REVIEW: Hard Candy Smoothing Primer Balm
For a long time, foundation primer wasn't something that I reached for with any consistency, but recently I've really sort of fallen in love with it for giving me a really smooth base for my makeup. I've been curious about trying a balm or putty style primer for a while now, but I wasn't particularly interested in picking up the Tatcha one and the much lauded elf one wasn't available locally so I never really bothered. Recently, though, I saw a review of the Hard Candy Smoothing Primer Balm in which the reviewer said it was a little bit creamier and more hydrating than those two I just mentioned and my attention definitely perked up and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it - so when I saw it on the shelf at my local Walmart, I decided to pick it up.
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About:
Smoothing Primer Balm provides a smooth, flawless base for your makeup while helping it last all day! This velvety texture helps to minimize the appearance of pores and smooth makeup application. Soft Veil gives you a flawless finish every time!
I have to say that immediately I was struck with how unlike any other primer I've ever tried this is in texture and application. The best way I can think to describe the texture is that of a really rich, smooth buttercream frosting type of texture. While there is definitely some of that silky silicone feel to it, there's a creaminess to it as well that spreads really easily and feels really comfortable on the skin. It does have a slight scent that I would say is sweet and a little bit fruity, but it's really soft and disappears fairly quickly when applied to the skin.
A little bit goes a long way with this primer, so I would definitely recommend that you start slowly and don't dig too much out of the jar. I got a feel pretty quickly for how much I need on my skin. Personally, I like to target where I use it and smooth it over those areas before gently patting in with my fingertips to sort of melt it in and fill any pores or lines that need filling. I definitely think that you see a difference right away in the overall smoothness of your skin. I also think that there's something about the pale pink shade that helps to give a brightened, healthy appearance to the skin even though it does disappear and sink into the skin pretty quickly.
I've tried this with several different foundations and I can honestly say that I do really get the benefits of this primer regardless of the foundation I'm using. It really does create a smooth canvas for the foundation to sit on top of and my makeup application goes smoothly every time. One thing that really impressed me is that this didn't do the thing that I've found a lot of other smoothing primers do, which is to almost make it feel like your foundation is sitting on top of your skin rather than blending into it. It really does feel like it lives up to that promise of gripping onto your makeup, which I do think helps with the longevity. Though I haven't done a side by side comparison, I definitely feel like my makeup lasts longer looking better when I use this primer.
One thing that I tried that I'm not sure this was intended for and have never really done before with another primer is to apply a little bit of this to my undereyes. I've been testing out a concealer and I was having a whole lot of problems with creasing and cakeiness, so I decided to give this a go on that area and I actually kind of love it in that way. Again, I would say use a very, very little in that area and try not to pull at the eye when you do it. The creaminess of this product along with the line filling really did help to create a smoother canvas under the eye and I found that my concealer wore quite a lot better that way. Granted, a richer eye cream does perform similarly, but I find that can almost be too much moisture in that area where this provides a nice balance.
Overall, I'm actually kind of in love with this primer and eager to try out similar formulas and see how they hold up to this one. It really does do what it promises and my skin seems to really, really like it. I really don't know what more I can say about this product - it just does what it says it's going to do and works really well. Considering the price point and wide availability, I would definitely recommend this if it seems like something you'd be into.
The Hard Candy Smoothing Primer Balm is available exclusively at Walmart has been rolling out in stores locally in the past several weeks - so if it hasn't hit yours yet, it should soon!
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