hard candy week: primer + lip stain review

Hard Candy week is in full swing here on the creation of beauty is art. In case you missed yesterday's post...you can check out a full review of the Hard Candy x Marilyn Monroe collection here. Today is all about new products from the well-known drugstore brand. One is the Smoothing Primer Balm and the other one of the shades from the Syrup Kiss Lip Stain line. With a full display of new items in the Hard Candy display several weeks back...it was difficult to know where to begin. In fact, it was overwhelming! So, I opted for a handful of products I thought would get the most use in my day-to-day life. Want to know how the primer balm and lip stain performed? Here is all of the essential information.

Smoothing Primer Balm (Review)

The first item is the Smoothing Primer Balm. It claims to provide a smooth base for your makeup and also helps products to last all day long. Additionally, the packaging says this product minimizes pores and the appearance of fine lines. Though there are plenty of primers available at the drugstore...this was unique in the fact that it focused on pore minimizing. Since I am a huge fan of the Benefit PoreFessional primer (though admittedly, I am not keen on the $40 CDN price tag....) this seemed like it could be an affordable dupe for the high end product I adore. I simply had to give it a try.

The product comes in a small jar with a twist off cap. Inside is the primer, which is a soft pink colour, and has a creamy almost waxy consistency. To the touch it feels very similar to the PoreFessional. Does it work the same? I'll be honest. It is extremely close. While the PoreFessional goes on a little bit thicker....the Smoothing Primer Balm from Hard Candy offers very similar results. It absolutely minimizes the appearance of pores, smooths out the skin, applies easily, and feels hydrating. This is a new must-have. At least for me. I am so incredibly impressed with the results and overall quality of the product. Plus the fact that you can snag fabulous results for a quarter of the price makes this even better.

Syrup Kiss Lip Stain (Review)

Next is the Syrup Kiss Lip Stain. Though the line had plenty of different colours to choose from (eleven in total) the colour that I chose to start with was Makeout Mauve. There was a fabulously intriguing green lip stain that I debated endlessly over but since this was a new product, I wanted to find out more about the formula first. That is why I decided to purchase a shade that would be easy to wear and would suit many different makeup looks. 

The packaging is fairly simple and straightforward. It comes in a small tube with a doe foot applicator on top. Nothing revolutionary there! However, I was really curious about the lip stain formula. This is because lip stains are often really useful on days where you don't want a high maintenance lip look. A stain gives you that subtle wash of colour but doesn't need to be babysat or reapplied throughout the day. How did this one perform? First of all, I was really happy with the colour I chose. Makeout Mauve is really wearable and beautiful. As for the formula of the lip stain, it is decent. While it feels really comfortable on the lips, this doesn't dry down completely. For something that is a stain, I do expect it to dry down. When I'm wearing this, I find that I need to blot off any excess product in order for it to really fall into that stain category.

Below is a quick makeup look that included both the Smoothing Primer Balm and the Syrup Kiss Lip Stain in the shade Makeout Mauve. Be sure to let me know what you think of this lip colour in the comment section below.

Out of all the Hard Candy products I've tried lately, that Smoothing Primer Balm is easily my favourite. What a stellar release! The Syrup Kiss Lip Stain looks nice and performs well but it doesn't dry down completely. All in all, these were enjoyable to test, try out, and put to use. I look forward to using them more and more in the days to come. 

Have you tried either of these products?