this year i will be fierce.

One brand that always blows my mind? Hard Candy. They are simply put, one of the best. Not just at the drugstore. Period. Over the years I have tried my fair share of their products. Some have only been so-so. Others have been so totally out of this world amazing. So, whenever a new product of theirs hits the shelf? I dive for it instinctively.

This happened a lot over the holidays. Hard Candy has a habit of putting out a ton of different seasonal sets. Usually there are two or three. This year? There were at least six or seven. No joke! I actually had to stop myself from buying them all. In the end....I think I picked up.....four or five. What can I say? My self control is next to nothing. Especially when the prices are so affordable. Which is what brings us to today's post. It is all about the Hard Candy Fierce Effects Lip Glosses. (You can check out the full line of glosses here) They came together in a set of five. Take a look at the shades included. Then the review will officially begin!

Packaging. You have seen the glosses. And their swatches. That means it is time to dig into this review of the Fierce Effects set. The packaging itself was simple and cute. These glosses came in a metal tin with a geometric design. Nothing fancy or over the top. But cute and great for storage. (I actually keep all of my Fierce Effects glosses inside of it.) The packaging on the glosses themselves? Pretty standard. It is made of plastic, has a screw top, and a doe foot applicator. Nothing ground breaking but easy to use and simple to store. That is all I ask for.

Colour Selection. This is where Hard Candy shines. Most of the drugstore brands stick to the same shades over and over again. In fact, we are lucky if there is a lilac thrown in there! Not with Hard Candy. I have lipsticks from them in black, bright purple, and fuchsia. And now, I even have a sky blue lip gloss. As you can see from the swatches above....there is a wide range of shades included in this set. You have a deep purple, a rose, a bright red, baby pink, and yes, sky blue. This set definitely wins for variety. I love that there is something for everyone.

Texture and Pigmentation. Now for the good stuff. How do the glosses actually perform? Extraordinarily well. In general....I am not a huge gloss fan. I have no patience for sticky textures and sheer colours. Thankfully the Hard Candy Fierce Effect Lip Glosses deliver. They are extremely pigmented. While they can be worn sheer and subtle - they also build to a more intense colour. I love that. That makes them super versatile. Even with the bolder shades, like the red and blue. When it comes to pigmentation and colour pay off? These are fantastic. As for the texture? They go on smooth and silky. They do have a tackier finish at first. However that goes away after ten to fifteen minutes. So, even if you aren't a fan of sticky or tacky glosses....this will work for you.

On a recent dinner with my husband, I decided to keep my makeup fairly neutral. I went for soft browns on the lid, a bit of bronzer on the cheeks, and then finished it all off with that deep purple gloss. I personally love the way this look turned out. The combination of the browns and purples turned out really well. Next up? To create a makeup look using that sky blue. I can't wait!

Overall, I am really happy with the way these Hard Candy products performed. The colours are gorgeous and they wear really well. Definitely a great drugstore find. They have the full line of the Fierce Effects glosses day after day. So you can take a look, browse the selection, and find a shade that speaks to you.

What do you think of this look? Have you tried the Fierce Effects glosses?

xo Shannon