HEMA: The Dutch Beauty Brand You NEED To Know About

Discovering new brands is so much fun, oui? From soaking in all the KIKO sights when it first opened its store in Brighton, to finding professional/affordable brands such as Freedom, uncovering something a bit new and different keeps the beauty game refreshing. My colleague has always raved about KIKO and told me I should try a brand called 'HEMA'. I jotted the name down but never got round to researching. Lo and behold, on one of my boring commutes back to Brighton I came across one of these spectacular HEMA stores in London Victoria. To sum up, they sell pretty much everything and their make-up is amazing.

SOURCE

From kitchen goods to stationary, HEMA is a bit like the well-loved store. Tiger. It kind of has all the random bits and bobs you would ever want...with the welcomed addition of a stunning make-up range. Being founded in 1926 in Amsterdam, the HEMA brand has spread far and wide across Europe, opening only a couple of stores in the UK (both in London) in the past couple of years. After seeing the success stores like Tiger have had in the UK, it would be totally unsurprising to see HEMA expand further.
 

Look at all the goodies they sell! SOURCE

So, you might pop in there looking for a cute notepad or a cushion cover (yes, they do homeware!) and end up leaving with a lipstick and handful of nail varnishes. On top of bath and shower products, HEMA also sell Eau De Toilettes, eyeshadows, foundations, concealers, primers, lipgloss, lipstick, eyeliners, brow products, mascara, and the biggest range of nail varnishes I've ever seen. PHEW! And the best thing? They are as cheap as chips. A nail varnish would set you back around £2.50, while a lipstick would only cost you £3! You can't argue with that!

It took a lot of strength for me not to buy the whole range to try out, but as I was in a rush, I only ended up grabbing this eyebrow pencil. (I have a weird thing for eyebrow pencils and am currently on a quest to find the perfect one...don't ask). From what my colleague has said, the best pieces from this range are the lipsticks, eyeshadows and nail varnishes, but having tried this pencil, their brow products seem great too. I am intrigued by their base products, as I usually tend to invest a little more in my foundations, but have a feeling all of their products will be completely high quality. Just like KIKO, the prices are low but the quality is high.

HEMA brows

While the brow pencil is a little too soft for my liking, it's hard enough to be able to accurately feather small lines which look like natural hairs and the colour match was surprisingly good. Because of the softness, the pencil does have a tendency to rub off and smudge easily. It only cost £2.50, and despite these set-backs, it's still one I turn to on a *nearly* daily basis (which is saying something!). I had the chance to quickly swatch their Fabulous Fluid lipstick in a gorgeous bright red colour, and when I'm next at Victoria I am definitely picking this up. The lacquer-type formula stains lips with an excellent colour pay off, and its longevity is impressive! These only cost £4.50, so I am absolutely flabbergasted (NB. Isn't that a great word?!) that the quality is so marvelous.

Shameless train selfie, but look at that gorgeous lipstick!

With cheaper prices than Boots and Superdrug, if HEMA expand their empire across the UK, I can definitely see this changing where and how we buy beauty. There are currently stores in Victoria station and Kingston-Upon-Thames.

Have you heard of Hema? Is there a secret beauty brand which you love?!

Follow @pretty_polishd