Does Hard Candy Record Breaker look familiar? 😉 It should because I used this beautiful aqua as the base colour in my latest Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Nail-Art Tutorial!

Hard Candy Record Breaker is a new shade in their collection of wildly diverse colours, so while it should already be at your Wal-Mart store, if not, just check back soon.

Have you tried Hard Candy nail polishes before? It has been ages since I have, and it all ends now! (I’m going to be wearing more Hard Candy nail polishes to test out the formula. I’m sure they’ve changed a lot since when I first tried them. Mental image: Dinosaurs roamed the earth at that point…and they had fab pedicures!) 😉

When I was in elementary school or high school, Hard Candy nail polishes were sold in the department stores. Now, the bottles have taken on a different design, and they’re available at Wal-Mart.

Back in the day, I remember trying my friend’s Hard Candy nail polish, but it has been a loooong time since I was in elementary school.

In fact, between then and now, it has been discovered that the world isn’t flat and wheels are now round instead of square. Also, Jesus was born. And when I was little, I had to walk barefoot 100 miles through the snow to get water. (Okay, maybe not. I’m only kidding about being ancient.) 😉 In all seriousness, you’re only as old as you feel or the attitude you have. For example, some cranky “Get off my lawn!” types act older than their age!

Alas, I digress! Onto the nail-polish swatches and review!

Hard Candy Record Breaker Pictures

Hard Candy Record Breaker Swatches

All swatches have:

• OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener (Used as a base coat)
• 2 coats of Hard Candy Record Breaker
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Natural Light Photos

Flash Photos

Claim: TRUSTED

• Creme finish (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: Hard Candy Record Breaker
• Amount: 7.8 mL (0.26 fl. oz.)
• What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by PR. It retails for $3.98 CAD)
• Where to Buy: Wal-Mart stores

Hard Candy Record Breaker Review

Colour

Record Breaker by Hard Candy is a fresh-looking aqua that can sometimes look a tad darker, depending on the lighting. But, most times, it’s bright and vibrant, reminding me of what I imagine lagoons in fairy tales to look like.

I absolutely love shades like this because they add a fun pop of colour, and I feel like it’s flattering on a wide range of skin tones, which makes it easy to wear. (It’s definitely not like those kind of polishes that you’ll worry whether or not it’ll clash.)

Finish

The simple finish is creamy. This allows the colour to steal the spotlight instead of having a complicated finish. The bonus? A cream finish offers hassle-free removal!

Application & Formula

Since this was my first time in a very long time trying out Hard Candy nail polish, I was very curious to see what the formula was like.

It had a good consistency that was easy to work with. On the first coat, the coverage was a little streaky, but when I applied a second coat (which is typical for the majority of nail polishes), I found that it gave full coverage. (I didn’t feel the need to apply a third coat.)

Brush

The brush is not as wide as the OPI ProWide brushes, but they’re thicker and fan out a bit more than ones by Essie.

It covered a lot of my nails easily, and I had no trouble painting with it. That being said, I usually don’t have difficulty with any nail-polish brushes (even the realllly thin ones) because I have small hands and therefore, my nails also tend to be small. (If you have really wide and large nails, maybe you’d notice Hard Candy’s brush making a difference when it comes to painting.)

Bottle

While I love the colour, and both the brush and formula are good, the one thing I wasn’t crazy about was the bottle design.

It’s tall and narrow, which could spell trouble if you accidentally knock the bottle over when it’s open. (Don’t worry – I didn’t have a lacquer catastrophe, but I could see it happening if you’re rushing or not super careful.)

Other nail polish bottles have their weight distributed at the bottom with a wider base or the bottle is shorter. The taller and more narrow a bottle is, the more easily you could tip it over. (Of course, you should always try to be careful to not spill precious nail-polish blood, but accidents can happen.)

What I liked about the design is that the nail-polish name is on the top of the handle instead of on the bottom of the bottle like with many other nail-polish brands.

This means that when you’re storing it in your Helmer or a shoebox, you can easily see the name without having to pick it up, turn it over, and then read the name. (If you’re a nail junkie like I am, this will save you time when you’re picking out what to wear. Ahh, First World Problems? Nail Polish Problems!) 😉

Price

At just $3.98 CAD, Record Breaker by Hard Candy is very economical if you just want to try out a colour and don’t think you’d use a regular, full-size bottle. However, keep in mind that you’re getting 7.8 mL, as opposed to the standard 15 mL. This is in between a mini bottle and a standard one.

Pros Beautiful aqua that’s flattering on many different skin tones No-nonsense creme finish Inexpensive Contains 7.8 mL of nail polish (compared to the standard 15 mL) – This could be a Con for some Good formula (Full opacity in 2 coats) Name of the nail polish is on the top of the handle, so you can read the name even when you store it in a box

Cons Contains 7.8 mL of nail polish (compared to the standard 15 mL) – This could be a Pro for some Bottle is tall and thin, which can be prone to accidentally knocking over while you’re painting

Final Verdict: 8.5/10

I’m very happy with the colour and the results of Record Breaker by Hard Candy! This pop of aqua is easy to wear, and it’s the nail equivalent of adding a bounce to your step. 🙂

Stay tuned because I plan to wear more Hard Candy nail polishes in a variety of finishes and colours. Expect more reviews, as I dive deeper and rediscover the Hard Candy nail-polish line!

Is there a Hard Candy nail-polish shade you’d like to see a review on? Do you wear nail polish by Hard Candy? Do you remember Hard Candy from way back in the day?