A few weeks ago, I sent out a plea on Twitter for favorite brands of everyday eyeshadow.
The votes were clear: once you go MAC, you never go back.
So I hightailed myself to Nordstrom and got my first MAC eyeshadows – All That Glitters and Trax.
Around the same time, I got a flyer in the Sunday paper for one of my least favorite stores: Wal-Mart. For once, it actually caught my eye.
I did a little research and found that Hard Candy Cosmetics is now available exclusively at select Wal-Mart stores.
I definitely have never been a huge Hard Candy Cosmetic fan. For one thing, I remember many of the items being overly glittery and garishly colored.
I decided to give Hard Candy a try.
I purchased Hard Candy Kaleidoscope Eye Shadow Duo in Peace, which has a brown and peachy gold color.
To compare, I decided to apply the Hard Candy shade on one eye and the MAC shades on the other.
In the picture above, can you tell which one is MAC and which one is Hard Candy?? (Yes, I know the photo isn’t great and the eye shadows are a bit uneven… but I tried.)
The left eye is MAC and the right is Hard Candy. In person – and I asked several friends for their opinions – nobody could tell the difference.
The price difference? About $27.
Hard Candy Cosmetics are available at Wal-Mart right now and the prices range from $5 to $9.
About Jo-Lynne
I too love to buy cosmetics. I use to buy things at Walmart that too using some coupon codes to save my money. After all we all love to save on our purchases thou
I just saw the Hard Candy line on Friday night. I rarely go to Walmart but we had a sock emergency…anyway I wondered if it was worth a try. Now thanks to your review I might go back and pick up a couple colors. Thanks!
How did these shadows last? Do they stay on, or wear off quickly?
Hey, Sarah! Great review — I love the packaging (I’m a sucker for cute packaging). My question is the same as Kristin’s — did you notice one brand lasting longer than the other?
OMG! Thats fab…..going to Walmart promptly after work! HC is one of my fav brands anyways….cant believe its aval. at a steal! Nice work!
I’ve never seen Hard Candy brand before. Interesting comparison. They looked exactly the same to me, but I was also interested in how well it wore throughout the day.
Re: Does the shadow last?
In general, I don’t have a huge issue with my eye makeup wearing off.
That being said, this shadow lasted all day for me… in fact, I’m wearing it today and I started my day about 10 hours ago — it’s still going strong (wow, bad grammar!)
So I think this shadow lasts at least as long as the Clinique shadows I’ve been wearing for years.
A Mary Kay consultant told me once that the same company manufactures both Mary Kay and MAC Eyeshadow. Not sure if that is true, but I did like MK shadows.
Might have to give the Hard Candy a try – great price!
I love my MAC shadows! They are quite pricey tho. I do have a problem with any eyeshadow staying on. Primer takes care of that for me, so I might have to stop in Walmart and see if my store carries this!
So glad to see this review!
I’m always on the lookout for new eyeshadows (obsessed, really). I love that you found one that’s on the affordable side, too! I couldn’t tell the difference between the two brands.
BTW- Your skin looks divine in that photo…any skincare secrets you’d care to share?
I will have to let my teens know about this. One is a huge MAC fan, but her budget is not. I remember she asked for some Hard Candy items for Christmas one year though. It’s a good thing! Thanks for the tip.
I love MAC, but I’m totally willing to give this a try. Thanks for the review!
do u know websites that sells this brand and offer free shipping or low cost