When I attended the Hard Candy event back in March, one of the goodies I received in my swag bag to test out was the Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops!
It’s one of the first liquid highlighters that I’ve ever tried, and its selling point is the multiple ways you can incorporate it into your beauty routine.
Customize the effect to your taste by adding as many or as few drops to your favourite foundation or moisturizer.
It can also be used at its full potency and blended directly onto your cheekbones with the warmth of your fingertips or a damp beautyblender.
How did this affordable liquid highlighter perform? There’s only one way to find out!
Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops Pictures
On nails: Zoya Zooey from the Zoya Seashells Collection
On nails: Essie Viva Antigua!, which is from the Essie Summer 2016 Collection
Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops Ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Mineral Oil, Paraffinum Liquidum/Huile Minerale, Dicaprylyl Ether, Butylene Glycol, Mica, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Glyceryl Stearate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), PEG-100 Stearate, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin
Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops Swatches
Claims: TRUSTED
- Multipurpose drops that can be used alone or mixed into moisturizer or foundation (Yes)
- Iridescent (Yes)
- Creates the look of a radiant, dewy complexion (Yes)
Key Notes
- Name: Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops (White Pearl – 1120)
- Amount: 16.2 mL (0.55 fl. oz.)
- Retail Price: $8.98 CAD
- Disclosure: This post contains a press sample provided by PR.
- Where to Buy: Wal-Mart stores
Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops Review
Colour
My photographs of the highlighter don’t do the colour any justice because it’s when you move and the light hits your skin that you’ll really notice the delicate iridescence.
In the bottle, it’s a milky white, however, when you apply it, it has a delicate flash of pink.
This is different than all the highlighters I’ve ever tried because I usually gravitate toward ones with golden or champagne flashes.
While the pink undertone looked natural, I still prefer golden highlighters because it better complements the yellow undertones in my complexion.
Finish
The Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops have a gentle sheen that creates a beautiful, dewy finish. It isn’t over-the-top, so it would be a great option for those who aren’t looking for extreme strobing that can be seen from space. 😉
Application & Formula
I’ve tried adding a few drops to my matte foundation and to my daytime moisturizer with SPF. Both ways, it offers a subtle glow for a healthy-looking complexion.
When you incorporate it into another facial product, I find that you need to use more drops than if you applied it solo. Also, the wear time decreases, as the product breaks up faster on your skin.
However, my favourite way to apply it is by directly dabbing it onto my cheekbones with my fingertips. I feel that it looks the strongest this way, but it’s not ‘too much.’
The consistency of the drops is very lightweight on the skin, so it’s comfortable.
Without setting it, I felt that it remained slightly tacky to the touch. This may also be because my complexion is on the oily/combination side. Even without setting it, the Hard Candy highlight lasted on me for about six hours before I noticed it fading.
I suggest starting off with a few drops at first because if you are overzealous and go buck wild, it can wind up looking greasy, even if it doesn’t feel that way.
Packaging
The packaging is convenient, as the handle features a button that you press to dispense the product from the dropper. This means less is wasted.
I like how it has a dropper, so you can count exactly how many drops you want to use.
The bottle reminds me of a fancy perfume bottle from the 1920s, and it’s made out of glass. This makes it feel sturdy and solid in your hand.
Although you could probably travel with it, as the lid screws on securely, I wouldn’t recommend doing so because the glass bottle could break accidentally.
Value
At under $9 CAD, it’s one of the more affordable highlighters available, short of using a shimmery eyeshadow.
This would be a great choice for those who aren’t looking to invest a lot of money on a highlighter and maybe just want to test out the waters with a liquid highlighter.
Animal-Friendliness
Those who are making conscious shopping decisions will be pleased to know that the finished product isn’t tested on animals.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 6.5/10
Although the Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix-in Drops are convenient because you can customize how many drops you use, I still will be reaching for my Holy Grail powder highlighter, which is theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer because the champagne flash suits my complexion better than the pink flash, and also because theBalm’s highlighter is more intense.
If you are new to highlighters and want to achieve a subtle dewy look, The Hard Candy highlighter would be a great one to try, as it won’t put a dent in your wallet.
What’s your Holy Grail highlighter? Do you prefer liquid or powder highlighters? Would you wear this Hard Candy highlighter by itself or mixed into your foundation or moisturizer?
What a interesting product. I have friends who as make up fanatics. I’ll definitely share this with them. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Hey Melissa!
I really appreciate you passing along my post to your friends! 🙂
HI Mary, I have been using this for a while now. It mimics a higher priced Sephora brand, so when I saw this, I was excited to try it. I too love the bottle and the ease of use. It mixes well but I have yet to try it on its own so will try that now. xo
Hey Sandra!
The effect seems more intensified when I tried it solo, but I think most people would prefer to use it mixed in with foundation or moisturizer.
Let me know how you like using it by itself!