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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Review: Hard Candy All Lid Up Créme Eye Shadows

I recently received some of the new 2013 Hard Candy products for review, so I'd like to kick off this mini-series with the new All Lid Up créme eye shadows. I received three shades for review (there are ten shades total in this range):
NEW Hard Candy All Lid Up Créme Eye Shadows
(retail: $6 each at Walmart, 0.19 oz)

From the Hard Candy website:

Vibrant, long wearing crème eye shadow lights up and enhances eyes. Our groundbreaking hybrid formula has a soft cushion texture that allows it to be worn as eye shadow or eyeliner. This crease proof, stay put formula is blended luminous, multi-colored pearls that provides glamorous evening looks. Available in 10 gorgeous, vivid shades!



 Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones is a shimmery gunmetal gray with a tinge of green. I adore colors like this and, in the pan, this shade looks nearly identical to MAC Fiction:

Hard Candy Stepping Stones, MAC Fiction

But when swatched, MAC Fiction actually has a warmer olive-green undertone:


Stepping Stones is actually the color that I wanted Fiction to be.

 Tidal Wave

Tidal Wave is a vivid, shimmery teal blue with a very slight golden sheen (my camera didn't quite pick up the golden sheen).

 Pining 4 You

Pining 4 You is a sort of a cross between lime green and olive green. As with the other two shades above, this one has a shimmery finish.

The following swatches were done using my fingers (no primer underneath):



And here are my fingertips, twenty minutes after swatching:


In other words, once these shadows set, they don't budge.

And finally, here are a few pics just to give you an idea of what all three shades look like on the eye (no primer) applied with a brush:



Stepping Stones: applied all over lid and blended up into crease
Pining 4 You: applied to middle of lid
Tidal Wave: applied to outer corner of eye and on bottom lash line



Texture and consistency: These are cream shadows that have a slightly drier consistency than, say, Maybelline Color Tattoos. They apply smoothly but you do need to work quickly (not very quickly, but you can't take your sweet time) before they set. Once they set, you will no longer be able to blend them.

Ease of application: With fingers, they apply very easily to the eye and they're easiest to blend that way. With a brush, you do need to apply some pressure to the shadow before you can pick up color with your brush. As liner, these shadows apply very easily with a liner brush. I have also used these shadows as a base for powder shadows, and they've wonderful used in that way because they really grab hold of your powder shadows and lock them into place.

Pigmentation and staying power: On their own, without primer, these shadows last about six hours before I start to see minor fading, but I do see some slight creasing a few hours after application. If you sheer out the shadow a bit, it helps considerably with creasing. Over primer, I can get about 8-10 hours of wear, but primer doesn't really intensify the colors. When worn underneath powder shadows, these cream shadows really shine. They beef up the color of powder shadows beautifully while locking powder shadow into place all day and into the night. Used as liner, these shadows stay put for about four to five hours on me, but I find that if I set my line with a corresponding powder eyeshadow, it really helps lock the liner into place. Pigmentation is most intense with Pining 4 You (lime green). Tidal Wave (teal blue) can be a bit spotty but it's a bright blue that doesn't turn muddy after a few hours. Stepping Stones has good pigmentation but it's a lighter color once blended, so don't expect it to be a very bold, intense shade unless you really pack it on (it's lovely as a wash). 

Removal: These shadows are definitely smudge and water-resistant, but they do remove easily with my regular facial cleansers. Also, the shades I received did not leave a  stain on the skin once removed.

Fragrance: I detect a very slight, generic "eyeshadow" scent to these, but they're definitely not fragranced.

FINAL VERDICT: If you like shimmery créme shadows, I think these are definitely worth looking into. Staying power is obviously going to vary from person to person, but I've been quite happy with how long they last on my oily skin. I've been wearing Stepping Stones as a sheer wash of color from lashline to crease lately, and it's a versatile "out the door in five minutes" type of color if you don't want to go with a standard brown or taupe (I also love Stepping Stones as liner). The one issue I have with these is that they can crease if you pack on too much color, so be sure to sheer them out around the crease in your lid to help avoid creasing throughout the day. I like using both my fingers and a brush to apply these shadows and I think they're a great multi-tasker (shadow, primer and liner) for $6 a pop.

Have you tried any of the new 2013 products from Hard Candy yet? I'd love to hear from you!

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. For more information, click here.
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30 comments

  1. I've been waiting for this review! They look gorgeous, and I have seen a swatch video with all the colors, the rest are just as pretty. It was the performance that worried me. I'll put one or two on my shopping list now for sure.

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    Replies
    1. Aaaaw, thank you! Please let me know what you think if you try them? :)

      Delete
  2. I haven't heard of these before, but all 3 shades look great! I like Stepping Stones in particular. And they're only $5 each?! I need to go to Walmart soon... *-*

    Thanks for the review.

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  3. Thanks, G. I picked up the purple as that was what I couldn't get from the Colour Tattoo line (their purple was horrible). Good to hear that the ones you got are good

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    1. Thanks for the tip. Soooo many drugstore purples are difficult to work with (shadows, creams, pencils, etc.). Sad to hear that's the case with this one too. :(

      Delete
  4. I have been looking for something like this and these colors are perfect. I will be heading out to WalMart this weekend so can add them to my collection. Thanks for the review!

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  5. These look awesome! I will definitely be picking some up. I love versatile colors that I can quickly put on before I run out the door.

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  6. I neeeeeed these. But Walmart does not exist here in NYC. Does anyone know another way I can get them?

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  7. Love the colors on you,G!

    I've been so happy with the cream shadows from Flower that I forgot about these. However, I'm loving the swatches of Stepping Stones.

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  8. G, thanks for the review and swatches--that blue is exquisite!

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  9. nojazzatthealter... you can order them online at the walmart website. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hard-Candy-Cream-Eyeshadow/23116207

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  10. Wow -- I love the look you created with these creme shadows!! Using that aqua color underneath your lower lashline really sets the total look. You ROCKED it!!

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  11. That combo looks gorgeous on you!

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  12. Wow! I can't wait to see all of these in person! The colors you got really are gorgeous on you!

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  13. Very pretty, but I just can't wear shimmer. Too bad as I really like all 3 and especially the look you created with them.

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  14. I would love to try the new line of Hard Candy products, but neither of my Walmarts have it yet! :( I'm dying to get my hands on the nail polishes especially. These cream shadows look gorgeous! I love the eye look you did with them too.

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  15. I really do like these colors. I'm just afraid that they would crease on me. I have serious crease issues. LOL

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  16. All I can say is.... Hominahominahomina...
    Your eyes are stunning with the colors and the sheen. Wow. I wish I could expect similar results, but due to the googlie factor of my peepers, I'm hesitant to try. But...wow. And I rarely am motivated to comment but this is gorgeous. Are you willing to do a tutorial on this?

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  17. Hehe...your steps are clear and very tutorial ish...I'm just so bad with eyes that I need to know what brush to use and where on my eye: the outer third? Inner 8th? Quarter of the crease?? Lol I know nothing about using more than one shade and stick toe ashes : /

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  18. ... so, I want these now. Thanks for another lemming Ms. Cheap! ;p

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  19. Oooh I really want to try these! The look you made was beautiful.

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  20. G
    Can you do a tutorial over how you blended and applied this eye look? I love it but I'm horrible at application without instruction!

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  21. That's such a pretty eye look, G. I really love Stepping Stones and Pining 4 You, but I'm a sucker for that type of gray and most greens!

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  22. Wow - Tidal Wave looks a lot like the new Tarte AMazonian Clay blahblahblah eyelienr in Splash! Here is the only swatch of the Tarte eyeliner I have found thus far: (I hope it's ok to post the link to this - it is from vampy varnish's blog)http://www.vampyvarnish.com/2013/04/tarte-aqualillies-amazonian-clay-waterproof-liner-black-splash#more-39090

    they aren't exactly the same, but you know what? For the difference in price, I'll jump all over the HC one! I think if it were layered, it would be very very similar. Thanks for the heads up on these - I didn't even know they existed!

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    1. "Tarte AMazonian Clay blahblahblah eyeliner"...

      LOL! Seriously, why does everything have to have a ten mile long name these days? Too funny.

      Delete
  23. The packaging looks nice. Kinda makes it look like glass cubes.

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  24. Nice! I'll have to add these to my shopping list as soon as my no-buy is over. I'm loving the eye look too!

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  25. Isn't MAC's Fiction discontinued?

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  26. Any idea how to make this work? Idk if I got a defective one or if they're just terrible. No matter how hard I try, I cannot pick up ANY of the shadow with my finger or with a brush. I tried warming it up, still nothing. I tried adding warm water. Didn't even penetrate it. Maybe I just don't know how to use cream shadow, but the product I received is nothing like what this review says. I got the purple and its literally complete shit and I want my five dollars back if I can't find a way to make it work, so any advice?

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  27. "Any idea how to make this work? Idk if I got a defective one or if they're just terrible. No matter how hard I try, I cannot pick up ANY of the shadow with my finger or with a brush. I tried warming it up, still nothing. I tried adding warm water. Didn't even penetrate it. Maybe I just don't know how to use cream shadow, but the product I received is nothing like what this review says. I got the purple and its literally complete shit and I want my five dollars back if I can't find a way to make it work, so any advice? "

    They have a design flaw that causes them to dry out. I've seen them dried almost completely still on the shelf in the store. I have seen newer ones in videos that have redesigned packaging with a stopper, kind of like the Infallible shadows have, that appears to help but I have no first hand knowledge so I won't swear to it. You could try returning it and looking for newer ones, but unfortunately I'm not sure how to check for the stopper without opening the package.

    ReplyDelete

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