Hard Candy Fierce Effects Matte Lipstick Review

One thing I love about fall is that it’s the perfect time to play with bold makeup looks. I guess the cold weather just brings out a little courage in beauty lovers! With that, brands have been releasing more daring shades in their lines, like the new Hard Candy Fierce Effects Lipsticks.

The line includes a whopping 18 original shades and 6 new mattes for practically any mood you can think of. I’ve got the six matte shades to share with you— let’s dive in!

I’m extremely pleased that within the matte selection, they included a good range of shades— even a neutral if you’re just looking for a basic color. The packaging is also serving some major Kat Von D vibes, if you know what I mean, and the collection is just as colorful but at only $5 a pop. While the packaging seems much chicer than other Hard Candy lipsticks, the smell was a dead giveaway for a cheaper lipstick. You know, the waxy crayon smell? It’s something I can get over, but it’s not exactly pleasant.

I was excited to get these on my lips and see how rich the dark shades were going to be. One thing I found to make application easier across the board was warming them up on the back of my hand before first application. This helped the formula become more creamy to glide on the lips evenly. They’re infused with argan oil, so while you get a flat finish one some of them (more on that later), you don’t get the dried out feeling. However, while these six shades are specifically labelled “matte,” there were some that dried down more than others. Let’s take a look at each individual shade.

Exhibitionist

Exhibitionist is a really pretty pink nude. It’s got a rosiness to it that I think makes it versatile for many skin tones. This was definitely the most matte shade out of the entire range. It was the one that made me realize that these are definitely the type of matte lipsticks you CANNOT skip exfoliation for. Either way, it still maintained a soft feeling and didn’t dry out my lips.

Crave

Crave is a beautiful mauve berry that is a go-to shade for me during fall. It’s not too dark and vampy, so it’s completely wearable during the day. However, this was the least matte, maintaining a slight sheen throughout wear. But I feel like this is the formula that Hard Candy was going for throughout the line, because I got a lot of pigment in one swipe and a comfortable, soft and weightless wear.

Tempt Me

Tempt Me is an interesting grey-ish plum shade. I definitely get soft grunge vibes from it which I love. However, this shade will definitely pick up any dry lip texture. I took this picture AFTER exfoliating, and I clearly missed some spots. This lipstick is definitely for the well maintained lip, which makes it a little high maintenance but still very pretty.

Envy

Envy was a little bit of a surprise for me. The shade preview in the cap of the tube looked like an emerald green, but applied it gives me more of a teal feel… what do you think? It also gives off almost a metallic sheen to it— so does that count as matte? This was probably my least favorite because of the finish and how it really accentuated my lip texture. Matte is hard enough to pull off.. metallic is a whole different story.

Manatee

Manatee is a steel blue that is surprisingly wearable?! I’ve actually really been feeling blue lipsticks lately but often they’re very in-your-face. Being a little more muted, Manatee doesn’t necessarily have to be the statement of the whole look.

Black Tie

Ya’ll know I love me a good black lipstick makeup look. For drugstore standards, this is actually a pretty good matte black. It goes on rather evenly, though is another one that’s not quite “matte” enough for me… though I might prefer it that way. Black is already a high-maintenance color so having the extra creaminess in the formula can make it more forgiving.

Wear time varied— the more “matte” shades such as Exhibitionist and Tempt Me definitely clung on longer, though had a harder time applying toward the middle of my lips (where the wet part starts). For that reason, you are definitely risking the “butthole lip” look as it fades from the inside out, though it’s more noticeable with the darker shades.

I think the must haves in this collection are Crave, Manatee, and Tempt Me —if you’re willing to exfoliate thoroughly. Exhibitionist is a great nude, though it’s not necessarily what makes this collection special. I love that the brand is bringing us more unconventional options at a great price. I’m actually very curious to try the non-matte shades in the Fierce Effects collection as I think I may enjoy the formula better and there are close matches to the matte shades already.

You can find the Hard Candy Fierce Effects Lipsticks for $5 at Walmart.

What’s your favorite unconventional lip shade?