Hard Candy Fierce Effects Lipsticks: Review and Swatches

I truly believe Hard Candy is a strong competitor to brands like Wet 'n Wild. I have vague memories of the brand during their non-Walmart days, but I think their acquisition by Walmart and recent releases have all been steps in the right direction.

For instance- take their Fierce Effects lipsticks. I have three to talk about today. I bought two of them for $5.00, and one was half-off for $2.50. Each contain 3.2 g of product. 

The shades on the docket for today are:

Bloodline, a red-toned brown

Nudist, a grey-toned light rose-brown

Purple Reign, a grey-toned medium purple (this is the one I bought on clearance) 

Here are some pics:

(l-r) Bloodline, Purple Reign, and Nudist. They are housed in a metal tube that has silver-toned divots. It is a very simple but eye-catching design. 

My swatches do not go in the same order. Below, from left to right they are Purple Reign, Nudist, and Bloodline. 

With/flash. Purple Reign looks a less pink in person. 

Without flash. 

In regular light. The photo below shows my arm after I wiped the lipstick away. There is some slight staining on each shade, even the lightest one.

 My review:

The creaminess of the formula of these long-wearing satin lipsticks is both a blessing and a curse. They are hydrating, formulated with Argan Oil, and smell like grape. The colors are super flattering for me, but I don't like the name of Nudist, because nude skin and what flatters nude skin varies from person to person. I love the strong grey tones of Purple Reign and Nudist because the colors are muted but still intense and don't make the teeth yellow.

Additionally, a little bit of the lipstick goes a long way. You can control how much pigment and intensity you get, and with a formula like this, you kind of need to.

The formula and colors belie its price point...but the packaging does not.

The issue is that the formula is so soft and creamy that the bullet of lipstick can't stand up straight in the tube. It can break off whatever keeps it attached to the bottom, and we run into problems like this:

The other two shades in my little collection are not as bad as this, but then again, this shade is the one I wear most often. 

So, either the formula has to change so the lipstick is not as soft, or the packaging has to change to prevent breakage. I don't know what the answer is. 

All in all, problems with the packaging are a little frustrating, but the price point is so reasonable that these issues don't prevent me from using and enjoying these products. 

If you are ever in need of a lovely lipstick, definitely check these out! Just be sure to be a tad careful with application.

Thanks for reading!!