Hard Candy Sheer Envy Face Primer vs. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Wow, it seems like a million years ago that I was freaking out about the new Hard Candy collection at Walmart, but it was actually just in September of '09 that I first spotted the display. And for some reason I have managed to reviewed everything I purchased from that first haul except for this little lovely, which I also purchased that day back in September. So finally, I'm delighted to present you with this review!

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Face Primer (retail: $8, 1.6 oz) can be found exclusive at Walmart (in-store and online) and it's one of just a few drugstore-level face primers that you can find with ease these days.

I don't know about you, but face primer is one of those things that should be part of my daily routine, but never quite manages to get there. It's just one of those steps in my routine that I will skip if I'm running late (which seems to be the norm for me) but when I do use it, I always say to myself, "Wow, I really should use this more often."

So let's take a look at the box:

Yay for cruelty-free!

Yay for paraben-free!

So how does this compare to arguably the most popular silicone-based face primer in the entire world, Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation primer? Well I just so happen to own the Smashbox product, so here are the ingredients:

As you can see, the first few ingredients are extremely similar in both formulas, but after that, there are differences. Hard Candy contains mica and titanium dioxide (Smashbox does not) and the Smashbox primer has several natural ingredients that are absent in the Hard Candy formula. In my humble opinion, the formula of Smashbox seems like the Cadillac of face primers while Hard Candy seems like a more stripped-down, economical primer (maybe a Toyota Corolla?). One is luxurious while the other will dependably get you from point A to point B. Oh and by the way, a 1oz bottle of the Smashbox primer will set you back a cool 36 bucks.

Let's take a look at the actual product:

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Face Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Obviously the Hard Candy primer is white while the Smashbox is clear. But once you start blending these primers into your skin, they both feel a lot alike. Here's what the Hard Candy product looks like once you start to rub it in:

The more you rub, the clearer it gets, until it's finally completely clear and undetectable (and really, it takes no effort at all for it become clear once you start applying it).

I wanted to show you what both primers look like once they've been applied to my skin but my camera just could not pick it up. So I'll tell you that the feeling and texture of both products is quite similar. If you've used a silicone-based primer before, you know that it fills in every little wrinkle or dry patch on your skin and it makes everything feel very smooth because it deposits a light, gel-like quality to the surface of your skin. I put some on each hand and, honestly, I couldn't tell the different. They felt almost identical in terms of smoothness.

Let me stop right now and tell you something funny though. If you go back up to the photo I took of the box of Hard Candy primer, you'll see that the directions say to "Apply one pump for an even layer all over your face..." but tell me, how do you apply "one pump" with THIS:

Hard Candy, I hate to break it to you, but you cannot "pump" a squeeze tube. I seriously didn't know how much to use the first time I applied this because it comes out like toothpaste. I could have just kept on squeezing...and squeezing with no clue when to stop. But after my first use, I quickly figured out that you really only need about 1/4 of an inch of product to cover your entire face. Not much is required at all, exactly like the Smashbox primer. Less is certainly more with both products, otherwise you run the risk of making your skin too slick.

After using both the Smashbox primer and Hard Candy primer several times on cold days and warm days (and if you're confused, you apply primer AFTER your moisturizer and/or sunscreen and BEFORE your concealer and foundation), it is my opinion that the Smashbox primer holds up a bit better under warmer conditions (especially if you have oily skin like mine), but during colder weather, the Hard Candy primer performed like a champ for me and was almost identical to the results that I get from my beloved Smashbox. Both products make your concealer (especially under-eye concealer) apply so much more smoothly, and they both really help extend the staying-power of your foundation (I've used these with liquid foundations, cream foundations and powder foundations and it works well with all three). If you've got oily skin and you're sick of having your foundation disappear at around 1 or 2pm in the afternoon, I would highly suggest giving a silicone-based foundation primer a try--you might be surprised to see your foundation still in tact at 6pm!

All in all, I would say that the Smashbox primer extends the life of my concealer and foundation and keeps me looking fresh until around 6 or 7pm on a good day. The Hard Candy primer does the same exact thing for me, but only until about 3 or 4pm. At that point, I will definitely need to apply a bit of powder to my nose, cheeks and chin. But this is just me, and again, I have very oily skin. If you have normal or dry skin, your results could be much better.

So if you're new to the silicone foundation primer game, I would DEFINITELY recommend purchasing the Hard Candy primer first, to see if this type of product is a good match for you and your skin type. If you find yourself really loving the effect of this primer, then maybe, when you have extra cash, you might consider stepping it up and treating yourself to the Cadillac. Otherwise, Hard Candy primer should be able to get you from point A to point B with no major issues, for sure. Definitely worth the eight bucks!