Hard Candy Sheer Envy Hydrating Primer Mist Review

       I spotted this primer mist at Wal-Mart about three weeks ago and I couldn't resist snatching it up. I know I'm supposed to be on hiatus but there are very few reviews for this primer mist out here on the internet and I just want to quickly share the knowledge with anyone who might want to know how this primer functions on combination oily skin. 

       Claims from the packaging: This lightweight primer mist hydrates skin and revitalizes radiance You will get the benefits of priming, hydrating and refreshing your face. Coconut water infused to boost hydration benefits for up to 12 hours. Leaves skin soft, smooth and supple.

       This product retails for about $9.98CDN which is quite expensive for Hard Candy which has always been an inexpensive brand. It's even more expensive than their setting spray which cost me $6-7CDN when I bought it during the summer.

      The packaging also says you can use this mist as a setting spray in addition to a primer spray.

   

     Here are the ingredients. Hard Candy really impressed me with this ingredients list. They said it was infused with coconut water and that's definitely true. Coconut water is high up on the list as well so they didn't skimp on the active ingredients.

     Coconut oil makes me break out like crazy. I've tried using coconut oil to remove my makeup and the next day I had a cluster of cystic pimples on my cheeks. I don't even like using it on my hair, because it causes me to break out all around my hair line and nape. But coconut water doesn't make me break out which I'm happy for. 

      I've used this primer every day since I've bought it, as the first step before I apply the rest of my makeup. This primer doesn't promise to control oil, and I've noticed it doesn't control oil at all. It doesn't make me greasier than usual, but it doesn't inhibit my oil either.

     The spray nozzle on this bottle is much much better than the Hard Candy setting spray nozzle. That thing would drench my face even if I held it a full arm's length away. The nozzle for this mist is very fine and delivers a light mist of product onto my face.

     The primer didn't smell the way I thought it would. I expected it to have sort of a coconut smell but it smells sweet and faintly spicy. It's not a strong smell and it fades very quickly after application.

     I do notice this primer makes my skin extra soft and makes my makeup slide on extra smoothly. After applying the mist my skin feels really soft and supple, so it delivers on those claims. It does make a great primer as it is slightly sticky, which helps makeup adhere to skin.

     As for the 12 hour wear? Normally, I don't wear my makeup for that long. For the usual eight hours that I do I've noticed this primer doesn't extend the wear of my makeup or inhibit it. It gives my skin a nice hydration boost which is why I really like it, but it doesn't make a difference in the wear of my makeup and that is what a primer is supposed to do. At the same time, Hard Candy doesn't say it's supposed to extend the wear of your makeup; it just says its supposed to "boost hydration benefits for 12 hours" and it delivers on the promise of lasting hydration. 

    In short; I like the hydration without extra greasiness this primer gives me and I really enjoy using it every day. It doesn't affect the wear of my makeup or decrease / increase my oil output. It does keep my skin hydrated which it promises to do. 

Likes:

1. Delivers on it's hydration promises

2. Delivers on it's skin softening promises

3. Mists finely

4. Makes my makeup go on smoothly

5. The coconut water doesn't break me out

6. Doesn't make me oilier

Dislikes:

1. Smells kind of odd

2. Doesn't extend the wear of my makeup
3. Doesn't control oil

A-

Hard Candy Glow All The Way & Sheer Glow All The Way Review

I am fairly new to the world of highlighters so I decided to try some cheap thrills to test the waters. So I picked up Hard Candy's Sheer Glow All The Way illuminator in Blushing Babe and after that Glow All The Way in Tropical Tan.

Blushing Babe

 Tropical Tan

Claims: Glow All the Way with this pearly, luminizing highlighters that illuminate any skin tone. Infused with 24-karat gold for a million dollar look! Also available in two shades of tinted sunless tanners to instantly bronze and build a lasting tan.

I think it's pretty neat that Hard Candy has infused these illuminators with gold and at first I didn't believe because I thought that would seriously drive up the price of these highlighters. True enough gold is listed as an ingredient so there is gold in the product though its under the name "colloid gold" which is entirely baffling.

Anyway for the price, these tubes are huge. I use half of a pea sized amount for both cheeks so I shouldn't have bought two of these things because one will last me ages. I don't really mind though. You're definitely getting a good amount of product for the little price you pay.

The product has no discernable smell to me. The texture is very creamy and moisturizing as you apply it. The product doesn't dry down and get flaky, but glides like a lotion. Both are fairly shimmery but isn't obvious and tacky once applied to the skin. It just looks glowy.

I really like these illuminators because they carry out their job well in addition to feeling really nicely on the skin.

Blushing Babe: A pearlescent pink highlighter with a hint of peach. Is as sheer as the name implies.

At the top is a glob which was just too much! I put a glob that same size beneath it and look how much space it covered!

Zoomed in to show fine glitter suspended in gel.

This is Blushing Babe completely blended in. See how soft the glow is? It's subtle but there.

Tropical Tan: A bronzey brown shade with fine shimmer. It's supposed to tan the skin but my skin wouldn't yield any results if it did tan!

There's a much smaller smear of Tropical Tan on the left followed by a blended swatch of Tropical Tan. As you can see it blends in very easily.

All in all; I really like these highlighters and I'm really glad I purchased them!

 A