Raise your hand if you love both fashion and beauty. We thought so.
These days, fashion designer labels are no longer contented with just sticking to the tried and tested fashion beat. Many have broken into the beauty market and are nailing it with their own makeup products: Think Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs Beauty. No surprise — the colour cosmetics market is booming right now and it’s projected to grow to more than US$80 billion by 2022, according to a study by Fact.MR.
Some luxury designer labels are also venturing into fragrances, for example, Prada, Gucci and Jimmy Choo, while others such as Jason Wu, Alexander McQueen and Moschino’s Jeremy Scott are teaming up with makeup brands such as Lancôme and MAC for special collaborations.
But it’s not just high-end brands that are jumping onto this bandwagon. Wallet-friendly high-street brands too see the value in launching their own cosmetics, which is good news for us, since it won’t break the bank.
We’ve rounded up six high-street fashion labels, from Zara, H&M to Pomelo Fashion, that have their own must-try makeup lines that work really well, especially given their reasonable price points.
Photo: Instagram @/topshop
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Bangkok-based clothing retailer Pomelo Fashion launched its beauty line, BEET by Pomelo, back in April 2019. At $10 per item, the range comprises 17 products across four categories — liquid blushes, liquid shimmers, matte liquid lipsticks and lip glosses.
The liquid blushes (our favourite, by the way, for being pigmented yet easy to blend) and highlighters are also created to be versatile and can be used as cream eyeshadows to create effortless, quick looks. These products are also paraben-free and cruelty-free. BEET by Pomelo is available via Pomelo Fashion’s website and in store.
Photo: Instagram @/pomelofashion
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Next time you head into H&M, don’t just make a beeline for its newest releases or collaborations in its apparel section, such as the recent one with Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things. Head towards its beauty counters instead, where you’ll find products including foundations, blushes, eyeshadows and lipsticks.
You can even complete the beauty routine with face and body scrubs, washes and fragrances, among many others. The H&M Beauty collection is available at its stores, including its flagship one in Grange Road.
Photo: Instagram @/hm
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Zara is known for its stylish yet affordable clothing that’s especially great for work. The same principle can be said of its makeup line. It currently consists only only of lipsticks — in liquid, bullet and crayon forms and with matte, satin and gloss finishes — and fragrances.
e lip products, which cost upwards of £4.99 (S$8.51) for a lip liner, in particular, were created by makeup maestro Pat McGrath to have high pigmentation and colour payoff. Sadly, we’ll have to wait till they hit our shores as the Zara lipstick lineup is only available in the States and Europe (its fragrances are sold here).
Photo: Instagram @/zara
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With its sleek black and chrome packaging, Topshop’s beauty offerings can probably pass off as a brand sold in Sephora. But besides the gorgeous packaging, the cruelty-free makeup is celebrated for its quality and its diverse range of products — from lipsticks to highlighters to nail polishes.
Fun fact: The entire Topshop beauty line was discontinued in early 2018, but it was reintroduced in November the same year with brand new sleek packaging, and we’re glad they came back.
True to Topshop’s price range, the collection ranges between £5 to £16 (S$8.53 to S$27.28). They’re currently available via Topshop’s UK website and guess what? They ship to Singapore.
Photo: Instagram @/topshop
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Besides stocking a whole slew of international beauty labels on its website, did you know that e-tailer ASOS also has its own beauty line? Launched in September 2017, the collection is named Face + Body. Beyond its slick, Insta-worthy packaging, Face + Body has everything you need to create a full face sans base products (i.e. foundation and concealer).
So if you’re looking for a new primer, eyeshadow palette, lipsticks or even liquid highlighters, give ASOS Face + Body a shot. Plus, they’re aimed to be affordable — their eyeshadow palettes are the most expensive and come in at S$22.23 a pop. ASOS Face + Body is available via ASOS’ website.
Photo: Instagram @/asos_faceandbody
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Primark is an Irish retailer known for its fast fashion offerings at low prices. Its makeup line is similarly affordable, starting at £0.60 (S$1.02) for a lip balm to £10 (S$17.05) for an eyeshadow palette. Primark also has an extensive range — from makeup sponges and brushes, to foundations, bronzers, fragrances and haircare.
Even Huda Kattan, a beauty influencer and founder of Huda Beauty, has given her stamp of approval to the purse-friendly label for its pigmentation and long-lasting power. Primark is unfortunately only available in Europe and USA at the moment, but you could try a forwarding service or make it a pitstop the next time you head to that region.
Photo: Instagram @/primark
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