Honest reviews, regular hauls and all things beauty.

Thursday 11 May 2017

Brand Focus #4: Hourglass




Time for another brand focus post and this time I am focusing on Hourglass - a high end, cruelty-free brand. They are probably most known for their blushes (that's what initially got me hooked) but this is not a one-trick pony brand. Apart from the stunning, luxurious packaging, Hourglass has a lot to offer. Read on for my thoughts!


Primers: Hourglass has three primers, two of which I have tried. The first one is No28 Primer Serum, which is so-called due to the ingredients - 14 essential oils, 10 lipid-rich plant oils and 4 nourishing vitamins, all of which make it ideal for dry skin. The serum is rich, yet lightweight and a tiny amount goes a very long way to soften the skin and plump fine lines. I personally would only recommend this to those who have Sahara-like skin! The second primer is Veil Mineral Primer, which I initially didn't buy as I didn't think it would suit my dry skin, but I was wrong. This is another lightweight product, which reduces the appearance of redness, blurs pores and smooths the skin without feeling like there is an extra layer of product. It also extends the wear time of my base. I think most skin types would benefit from using this primer.

Foundation: There are four types of foundation available but I have only tried one - Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick. Despite the words vanish and seamless in the name, I don't find that to be the case for me. Maybe it's because my skin is going through a weird phase, but I can't make this foundation work for me - it seems to sit on my skin instead of blending in properly and I am aware of it sitting on my skin. The coverage is medium, buildable to full and the wear time is good but I just never feel happy with it when wearing it. I will re-visit again when my skin is more settled and comfortable before my final judgement. I think their Illusion Hyaluronic Skin Tint might be more suited to my taste though.

Bronzer: Hourglass recently added two new shades to their bronzer range, meaning there are four in total. I have Luminous Bronze Light, which has bronzer combined with Luminous Light Ambient Lighting Powder from their Ambient Light range. This is a medium-tan shade that adds warmth and luminosity to the skin, which gives an overall healthy glow. It is very pigmented so a light hand is very necessary and it really lifts the look of my skin. It has a soft texture making it easy to blend. This particular shade is best suited to medium skin tones so I am glad to see that they have added more shades, including one for fair skin

Powder:  Ambient Lighting Powders are the powders for non-powder lovers like me! Because of my dry skin, I avoided wearing powders for years but these powders changed my mind. In the Ambient Lighting Edit palette (now sold out), there are Dim Light, which is a neutral beige powder that blurs the pores, Diffused Light, which is yellow in tone - perfect for concealing redness and Iridescent Light, which is a pale peachy-pink highlighter. What I love about these powders is the luminosity they add to the skin and how they set my base without any caking - never before have I found a powder that didn't accentuate the dryness of my skin. My skin looks more polished when I use Dim Light but I also adore Surreal Light from the Ambient Lighting Edit - Surreal Light. This powder instantly transforms a bad or dull skin day - it just softens and diffuses the look of my base, whilst also setting it. The highlighting powders within both palettes are quite subtle but feel a bit stiffer than the other powders so they aren't my favourites to work with and are generally quite neglected by me.

Blush: There are two types of blush available - Ambient Lighting Blush & Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush. The Ambient Lighting Blushes come in 7 shades and all are mixed with the Ambient Lighting Powders to achieve a multi-dimensional look. The marbling of the powders and pigments means that no two blushes are exactly the same. These blushes are pigmented but not so much that you need to worry about looking like Aunt Sally - they apply and blend beautifully due to the texture and I find them to be long-lasting. The recently-released Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes are infused with Ambient Strobe Light Powders, which means they are a lot more shimmery than the originals, but not glittery and not in a very false way. They generally just give a very "lit from within" look and really lift the whole complexion. I would go as far as saying that Hourglass blushes are my favourite blush formula. They are expensive but I would recommend buying a palette if you can because you can get three blushes for around 1.5 times the price of an individual blush. The palettes tend to sell out quite quickly though so if you want one, don't hesitate for too long!

Eyeshadow: I bought one Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette when they were first released and whilst I liked it, it definitely wasn't my favourite in terms of texture - not because it was bad but there are others I prefer - Too Faced and Natasha Denona, for example. That being said, the shadows are pigmented and long-wearing. A friend borrowed mine and completely fell in love with it so I told her to keep it as I knew she would get more use out of it than I would, given that I have other palettes that I prefer - hence why it isn't in the photo above. 

If you haven't tried any Hourglass products before and are wondering where to start, I would recommend the powders and blushes as I have no similar products that perform as well as these do. I would personally skip the highlighters and eyeshadows - not because they are bad but at these prices, I expect outstanding. I would like to try some lip products next so if you have recommendations, please leave them below. I obviously haven't tried everything from the brand, but I hope I have given you an insight into this high end brand!

Have you tried any Hourglass products? Which is your favourite? I'd love to hear in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! 

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All products are bought by me, unless otherwise stated. Opinion is always my own.
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