review: hard candy blush crush baked blush in living doll

Hello, hello~ this review has been sitting on the backburner for a while because I didn’t have the time to edit the pictures/could not bear to stare at a screen some more after being at work all day. In the meantime though, I have been wearing this very blush every day. I’m in love with how this blush brightens up my face in the middle of winter, and I love how I can put it on at 6:30 am before work and still see it on my cheeks at 6:30 pm.

Under artificial lighting, no flash

Hard Candy Blush Crush blushes come in sturdy clamshell packaging that belie its seriously affordable price. Since they’re baked, I think the blush inside is also less likely to crumble or break if you drop it.

Living Doll is the second blush I’ve tried from the Hard Candy line but it comes first in my heart <3  Its sister Honeymoon is soft, sweet and demure. Pin Up is more bright and fun.

Flash, artificial lighting. This picture is the one that most accurately captures the colour of this blush in the pan I think.

And yes, it is on the cooler side, though maybe not as cool as the swatches suggest. Since I’m neutral-toned I can wear it just fine but I’m not sure about how it will wear on those that are warm-toned.

Swatches under artificial light with no flash.

As with Honeymoon, this blush can be used wet for a more dramatic look. On the left is Honeymoon dry (it’s a little hard to see because of its paleness/subtlety) and wet, then Living Doll dry and wet. Using it wet intensifies the shimmer in the blush, while the dry is more wearable and the shimmer is subtle enough to wear in the office.

Swatches under artificial light, with flash.

Love what the subtle shimmer does for my cheekbones :3 This is how I wear this blush to work. Oh yeah, and excuse me looking like a corpse.

Pros:

• super affordable
• versatile: can be built up from subtle to dramatic
• sturdy packaging
• long-wearing

Cons:

• may not suit warm-toned skin

No regrets here. I love this blush and what it does for me. I haven’t tried wearing it wet but I can give it a shot if there are any requests for it :> If you are cool- to neutral-toned then it is an awesome purchase. I’m a bit more hesitant to recommend it to warm-toned ladies but I don’t want to outright say it’s definitely not a good shade for them.

Wal-Mart (exclusive): $8 CAD