Hard Candy Contouring Face Trios!

Hey everyone, I'm back again with another drugstore review from Hard Candy! Usually Hard Candy is a hit or miss type of brand for me, but I'm beyond impressed with these new Contouring Face Trios. I absolutely love these because they are nicely pigmented, easy to blend, and convenient! 

The packaging is a bit bulky, but cute and sturdy nonetheless! This is a 3 in 1 type of product, you get a blush, bronzer, and highlighter all in one. Each trio has a smooth texture and is nicely pigmented. I found mine at Wal Mart for $9 each.

Here's a closer look at each trio (top left) 3rd Wheel (top right) 3x a Lady (bottom) 3 strikes.
Each trio has a shimmery finish that is really flattering on the skin.

Swatches from left to right: 3rd Wheel, 3 Strikes, and 3 x a Lady

If you would like to see how these apply on my skin, check out my video review here.

Claims: "Illuminate, contour and highlight with So Baked Sculpting Trio for a healthy looking, captivating glow. The baked trio includes a luminizer for highlighting cheekbones, a satin-finish blush for cheeks and a glowing bronzer that helps contour and define."
Finish/Texture:Each of these trios has a shimmery finish and a satiny smooth texture.
Pigmentation: The pigmentation is amazing, each section gives bold color.
Lasting Power: I had no fading at all with any of these trios, they last all day on my skin.
Scent: There is no scent.
Packaging: These are packaged in a big, sturdy plastic compact, no mirror is included.
Price/Availability: I paid $9 each at WalMart

Likes: 

• Great pigmentation
• Variety of shades to choose from
• Inexpensive
• Smooth Texture/Easy to blend
• Multi-purpose 
• Great quality

Dislikes:

• Bronzers are not matte (personally I don't mind)

Overall:
Although Hard Candy is usually a hit or miss brand for me, I highly recommend trying these contouring face trios! They give you such a beautiful glow to your skin, while providing the convenince of having all of your cheek products in one palette. Each shade in the trios has a shimmery satin finish with great pigmentation. While I don't think these are the best for major contouring or highlighting, they are simply perfect to add a little extra spice to an everyday makeup look.

Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in Pink Light

When I first saw this, I thought it was going to be something like Benefit's High Beam. This is a re-release from Revlon, the Skinlights line actually came out a long time ago. Apparently people loved it so much, that Revlon decided to bring it back. This illuminator barely showed up on my skin, I must say I am a bit disappointed.. especially after hearing all of the hype! According to Allure magazine, a bottle of this once sold for $100 on Ebay after it was discontinued!

There are four shades available, and I purchased Pink Light. 

On the left is a concentrated swatch, and on the right is blended out. 

I do like the glow that it gives, but I wish it was more noticeable. On the face, I feel like this doesn't really do a great job at illuminating, and the color just disappears. It's barely detectable, which is just not my style. It was also not easy to layer.

Claims: "Banish dullness and even out skin with light-capturing crystals and photochromatic pigments".

Finish/Texture:The finish is slightly glowy, but I wouldn't say it highlights. The texture is very thin, to the point where it feels a bit watery. 

Lasting Power: I don't think this really lasts long, because it sort of disappears right after I apply it. This isn't going to serve as a great highlight.

Scent: There was no scent to this product.

Packaging: The bottle is basically just a plastic squeeze tube, nothing special.

Price/Availability: I paid $10.50 at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Likes:

• Pink champagne color is beautiful

Dislikes:

• It hardly shows up on my skin/effect is barely noticeable
• Doesn't layer well/can't be built up 
• Watery, thin texture
• Poor lasting power
• Expensive for the quality

Overall:

This just isn't for me. The finished look I got after using this was extremely natural. The texture was a bit on the watery side, and I found that it didn't layer easily (which is a bit frustrating when you want a more dramatic look).  

I would only recommend this to those of you who prefer the natural look. I had high expectations for this product, so I think that's why it really disappointed me. Overall, I was let down by the quality. I felt that it was also a bit pricey for what it is.. I mean $10.50 + tax for something that barely gives a glow is a bit ridiculous to me. 

If you would like to see what this looked like on my face, please watch my video review! 

*I'll post  the link to it once it's finished uploading :)

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Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch

The Rimmel 'Wake Me Up'  line is something that I had never actually seen in U.S. stores before, until my recent encounter at Wal-Mart. I nearly hit the floor when I saw these! The idea of a drugstore mousse highlighter intrigued me. There were only two shades available, along with a concealer, (which I also bought but it was too dark for me). 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch 

Flush of Pearl and Radiant Rose

Flush of Pearl (left) and Radiant Rose (right) 

To the left of each concentrated swatch is a blended swatch. Flush of Pearl is a champagne with white shimmer. Radiant Rose is a mauve pink that also has white shimmer. I find that the base color disappears easily when it's blended out, basically leaving you with white shimmer on the cheeks.

Claims: "Lightweight, ultra blendable mousse formula gives an instant touch of radiance and illuminates the skin. Wakes up skin with a healthy looking glow and a long lasting flush of colour."

Finish/Texture: The finish of these is shimmery, but it doesn't actually brighten. The texture felt more like a cream than a mousse. 

Lasting Power: I started to see color fading after two hours of wear.

Scent:  They were unscented.

Packaging: I love the way the squeeze tube controls how much product comes out! 

Price/Availability:  I paid $4.47 each at Wal-Mart

Likes:

• Nice Packaging
• Easy to blend

Dislikes:

• Doesn't brighten the skin
• Color fades quickly
• Many layers are needed to see actual color
• Looks like white glitter when blended out
• Not a mousse formula

Overall:

I honestly had no idea what to expect when I bought these. I just went out on a limb because I was so excited to see something that usually isn't available in my area. Unfortunately, these don't live up to any of their claims. I felt like the formula was more of a cream than a mousse. The color disappeared when I blended it into my skin, leaving me with  unnatural white-glitter cheeks- not a good look! Overall, these were disappointing, I'll be sticking with my Physicians Formula highlighters!