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-

Milani Eyeshadow Primer Review

 

 

 

Some people don't think shadow primer is necessary. For people like me with oily lids, primer is a must. For a long time I really disliked wearing eye shadow because it would crease and look awful on me really quickly. I tried another eyeshadow primer from Essence - The I Love Stage shadow base - that did nothing to prevent creasing.

 

 

 

The most important thing to me with primer is one that will keep my lids from creasing. The second most important thing is that the primer keeps my eyeshadow from fading. The least important thing to me is having the primer make my eyeshadows more vibrant.

 

 

Here are the claims on the back of the packaging. I bought it for $8.99 from Well.ca. It is sold wherever Milani is sold such as Loblaws, Superstore and select Wal-Marts. It says the shade number is 01 Nude as if it comes in other shades, but it doesn't. Perhaps Milani is planning to release other shades, like a primer with a shimmer finish or dark finishes for smokey eyes. The nude shade is completely invisible on my skin unless I over apply it. 

 

The directions on the back of the package are right; apply it to clean dry lids. I've tried applying cream under the primer and that compromised the wear of the primer. If I apply cream I wait until my lids are dry. 

What I love love LOVE about this primer is the fact that its a squeeze tube primer! When shadow primer has a doe foot I absolutely hate it. For me it always ends up applying way too much onto my lids. I hope Milani never changes the packaging on this like certain other brands that will remain nameless *cough Urban Decay cough*. 

 

 

Here's a dot of primer on my hand (much larger then what I would actually use for both eyes). On the right side of the dot is a completely blended in dollop of primer. It's basically sheer with the slightest hint of beige.

 

I've had this primer for several months now and I absolutely love it. Whenever I use eyeshadow, this is the first step in my routine. The shadow proved it's worth to me this August. I wore it for eight hours and during that time I was out in the heat, I was sweating, and when I came home I was amazed to see my eyeshadow was still uncreased. If I hadn't been wearing the eyeshadow primer, it would've been faded, and badly creased. After wearing the shadow for ten hours I noticed there was light creasing. My shadows don't fade when I use this primer!

 

Caveats with this primer: When I apply too much primer it makes my lids look ashy. In addition to that it makes my shadows difficult to blend because they just stick in place and won't want to budge.

 

All in all; I absolutely LOVE this primer. It works incredibly well and the price is lovely. I love using it and I love how well it works.

 

Likes:

 

1. Keeps my eyeshadow from creasing

2. Keeps my eyeshadow from fading

3. Dries invisibly on my lids

4. Doesn't irritate my lids

5. Has a squeeze tube!

6. Affordable!

 

Dislikes:

 

1. If I apply too much I get a white cast and it's difficult to blend but that's my own fault

 

A+