H&M Beauty Foil Blush Review

Hello to a new look blog!  I know I didn’t change the layout of the blog too long ago but since I’ve been a bit stagnant in the ol’ blogging department lately, I thought a fresh layout would be like a fresh start and help motivate me to write more so here we go J

When I was in Copenhagen a few weeks ago, I made it a point to go to one of the many H&Ms in the city centre to check out the new H&M Beauty range.  H&M have made beauty products for years but within the last few weeks, they have relaunched their beauty range, with cohesive and chic packaging with great price points.  The products aren’t priced too cheaply that you wonder what the hell is in them to make them so cheap but they’re not overly expensive either. I’d put them in L’Oréal’s price bracket, maybe a touch cheaper but with much better packaging IMO. 

Since I was only carrying hang luggage, I only picked up one polish in Copenhagen with the hopes of picking up more when I got home because the colour range that I saw in the store was gorgeous but it doesn’t look like H&M Beauty will be making its way onto Northern Irish shores any time soon but if anyone spots it in stores soon, let me know!  Anyway, let’s get on with my first impressions of my special Copenhagen purchase, Foil Blush.

Since there is such a wide choice in polish colours, it was definitely hard to choose which to take home with me.  My eye just kept coming back to Foil Blush and so it was going to be mine.  A rose gold foil, emphasis on the rose, I thought it would be the perfect metallic shade for Autumn/Winter and the fact the whole world is head over heels in love with all things rose gold and copper, it was something to check off the trend list.

The closest thing I have to compare to Foil Blush is Models Own Chrome Rose from the Colour Chrome collection.  I’ve swatched the two polishes side by side on this nail wheel.  #1 is H&M Foil Blush and #2 is Models Own Chrome Rose.  

As you can see, the difference between the two foils is the pigmentation of the rose tone.  H&M is the more intense colour of the two so if you already have Rose Chrome in your collection but also like the look of H&M Foil Blush then be assured that I personally think that they are different enough to justify buying each but this is coming from the girl with over 200 polishes AFTER a massive clear out.

I didn’t want this to be a straightforward swatch post as I find when you’re just swatching one polish, the post can be a bit boring so I attempted to create a marble effect on the rose gold base.  I mean what’s more trendy amongst bloggers, rose gold accents or marble backgrounds so let’s combine the two together!  Contrary to most instructions regarding foil polishes, I used a base coat with this manicure, purely to see how Foil Blush would act with the barrier inbetween it and the nail bed.  At first, application was very streaky, as is usual with foil polishes but after the third coat, I had full opacity and while there are still some brush strokes visible, the polish began to even itself out to create a smoother finish.  You can go with or without base coat with this polish.  I went with purely out of experimentation so do whatever you feel you want to do. 

One thing to do before applying this polish is make sure your nail bed is free of all debris and lint because it WILL show up when you paint your nails.  Foils are notoriously unforgiving when it comes to nail ridging and lint on the nail so be sure to give your nails a good buff and squeegee the nail before application.

If you want to know how to accomplish this look, I followed the instructions set out by Sophie from The Illustrated Nail in her book Nail It!  It’s a pretty fuss free nail art look that only needs a black and white, along with your base shade, acetone and a detailing brush.  My effort is definitely not my best where marble-effect nails are concerned but with such a different and unforgiving base colour, I think I didn’t do too badly.  Of course, I sealed off the look with a layer of Seche Vite but in case you were wondering, Foil Blush has a matte to satin finish when dry so you can make it glossier with a regular top coat finish or more matte with a matte top coat.

Final Impressions…I was pleasantly surprised by this polish from H&M Beauty.  I've bought H&M polishes before and have been pleased with the colours but I never liked the rectangular brush handles so I am very happy with the new round shape, as well as the wider brush.  The overall look of the polish is very chic, in keeping with the entire range.  At £3.99, or 399 DKK as I paid for it, it’s the same price as Barry M’s Gelly polishes but is smaller in size at 8ml compared to 10ml of Barry M or 11ml of Models Own.  I haven’t done my research to see if its 3-free or more but it isn't noxious in a way most cheap polishes are so that’s a plus.  In my opinion, I would definitely check out more polishes from the range since Foil Blush delivers the pigmentation that Rose Chrome doesn't deliver to the same extent and this punch of colour is hopefully an indication of the rest of the collection.

EDIT: Guys, the polish lasted about two and a half days before chipping and wearing at the tip.  Whilst it's not the best result for a normal polish, foils can be prone to this sort of behaviour so if you're looking for a long lasting foil polish, then this one hasn't cracked the secret to it.

What do you think of in-store beauty ranges?  Let me know in the comments below and be sure to follow me my social media sites, until next time :)