Wednesday 17 February 2016

Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes*

*Press Sample

Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes

Everyone always buys a neutral eyeshadow palette first. Actually I recind that statement. The first palette I bought contained blues from MAC; Electric Eel (matte bright azure), Shimmermoss (bright, light aqua), Brill (light aqua) and Contrast (dark navy blue). I was crazy. What was I going to do with all that blue? Nothing, was what. Those colors stayed in my drawers for many years and the next palette I bought was the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette which got immediate and plenty of use.

Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes

But the Too Faced choice was a hard one. At that time, I wasn't sure whether laying down $40+ was going to be worth it for someone just getting into makeup. Now, you can get a full range of neutral shadows for so much less and the Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin in Natural Eyes* ($8.98CDN, 9 shades) is one option.  


Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes

I've seen this palette compared to Too Faced Natural Eye quite often. It contains 9 coordinated shades, the bestselling Eyes the Limit Long Wear Eye Shadow Primer a mini Take Me Out Liner in Soy, a dual ended shadow applicator, all in a reusable tin. There are also 3 instruction cards on how to use the product. For the price, this is an amazing deal and beats out the $45 for Too Faced.

Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes vs Too Faced Natural Eyes swatches

The one shade I absolutely love from Too Faced is Push-up. They don't carry it in a single so it's only available in the palette. I was really (really really) hoping that the Hard Candy tin would be a good comparison. The colors aren't exact matches but they're close. However, when it comes to Push-Up (first swatch on right), I'm really looking for an exact match (good luck, jenn) and this isn't it.

Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes swatches

Still though, this palette has a good range of options that could functionally supplant Too Faced for the price point. Primer was necessary to oomph up the color though. Without it, I had some creasing and the colors appeared well on the lid but could have been more vibrant. The shadows have a good in-pan feel. Nothing is dry and they blend well together. But there isn't the instant softness of a super high quality pigment. These are still better than average and more than serviceable.

Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes

All in all, this palette is quite nice and a great basic inexpensive option. I'm glad they include the primer; its a good addition and makes a difference. The liner is quite creamy and really dark. Really, the shades will suit anyone's neutral needs. One gripe is the tin itself. The two sides merely rest on top of each other without a closer or a overlapping snap. This doesn't seem ideal for travel. 

Hard Candy Look Pro! Tin Palettes in Natural Eyes
Wearing Hard Candy Fierce Effects Lipstick in Show Off*
If you're on a budget and not too picky about travel, this is a good option. Its cheaper than the $30 L'Oreal Neutral palettes and much better performing than the Maybelline option I tried. For me though, I still enjoy the Annabelle Smokey Eyes Palette over this just because I already own the Too Faced option. 

What's your inexpensive neutral palette of choice?

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