Save or Splurge | Benefit Gimme Brow vs. Essence Make Me Brow 01 - Dupe!?

H & M Eyeshadows: Sahara Caravan (left), Candied Almond (right)

I popped into H & M to have a quick look at their makeup and these 2 eyeshadows caught my eye right away; Sahara Caravan & Candied Almond, They are so similar to each other and without trying them on my eyes it was really hard to decide which one to get. They are both mid-tone matte brown shades and they swatched so beautifully!

I was so impressed by the feel of these eyeshadows when I swatched the testers, I wanted to buy them all! They had a great selection of mattes, shimmers, and metallics.

I have been trying to be good about not purchasing things I don't need, so I actually left the store and decided to see if I had dupes at home (I left the swatches on my hand).

Once I got home, I pulled out all my eyeshadows to see if I had any dupes. I only found one shadow that was similar to the colour Sahara Caravan (shared in this post), but as I went through my makeup, I was so impressed with the quality of the H & M shadows that they made most of my eyeshadows seem like junk in comparison!

I find it difficult to find good quality matte shadows and these were the best I have come across, so it only made sense to go back to the store and get both!

I'm not sure why one eyeshadow package says "Infinite Impact" and the other says "High Impact." I'm guessing one is older packaging.

Sahara Caravan (left), Candied Almond (right)

Sahara Caravan

Candied Almond

In-Store Swatches (this photo only)

In-Store Swatches: Candied Almond (top), Sahara Caravan (bottom)

Natural Daylight Swatches, No Primer

Candied Almond (top), Sahara Caravan (bottom)

Candied Almond (top), Sahara Caravan (bottom)

Closest Dupe

Above: H & M Sahara Caravan on top, Wet n Wild Vanity (middle, left shade) on bottom

Closest Dupe (in my collection): 
I only found one similar shade in my collection. The middle, left shade in Wet n Wild's Vanity palette was similar to Sahara Caravan by H & M. I found nothing close to Candied Almond. As you can see, Wet n Wild is lighter, warmer, and tanner in colour. H & M's Sahara Caravan is darker and has more red tones in it. I personally like the colour and the formula of the H & M shadow better.

Description from H & M's website:

"A silky eye colour that blends easily for a vivid, velvety finish that applies easily and stays put. Available in a vast range of curated colours and eye-catching effects. From soft mattes to rich shimmers to bold metallics, the possibilities are endless. 2 g. How to use: Apply on your eyelid, blending as desired. Wear on top of eye primer for even more intense and long-lasting results."

My Thoughts: 
The packaging is pretty but it's plastic and feels rather cheap and there is no mirror. It's not a deal breaker for me as the product is fantastic. Both are super smooth and creamy formulas with excellent pigmentation. A little powdery as are most mattes, make sure to tap off your brush before applying. They blend well and are not patchy at all!

I guess because many are dry, many matte eyeshadows accentuate the wrinkles on my eyes, these do not! These are excellent for aging eyes like mine.

I know I'll be getting a ton of use out of these as they will go with anything! They look great as a single shadow look, as contour colours for the crease, and as transition colours with other eyeshadows.

I can do a quick single shadow look with either one of these blended into the crease and it looks classy and put together as if I put some work into my look. I also love a no-makeup-makeup look and these are great for that. I also love wearing the two of these together, with the darker right in the crease and the lighter one in the upper part of my crease.

These colours make the perfect contour shades for the eyes which can help reduce the appearance of hooded eyes by using these colours in the crease and creating a shadow.

I found the wear time good with very minimal fading by the end of the day. I do wear an eye base underneath as I always do and I didn't have any creasing. I have oily eyelids, so I find that I do have to put an eyeshadow on my eyelids as well or I will get oily.

Although it's wonderful that H & M has testers, I don't like that their makeup is final sale. Swatching colours on your hand is not the same as trying something on your face.

I would love it if H & M would sell these eyeshadows just in the pan and sell some little magnetic palettes to put them in. For those of us with Z-palettes, we could just use those.

I highly recommend these eyeshadows. I'm so impressed that I really want to try more products from their makeup line now.

Have you tried anything from their beauty line that you love? Please let me know in the comments.

These retail for $7.99 CAD each for 2 grams