Review: Hard Candy Fox In A Box Blush in Hot Flash

I've been wanting to try a Hard Candy Fox In A Box since they first debuted earlier this year, so I was very excited to receive one for review recently (in the exact shade I had my eye on, no less). Now that I've been wearing this blush off and on for a few weeks, it's time to share my thoughts:

 Hard Candy Fox In A Box in Hot Flash

(retail: $6; 0.20 oz)

There are obvious comparisons to Benefit's Box O' Powders (especially Sugarbomb) but I don't believe Benefit offers a color combination quite like Hot Flash. The bright fuchsia stands out as unique for a drugstore blush, in my opinion:

Taken without flash:

Taken with flash:

Looking closely at the surface of this blush, I could not detect any shimmer until I actually started using the blush. Once I "broke the seal" on the top layer, very fine shimmer particles appeared, although when I wear this blush on my cheeks, it really looks more matte than anything else. I can't detect shimmer once I've blended it onto my cheeks:

For me personally, the raised walls of this "box" make it difficult for me to use each color separately (or even just two colors at a time). I guess my assortment of blush brushes are all too big to be able to swipe one or two isolated shades, so I'm basing this review on using all four colors blended together.

That said, I really love the look of Hot Flash:

For my NC20 skintone, it's got enough fuchsia in it to work well with my magenta and berry lip colors, yet the beige colors in the box give the shade a touch of warmth that makes the overall color much more wearable for me. But let me make this perfectly clear: the fuchsia shade is the dominant shade here. Even when I try to pick up more of the beiges onto my brush, the fuchsia color dominates the overall look.

Texture: This isn't the most finely-milled blush I own, yet I also don't find it overly chalky or hard to work with. I've been using both my EcoTools blush brush and my Real Techniques blush brush with this product and both brushes seem to pick up the powder just fine with very minimal fallout.

Finish: As I said earlier, even though there are very fine shimmer particles in this blush when looking at it in the pan, I don't feel that the shimmer really translates to my cheeks. Looking at the picture above, it really does look like a matte blush when I wear it.

Pigmentation: This one isn't for the faint of heart! WOW it this one pigmented blush. A light hand during application is strongly recommended, unless you want to look like a clown.

Blendability: Overall I would say the blendability is average, however there were one or two occasions where my brush picked up more of the fuchsia shade on one side of the brush, and when I applied it to my cheek it was difficult to blend it out. So I really recommend giving it a good swirl with your blush brush before you apply, so that the colors combine and blend evenly.

Staying Power:  I can get about five hours of wear before I start to see fading, but when I apply a foundation primer first, this blush lasts all day and night for me. In fact, the other day I put it on at about 11AM and I could still see it when I went to wash my face at 1AM.

FINAL VERDICT: For $6 at Walmart, I think this might be a nice addition to your blush collection if you don't already have a bright fuchsia shade. If you use a smaller brush, I think you could increase the value even further by applying the beige shades as highlighter and the pink shades as blush. I'm very happy with the staying power (when I apply foundation primer beforehand) and as long as you swirl your blush brush a few times to really blend all four shades together, you should be able to achieve a nice pop of color with no blending issues. Compared to $28 for a Benefit Box O' Color, I'd say it's worth a shot if this concept appeals to you. The packaging is adorable and I think the colors in Hot Flash would work for many skintones. My only word of caution is that this box is made of cardboard, so if you're generally rough on your beauty products, you'll need to take care with this one. 

To view the other shades in the Hard Candy Fox In a Box range, click here.

Do you already own a Fox In A Box? If so, what shade do you own and how do you like it?

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.