented compared to the primer – almost nothing at all really.

H&M lipstick in Candy Apple
H&M lipstick in Candy Apple

Very, very vibrant and exceptionally good colour payoff with very little pressure.

H&M Colour Essence Eye Pencil - Into the Blue
H&M Colour Essence Eye Pencil – Into the Blue

A bit of a random grab – this is the Colour Essence Eye Pencil in Into The Blue. I wanted to grab an eyeliner for variety, but I haven’t tried this one out yet. I can tell you that this swatched easily without tugging on my skin though. Two thumbs up for that!

H&M nail polish in December Dawn
H&M nail polish in December Dawn

Their nail polish selection is nothing to scoff at either. At first glance, they’ve got about 50-60 shades! The one pictured about is December Dawn (LOVE THE NAME) and it’s an iridescent  white pearl with pink/gold reflects. Gorgeous.

H&M High Impact Eye Colour - In The Red
H&M High Impact Eye Colour – In The Red
H&M High Impact Eye Colour - In The Red
H&M High Impact Eye Colour – In The Red

And finally, the piece de resistance: a red eyeshadow. H&M‘s lineup of single shadows is immense. We’re talking every single colour of the rainbow! And it’s not like it’s an easy thing to find a red eyeshadow (a personal favourite eyeshadow colour of mine, if you’re unaware), especially at a reasonable price and NOT limited edition.

H&M High Impact Eye Colour - In The Red (swatch)
H&M High Impact Eye Colour – In The Red (swatch)

HNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGG. Just look at that! Solid, stunning, matte RED!

Using a few of the products from their recent launch, here’s what I came up with:

Wearing the new H&M Beauty Department products
Wearing the new H&M Beauty Department products
Red eyeshadow AND red lips? Hell yes!
Red eyeshadow AND red lips? Hell yes!

On this day I didn’t apply any foundation, but I have the Apricot blush on my cheeks (really not that visible against my skin).

Wearing In The Red shadow and several colours from the Smoky Nudes palette.
Wearing In The Red shadow and several colours from the Smoky Nudes palette.

For the eyes, I used the In The Red single shadow as my lid colour, and then built up the outer corner and crease with dark and medium browns from the Smoky Nudes palette.

Wearing In The Red shadow and several colours from the Smoky Nudes palette.
Wearing In The Red shadow and several colours from the Smoky Nudes palette.

Final Thoughts

The one thing I really want to point out with the H&M Beauty Department is that while there are certainly “wearable, natural, neutral” looks to be created amongst their products, there are also a ton of products in fun, exciting, colourful shades. Their single shadows impressed me and if you’re looking for a particular shade to try out, their range might be the best way to do it. The single shadows are reasonably priced at $7.99 CAD and the variety in colour is unheard of. The eyeshadow quality is also top notch as I experience little to no fading throughout the day on my eyelids.

Overall, I’m impressed that H&M launched with such an immense range of products and colours. I think there’s something for everyone in this line and what I’ve experienced of the quality so far is quite good.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of the new stuff? Or even the old stuff? How does it compare?

This post features press samples sent for consideration.