I’m back in Florida with my family and we are all safe and sound. We are all slowly getting back into the swing of things and today I have a review on the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks ($34 each 0.03 oz/ .9 g, $22 for the refills). I had planned to publish this weeks ago but as some say better late than never. I initially reviewed one shade called I Woke Up in my neutral lip haul back in July (time flies!). At that time there were only select handful of shades that launched in store but by now the Sephora stores I’ve visited have the entire color lineup. The Hourglass team sent all the refills for review and I’ve swatched them by color grouping below. Due to time restraints, life and travel I didn’t have time to photograph and edit all the lip swatches, but I did test each color. I find my initial thoughts to be the same across the board. The Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks are among the best formula I’ve tried. They’re creamy, opaque, smooth, incredibly long-lasting, they don’t feather, they don’t dry out the lips and there’s no detectable scent. The slim packaging has a good weight in the hand when you hold them – it’s actually a lot nicer in person than I had anticipated. The only downside is the price which I still think is too high considering the amount of product you get. After falling in love with I Woke Up, I had planned on purchasing 2-3 more colors as the formula is very very good. A press package arrived before I made it to the store.
There are 30 shades total available at most stores and counters which I have swatched and reviewed today. There are a few colors exclusive to the Hourglass website in I Dream and I Love, along with three shades exclusive to a Holiday Trio Set with My One Desire, True Love Means and You Are My. I don’t have these featured in this post but I will review the colors in the holiday set soon though.
In swatching 30 of the colors on the arm and testing them on the lips I was really impressed that each color had smooth opaque coverage. In lipstick launches I usually find at least a few colors that are either too pale and streaky or too dark and streaky. All the colors I tested covered my pigmented lips entirely with ultra smooth pigment and coverage. There were a few pale colors I found a bit too pale for my skintone but they still performed really well. As usual a lot of the reds looked really similar on my complexion but that is the case with most reds. You can see a slight difference in undertone in the arm swatches so if you lean more towards a warm or cool base I hope the swatches help you find your perfect red.
A quick look at the packaging. These are refillable lipsticks and they are easy to assemble. You can buy them as a complete lipstick for $34 or the refills at $22 each. The refills themselves are usable alone so if you want to skip the exterior you can. For the refills you basically remove the cap and base and insert them into the gold exterior. They twist up and down.
I’ve swatched these by color grouping, up first are the lighter shades:
- The First Time – pink beige
- I Wish – neutral pale nude beige
- One Day – neutral beige pink
- No One Knows – light pinky peach
- I Lust For – peachy beige cream
- I’ll Never Stop – beige nude cream
- I Want – deeper pink beige
______________________________________
Next set:
- I Always – bright fuchsia cool pink
- You Can Find Me – peachy coral pink
- My Favorite – neutral-cool pink
- I’ve Kissed – medium neutral rose pink
- I’m Addicted – tawny rose pink
- If Only – pink with some berry tones
- I’ve Never – medium peachy tan beige
- I Woke Up – soft rose pink
______________________________________
Brighter and deeper shades:
- I Believe – bright cool pink
- I Can’t Wait – vibrant peony pink
- I Live For – bright orange red
- I Desire – bright orange red, slightly deeper than I Live For
- I Crave – brick red
- My Icon Is – true red
- Secretly – slightly deeper red
- I Can’t Live Without – deeper berry red
______________________________________
Last set:
- At Night – brick red with brown tones
- I’ve Been – brown with red undertone
- One Time – bright rose pink
- When I’m With You – bright pink with cool plum tones
- When I’m Alone – deep berry red
- If I Could – plum red cream
- I Hide My – plum
______________________________________
I swatched 10 shades on the lips to try and show the range of color. These are all swatched on bare lips. Foundation shade worn is Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation and Concealer in Natural.
______________________________________
As mentioned in my previous review these are excellent in formula, presentation, packaging and lasting power. They aren’t moisturizing but they don’t dry out my lips. These Confession lipsticks also feel comfortable and weightless on the lips even though they are full coverage. The slim design and angled mold these are formed in helps create a clean and precise line. By comparison the GIRL Lip Stylos have a creamier feel with more shine but also can get prone to looking messy once you wear the tip down (not a deal breaker for me, but just an observation). I love that the Confession lipsticks have a tiny bit of shine to them as I don’t find that matte finish lipsticks wear well on me (with the exception of the Louboutin and Charlotte Tilbury mattes). In terms of lipstick launches this formula is excellent with full smooth coverage. Out of the new launches I have tested so far, I have no regrets purchasing I Woke Up and would have had no regrets buying a few more although I still think the price tag is too steep for the amount of product you get. If you are looking for a high quality full coverage long-wear lipstick that doesn’t look cakey or matte this is a great option.
You can find the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks along with the refills at all Hourglass counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Sephora, Space NK, Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York, Hourglass Cosmetics and all other Hourglass retailers.
Have you tried any of these yet? What did you think?
Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks gifted courtesy of Hourglass for review.
