Hard Candy Eye Def Metallic Eyeshadow in #426 Golden Earth

Yes, my Hard Candy kick continues with the Hard Candy Eye Def Metallic Eyeshadow in #426 Golden Earth.  I was super impressed with the other Hard Candy cream eyeshadows I've tried, so I didn't hesitate to pick up the metallic cream eyeshadow.

(The Eye Def range also includes Glitter shadows, which I have not tried.)

This definitely is metallic, but sheered out (as you can see above on the right), it's very wearable.  Applied heavily it is a full on metallic bronze.  Sheered out it is much warmer, redder and softer, not as metallic.  

The eyeshadow has a thick cream texture that is easily applied with the doe foot applicator.  The packaging itself is underwhelming.  It's a super long plastic tube with an equally long applicator wand.  I suspect that you would waste a lot of product because of the packaging, but since there's virtually no danger of me ever running out of any of my color cosmetics, it's not something I'm going to worry about, especially at this price point.

It sheers out easily and it dries down quickly.  It's perhaps not quite as quick to set as the Hard Candy liquid eyeshadow, but it is set in less than a minute and I didn't find it prone to creasing as it dried.  I did not leave my eyes closed while it set, though you certainly could if you're worried about it.  It does dry quickly enough that I would recommend applying it to one eye at a time.  Once it is set, it is very budge proof and not at all tacky.  It does need to be removed with an oil cleanser or oil based makeup remover.

The Hard Candy Eye Def Metallic Eyeshadow contains 12.6 grams of product and comes in 9 shades.

It retails exclusively at Wal-Mart for $6.

Overall:  8/10

Hard Candy Glamoflage Heavy Duty Concealer in Ultra Light

A while ago, I picked up the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavey Duty Concealer in Ultra Light after hearing good things about it on YouTube.

The packaging I purchased had both the Glamoflage concealer and a mini concealer pencil.

I really don't ever use drugstore brand concealers.  I've just never had good luck at all with them, so I sort of swore off the entire lot.  However, I've heard really great things about the Hard Candy Glamoflage concealer, so I decided to give it a try.

First impressions:  The formula separates easily.  It reminded me a lot of Too Faced Shadow Insurance or OCC Lip Tars in that the pigment seemed to separate out of the mixing medium and even when it looked mixed in the tube, when dispensed, it always seemed to be a clump of mixed concealer swimming in a pool of extra fluid.  Not great, but at this price point and this big of a tube, I don't feel bad wasting product.

It does have a nozzle tip dispenser, which I really like.  It makes it easier to control how much product you get and it allows you to keep the product sanitary.

The product (when well mixed) does have a good amount of pigmentation.  It covers well - not the greatest I've ever seen, but well.  And a little bit goes a long way.  

My biggest complaint with the product is that the formula reminds me a lot of liquid lipsticks.  It has a slightly tacky feel to it.  It's not creamy. In spite of that, I didn't feel like it settled too much into my under eye wrinkles - but there was some.  Don't get me wrong, it didn't look great, but it didn't look near as bad as I expected given the texture.  I do think the fact that the pigments seem to separate from the mixing medium can make it look patchy, especially if applied in a thin layer.

The other thing,  it doesn't dry to a completely matte finish.  It retains a kind of sheen, even when dry.  I do always set my concealers with powder, which took down the sheen, but still, it's disappointing.  

I will say however, that this particular texture would allow you to apply it in really thin coats, let it dry down and then apply more where you need it.  If that's what you're looking for, then this would be great.

The pigmentation is good.  It has good coverage.  As far as the color, Ultra Light definitely isn't the lightest concealer I've ever seen - I'm not complaining about that.  I swatched it next to my NARS Pure Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla (which is not the lightest shade in the NARS range) and it was a pretty spot on match.  The Hard Candy Ultra Light is a bit pinker, but otherwise, they're really close.  (The NARS does have better coverage).

Wear time wasn't the greatest.  It looked good for 5 hours, but after that it just sort of ... disappeared.  It didn't smudge off or flake off or settle into the fine lines (any more than it did upon initial application), but by the 8 hour mark it was pretty much just gone.

The little concealer pencil that came with the Glamoflage was a total fail.  The formula was super yellow and about 3 shades darker than the Glamoflage.  It was thick and sticky and didn't blend out worth a damn.  As far as extras go, I wish they wouldn't have bothered.

All in all, I think this is a fantastic drugstore concealer.  It works better on spot concealing blemishes than it does on my under eyes.  It's not the greatest concealer I've ever used and it's probably not even in my top 5, but it has a great price point.  My favorite concealers are all high end and are easily 5 times or more as expensive as this product.  For the price, it's great, but that is not my biggest consideration.  If it's yours, you may want to check this out.

Hard Candy Glamoflage Heavy Duty concealer in Ultra Light contains a whopping 20 grams of product.  Hard Candy is cruelty free and is available only at Wal-Mart.  Glamoflage retails for $6.

Overall:  6/10

Hard Candy Shadow Dancers Liquid to Powder Eyeshadow in Head to Toe

Hard Candy isn't a brand I've ever really been too interested in, but lately I have to say, I think they've been putting out some really nice products at great price points.  I was particularly impressed with their All Lid Up Cream Shadows, which are really similar to the MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Creams at a fraction of the price.

So when I saw their Shadow Dancers Liquid to Powder Eyeshadow, I had to give it a try.  These launched with Hard Candy's Spring 2013 collection.  I picked up #578, Head to Toe.  This contains two liquid eyeshadows, one is a bronzy brown and the other is a shimmery peachy nude.  The silver part in the middle of the tube contains a dual ended doe foot applicator and the two ends containing the product screw onto it.

Both colors contain a good bit of glitter, but they can be sheered out fairly easily.  So depending on how many layers you apply, you can get anything from a light wash of color to very metallic.  Despite being called a liquid, this product isn't really runny at all.  It's very creamy.  

The product goes on tacky, but dries down quickly and sets in under thirty seconds.  It's called a "liquid to powder", but I have several other liquid to powder products and this really doesn't have a powder finish to me.  It certainly sets, but it doesn't feel powdery at all.  It's pretty budge proof and I didn't have any issues with it creasing - even without a primer.  After six hours there was some wear, but it wasn't looking bad.  I did need to use an oil cleanser to remove the product.

The packaging isn't the most elegant, but at this price point, I'm willing to deal with it.

Hard Candy Shadow Dancers Liquid to Powder Eyeshadow contains 5.9 grams of product and retails for $6 at Wal-Mart.

Overall:  8/10

Hard Candy Baked Bronzer in Tiki

A couple of months ago, there seemed to be a mass hysteria in the YouTube beauty community about the Dior Amber Diamond highlighter being discontinued - which, as I understand it, isn't true.  For the record, the full product name is 'Diorskin' Ultra Shimmering Allover Face Powder in 002 Amber Diamond.

Anyway, several of the YouTubers that I watch picked up Amber Diamond and then mentioned that it is apparently very similar to the Hard Candy baked bronzer in Tiki.

Now, as much as I love highlighters and bronzers, I'm less crazy about gold highlighters.  And especially at the Dior pricepoint ($45), I am not going to rush out and pick it up.  But the Hard Candy baked bronzer in Tiki is only $9, so I figured I could give it a try.

Now, since I don't have Amber Diamond, I can't do a side by side comparison.  But even without it, I have a hard time imaging Dior putting out something that's truly a dupe for this Hard Candy product.  Tiki is super frosty and very, very yellow (as opposed to gold).  It is also crazy reflective and not at all subtle.

Why, exactly, Hard Candy labels this thing a bronzer, I have no idea.  I cannot even begin to imagine a skintone on which this would bronze anything.  I'd think that in order to bronze something, you'd have to be bronze and this product isn't.  It's yellow.  Frosty, banana yellow.

In the pan, the product is champagne beige with gold veining, but on the skin it is straight up yellow frost.  If that's what you're looking for, good for you.  You get 12.5 grams of product for $9, which is a heck of a deal - provided you're looking for a frosty yellow highlighter.

Did I mention this is a frosty yellow highlighter?  Because, really, I just can't imagine who the hell reaches for this thing in the morning.

Overall: 3/10

Tom Ford Platinum Eyeshadow dupe

(L - Hard Candy Quick Sand; R - Tom Ford Platinum)

The Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Platinum is one of those products that got a ton of hype and a cult following.  I'm not sure where exactly it started.  I know that  Pixiwoo talked about the color and I think Wayne Goss did a video about it as well.  It launched with the Tom Ford Summer 2012 collection and was limited edition.

I managed to pick up a pot of Platinum and the first thing I have to say is that it's not platinum.  It's not even kind of platinum.  There is absolutely nothing platinum colored about this shade.  Which isn't to say it isn't stunning.  It is, but it's certainly not platinum colored.  FYI.

The texture of platinum is very light and mousse-like.  It goes on easily and sheers out beautifully.  When you do a stronger swatch, it looks grayer and more of a metallic taupe color.  Sheered out it is a light pink leaning  brown.  It has a fair bit of microglitter in it that is more obvious the more you sheer it out.  It seems to be the glitter that gives Platinum its metallic look because I don't think the shadow base itself is metallic at all.

So, on to the dupe.

Last week I picked up the Hard Candy All Lid Up Creme Shadow in #571, Quick Sand.  Swatched, Quick Sand is really, really close to Platinum.  (I believe the All Lid Up shadows are new this spring).

(daybulbs)

(natural, indirect light)

(direct sunlight)

The textures of the 2 shadows are quite different.  Hard Candy is a thicker formula, much closer to the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams in many respects.  The Tom Ford, as I said before, is very mousse-like.  Platinum contains a lot of glitter, Quick Sand has no glitter, but does have a metallic finish.  Platinum is warmer, pinker, especially as it fades.  Quick Sand is a bit cooler.

In heavy applications, the two shadows are fairly indistinguishable.  Sheerer, the differences are much more pronounced.  The Hard Candy shadow wore way better than the Tom Ford.  The Tom Ford wasn't awful, but it wasn't great.  It didn't crease on my non-oily lids, even without a primer, but it did fade noticeably after three hours.  Whereas the Hard Candy shadow looked pretty much exactly the way it had when I initially applied it, the Tom Ford really changed as it wore.  Platinum started out looking much the way it does in the swatches above, but after a couple of hours on the lid, it had really sheered out, had become much pinker and much more obviously glittery.  It almost changed from looking like a shadow, to almost looking like the lid was wet.  I don't know if this is your thing or not.  It's not really mine.  But I know a lot of people like 'lived in' eye looks.  You'll definitely get that from Platinum.

Platinum is much, much easier to remove - I'm pretty sure I could have rubbed most of it off with a tissue.  The Hard Candy shadow, in contrast, stays where you put it and requires an oil cleanser to remove completely.

Packaging, obviously, is very different.  Platinum comes in some seriously luxurious packaging.  It is a heavy, glass jar.  It feels substantial.  Everything about it lets you know it's a $40 eyeshadow.  Hard Candy comes in cheap plastic packaging and is available exclusively at Wal-Mart.

They are both beautiful shadows.  Personally, I think the Hard Candy shadow has a better formula.  It definitely wears better.  Also, it's $6.