Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer

I have been experimenting with several of the new Hard Candy products lately and have found some great products, but this is not one of them.  Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer is anything but perfect.  It has the feel of a silicone primer like Smashbox Photo Finish primer, but it doesn't blend into your skin leaving it smooth, rather it tends to clump up as you blend.  I tried using a very small amount of this product, and it still balled up on my skin forcing me to wash my face and start all over with a different primer.  I did not have this problem with Hard Candy's original Sheer Envy Primer; in fact I really liked that one which led me to try the Skin Perfecting Primer. 

Here's the description from the container: "Perfecting primer evens out skin tone and creates a flawless, smooth finish to skin.  Fills in fine lines, wrinkles, and pores.  Can be worn alone or under makeup."

As you might guess, I completely disagree with all of that!  Steer clear of this product ladies, and go for the original Hardy Candy Sheer Envy Primer instead! 

Avon Haul

Avon Nail Experts Fresh Aloe Cuticle Gel & Avon Magix Face Perfector

For those of you who have not tried Avon products, you are missing out!   I have only been ordering through my Avon rep for a little over a year now, but most of the products I have tried I have really liked and ordered over and over again.  The Magix Face Perfector being one of those.  I think this is a really wonderful face primer; it blends into my skin well, leaves my face feeling smooth and looking noticeably fresh and matte.  Additionally, it is SPF 20; this is great because everyone should have a little sun protection.  I really love two-in-one products like this for days when I am in a rush and need to speed up my makeup routine.  I cannot stress enough how important a good face primer is!  I don't know how I went so many years without using one; primers make applying and blending foundation and blush so much easier, as well as improving the longevity of your makeup wear throughout the day.  At $8 to $10 depending on whether or not it is on sale, Magix Face Perfector is a great buy.

I have been trying out the Avon Nail Experts Fresh Aloe Cuticle Gel for about a week now.  So far, I am really liking this product.  I was in love with Avon's lavender cuticle oil pen, but it was discontinued...sigh.  (On a side note: If you find something you love from Avon, order backups, as products come and go frequently.)  So, I thought I would try the cuticle gel to see how it compared.  The gel smells lovely, it has a light, fresh scent.  I find that the gel formula is really nice to apply to my cuticles because it does not drip like many oils do.  You only need to use the very tiniest dab of this; so, a tube will probably last quite some time.  And, the gel really feels moisturizing, which is of course the most important thing!

 Mark Infinity and Beyond Scarf

I also ordered this gray and white striped cotton infinity scarf from the Mark catalog.  I have picked up on the scarf trend and become totally obsessed with scarfs lately.  And, this scarf is a great addition to my collection.  It is really soft and adds a nice accent to an otherwise boring casual look.  I have ordered other Mark accessories in the past, and they are always great quality and super cute, too!

I welcome any comments about this post and would love to know if there are any makeup products my readers are curious about.

Hard Candy Haul

Hardy Candy First Blush minis

I tried a few Hard Candy products for the first time this week.  So far, I am quite impressed with this line of inexpensive products.  I grabbed the First Blush minis set for $8 at Wal-Mart.  I figured this would be a good way to try the Living Doll blush, which I have heard good things about, and sample a few other products.  The set includes a mini Living Doll blush, mini Sheer Envy face primer, mini Glow All the Way Face & Body Luminizer, and mini Plumping Serum Volumizing Lip Gloss in the shade Pink.

• The blush is a nice, shimmery, rosy pink that would like pretty on anyone.
• The primer is similar to Smashbox Photo Finish primer in how it made my skin feel silky smooth.  And, the full-size primer only costs $8 for 1.6 oz.!
• The luminizer is a very frosty, sheer pink; I found that I had to use this lightly on my face as a little goes a long way.  I really liked the shimmer it gave my cheekbones; this will be a great product to experiment with this winter when I tend to feel like my skin looks dull.
• The Volumizing Lip Gloss felt nice on my lips, slightly tingly and not too sticky.  I noticed my lips looked a little plumper.  The color is a pretty, sparkly, pale pink.

This was a surprisingly good buy.  I look forward to experimenting with more Hard Candy products.

Hardy Candy nail polish in Beetle.

I am in love with this nail polish.  It looks green or purple or pink depending on how the light hits it.  And, it lasted five days without chipping!  Can't wait to try more colors!