Ahh Hard Candy. You never seem to disappoint me when it comes to the abundance of glitter in your products. Whenever I need a glitter fix, I know I can turn to your makeup. And your newest launch was full of glitter for sure. These are the Glitteratzi Press + Play Glitter Transforming Lip Color and when a product has the word glitter TWICE in the name, you know it’s going to be all about glitter.
Let’s first talk about the packaging of these lippies. They are encased in a clear plastic tube with the cutest spiked metallic purple and blue lid. They’re so fun! They have a spongy doe-foot applicator and they have zero scent. But, packaging aside, I have to admit I’m a little disappointed by these lip colors. They are a clear dupe for the Ciaté Glitter Flips that launched last year. Now, for those of you who don’t know, the Glitter Flips feature this really cool technology where the metallic matte liquid lipsticks transform into a glitter lip just by pressing your lips together! Magic right?! Totally. No other explanation for it.
So, I’m not at all mad that Hard Candy“copied” the Ciaté Glitter Flips. Even though Ciaté was the first company to make them, I just view it as them starting a trend. Good on them. I personally think it’s great that Hard Candy developed these at a way lower price point ($8CAD/$6USD) because let’s face it, these aren’t everyday lip colors that are necessarily worth spending upwards of $20 on. Just sayin’.
But before we get into if I actually like these Glitter Transforming Lip Colors (building suspense, y’know?), let’s talk about the shades first. Usually if I like the shades, I will usually be a fan of the lipstick regardless of the formulation. But these shades are BOLD. And I’m not a bold lip kind of gal. But I guess if you’re doing a full-on glitter lip, you’re going to be pretty bold anyways. From left to right on the swatches, there is Glitz (a dark magenta), Glamour (deep purple), Allure (turquoise), Dazzle (true nude), Charm (bright poppy red), Slay (navy), and Splendor (a light lilac mauve). So out of all seven shades that Hard Candy released, two of them are blue. I might be a grandma in my old age and not a fan of blue lipstick but doesn’t it seem impractical to have two blue lipsticks when you only released seven shades?! I just wish there could have been some more nudes and light pnks thrown in. I know, I know. I’m lame.
But now the time has come. Let’s talk about the formula and if I actually like these Press + Play Lip Colors. The short answer is.. no. No, I do not like these. I think the idea is super clever and at the price point, they’re still a fun product to give a try and wear for a night out or on Halloween. But I won’t be reaching for them everyday. They go on the lips with a metallic sheen but when you press your lips together, instead of seeing a gorgeous glitter appear, it’s quite a bit more lackluster. You just get a few extra flecks of glitter. If you look at the swatches above, it’s almost impossible to tell a difference between the“before and after”. Plus, I found that when I rubbed my lips together, instead of revealing glitter, I just tugged off big patches of the liquid lipstick instead. And it definitely didn’t help that these were super drying on the lips as well. So the idea gets an A+ but it might just be the execution that gets a failing grade. Sorry, Hard Candy. I still love ya.