One thing that I've always loved about Hard Candy is how much they tend to push things and always stand out from other drugstore brands with products and packaging that are different from what else is going on at the drugstore. Recently, I had the opportunity to try out some products from their newer Spring/Summer 2017 launches and rather than reviewing all of them, I wanted to go ahead and pick my personal favorites from the collection. Here in Canada, we don't get quite as wide a range as our neighbors to the south, so there are a bunch of other new releases in the US that I wish I could get my hands on, but I definitely do think there are some winners from the Canadian launches.

Keep reading to take a closer look at my picks.

I tend to find that Hard Candy can be a little bit hit and miss when it comes to their products, but there are inevitably always winners whenever they release a batch of new products. From this batch, I definitely found products in each of the categories for eyes, lips and face that all appeal to me. 

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Bake, Brighten & Set Loose Finishing Powder in Banana*

This pick comes with a slight caveat, which is the shade. There is only a very specific time that I can personally use a banana shade powder on my skin tone, and that's when I'm using a deeper foundation and a lot of bronzer in the summer. My actual skin tone is just too light for a banana shade of powder, which I think is a true for a lot of my fellow fair to light girls. Now, that being said, I love the actual formula of this powder. I find it to be really silky and finely milled and I really like the way that it sits on the skin. I've used this for baking - which is again a bit of a problem for my skin tone - and I think it works quite beautifully as far as the texture and finish are concerned. If they were to expand the shade range in this formula, I would be the happiest kitten of all. 

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Color Correct Perfecting Powder*

I've actually been a fan of these kinds of multi-toned colour correcting powders for quite a while and I really, really like this one. I like to reach for this when I'm doing lighter coverage with my base, but still want a really naturally perfected look to the skin, and it works really well for that. The texture is really silky and lovely and I don't feel like it sits heavily on the skin at all. I'm not sure how this will work on deeper skintones, since I can only speak for myself, but for fair to light skin tones I think it's a perfect shade combination - No need to be scared of the colours!

Hard Candy Lip Artiste Lip Contouring Wand*

I really, really did not think I'd like this as much as I do. I actually kind of love it. The basic idea is that you apply the liner first - I like to apply it to the outer rim of my lips and then feather it out with a focus on the outer corners - and then you apply the highlight and blend the two together for a dimension look. I think my favorite thing about this is that you can customize it to some degree by playing with the amount of each product that you add so you can get slightly different lip looks with the same product. I also really like the finish, which ultimately has that kind of matte metallic look on the lips. Honestly, I really want more of these, because I really, really like them. 

Hard Candy Stroke Of Gorgeous Kajal Supreme Eyeliner Duo*

I have to admit, until now I've been a little bit afraid to try out one of these fat kajal type eyeliners because I felt like I would make a disaster mess, but after trying this I kind of love it. The texture of the kajal end is really creamy and pigmented and smudges out really well to give me that kind of slightly undone definition that I've really been going for this summer and the lasting power has been really impressive for me when I set it down with a black shadow. The marker side is good as well, with a fat tip that can take a little bit of getting used to. I like the look it gives and I think that once you get a feel for it it's really easy to use. That said, this is a pick for me 100% because of the kajal! Who knew?

Hard Candy Metal Eyes Chrome Eyeshadow Kit*

Finally, this eyeshadow kit is kind of dreamy. I've always been a fan of Hard Candy baked products, so I was really eager to try this out and I'm really enjoying it. Containing four baked metallic eyeshadows, a setting spray liquid to, brush and tray to up the intensity of the shadows, and a mini black liner I think this is a really good kit, particularly for someone just starting out in makeup who is just learning things like using liquid to bump up your shadows. For me, the more brown shades in this kit are the ones that really shine, but I've actually reached for the yellow gold shade a couple of times when I wanted something with a lot of punch on the lid. This is definitely a worthwhile buy at a really good price point.

HONORABLE MENTION....

Hard Candy Wet Ever Bold Hold Lip Lacquer*
I think I have to explain why this gets an honorable mention from me. This is a really good product, it really is. I think the texture is really nice, the pigmentation is really on point, and everything about the packaging is solidly impressive. For me, this is just a matter of taste. I'm just not a glossy lip kind of a girl, so the new generation of boldy pigmented, vinyl shine lip products are never really going to be my thing. That said, if you are someone who enjoys that look, I really think that this product is worth a try. It's affordable, gorgeous, and really good quality. 

I just absolutely love checking out what Hard Candy is coming out with every season because they bring different things to the table than any other brand in the drugstore, both in terms of the products themselves as well as the packaging. They're always a brand that has me interested in trying things, because even if they ultimately are a miss there's always something that makes them unique and worth testing out.

If you're interested in picking up any of these products, Hard Candy products are available exclusively at Walmart!

Thanks for reading!