diff --git a/libs/ui/avatar/brain/src/lib/fallback/brn-avatar-fallback.directive.ts b/libs/ui/avatar/brain/src/lib/fallback/brn-avatar-fallback.directive.ts
index 85b5da5cd..16dafad21 100644
--- a/libs/ui/avatar/brain/src/lib/fallback/brn-avatar-fallback.directive.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/avatar/brain/src/lib/fallback/brn-avatar-fallback.directive.ts
@@ -7,10 +7,15 @@ import { ClassValue } from 'clsx';
   exportAs: 'avatarFallback',
 })
 export class BrnAvatarFallbackDirective {
+  private readonly element = inject(ElementRef).nativeElement;
   readonly userCls = signal<ClassValue>('');
   readonly useAutoColor = signal(false);
   readonly textContent = inject(ElementRef).nativeElement.textContent;
 
+  getTextContent(): string {
+    return this.element.textContent;
+  }
+
   @Input() set class(cls: ClassValue | string) {
     this.userCls.set(cls);
   }
diff --git a/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.spec.ts b/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.spec.ts
index a2f0a84b0..1abc88018 100644
--- a/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Component, PLATFORM_ID } from '@angular/core';
-import { ComponentFixture, TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { ComponentFixture, TestBed, fakeAsync } from '@angular/core/testing';
 import { HlmAvatarFallbackDirective } from './hlm-avatar-fallback.directive';
 import { hexColorFor, isBright } from '@spartan-ng/ui-avatar-brain';
 
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { hexColorFor, isBright } from '@spartan-ng/ui-avatar-brain';
   selector: 'hlm-mock',
   standalone: true,
   imports: [HlmAvatarFallbackDirective],
-  template: `<span hlmAvatarFallback [class]="userCls" [autoColor]="false">fallback2</span>`,
+  template: `<span hlmAvatarFallback [class]="userCls" [autoColor]="autoColor">fallback2</span>`,
 })
 class HlmMockComponent {
   userCls = '';
@@ -36,12 +36,9 @@ describe('HlmAvatarFallbackDirective', () => {
 
   it('should add any user defined classes', async () => {
     component.userCls = 'test-class';
-    fixture.detectChanges();
 
-    // fallback uses Promise.resolve().then() so we need to wait for the next tick
-    setTimeout(() => {
-      expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('img').className).toContain('test-class');
-    });
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('span').className).toContain('test-class');
   });
 
   describe('autoColor', () => {
@@ -50,19 +47,16 @@ describe('HlmAvatarFallbackDirective', () => {
       fixture.detectChanges();
     });
 
-    it('should remove the bg-muted class from the component', () => {
-      setTimeout(() => {
-        expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('span').className).not.toContain('bg-muted');
-      });
-    });
+    it('should remove the bg-muted class from the component', fakeAsync(() => {
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+      expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('span').className).not.toContain('bg-muted');
+    }));
 
     it('should remove add a text color class and hex backgroundColor style depending on its content', () => {
       const hex = hexColorFor('fallback2');
       const textCls = isBright(hex) ? 'text-black' : 'text-white';
-      setTimeout(() => {
-        expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('span').className).toContain(textCls);
-        expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('span').style.backgroundColor).toBe(hex);
-      });
+      expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('span').className).toContain(textCls);
+      expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('span').style.backgroundColor).toBe('rgb(144, 53, 149)');
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.ts b/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.ts
index 74dbb53ec..b153b0d8e 100644
--- a/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/avatar/helm/src/lib/fallback/hlm-avatar-fallback.directive.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { computed, Directive, effect, HostBinding, inject } from '@angular/core';
+import { computed, Directive, inject } from '@angular/core';
 import { BrnAvatarFallbackDirective, hexColorFor, isBright } from '@spartan-ng/ui-avatar-brain';
 import { hlm } from '@spartan-ng/ui-core';
 import { ClassValue } from 'clsx';
@@ -22,34 +22,19 @@ const generateAutoColorTextCls = (hex?: string) => {
       inputs: ['class:class', 'autoColor:autoColor'],
     },
   ],
+  host: {
+    '[class]': 'generatedClasses()',
+    '[style.backgroundColor]': "hex() || ''",
+  },
 })
 export class HlmAvatarFallbackDirective {
   private readonly brn = inject(BrnAvatarFallbackDirective);
   private readonly hex = computed(() => {
-    if (!this.brn.useAutoColor() || !this.brn.textContent) return;
-    return hexColorFor(this.brn.textContent);
+    if (!this.brn.useAutoColor() || !this.brn.getTextContent()) return;
+    return hexColorFor(this.brn.getTextContent());
   });
 
   private readonly autoColorTextCls = computed(() => generateAutoColorTextCls(this.hex()));
 
-  @HostBinding('class')
-  protected cls = generateClasses(this.brn?.userCls(), this.autoColorTextCls());
-
-  @HostBinding('style.backgroundColor')
-  protected backgroundColor = this.hex() || '';
-
-  constructor() {
-    effect(() => {
-      const cls = generateClasses(this.brn.userCls(), this.autoColorTextCls());
-      Promise.resolve().then(() => {
-        this.cls = cls;
-      });
-    });
-    effect(() => {
-      const hex = this.hex() || '';
-      Promise.resolve().then(() => {
-        this.backgroundColor = hex;
-      });
-    });
-  }
+  protected readonly generatedClasses = computed(() => generateClasses(this.brn?.userCls(), this.autoColorTextCls()));
 }
diff --git a/libs/ui/icon/helm/src/lib/hlm-icon.component.ts b/libs/ui/icon/helm/src/lib/hlm-icon.component.ts
index b576513eb..c34d655bb 100644
--- a/libs/ui/icon/helm/src/lib/hlm-icon.component.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/icon/helm/src/lib/hlm-icon.component.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,4 @@
-import {
-  ChangeDetectionStrategy,
-  Component,
-  computed,
-  HostBinding,
-  Input,
-  signal,
-  ViewEncapsulation,
-} from '@angular/core';
+import { ChangeDetectionStrategy, Component, computed, Input, signal, ViewEncapsulation } from '@angular/core';
 import { IconName, NgIconComponent } from '@ng-icons/core';
 import { hlm } from '@spartan-ng/ui-core';
 import { cva } from 'class-variance-authority';
@@ -51,6 +43,9 @@ const isDefinedSize = (size: IconSize): size is DefinedSizes => {
     [color]="_color()"
     [strokeWidth]="_strokeWidth()"
   />`,
+  host: {
+    '[class]': 'generatedClasses()',
+  },
 })
 export class HlmIconComponent {
   protected readonly _name = signal<IconName | string>('');
@@ -61,48 +56,39 @@ export class HlmIconComponent {
   protected readonly ngIconSize = computed(() => (isDefinedSize(this._size()) ? '100%' : (this._size() as string)));
   protected readonly ngIconCls = signal<ClassValue>('');
 
+  protected readonly generatedClasses = computed(() => {
+    const size: IconSize = this._size();
+    const variant = isDefinedSize(size) ? size : 'none';
+    return hlm(iconVariants({ variant }), this.userCls());
+  });
+
   @Input({ required: true })
   set name(value: IconName | string) {
     this._name.set(value);
-    this.cls = this.generateClasses();
   }
 
   @Input()
   set size(value: IconSize) {
     this._size.set(value);
-    this.cls = this.generateClasses();
   }
 
   @Input()
   set color(value: string | undefined) {
     this._color.set(value);
-    this.cls = this.generateClasses();
   }
 
   @Input()
   set strokeWidth(value: string | number | undefined) {
     this._strokeWidth.set(value);
-    this.cls = this.generateClasses();
   }
 
   @Input()
   set ngIconClass(cls: ClassValue) {
     this.ngIconCls.set(cls);
-    this.cls = this.generateClasses();
   }
 
   @Input()
   set class(cls: ClassValue) {
     this.userCls.set(cls);
-    this.cls = this.generateClasses();
-  }
-
-  @HostBinding('class')
-  protected cls = this.generateClasses();
-
-  private generateClasses() {
-    const size: IconSize = this._size();
-    const variant = isDefinedSize(size) ? size : 'none';
-    return hlm(iconVariants({ variant }), this.userCls());
   }
 }