Over the years I’ve found myself regularly passing through London Euston station. From long distance relationships as a teenager, to work meetings as an adult, over time, Euston station became a place of difficult goodbyes and happy hellos. However, in more recent years the overcrowded, noisy station has also become one of my favourites pitstops if I’m in the capital…all thanks to the HEMA store which now lives inside the station and conveniently located near my platform.
I first discovered the HEMA store on my 21st birthday, whereby I took a trip to Amsterdam and fell in love with the bargains that HEMA offered. Over the course of the trip, I went back in store 4/5 times…the stationary and beauty selection certainly not helping my bank balance. I’ve since tried quite a few products from the HEMA beauty line, a caveat being that I haven’t tried it all for obvious reasons, however, I have tried out enough to make it worthwhile talking about my top picks. It’s also worth mentioning here that HEMA cosmetics do not test on animals…which makes them even better!
What’s good from HEMA makeup?
HEMA makeup Review
I remember the first nail polish I bought from HEMA in Amsterdam, it was an iridescent antique gold shade that I wore time and time again for over a year until I smashed the bottle on the bathroom floor. It was then that I was properly turned on to the HEMA Long Lasting nail polish formulation which can I just say…is MEGA! Chip free nails for well over a week…even on my stubby, battered nails.
My favourite shades are the shimmery shades because they don’t budge, look uber shiny and the colour payoff is really opaque and true to colour. For between £3 and £4.50 you really can’t go wrong. My current favourites are ‘Rose Gold Glitz‘ for my fingers and ‘Fabulous Purple‘ for my toes – Both gorgeous. I also recommend the ‘Extreme Long Lasting Topcoat‘ as a shine boosting-protective coating that gives a gel-like finish without the need for an LED lamp.
Quite possibly…no scratch that…DEFINITELY my favourite products from the HEMA beauty line. These cushions are MAGIC. You just really cannot go wrong with them when you use them, they are super light and easy to travel with, and the colour payoff is really true to tone…no muddy/ wishy-washy colour to be seen here!
I have the cushion eyeshadow in this gold shade and the eyebrow cushion (which I also use on my eyelids) in this dark brown shade. They’re slightly more pricey at around the £7 mark but in my opinion, they are worth the money for their staying power and time-saving ability alone. One swoosh of the HEMA cushion on your lids (or brows) and you’re ready for anything.
I have a few palettes containing some pretty gorgeous highlighting powders however, it became apparent to me that they just really weren’t all that practical for travelling with! On a recent dalliance in HEMA, once again at Euston Station, I realised I hadn’t put any highlighter on that day. The time was 9am and I’d already been on a train for 2 hours…heaven knows I needed that glow fo’ sure.
I bought the HEMA Highlighting Powder in the shade ‘Moonlight’ – a gorgeous cool toned, pearl highlighter. It’s very subtle but can be layered for a deeper colour payoff. Achieve a healthy look for £6. What else can I say?
It’s worth mentioning that the HEMA kohl pencils are a little tough to work with at first, however, once you soften the kohl and have used it a few times, it’s not scratchy or draggy (technical term) and the colour payoff is even and creamy.
I use mine with a HEMA single eyeshadow – especially on days where I’m up and out quickly, or I’m travelling. My favourite all over colour wash is ‘Chocolate’ a cool toned brown that’s especially easy to work with, whether it be on it’s own, or as part of a more complex eyeshadow look.
