Finally. 

H&M have got their act together and launched a makeup line. A proper one. For ages they'd been dipping their toes in the water, rolling out nail polishes and lip balms here and there, but it looks as though the water's warmed up a bit, and they've gone all out.

The range really is a bit huge, a massive range of eyeshadows, nail polishes, foundations - the works. I'm never altogether that bothered about the packaging, it's what's inside that will make me keep coming back, but as this is something completely new, it looks as though H&M are on a charm offensive with the packaging. They want to define their brand and create a lasting first impression, and for me it all looks super-sleek, it looks 'wantable'.

So obviously when I got a chance to have a peek whilst down in London for Fashion Week, I didn't want to return to Manchester empty handed, oh no. My first port of call was obviously liquid lipsticks. I'm all over these at the moment, and was eager to see what H&M were offering, but sadly the colour choice seemed a little lacking: pink, red, burgundy, blah. (Blah isn't a colour btw). Although one did catch my eye: Le Beau Monde.

 

Naming it something French immediately makes it 10 times better, the English alternative is The Beautiful World, which doesn't quite have the same ring to it. More importantly though I gave it a cheeky swatch on the wrist, and it reminded me of MAC's Lady Danger - Sacre bleu! - one of my favourite lipsticks of all time.

I quite like the H&M alternative as it has an orangey base, and now that we're moving into full-blown winter mode, the orangey hues lift up even the dullest, foggiest, windiest and wettest of winter morning. It doesn't beat staying in bed, but if I must brave the elements, then I've got to look good trying.

But whilst it may look good, the formula lets it down really badly. It all starts off so well too, which only makes it all the more disappointing. The creamy formula applies very opaque and is richly pigmented, it dries within a minute and leaves a nice matte finish. But from that moment on, it's all downhill and it isn't pleasant either.

After I've had my morning coffee or glass of water, maybe an hour or so after applying, I notice that the lipstick begins to fade from the middle of the lips. This fade is not elegant or subtle, it's as if the lipstick is sat heavily within the lines of my lips and accentuating flakes that I never knew I even had. You may think: 'Exfoliate your lips then!' Well, actually, I do - pretty regularly too! I absolutely love matte lipsticks, but they're often unforgiving, so my lips are always taken good care of. 

The first couple of days of wearing this, I re-applied the lipstick once it had started to fade, but that was a big mistake as it only serves to accentuate the flakes even more. The product starts to really build up in the lines and on the invisible flakes and the end result is more something you'd expect to see on halloween than a normal day at work.

In fairness, H&M's Velvet Lip Cream is priced at a seemingly reasonable £6.99, which compares favourably to the likes of Jeffree Star and Lime Crime, but that's probably because their lip products are actually good and last longer than an hour. If that's what you're after, I wouldn't bother with H&M, just pay the extra couple of quid. It'll be well worth it, I assure you.

For those of you lucky enough to live in Manchester, H&M on Market Street are now stocking the full makeup range. I know I'll be heading down there to try out the blushers as recommended by my darling Jen from Glasgow Fashion Girl. After a quick browse through my blusher drawer this morning, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed a little. Let's hope H&M's blushers are better than their Lip Creams. Mind you, it shouldn't that difficult.

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