Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Nudey Tuesday: Hard Candy Painted Lady in "Fire Alarm" (Review & Swatches"

Months ago in the Summer of last year, we all found out that Hard Candy was returning but instead of its previous home in Sephora, it was coming to budget friendly giant Walmart. I was so psyched about the new liner when it first came out but awaited reviews before I bought anything. At first, I wanted everything -but my list starting growing shorter as I read more and more reviews on their products. (P.S. Not saying I read bad reviews, just nothing that was "must-have" worthy.) I picked up the liquid liner a months ago (didn't like it) but decided to give the line another try with the lipsticks and at $6 a piece, they're at least worth trying (I'd read decent to good reviews on the lip products.) I picked up "200 Fire Alarm" at my local Walmart back in February but I just checked the Walmart site today and for some reason, Fire Alarm isn't listed!! Not sure if it's discontinued.

The Packaging: The packaging of the entire line really catches my eye with it's fun designs. Their line of Painted Lady lipsticks all come equipped with a bright pink bow at the bottom of the tube. I didn't notice this before (unless it's new??) but when searching up the lipsticks on the site, I found out that the lipstick tubes contain different designs -peace signs, swords, dice, flowers, a high heel, etc.. "Fire Alarm" comes in a white tube with an image that features 2 "crossed" swords, a yellow crown, a shield with an iron cross, and other misc. designs.
The clear lid comes down to the bottom of the tube (covering the entire tube -unlike for instance, MAC lipsticks, which cover half the tube.) What I don't like about this is that it makes it difficult to open the lipstick (whereas with MAC lipsticks I can hold the bottom and pull off the lid easily.) Since there is barely any "bottom" to grip onto, the lid is hard to pull off. This means that to open the lipstick, I have to hold onto the ribbon while pulling off the lid. I have a problem with this because I feel as though the ribbon might break off (which I've done with other products -like a Pop Beauty "cabinet.")
Another thing that irks me is how the lid is so much taller than the rest of the tube. I know this isn't a big deal but I think it looks weird -it's about half an inch taller than the rest of the lipstick tube. Check out the picture below..
When I first bought the lipstick, the actual lipstick had been twisted up so that you can see it through the clear, plastic lid. I didn't realize the half inch of "empty space" until I brought it home and twisted the lipstick back down. I remember all the lipsticks (could be wrong) actually being twisted up to show the color through the lid. Here's what mine looked like when I first bought it..
The Product: The lipstick has a shiny, glossy finish and is overall leans very slightly towards the moisturizing side. I don't feel as though it will really "help" moisturize your lips but it doesn't take away moisture or dry out the lips either. Since it's glossy, I felt that it would be a great nude for the lips and wouldn't sink into the lines in my lips -which is a frequent problem with nude lippies. From a distance, the lipstick looks great but if you're up close and personal, you can totally see the gross patchy-ness of the lipstick. That being said, my usually dry lips were actually really soft at the time and weren't dry whatsoever so this was pretty much the ultimate test! I can't even imaging wearing this when my lips are in their dry phase. It does go on unevenly as well -but it isn't too difficult to smooth out. I also have to note that the lipstick is "slippery" and does not "become one" with the lips. It wears off in about 15 minutes -no food or drink. Also, there's a sort of perfumey vanilla scent to it but I can't detect the smell when I'm wearing it.
 
The Color: The color is pretty awesome. It's a somewhat sheer (not overly sheer) pale, peachy-pink beige nude. It's very nude but has the slightest hint of peachy pink so that it doesn't make you look too sickly. Once I apply it, I have to blot it out just a bit to avoid looking dead. You can see in my hand swatch that the color actually almost blends in with my skin.

Swatches..
(with flash)
(no flash)

Lip Swatch..

Overall: Honestly haven't worn this since I took picture for the review. I do really love how it looks from a distance (at least 2-3 feet) but I'm talking to someone up close, I'm too afraid that they'll see the patchyness and I patchy grossness on the lips is definitely one of my pet peeves. I'm really sad that it's still patchy even on soft, moisturized lips!! How insane is that??! The thing is I absolutely love the color and I'd like to find a dupe for it. It's such a wonderful nude and would be so, so wonderful for Spring/Summer. I also didn't like the packaging. The idea was really great but I didn't like the way it was pulled off. I'm a No on this but for anyone who's interested, it's only $6. Maybe you'll have better luck? I sure hope so because the color is gorgeous.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for your review and swatches. That was really helpful. I'm disappointed to see it being so patchy with the lips, even with nice ones like yours!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! And glad the review and swatches helped you. =)

    ReplyDelete