Hard Candy • Matte Topcoat • Top/Base Coats
(18 reviews)
| Average Rating. | 4.2 |
| Would buy this product again. | 94% |
| Package Quality | 4.1 |
| Price | 2.0 |
| Ingredients | |
KeepFlyyingGirlie on 4/21/2013 5:54:00 PM more reviews by KeepFlyyingGirlie
Age: 18 & Under Skin: Normal, Fair Hair: Red Eyes: Hazel
Of the matte topcoats I've used, this is the only one where I've faced the following conundrum. My initial use of this topcoat left me with gorgeous matte nails, just as I had wanted, but as I've used up more and more of the bottle, I've begun to find these little white specks appearing on my nails, and they're rather noticeable. I'm not sure if it's due to the mattifying agent in the topcoat clumping together after sitting for a while or due to formula issues, but it unfortunately means that I can't use it without messing up a potentially good manicure. Maybe thinning will help?
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lipstickjunkie87 on 2/25/2013 4:39:00 PM more reviews by lipstickjunkie87
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Dark Hair: Black Eyes: Brown
Perfect matte top coat!!! Really nice, when you feel your nails its soooo smooth!! Gets the job done and very cheap compared to some other matte polishes.
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ohemeffgee on 2/16/2013 6:27:00 PM more reviews by ohemeffgee
Age: 18 & Under Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm Hair: Black, Straight Eyes: Brown
Does its job without breaking the bank. Mattifies just as well as stuff that costs over $10 for just around $2. As with all matte top coats, you'll have to reapply every few days if you want a true matte look. Otherwise, it's pretty much perfect, and very easy to use and find.
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amsiemonster on 9/10/2012 10:20:00 PM more reviews by amsiemonster
Age: 25-29 Skin: Acne-prone, Fair Hair: Blond Eyes: Green
It does precisely as advertised -- creates a wonderful matte finish to otherwise glossy polishes! I placed it over Wet n' Wild black + Essie Shine of the Times and it looks incredible.
However, it does have a tendency to strip off the color if you apply even the slightest amount of pressure to the brush. Was unaware and used it over a red the very first time...my entire bottle has a very faint pink hue.
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Star__Jones on 1/17/2012 12:05:00 PM more reviews by Star__Jones
Age: 44-55 Skin: Other Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue
LOVE! I was getting bored with my mani and picked this up at Walmart. Decided to put it on yesterday over Zoya Marley and it looks awesome! The finish is great and it dried super fast. I loved watching it change right before my eyes.
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nicolerh on 12/16/2011 2:58:00 PM more reviews by nicolerh
Age: 19-24 Skin: Normal, Fair Hair: Red Eyes: Brown
I just bought this matte top coat after reading the reviews on this board, and I have to say... I am super impressed with this topcoat! I'm currently wearing a foil polish, black crackle, AND this matte top coat. I wasn't expecting anything great with all of this goop piled on my nails, but it actually looks amazing! The crackle is matte and so is the foil that you can see through the crackle!
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Gothkenny on 11/28/2011 10:08:00 PM more reviews by Gothkenny
Age: 18 & Under Skin: Normal, Fair Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine Eyes: Hazel
This stuff works perfectly for me. I love being able to change up the finish on my nail polishes without having to buy a ton more bottles. I would never buy another matte topcoat, because I have no complaints about this one. It's pretty amazing for only five dollars.
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jlabaw on 11/15/2011 8:29:00 PM more reviews by jlabaw
Age: 25-29 Skin: Normal, Medium Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
I thought hard candy's matte top coat is decent.. but, I CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE ONLINE! I tried butter LONDON'S matte finish and I like it. does the job. anyhow that's my 2 cents.
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emsbignailobsession on 7/23/2011 11:54:00 AM more reviews by emsbignailobsession
Age: 19-24 Skin: Other Hair: Brunette Eyes: Other
I had been looking through my nail polish collection and was pretty sad when I realized that I had almost no mattes! So when I was looking for one I saw the Essie matte top coat and I was just about to get that when I turned around and saw the Hard Candy one. For half the price of the Essie one. It mattifies everything (including neons!). Also, it makes glitter much less shiny after one coat. It works with only one coat and for $4 it is great for the price!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
*TOP REVIEWER* makeupdiva23 on 6/26/2011 5:19:00 PM more reviews by makeupdiva23
Age: 25-29 Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse Eyes: Green
I just started getting into nailpolish and didn't even know such a thing existed! It is very cool. Really does give a matte finish to the nails. *Update* I have noticied that when I use this my polish does not last as long. It peels off. I am deducting some lippies for this.
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ediva on 6/16/2011 10:36:00 PM more reviews by ediva
Age: 30-35 Skin: Combination, Tan Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
This is a great product! I found out this even existed thru the guidance of our awesome product gurus here on MUA.
Here was what I needed it for--I've been trying to figure out a way to have my nails look "healthy & bare-naked" but with the protection of nailpolish because I have weak and ridged nails. Didn't want the shiny wet polish look at all.
Here's what I did--on bare nails, I put two coats of American Classics Gelous Nail Gel. Then I coat of Orly Bare Rose from the french manicure collection. Then one coat of the Gelous Nail Gel again. Then one coat on top of that of Poshe Top Coat. Finally, one coat of Hard Candy Matte Top Coat.
Voila! It looks like bare nails but uber-protected nails. I play guitar and also love to wash dishes a lot (LOL, it's true, I do!) and I need my nails to be protected from these two activities. Sometimes, I don't like the look of colored polish so this works amazingly well. Like my own nails, but better.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BetsyMonroe on 6/15/2011 12:55:00 PM more reviews by BetsyMonroe
Age: 19-24 Skin: Normal, Fair Hair: Blond Eyes: Green
Hard Candy's Matte Topcoat is amazing. It creates a lush, but matte finish to any polish you apply to. For $4, you really can't go wrong with picking up a bottle. It dried very quickly, and can sometimes streak if you are too hard with the brush or don't use enough of the product. I'd recommend using a light touch with a healthy glob of topcoat. I usually rock with two coats of it.
If you are looking to add variety to your collection of nail polish, pick some up!
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sd03 on 4/24/2011 7:25:00 AM more reviews by sd03
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue
This stuff is GREAT. Yes it is the only matte top coat I own, but after getting this I don't feel the need to get another one. It is only 5$ and works great, I have 0 complaints! I've tried the CND one and it was complete crap. It did not mattefy at all. This is cheaper than opi, china glaze, or essie. so thankful for this!
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iamcrayon on 4/17/2011 6:30:00 AM more reviews by iamcrayon
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Brown
I've only owned two matte polishes previous, E.L.F matte top coat and China Glaze's matte topcoat (old formula). Out of the three the Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love is by far the best.
I do a lot of typing in one day and surprisingly the topcoat held up! I really wasn't expecting much from it but I was most definitely impressed. The cloudy part doesn't sink to the bottom (my E.L.F one did that) of the container.
I didn't find the smell harsh at all. One down side is the price! It's $5 (for Hawaii only) for a tiny bottle! I mean come on, really?
Overall good matte topcoat, would purchase again.
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heysailor on 1/26/2011 12:13:00 AM more reviews by heysailor
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Red Eyes: Green
I kind of think the 2 l/s rating isn't reflective of the product as it sounds like it did what it should but respect the opinion. This is a matte top coat and in the bottle it is a transparent milky color. I bought this after really bad results from CND's super matte top coat. At first look I was apprehensive because similar to the CND version it was milky. What Hard Candy got right that CND did not is that this was a transparent coat to apply to your polish and make it a flat color. It does not look milky on application. It applies evenly but make sure not to miss the tips of your nails.
Price wise this is $4 for .35 fl oz. The CND I bought was $8.50 for .33 fl oz, and I think essie matte about you is $10 for .5 fl, so it's definitely worth it. Available at walmart and worth it!
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cuonbroadway on 11/22/2010 3:31:00 PM more reviews by cuonbroadway
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium Eyes: Blue
I've never owned a matte top coat before, mostly because I was driven away by the prices of other brands. Since I was only looking to have some fun with my nail polish, I figured that paying less for Hard Candy’s Matte Top Coat was a good place to start. Overall the product is alright. It definitely turns your nail polish matte, but my matte-ness seemed to wear off after a day or so. I’ve also noticed that it’s a lot harder to remove the nail polish when you’re done wearing it. It seems like nail polish remover has a hard time taking it off, but I don’t know if this is a Hard Candy issue or if it always happens with matte top coats.
My biggest complaint about Hard Candy’s Matte Top Coat is that it sometimes seems to strip the nail color off right where the brush first touches your nail color. Sometimes it’s not particularly noticeable, but it seems that the darker the nail polish I use, the more noticeable the stripping becomes.
Overall, I actually like the product. It’s great if you just want to have fun with your nail polish. It’s not the highest quality, but if you’re looking for a budget option for a matte top coat, then I think Hard Candy’s Matte Top Coat is definitely worth a try.
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*TOP REVIEWER* renaissancegirl on 11/18/2010 2:19:00 PM more reviews by renaissancegirl
Age: 30-35 Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Brown
I've been wanting a matte topcoat for a while but I didn't want to pay the typical price of available topcoats (usually over $10 unless you buy online). I found this at Walmart for $5 and thought it was a decent enough price. It applies very smoothly and streak-free which I loved. It's a definite matte finish that stayed matte even with the application of hand lotion (although I haven't tested it for prolonged lotion use). It is also Konad-friendly which I love even more (this is the main reason I wanted a matte topcoat actually - for multi-finish konadicures). It does dry very quickly though so you have to be able to work fast or else your konadicure will look like tacky glue. I applied this over Zoya Adina and it made the color look a bit dusty. From what I've read, it's pretty typical for matte topcoats to transform certain colors. This change may be unwelcome for some but I personally think it's interesting.
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*TOP REVIEWER* Kabuk1 on 10/29/2010 10:03:00 AM more reviews by Kabuk1
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Hazel
I've only ever had one other matte TC to compare this to(the Claire's version), but IMO this is pretty good. I like it, it gives a smooth, absolutely-matte finish & dries quickly. It's got a smoother formula than the Claire's too, I don't get little while flecks with this one, though I do notice a lot of tip shrinkage with this versus the Claire's. Also, it does tend to need a daily refresher coat because it seems to get shiny faster than Claire's too. Overall though, pretty darn good, and worth buying if you love the matte look like I do :)