Hard Candy Fall 2016 Arriving at Walmart

The Hard Candy Fall 2016 collection has begun to pop up in Walmart stores this week. Thanks to my pal Krista (@mymonthlyobsessions on Instagram) who recently spotted the Hard Candy Fall 2016 Collection and took lots of photos that she kindly shared with me. Let's take a look! 

Pic: @mymonthlyobsessions on Instagram

First up (in the top left photo above) we have the Instant Lip Fix ($6) which includes a lip scrub and lip treatment. Also, the Take Two Lip Primer Duo includes one side that you can wear under glosses to extend wear time, boost shine and prevent fading, and another side that you can wear under lipstick and lip color that extends wear, locks in color, and prevents feathering.

The top right photo shows the Blooming Lip Oils ($6), which come in two shades...one that transforms to a pink tint, and one that transforms into a coral tint. They contain 10 essential oils to instantly hydrate and restore chapped lips and have a wet shine glossy finish.

On the bottom left is the new Sheer Envy Instant Eye Fix Under Eye Treatment...I'm wondering if this might be a dupe for Benefit's Puff Off!

On the bottom right is the new Sheer Envy Hydra Prime Primer Lotion ($6) , which claims to give your skin 12 hours of moisture. I love the Hydrating Primer Mist so I can't wait to try this primer lotion!

Pic: @mymonthlyobsessions on Instagram

Next up are two new eyeshadow palettes. The top one is called Rich & Famous and the bottom one is called Lap of Luxury ($6 each).

Pic: @mymonthlyobsessions on Instagram

Finally, I'm super excited about the new Glamoflauge Mix-In Pigment Makeup Drops (top photo). I wonder if they'll be a dupe for the CoverFX drops! You can mix them into moisturizers, oils, or primers to create your own custom foundation, or add them to foundation, BB Creams or tinted moisturizers for additional coverage. They come in 12 shades and are $7 each.

Also, there are new Metallic Matte Mousse Lip Colors ($6). I really liked the original Matte Mousse lipsticks, and these are right on trend, since a lot of brands have been doing metallic lipsticks lately.

So...what do you think? Anything you're dying to try?

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Hard Candy Sheer Envy Pore-Defense Primer Serum Review

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Pore-Defense Primer Serum ($7.16 at Walmart) is brand new for Spring 2016 and promises to tighten pores while smoothing the skin and helping your makeup last all day. As someone with really dry skin, I had invisible pores most of my life and never would have looked twice at a product like this...I would always seek out hydrating formulas instead. But once I reached my mid-thirties, I started noticing a lot of pores showing up on my nose and cheeks even though my skin is still dry.

Overall, my skin's texture isn't as smooth as it used to be and I have to be careful not to use products that can make my skin look worse. Lately I've been seeking out pore-minimizing formulas and when I saw this, I couldn't wait to try it because it's super affordable...not to mention I love Hard Candy products. Let's take a look!

Sheer Envy Pore-Defense Primer Serum is free of silicone, oil, and alcohol which is pretty impressive for a primer...most of the ones I've tried have at least one of those ingredients! It contains "pore-tightening actives and astringents that absorb excess oil" such as algae extract, kelp extract, willow bark extract, bamboo extract, and witch hazel as well as micro-fine powders that blur fine lines.

Unlike the other Sheer Envy primers that come in tubes, this comes in an adorable little aqua colored bottle with a pump. It has a silver cap with the Hard Candy logo embossed on top. Overall I'd say they did a really nice job on the packaging!

One thing that totally surprised me the first time I used this is that the primer serum itself is the same color as the bottle! The outer packaging mentioned that this would color correct your skin for a more even tone, and the greenish tint does seem to counteract redness around my nose and on my cheeks.

I was also surprised by the feel of this primer...despite not having silicone or oil in it, it still manages to have a slicker feel due to the glycerin and shea butter in the formula. I was expecting it to feel dry or have a powdery finish but I was pleasantly surprised that this feels comfortable on my dry skin and makes it feel super soft, plump, and smooth.

That being said, I don't know how oily skinned gals will feel about this one. There's currently one review on the Walmart website from someone who has oily skin and she said that it feels thick and never seems to sink in or mattify her skin. I noticed that when I first apply it, my skin looks dewy but if I wait a minute or two, it does completely sink in and gives a beautifully smooth surface to apply foundation to. Unfortunately, oily skin may not soak this up as quickly as dry skin will, which is a shame because it does contain a lot of oil absorbing ingredients.

I tried to photograph the results on my face, but it was hard to capture the pores with my camera. I found that it was easier to see them on my hand, so I used that for my before and afters instead. You can see that it doesn't completely erase the look of pores and uneven texture, but it definitely creates a smoothing and tightening effect on the skin.
My makeup went on so much smoother and it lasted all day without fading. In fact, this primer is right up there with the best of them in terms of keeping your makeup in place! It looked the same at night as it did when I first put it on in the morning.

Overall, I'm really impressed with the new Hard Candy Pore-Defense Primer Serum. It's the perfect solution to help minimize uneven texture and pores while hydrating and smoothing my dry skin. It's really rare to find a pore-minimizing primer that doesn't make my skin feel even drier and I love how evenly my makeup goes on over this.
I'm hoping that those of you with oily skin can use this too...the review on the Walmart site is just one person's opinion, so it's likely not everyone will feel the same way. There aren't a lot of reviews out on this product yet, so I'd love to hear from those of you with oily skin that have tried this to see how it worked for you.

You can pick this up now at Walmart stores and Walmart.com.

Hard Candy Velvet Mousse Matte Lip Color Review & Swatches

Hard Candy Velvet Mousse Matte Lip Color ($6 at Walmart) is brand new for Spring 2016 and I am so excited to review them for you guys because I think you'll really like the formula compared to the other matte liquid lipsticks at the drugstore right now. Let's take a look! 

Hard Candy Spring 2016 Spotted at Walmart

The Hard Candy Spring 2016 collection has arrived at Walmart and there's a definite "strobing/contouring" theme going on with most of the new products falling into those categories. That is, except for these new Velvet Matte Mousse liquid lippies ($6 each)...how gorgeous is this packaging!? Let's take a closer look...

Hard Candy Strobing Drops Coming Soon

I was catching up on Snapchat last night before bed, and happened to spot this quick post from elleusa (Elle Magazine). It's Hard Candy Strobing Drops liquid highlighter! I have no idea when this will be available or if there are more shades, but I'll keep you guys updated once I find out more information. I just figured you might like a little sneak peek to start your morning! :) 

Hard Candy Fierce Effects Lipstick Swatches & First Impression

Last week, I discovered a bunch of new Fall 2015 Hard Candy products at my local Walmart (check out my post here in case you missed it) and there were a lot of new lip products to choose from. The Fierce Effects Lipsticks caught my eye due to the rhinestone studded packaging, and of course, the $5 price point. There are 9 shades total, most of which were bold shades that I probably wouldn't wear so I grabbed the two most tame-looking shades, Glisten to Me and Galactica. Let's take a look...

Hard Candy Fall 2015 Spotted at Walmart!

Today I was at Walmart and spotted the new Hard Candy Fall 2015 collection. I'm always excited about the new Hard Candy collections...call me nostalgic but I've been a Hard Candy fan since the '90's and even though a lot has changed, they still hold a special place in my heart. Not to mention, their prices are incredible for the high quality you're getting. Some of the products are hit or miss, but some are holy grails for me, like Glamoflauge foundation and the Plumping Serum lipsticks. 

Anyway, there are a ton of new products to go over so let's get started! 

The first thing I spotted were these new Fierce Effects Argan Oil Lipsticks ($5). I loved their Fierce Effects glosses (see my review here) so I'm really excited to try these. They come in 9 shades and they seem to be grouped by intensity. The first three shades are lighter and more nude while the next three are brighter pinks. The last three are darker, bolder shades that include a red, dark purple and black. 

Hard Candy Blush Crush Living Doll Review & Swatches

Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in Living Doll ($7 at Walmart) is a product that has a bit of a cult following and I've been wanting to try it for sooo long because I'm a total blush fanatic, but my Walmart is always sold out of it. A few weeks ago, I happened to get lucky and spotted one lonely blush sitting on the shelf and it was Living Doll, so I grabbed it right away. This is my second blush purchase from Hard Candy...you might remember that I reviewed their newly released Glow All The Way Baked Ombre Blush back in March (see that post here). The Blush Crush Baked Blushes, on the other hand, have actually been around for a few years, so I can't believe I'm just getting a chance to review this now! 

Is Hard Candy's Tiki Bronzer a Mary-Lou Manizer Dupe?

The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer ($24 at Kohls) is my favorite powder highlighter...the color is so on-point, the shimmer is very fine with no chunks of glitter, and the soft buttery texture makes it really easy to blend. I think a lot of you feel the same way about it because over the years, finding a Mary-Lou Manizer dupe is something I've gotten many requests for. Whenever I review a new highlighter, I pull out Mary-Lou and see if it's a dupe, but so far I haven't found anything that comes close to the color...until now! 

It came from the most unlikely place too...a bronzer. Hard Candy's So Baked bronzer ($10 at Walmart) comes in four shades and the lightest one, Tiki is more golden than bronze. I assume it's meant to be a bronzer for fair skin tones but it's way too shimmery for all over bronzer use. That got me thinking about using it as a highlighter and when I compared it to Mary-Lou, well...see for yourself! 

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer ($24) vs. Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tiki ($10)

Hard Candy 20th Anniversary Collection Spotted at Walmart

The Hard Candy 20th Anniversary limited edition collection is just starting to hit Walmart stores and this 90's teen just freaked out when I saw those original nail polishes with the ring! 

My love of Hard Candy goes way back to 1995 when I was 16. It girl of the moment Alicia Silverstone went on David Letterman to promote Clueless wearing Sky nail polish, a light blue shade and when he asked her about it, she said it was Sky by Hard Candy and everyone went crazy! Back then, nail polishes were mainly pinks and reds...other colors weren't mainstream like they are now (hard to believe!) plus there were no Sephora's or Ulta's and these nail polishes were sold at Nordstrom for like $12 a bottle...not exactly accessible to a girl who lived in East Bumble upstate NY.
I finally got my hands on my first one when I was at the Jersey Shore on vacation that summer. A surf shop on the boardwalk had a countertop display of Hard Candy nail polish (all they made was nail polish back then). I really wanted Sky but they were out of it, so I bought Trailer Trash, a glittery silver color.

Hard Candy All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain Metallic Review & Swatches

Hard Candy All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain ($5, Walmart) has been around a while, but they introduced four metallic shades this past fall and somehow I missed them! Metallic lips are definitely a trend this Spring with Too Faced releasing the new Melted Metal Lipsticks and Milani coming out with their Fierce Foils so I really wanted to try this one to see if it could be a good budget option for you guys. Let's take a look...

These look extremely similar to the original All Glossed Up pencils except this one has a cap that's the same color as the rest of the packaging and the original has a clear cap.  Also, these have a shiny chromed finish to them...they're really very pretty and eye-catching.  They come in four shades and I chose Zappy to try first, although I was torn between that, Mystic and Perky!

Hard Candy Smokey Eye Shadow Primer Review and Swatches

Hard Candy Eyes The Limit Smokey Eye Shadow Primer ($5, Walmart)  is one of several new products that Hard Candy launched for Spring 2015.  Along with this Smokey primer, they also released a Shimmer version which I'll review in a separate post. 

This primer is pretty unique, I don't think I've seen one like it! It's a dark base that helps you to turn any eyeshadow into a dark, smoky version of itself. It can also help you to build color much faster...let's say you're using a dark shade that isn't very pigmented- this will help to build that color up to where you want it very quickly, without multiple layers.

Hard Candy Natural Eyes Palette Review and Swatches

Hard Candy Natural Eyes Palette ($8, Walmart) is new for Spring 2015 and is one of 3 palettes that were released, which also include Sassy Eyes and Smokey Eyes. These little tins contain 9 eyeshadows, a mini primer, and a mini Take Me Out Eyeliner in Soy (black).  Also included is an applicator and step-by-step instructional card.  Let's take a look! 

This tin has a magnetic closure and feels sturdy and well put together.  

Inside, everything has it's place...even the instructional card under the mirror has a little slot to slip it into so it doesn't go anywhere. Three of the shadows are larger than the other six which are actually a little smaller than I'd like them to be.  I like to have some room to swipe my finger or a brush around a bit and small eyeshadow pans make that more difficult.

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Eye Brightening Concealer Review

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Brightening Concealer ($6, Walmart) is a new product for Spring 2015 (see my post of all the new Hard Candy products here) and it claims to have 10 beauty benefits in 1. Let's take a look! 

This concealer pen claims to:

• Reduce Puffiness
• Diffuse Shadows
• Soften Wrinkles
• Even Skintone
• Eliminate Dark Circles
• Blur Lines
• Brighten
• Conceal
• Correct
• Lift

It comes in three shades...Radiance, Light, and Medium.  I chose the Radiance shade, because based on the claims, this sounded like it could be a dupe for YSL Touche Eclat which also has a shade called Radiance (which I've owned in the past).  Radiance has pink undertones, and I also have pink-toned skin so I thought this would be the best match for me.  The light and medium shades looked more yellow, at least in the packaging. 

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation Review

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation ($7, Walmart) is a brand new release for Spring 2015 and when I saw it, I was so excited because it's something I've been hoping they would create for a long time!  You've no doubt heard about their Glamoflauge Concealer...it has a cult following and many people feel that it's a dupe for Kat Von D's Tattoo Concealer, so I can imagine that a lot of people are going to be psyched about this new foundation.  Let's take a look! 

The Claims:
"Invisible Camouflage Foundation. A transforming liquid to powder foundation that absorbs oil, camouflages imperfections, and delivers a long lasting velvet finish. This skin perfecting fluid contains superfine pigments for seamless full coverage without looking caked on. Infused with kaolin clay for exceptional wear and oil absorption. Skin retains natural moisture for 12 hours of flawless perfection and transfer resistance. Pairs perfectly with our Glamoflauge concealers for extra covering power."

Hard Candy Glow All The Way Ombre Baked Blush Review and Swatches

Hard Candy Glow All The Way Ombre Baked Blush ($7) is a new edition to the line for Spring 2015 and I was really excited to get my hands on these ever since I saw a sneak peek on Hard Candy's Instagram page last month. It comes in 2 shades...Punch and Sunburst (which is the one I bought).  Let's take a look!

This blush comes in a round silver and white compact with no mirror and a see-through lid.  The product itself is so pretty, why hide it?  I love that it's on display.

Hard Candy Fierce Effects Daring Argan Oil Lip Gloss Review and Swatches

A few days ago, I blew up my own Instagram feed while I was at Walmart posting a ton photos all of the new Hard Candy Spring 2015 products that had just hit the shelves. 

The Fierce Effects Daring Argan Oil Lip Glosses, $5 were one item I've been getting a lot of requests for to see swatches, especially the bright blue shade, Skyfall. These glosses aren't on the Hard Candy or Walmart sites yet so I don't have any information about the claims or even a description. So this is going to be more of a first impression post, where I'll just talk about my experience with them so far. 

Black Rose, Skyfall, Knockout Punch, Make Me Blush

The display at Walmart had 12 shades in total...8 of them were described as "intense" while the other 4 were "sheer". I purchased 3 Intense shades, Make Me Blush (Peachy pink), Knockout Punch (a rosy berry shade), Skyfall (bright blue) and 1 sheer shade, Black Rose (sheer black with rosy tones).

Tons of NEW Hard Candy Products Spotted at Walmart!

I ventured into Walmart today which is something I try not to do very often, and to my surprise, there were a ton of new Hard Candy products! Let's take a look...

There are new Eyeshadow Palettes ($8) in cute tins that also contain an mini eye primer and mini eyeliner. There's a Natural, Sassy, and Smokey version.

Here's what they look like inside (sorry about the crappy photos...I couldn't get away from the light glare):

Natural Eyes

Sassy Eyes

Smokey Eyes

Next, I saw two new concealer products...Sheer Envy Eye Brightening Concealer Pen and Conceal and Correct Palettes.

The Sheer Envy Eye Brightening Concealer Pens ($6) claim to have 10 beauty benefits in 1- Reduce Puffiness, Diffuse Shadows, Soften Wrinkles, Even Skintone, Eliminate Dark Circles, Blur Lines, Brighten, Conceal, Correct, and Lift.  Wow..pretty lofty claims!  This seems like it could potentially be a dupe for YSL Touche Eclat.  I purchased it in the Radiance shade, so stay tuned for my review!

The Sheer Envy Conceal and Corrector Palettes come in two shades, Light Medium and Medium Tan.  They contain three correcting shades, yellow, green and purple, and then three concealers to mix and match.

The Eyes The Limit Eye Shadow Primers ($5) look really cool...one is a Smokey primer that turns any eyeshadow into a smokey shade.  The Shimmer version turns eyeshadow into a shimmery shade. I purchased both, so I'll be doing a review after I test them out a bit. 

Next, they had a new section called Fast and Fabulous Set Your Makeup and there were 4 new products included in it that are long wearing...

There's a setting spray that claims to set makeup all day & night, as well as a Translucent Finishing Powder to control oil. 

There's also a longwear 12 Hour Primer and a clear mascara topcoat that makes any mascara waterproof!

Glamoflauge Foundation!!  I know a lot of people who are obsessed with the Glamoflauge concealers, so this was really exciting to see. It comes in 8 shades and clams to have invisible coverage in an oil free formula ($7).

Also new to the Glamoflauge line is Glamoflauge Lite blendable concealer duo sticks. I'm guessing like the name suggests that this offers lighter coverage than the original full-coverage Glamoflauge in the tube.

Finally, I spotted Fierce Effects Argan Oil Lip Gloss ($5).  It comes in 12 shades, 8 with Intense Color and 4 with Sheer Color.  There are some really interesting shades here, including a bright blue, navy blue and black!

Here's a slightly closer shot so you can see the names of the shades (click on the photo to enlarge):

About a month ago, I had heard about new Ombre blushes that Hard Candy was going to be releasing and I didn't see them today but a few people I know on Instagram found them at their Walmart, so I'll have to go back and check.
Which of these new products are on your list to try?  Or have you tried some of them already?

Hard Candy Plumping Serum Gel Lipstick Review and Swatches

Purchased by Me

Hard Candy Plumping Serum Gel Lipstick ($5 at Walmart) was introduced for Fall 2014 and I've been wanting to try them for a while now.  My local Walmart had an empty display of these for a long time and just recently got them in stock.  On a side note, I really wish Hard Candy was sold somewhere other than Walmart, because I'm just not a fan of going there. The makeup aisles are always a disaster area and everything I want to buy has been opened up and tested by customers...it's so annoying!
Needless to say, I was only able to get three shades of this lipstick because the rest had been opened up (gross).  I got Beloved (a medium pink), Infamous (a pinky nude MLBB) and Admired (a pinky bronze nude).

Beloved, Infamous, Admired

These lipsticks come in silver tubes with black print. The tops of the caps are supposed to show you what the color looks like, but I found some of them to be a bit "off", for example Infamous looks nude on the cap but the bullet itself looks way more pink.

Hard Candy Top Ten Trendsetters Birthday Suit Swatches

Last month, I posted about some new Hard Candy products that were released at Walmart for Fall 2014 (see the post here) and I've also done some reviews on a few of them already.  There are some new Top Ten palettes called the Trendsetter Collection and they come in Mattes, Shimmers, Glitters, and Metallics. I own the Top Ten in Naturally Gorgeous, which has 10 nude toned shades, and I really like it, so I wanted to pick up another one.  Most of them were too shimmery/glittery for me, but this one called Birthday Suit is all matte shades! The shades actually remind me of a palette from The Balm called Meet Matte...more on that later.