Hard Candy is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It's been two decades since Alicia Silverstone catapulted the then-department store brand to fame by wearing the iconic Hard Candy Sky nail polish. In addition to the anniversary collection products, the now-Walmart exclusive brand is also pumping out Hard Candy eyewear, which includes reading glasses and shades.
The brand hosted an event celebrating the frames at the Walmart in Secaucus, N.J., which is like five minutes from my house. I admit that I don't necessarily hit Walmart on the regular, but the Hard Candy offerings, along with Drew Barrymore's FLOWER cosmetics, are enough to get me in the door. I figured I would go and try as many optical pairs as I could and report on the quality and the cuteness for you.
I am happy to report that I am all in with Hard Candy glasses, namely those reading frames. I was totally blown away by how fashionable they are and how trendy and hip the designs, shapes, and colors are. I developed an instant crush on Mattely in Love, a pair of matte black frames with semi-rectangular shape. They are lightweight and didn't feel heavy on the bridge of my nose or around my temples, either.
I wear contacts daily, but I immediately switch to my reading glasses at night or on rainy days to give my eyes a rest and I would wear any or all of these pairs.
I don't usually do blue with accessories, but I feel like the blue of this pair popped against my dark hair. Hard Candy optical frames make me want to wear glasses all of the time.
I seriously couldn't stop playing with Mattely.
This rosy pair looked really good with a super light pink lip gloss and dark eyeliner, like so!
This tortoiseshell pair had so many unique specs of color.
The lime green pair wasn't something I'd naturally gravitate towards, until someone else was like "OMG! So cute!" and I had to try 'em. Girls who don't fear color, these are so for you.
This pair slayed because the inner shell was pink and contrasted with the outer black shell.
These were basic black, but so not basic basic. See how fun this is?! One of the marketing people from Walmart noted that some customers have been buying frames as accessories only and not for any sort of vision correction purpose. That was an F.O.H. moment for me. When I was growing up, it was not cool to wear glasses and have "four eyes." Back in the day, yo! But I can see why girls would want to rock these, even with 20/20.
These frames reminded me of a Taylor Swift pair.
I also tried the sunglasses. The mirrored aviators were so Tom Cruise in Top Gun. These were my faves of the shades, which were all aviators in different colors.
Blue steel!
As you can see, there are a lot of offerings, as Walmart has vision centers in around 3,000 locations.
But here's another critical issue: What about the makeup you should wear with your reading glasses, since they don't hide but draw attention to the eye?
Freelance makeup artist Dina was on site to offer these tips.
When wearing reading glasses, make sure that concealer is a top priority. "Conceal around the eye are because you want to brighten it, and sometimes lenses can magnify the area," she told me. "You want to make sure there is no texture, no dryness, and that it's nice and moist. No dark circles, so you look fresh and awake."
You also have to consider brows, as well. "Since your brows peek above the frames, make sure they are filled in as best as you can, but not overdone," Dina suggested.
But you can wear shadows and liners and not worry about the product colors clashing with the colors in these frames. Dina said, "The glasses have color specks, and but you can still put colors not found in the frames on your eyes. Or do a cat eye and a punchy lip."
She also said, "Add a fun accent to the eye, but nothing crazy. Don't go overboard with eye shadow. Do a black mascara, with a navy or green liner underneath for a little pop and to add some fun to it. Or maybe a blue mascara to bring eyes to life."
The frames are also super affordable with an under $100 price tag, so seriously consider rocking Hard Candy frames. I am already hooked.
Images: Amy Sciarretto (16)
