Hard Candy Cosmetics Review

While I was doing my make up this week, I noticed that there were three products that I use daily. Oddly enough, they’re all from the same brand – Hard Candy. This brand can be found exclusively at Walmart and they’re very reasonably priced. Most items are $5-$6. That’s a win in my book!

Let’s talk about the Hard Candy Eye Shadow Primer* first.

I can say, without a doubt, that this product works to keep eye shadow in place, and the fact that it’s only $5 is a total score. As you can see above, it’s a nude-y color at first, but dries completely clear. That amount shown above is about how much I use. I squirt that little amount on to the tip of my ring finger, rub my ring fingers together, and then blend it on my eye lids. I do recommend that you blend one eye lid at a time because this product dries VERY quickly and WILL leave harsh lines if you don’t blend it in right. (When you try to do both eyes at the same time, it’s hard to make sure it’s all blended in quickly. If you focus on eye at a time, that isn’t a problem.) I’ve had this tube for about a year and there’s still a ton left.
Here’s what it looks like blended out:

Some primers actually show up as a light nude color, or even white (to boost the impact of the shadow color you’re actually using) but (as you can see above) this dries totally clear. To test this product out, I used some ELF Baked Eye Shadow without a primer and at the end of the day, there was shadow build up in my creases. The very next day I did the same exact eye look but with this primer and at the end of the day my shadow still looked great!

The second product I have been using a lot lately is this Hard Candy Ginormous Lash Mascara*.

The wand on this mascara is… ginormous (muahaha), but I don’t have a problem applying it like I thought I would. The formula is really dry (which I prefer), so just keep that in mind if you like a more wet formula. I think this does a great job at separating my lashes, but it doesn’t help with keeping them curled very well. (Waterproof mascaras are normally better for keeping lashes curled.) I use this product by itself all the time, but using it as a second layer is probably the best way to use it (since it helps with separating lashes).

The last (but not least) Hard Candy product that I find myself using quite often is this Hard Candy Plumping Serum Volumizing Lip Gloss*.

I have it in the color “Uptown Girl”.

It has this classic applicator that most lip glosses seem to come with.

Now, a “plumping serum” is not something I would normally buy. This item was gifted to me and I just decided to go ahead and give a try. I can’t confidently tell you if this really makes my already plump lips look plumpy-er (yes, plumpy-er), but I do like the color and the lasting power. It’s slightly sticky when you first apply it, but that goes away pretty quickly. In my routine, I put on my BB Cream and then apply a balm or this gloss, then I do the rest of my make up and by the time I’m done, that sticky feeling has gone away. I really do like this color. It’s a “my lips but better” color, and those shades are the ones I usually reach for.

You may have walked right past a Hard Candy display in your local Walmart and thought nothing of them since they’re considered “cheap/inexpensive”. I’ve noticed that a lot of the time, with cheaper products, you just don’t get the color payoff or the lasting power you would receive with a more expensive version, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with these Hard Candy cosmetics. I would definitely try other Hard Candy cosmetics!

Have you tried any Hard Candy cosmetics? What are your thoughts? If you haven’t tried any before, will you now? ;]

*Walmart links