This Christmas I was happy to be able to introduce my three nieces, ages 10,9, and 6 to Hard Candy. Hey its NEVER too early to expose children to awesome. Hard Candy had a BUNCH of well priced, adorable combo packs for the holidays that were available at Wal-Mart.  I chose for all three the mini nail polish kit that was priced at 5 dollars. I mean come on, 5 perfectly sized glittery polishes for 5 dollars? I had to do it. My sister had told me that many polish sets for little girls do not last or simply do not show up, so I was super pleased to find these kits for the girls by Hard Candy. Also, my 9-year-old niece went to a class party, and asked my sister to paint each nail a different color. I think that means I picked  a successful gift.

I was sent a few items by Hard Candy to review and two of the three products I had never used, thus making me even more excited than usual.  The other, Lash Tinsel, is a tried and true product that I am already a huge fan of.

I had first tried Lash Tinsel when I received a mini sample of it and I was excited to see the bright teal color of UFO. The great thing about this gel based mascara is that it flies for day or night. It is subtle enough to add to you every day look because it doesn’t glob on in huge chunks or gather in only one place, it’s eye-catching and brightening NOT distracting. And of course, Lash Tinsel is great for night because who doesn’t feel a bit more glam when they are sparkling? A quick coat or two of this over your every day mascara is must for those days when you just need to add a bit more to your look. And at under $5, you have even more reason to go swoop one of these up in the color of your choice. 

I was also sent Eye Def in Robot, a creamy, silver glittery shadow. Can you tell I really enjoy glitter??? The test tube container is sleek, the applicator wand is thin and easy to use, and the product is around $6 dollars which cannot be beat. I am usually not a fan of cream shadows, the oils in my skin don’t always agree with them, but I found with Eye Def, that it stayed on and continued to shimmer when I used it as a base for shadow and for a quick glaze over already applied shadow. This worked better for my eyes rather than just using the shadow as a stand alone.  The product dries quickly and like Lash Tinsel, will not overwhelm your eyes unless you apply a HEFTY amount. If this is the look you are going for, by all means, apply away!!

The last product I tried was the new and improved Visibly Wet Glossy Lip Pencil in Candy Apple. I honestly did not know what to expect when I first saw it, as I was unsure of how a glossy lip pencil would actually turn out. I was pleasantly surprised. Candy Apple is subtle red, not too glossy, and just enough color. The color is actually a bit matte, but still manages to be bold. I am a little concerned about sharpening the pencil, as I wonder how that will affect the pencil itself and the color distribution, but I’ll worry about that when I get to that point.  I would have liked the color to stay a bit longer, but my lips were not caked with goop and did not get immediately chapped after use. Candy Apple was a nice complimentary color for my fair skin and blonde hair as well, and didn’t completely overtake my face with the color. Also at around $6 dollars, it’s worth a try.

All Hard Candy products can be found at Wal-Mart. www.walmart.com

And also be sure to check out www.hardcandy.com for all kinds of cool stuff.

xoxox