Hard Candy Hot Smudge

So I've been tempted by Hard Candy Hide and Glow Cheek gel blushes, Glow All The Way, and Sheer Envy Primer so their Hot Smudge caught my eye in drop out (290) a purple combo. One side is purple, purple and the other is more brown/plum. Part of the reason I splurged on this is the little brush/smudger that comes with it. As a mineral makeup maker, I tend to be picky about buying eye makeup but I figure if I hated the makeup, I may find the brush worthy.

I do not like the packaging because I always seem to struggle to remember how it opens-- hinges on "Hot Smudge" end but I often find myself trying to slide the clear top off or some other lame attempt to open it. Definitely not a product I would be grabbing if I were in a hurry-- just chalk it up to dumb operator. LOL
No Flash

Hard Candy Hot Smudge in Drop Out (290) with Flash

I like the colors-- you can see a little better in the flash photo how the one color is grapy purple whereas the other is almost brown yet combined they make a lovely color that really compliments the green in my eyes. These are definitely NOT smudge-proof. I would definitely set with a sheer powder if you have creasing issues normally. I usually only use as a liner but would wonder how well this would work for a smoky eye considering this aspect. As you can see in the photo without flash, the brush/smudger is really tiny. I LIKE that.

Hard Candy Hot Smudge Brush/Smudger

Brush End-- look how thin!!!

Smudger end-- it's tiny. Most precise one I've ever come across

Hard Candy Glow All The Way and Sheer Envy Primer

In winter my dry skin tends to look rather dull. So I was tempted by Hard Candy's Glow All The Way in Doll Face (319)- a pale pink luminizer $8 (I think) for 2.7 oz.

I also grabbed Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer because at $8 (1.6 oz)  it's way cheaper than Serious Skin Care's A-primer ($22.50 for 2 oz plus shipping) and even though I like e.l.f. primer at $6 per bottle, the pump is pathetic- I think I used it 4 times before the primer was too busy clinging to the walls of the bottle rather than coming out the pump. I am using the e.l.f. up by pulling out the pump and using the primer clinging to the tube. Another thing I do not like about e.l.f. packaging is that the bottle is deceptively large and you can't see through it so you have no idea how much product is left.

Glow All The Way in Doll Face is a sheer pearly pink. I like to apply this all over my face after primer for a nice dewy start to my makeup. This keeps the look more natural. If I want a bit more glow I will swipe a tiny bit on my cheekbones.

Sheer Envy comes out a milky white but goes on really clear. It does seem to make lines and pores disappear. I actually use primer in winter to seal moisture into my skin rather than as a traditional primer. I like the consistency of this primer better than the e.l.f. one-- it's less slick feeling and sets quicker.

This is what they look like after being smoothed into the skin.  Do you see how the fine lines are smoothed out on my hand in the Sheer Envy part? I didn't apply it under the Doll Face shimmery part and there is definitely a difference in texture.

I would buy these again.

Hard Candy Cheeks

I fell in love with gel blush with Tarte- a little "Dollface" in the winter always perked up my complexion but I didn't love the Tarte price- $28 for a full size. Granted it will last forever but who wants to shell out that kind of cash for ONE blush??? So WalMart started carrying Hard Candy and I saw their dual ended gel blushes and yep, I bought all three. At $6 each, for 2 different blushes it seemed like a worthy chance to take.

Left to Right 316- Pillow Talk, 317-Hot Date, and 315- In Love

Not a ton of product in each end- most of the it is packaging but honestly it's enough for many applications and a Tarte full size is just about impossible to ever go through and do you really want to have liquid based makeup around for years?

315- In Love-- Peachy colors- The darker looking end is actually a sheer barely there peach color that has some pearly glow to it. The brighter peach has a bit of pink to it. This one is definitely a pop of color although it doesn't really suit my yellow undertones.

316- Pillow Talk- Bright Pink combo. Once again the darker end ends up being a sheer pearly pink while the brighter end is a bright pop of pink. These ones have become my "go to" ones since the pop of pink with a bit of the pearly end for highlight gives me a lovely bit of pink color to my dead winter skin.

317- Hot Date-- The darker end on this one is actually a sheer berry with a tiny bit of purple slant to it while the other end is a a brighter red berry-- like strawberry juice on the skin. The darker shade suits my yellow undertones a little better but my favorite is definitely Pillow Talk out of all of these blushes.

Application is pretty simple. I swipe a bit on the apple of my cheeks and blend towards hairline. Then I usually top the pop of color with the pearly side to give my upper cheek a bit of a glow. They do stay a bit tacky for a while but I have really dry skin so I hate using powder to set them. They last throughout the day for me but my dry skin doesn't seem to challenge makeup staying power.

Last but not least-- swatches on the skin. Above without flash- L-R Hot Date, In Love, and Pillow Talk
Below with flash-