Sugar sweet: A look feat. Hard Candy

Title

If you are a frequent Wal-Mart shopper (I’m there at least twice a week – mostly for groceries, mind you), you’ll no doubt have seen the brand Hard Candy.  Hard Candy has been around for a while; it actually started off as a prestige brand and then went the mass market route a few years back, where it’s now available exclusively at Wal-Mart.

I used to be a huge fan of their foundation primer, because if you’ve browsed the products in store, you’ll know that they are quite affordable, and – I’ll be honest – I’m such a sucker for cute packaging. Anyways, this brings me to this post.  I got the chance recently to try out a variety of different products from the brand, and for me, this was the first time I’ve ever really forayed into it.  Everything is pretty reasonably priced, and to be honest, I’m not sure why I’ve never actually took the time in store to try the stuff out.  I have to admit that once I actually sat down and used everything, I was pleasantly surprised.

I was sent two of the Top Ten Classics eyeshadow palettes (a nude one and a blue-toned one), which contains 10 shadows to give you everything from a soft, natural look to a more bold, fun one.  The palette has a soft lace cover and includes a mirror and two applicators (I very rarely use the applicators, but the mirror was super handy).  I was instantly drawn to the Naturally Gorgeous palette, which reminded me of the Urban Decay Naked one palette, although it lacks a proper highlight and there are no mattes.  Regardless, for C$5.98, this thing is worth the money.

Since I love rocking a brown smoky eye, I didn’t venture too far from my comfort zone, but keep reading to see how everything performs.

Final 1 Steps 1. Lay down an eyeshadow primer (I used NYC City Proof Eye Primer), then with a fluffy crease brush, I lightly applied the shimmery tan colour (three in from the left) in my crease.

2. With the copper colour right next to the tan and a flat shader brush, apply this all over the lid area.

3. With a crease brush and the dark-brownish/purple (three from the right) apply this in the crease.

4. Line your upper lash line with a gel liner, winging it out (I used Benefit They’re Real! Push-Up Liner), then apply a couple coats of mascara (I used CoverGirl Bombshell mascara).

5. Using that same dark shade we used in the crease, apply this along your lower lash line and then apply a coat of mascara to your bottom lashes. For the inner corner highlight and the brow bone I used the light shade, two in from the left.

6. Apply your foundation (I used NARS Sheer Glow), then with Hard Candy’s Glamoflauge Lite Blendable Concealer Duo, apply this under your eyes and everywhere else you want to brighten up.  I blended everything with a Beauty Blender (well actually the Real Techniques sponge).

7. With the Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tropics, apply this to the hollows of your cheeks and on your temples to contour.  To finish up, apply a pink blush, like Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in Living Doll.

Final 2

As I mentioned before, I was pleasantly surprised by everything I used.  I don’t think I can even mention a product in particular that stood out as my favourite.  I’ve been using the Glamoflauge Lite Concealer Duo (C$5.98) non-stop since I got it, and the first time I used the blush and bronzer was for this post, but I was so pleased with the consistency of both of these.  They weren’t too dark and not too light – just perfect. In fact, the bronzer (C$8.98) really reminded me of Hourglass’ Radiant Light powder, which is one of my favourite bronzers for contouring since it’s so natural looking.  Both of these will be so perfect for summer (whenever it gets here, that is).

I have a few more Hard Candy products to play around with, and I definitely want to create a look using the blue palette.  If you are in Wal-Mart soon, take a good look at the Hard Candy aisle, cause seriously, these products do not disappoint.

Have you tried Hard Candy?

Please note, these products were sent by PR.  All opinions are my own.

Like what you read?  Check out these related posts.


Sephora.com, Inc.

Contour game strong: Gillette Venus Swirl razor

Venus title

With winter comes hairy legs.  Sorry, being honest here, but really, I go weeks without shaving my legs, solely due to the fact that hair grows slower in the winter, and really, it’s not like I’m wearing dresses or shorts when it’s so cold.  With that being said, I’m a fitness instructor, so I’m constantly having to shave my underarms (and legs, when I notice they are too out of control).

It’s kinda weird to admit on the Internet, but my armpits have a slight dip to them.  When I raise my arms, there’s a hollow little pit in there; they aren’t flat.  Therefore, this makes shaving that area difficult and I often miss patches of hair.

I’m a huge fan of drugstore razors, as opposed to electric ones, as I always find they do a better job getting right down to the root.  I’m not typically a razor snob (as in I have to use a certain type of razor), anything goes really with me.

razor close up I’ve been using a lot of Venus razors lately (love their mini ones – perfect for travelling or the gym), and they recently introduced a new sister to the line.  The new Venus Swirl razor contours over curves for flawless skin.  I typically find the Venus razors all very similar, but the real draw of this one is the Flexiball between the handle and head, which allows the razor to move in multiple directions, thus navigating all the tricky areas of a woman’s body.  It also has five Contour Blades to cut hair at a lower cutting force, and has the thinnest edges in Gillette’s history.  This particular razor also features water-activated MoistureGlide Serum to surround the blades for an incredible glide and a microfine comb that glides hair to blades, capturing virtually every hair.

Us Beauty United girls were tasked with trying out the new razor and comparing it to the one we are currently using.  I’m actually using the mini Venus razor and not gonna lie, it’s pretty old at this point (I really must replace the head on it), so automatically, the Venus Swirl wins.  Aside from that though, I really did enjoy how flexible it is.  It was nice that I could move the arm of the product, without the head moving the same way, which was especially helpful when I was shaving my armpits.

razor with shaving lotion

I paired the razor with the new Venus and Olay Violet Swirl shaving lotion for a flawless shave that left my legs nice and moisturized (a must in this cold winter weather).

Although I did find this particular Venus razor to be like its predecessors, I really did enjoy the Flexiball feature on it.  If you are in the market for a new razor, I would definitely look into this one.  As with all Venus razors, all the brush heads are interchangeable, so you don’t need to buy a new razor every time, but if you are in the market for something new, or need a razor that will get you into these hard-to-reach spots, take a look at this one.

What’s your favourite razor?

Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Like what you read?  Check out these related posts.


Sephora.com, Inc.

#mykisstory: Lise Watier Baisers Velours matte lip cremes

Lise Watier title

So Valentine’s Day came a week early for me when I got the cutest press send last Friday. Housed in an adorable box with my name on it (complete with a velour ribbon), Lise Watier sent over three of their new Baiser Velour lip colours.

If you follow myself or other Canadian beauty bloggers on Instagram, then you would have seen so many of these boxes pop up with the hashtag #MyKissStory. Lise Watier’s new lip product is a velvet liquid lipstick.  Although it looks like a gloss, it’s actually a pigment-rich matte lip colour you apply with the convenience of a gloss applicator.  The light, creamy formula goes on for a smooth, matte finish, and the extreme hold stays on your lips all day.

box Labels

Retailing for C$27 a pop, Baiser Velour comes in nine shades, everything from reds to pinks to corals to nudes. I received three shades from the collection: Love Kiss, a pink/red shade perfect for pale skin like mine; Sweet Kiss, a warm hot pink; and Eternal Kiss, a vibrant red (this one is darker than Love Kiss). Although I usually gravitate towards pinks first, my favourite from the three was actually Love Kiss. I don’t typically wear red that often since I find it hard to maintain (ain’t no one got time for that), but this shade was just so flattering that it’s now my go-to red (and I have a lot of reds in my collection).

As for formulation, these are just so creamy that they are very pigmented with just one swipe.  You certainly don’t need to use a lot, as a little goes a long way.  I did use a red lip liner underneath Love Kiss and Eternal Kiss and did find it helped a bit with the edges.  As with most reds I’ve used, I did find Eternal Kiss to be a bit messy as I have the tendency to clean up the edges with my fingers, which then gets the product on everything I touch.  It’s a personal thing, so if you wear a lot of reds, I’m sure you don’t have this same issue.

These are incredibly long wearing, but since they are matte, I recommend wearing a lip balm underneath or topping them with a gloss (if you want that look) for moisture. They held up well drinking and eating too. With that being said, I wouldn’t say these are kiss proof, although I didn’t get the chance to try that out, but just based on the consistency of the product, I wouldn’t say they are safe for making out.

Love kiss Sweet kiss Eternal kiss

Overall, I really enjoyed these.  If you love the look of matte lips, give these bad boys a try. Even if you don’t like mattes, I did top off Eternal Kiss with a plumping gloss, just because my lips felt dry that day, and they did have that mega shine, although I did find they were a bit too heavy with product with a gloss overtop.

Kisses!

Will you be trying any shades from Lise Watier’s Baiser Velours collection?

Please note, products were sent by PR.  All opinions are my own.

Like what you read? Check out these related posts:

Sephora.com, Inc.


1 370 371 372 373 374 569