Hourglass Cosmetics Archives - Page 2 of 5

Hourglass Unreal High Shine Volumizing Lip Gloss Review

May 17, 2019

Hourglass launched their new Unreal High Shine Volumizing Lip Gloss ($30 each for 0.20 oz/ 5.6 g) in 18 shades. I hauled 11 of them during last month’s Sephora Beauty Insider Event. I’ve really loved all things Hourglass for so many years I felt like these could possibly be holy grail material. After testing these for a week I think they’re really beautiful and definitely worth looking into.

The Unreal Lip Gloss is a plumping lip gloss with medium to full coverage. Creams tend to be more opaque and for me the shimmers I tried are medium-sheer. The glosses are hydrating and have a nice smooth feel to them. There is a soft minty scent and slight cooling sensation when you apply. The plumping effect is noticeable after it sets for a few minutes and as one who has ultra sensitive lips I’m thrilled to report there is no tingle and no stinging. I can still feel them plumping my lips but it’s in a gentle way. Since these are hydrating and lush they aren’t weightless. At the same time they aren’t super heavy even though they do have a semi-thick lush feel.

Color selection right now for the most part runs on the neutral side with a few bolder options. The finishes range from creams, shimmers and sparkles. Pigment is medium to me for most of the shades but you can layer for a more opaque finish. As mentioned above the shimmer sparkly options tend to be a bit more transparent (except the plum one).

I initially bought 5 and loved them so much I quickly ordered more to take advantage of the discount last month. At $30 each they are pricey but I’m happy with all the colors except two of them. These come with a flattened sponge tip applicator which makes for easy application. I like that they’re sturdy vs flexible. Sometimes the bendy wands make it hard to get gloss on my lips.

A closer look:

The colors I bought with descriptions below:

Ignite is a sheer shimmer with gold, this is the only one I didn’t like, it’s too sheer to have any color payoff on my lips so it’s basically clear, if you want a similar color to what you see in the tube I think Charlotte Tilbury Ibiza Nights is a much better option
Child is pale peach cream, this one applied streaky on my pigmented lips, I can blend to smooth out, but for me it’s a tad too pale
Provoke is the most beautiful neutral cool mauve nude, most colors like this look like death on me, this one works perfectly!
Sublime is what I envisioned Child to look like, it’s a much better neutral peach pink nude
Truth is a medium beige nude
Canvas is a nude beige rose, this is really similar to Truth, on me they’re so close I can barely tell the difference
Prose is a baby rose pink cream
Cosmic is a sparkling sheer pink fuchsia glitter, this is smooth without any gritty texture, I think this is one of the more fun shades
Fortune is a pink gold shimmer
Horizon is a perfect coral cream
Impact is a shimmering berry plum sparkle

Swatches:

Lip Swatches, as usual all done on bare lips:

A few full face looks wearing:

Foundation – Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation in Nude (review here)
Powder – Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
Bronzer – Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Nude Bronze Light (swatches here)
Blush – Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush
Brow – Hourglass Arch Brow Gel in Soft Brunette
Eyeshadow – Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Dolce Vita + Hourglass Scattered Light in Blaze
Lips – Unreal Lip Gloss in Horizon, Prose and Child

With Horizon Lip Gloss:

Below With Prose Lip Gloss

Last one with Child Lip Gloss:

A number of you wanted to know how these compared to my favorite Pat McGrath LUST Gloss (review and lip swatches here and here) and Fenty Beauty Gloss Bombs (all three worn in this post). Both of these formulas have a softer more cushiony feel. They also run sheerer. The Hourglass Unreal by comparison doesn’t quite have that same soft feel but are still glossy and smooth. The pigment is richer and more opaque with the Hourglass shades as well. All formulas are really nice. I’ve swatched some of the Pat McGrath LUST glosses next to similar colors of the Hourglass options.

I cannot decide which of the three is best. All are excellent for different reasons. I love the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bombs for their lush sheer shimmery glow. The Pat McGrath LUST Glosses have been among my favorite for color selection and formula. Hourglass is more opaque but some of the colors settle into my natural lip lines (this is also the case with some Pat McGrath colors).

If I had to live with just one gloss formula the rest of my life though, right now I’d have to go with the Pat McGrath LUST Gloss. That being said a number of you felt they were too sheer for your liking so if that’s the case then you’ll most likely be happier with the finish of the Hourglass Unreal.

Overall thumbs up. I think they’re beautiful glosses although I don’t know that I would call them truly innovative like their description suggests. To me truly innovative life changing products are more along things like the Hourglass Scattered Light Shadows, Pat McGrath MatteTrance Lipsticks and Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter. Still the Hourglass Unreal Lip Glosses are really nice and well made. I’m thrilled to find a nice plumping gloss that doesn’t have a tingle or sting. My top three favorite colors are Horizon, Fortune and Canvas. If I could do the haul over again I’d skip Ignite and Child and would also pick either Canvas (slightly more pink) or Truth (more beige) but not both.

You can find the Hourglass Unreal High Shine Volumizing Lip Glosses out now. Available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Hourglass Cosmetics and all other Hourglass retailers.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

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Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4 + Confession Duo – Holiday 2018

October 25, 2018

Reviewing some more Hourglass Cosmetic holiday launches today with swatches and thoughts on their limited-edition Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Volume 4 ($80 for 1.3 g x 6) + Confession Lipstick Duo ($34 for 2 lipsticks). Everything is limited-edition and comes in metallic lavender pink packaging.

I already reviewed the Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Unlocked Edition earlier in the month but received so many requests to compare it to the Volume 4 Palette. The two have a similar luminous feel, Unlocked has all new shades while Volume 4 has mostly repeats. The shades are easy to wear and have a range of setting powder, highlight, bronzer and blush.

Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4 Colors include:

Dim Light – nude pale pink with a satin finish
Diffused Light – pale yellow with a satin matte finish
Euphoric Strobe Light – shimmering champagne
Filtered Bronze Light – new, neutral soft light bronze shimmer
Luminous Glow Blush – new, shimmery peach with champagne (similar to Incandescent Electra, but this one is deeper)
Euphoric Fusion – swirled champagne highlight with mauve plum shimmer

Because the reflection of the packaging plays tricks on my eyes depending on light, I have two close ups. In indoor lighting below:

In direct sunlight:

The palette performs really well. Part of me wishes it had all new shades. Even the new ones have a similar vibe to existing colors. I do really love this one, I think I prefer it to Unlocked. I find it works better for my skintone and has more of what I’m looking for in an entire look. Unlocked is still very pretty, it just runs darker on my skin. Everything has smooth application. The texture is the same quality as individual products. Skin is left luminous and glowing. Shimmers don’t emphasize pores. Lasting power is excellent.

A look at Unlocked (reviewed here) vs Volume 4:

There are a few lip set options this holiday, I ordered the Confession Lipstick Duo with My One Desire and At Night. I neglected to check my stash and didn’t realize I already had these from previous launches until I swatched them. These come with one case (the pink tube) and the black case is the refill. You can definitely use the lipstick without the metallic case. My One Desire is a neutral cool mauve pink, At Night is a deep brick red. Both perform true to the Confession Lipstick formula – ultra creamy, opaque, smooth and long lasting. I still think these are among the most overpriced lipsticks on the market, but the quality, color selection and finish are truly excellent. A look at the Hourglass Confession Lipstick Duo My One Desire and At Night vs original Gold Packaging. All the existing Confession Ultra Slim Lipsticks swatched here.

Beauty look below with new hair! Also wearing Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5 + 7 mixed. Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Volume 4 Dim Light + Diffused applied all over as a setting powder, a mix of Filtered Bronze Light and Euphoric Fusion on the cheeks, Euphoric Strobe Light on the eyes. My One Desire worn on the lips.

Quality-wise everything is excellent. I’m really happy with the palette even though I have repeats. I always find them convenient for on-the-go or travel. All this said if you already own some Hourglass powders or palettes I’d recommend that you shop your stash. If you’ve never splurged on an Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder the palettes are a great way to dive into the line. Quality is great and even though the price of palettes is steep it’s a nice way to try multiple colors and finishes rather than buying individual colors which add up to more. Yes, value-wise price per ounce or gram the palettes are not the smartest buy. I also feel this way about the lipsticks but have mentioned numerous times the quality is excellent.

I bought my holiday picks from Sephora. The limited-edition pink packaging is also available at Hourglass Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Beautylish and Barneys New York. Don’t forget that tomorrow is the start of the Sephora VIB Sale so if you have this on your wishlist you might want to save it for the event! Recs and roundup to go live soon 🙂

Have you checked out any of the Hourglass holiday launches this year yet? What did you think?

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Highlighters Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Unlocked Edition

October 1, 2018

Hourglass launched a new palette called the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette ($80 for 0.04 oz/1.4 g x6, made in Italy) for holiday 2018. I ordered this from Sephora and as with most of their 6-pan palettes it’s limited-edition but this year’s version has all new shades! This is the first of a few items the brand is launching for holiday. More teasers on their Instagram @hourglasscosmetics for another palette launching in a couple of days.

The Unlocked Ambient Lighting Palette has two finishing powders, one bronzer, two blushes and a metallic strobe powder. Quality is excellent with a medium coverage finish that’s very natural. The overall look and feel of the colors ended up being darker than I anticipated. On my skin they apply a little deeper than what I see in the palette but it worked well. The colors also applied with a more diffused glow rather than the high shimmer sheen. Since these are luminous with light reflective particles, the palette is going to look different depending on how the natural light catches it. Lasting power is excellent as well. They stay put on the skin without emphasizing pores or fine lines.

A closer look at the palette in a few different lighting options, swatches and all the shades applied on the face below.

First color descriptions of the shades you get in this year’s holiday palette:

Soft Light is a sheer light ivory beige finishing powder with a subtle sheen
Filtered Light is a tan beige finishing powder, almost a soft contour for me
Golden Bronze Light is a warm golden bronze shimmer
Nude Glow is a shimmery nude peach
Mood Flush is a satiny rose pink, looks cooler-toned in the pan, but on my skin applied more neutral-warm
Champagne Strobe Light is a high shimmer champagne

Close up of the palette indoors natural light:

Versus with a flash:

On the face it gives a very natural glow. There’s no harsh frost or glare even with a flash, also wearing:

Foundation – Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5 (just decided to re-try this and it works really well)
Powder to set – Hourglass Ambient Unlocked in Soft Light + Filtered Light mixed
Eyeshadow – Hourglass Scattered Light Shadow in Aura
Eyeliner – Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Ebene
Brows – Chanel La Palette Sourcils de Chanel in Brun 50
Mascara – Chanel Le Volume de Revolution (review soon)
Blush – Hourglass Ambient Unlocked in Mood Flush + Nude Glow mixed
Highlight – Hourglass Ambient Unlocked Champagne Strobe Light
Lipgloss – Pat McGrath LUST Gloss Flesh Astral *

Size comparison of the different Hourglass compacts.

A lot of you have asked what brushes I recommend using with this palette. The pans are on the small side so there’s a high chance you’re going to be mixing colors with your brush. A few smaller ones I use and recommend shown below.

Top to bottom:

MAC 168 SH (mine is an older short discontinued version, full size here brush head is the same size)
Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt brush
Laura Mercier Cheek Color Brush *
Wayne Goss Brush 10 *
Wayne Goss Air Brush * (one shown is limited-edition color, but he carries it in the regular shade)
Wayne Goss Brush 14 * (brush set reviewed here)

Overall well made with beautiful colors. I think the quality is excellent. It has a very natural look to it but the colors are buildable if you layer. Given all the highlighters that are out there on the market at this point many launches are looking the same to me. These colors are new to Hourglass and I think a couple are unique while others are not. I would love to see them expand their Ambient Lighting finishing powder range to include full sizes of Soft Light and Filtered Light and perhaps shades in between and darker. I love the satiny almost matte powders and right now there’s not a color that works to match my skin although I used to use Dim Light as a setting powder when I was lighter in skin tone.

I do love the look and vibe of Nude Glow Blush because I love a good peachy shimmer. Mood Flush is nice but for some reason doesn’t quite apply the same in the pan on my face (it goes on warmer). I’m the equivalent of MAC NC35 and I think if I were up to 3 shades darker in skintone this would still show up on me, but the overall look is still very medium-natural.

I think it’s a good buy. I’m really happy with it and love that it has new colors. I’m also ok with having similar options because these palettes are so convenient for travel or to create a look with a single compact. I don’t know that I’d call it entirely unique and I’m also ok with that. At this point given all the highlighters I own and have tested I don’t know that I’d call it a must-have, but I do really like it. It’s pricey but well made.

You can find the Hourglass Unlocked Ambient Lighting Edit Palette out now at Sephora and Hourglass. It’s limited-edition for Holiday 2018.

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Eye Makeup Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow Review + Swatches

August 26, 2018

Hourglass Cosmetics launched a new eyeshadow called Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow ($29 each for .12 oz/3.5 g, made in Korea). I bought all five shades while at Sephora for the Beauty Insider event and every color is amazing. These are pressed pigments with micro-glitter that give the eyes a beautiful glimmer. The word “glitter” had me a little worried which is why I didn’t order them online sight unseen. I love a good sparkle but sometimes glitter can be too much for what I’m comfortable wearing. These aren’t too glittery for me although they are sparkly. You can wear these alone, layered over shadow, layered together or if you apply with a damp brush it will give you a more foiled look. Lasting power is excellent. I’ve only given these a 2 day test since I just bought these but they stayed put for hours without fall out or budging. On Friday night I’m embarrassed to admit I fell asleep with my makeup on. It’s something I tell myself to never do, but it was one of those exhausting weeks. The eyeshadow was still in tact the next morning.

Shopping the shades at Sephora:

There are five shades, two are more glitzy than the others (Foil and Blaze). Shimmer-wise they are indeed shimmery but the glitter is super fine and not chunky. Even on the eyes they have a smooth finish. I like apply with the fingers. They’re easy to smooth and blend out.

Aura is a soft shimmering cool pink sparkle
Reflect is a champagne neutral sparkle (my favorite!)
Foil is a very sparkly yellow gold
Smoke is similar to champagne, but more taupe
Blaze is a sparkling warm copper, glitzy sparkle

On me Foil and Blaze are the most sparkly. I don’t think I can wear them alone everyday, although layered over a powder shadow tones down the sparkle a little. Also if I layer the gold on top of the copper it creates one of the prettiest multi-dimensional looks.

There is an insert inside to keep the shadows pressed and in tact:

A closer look at all the shades:

Beauty look with Reflect which is my favorite color out of the five, also wearing:

Foundation: beautyblender Bounce Liquid Whip Long Wear Foundation in 3.60 (just hauled! review coming soon)
Powder: La Mer The Loose Powder
Cheeks: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush + Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light
Eyeshadow: Hourglass Scattered Light Eyeshadow in Reflect
Eyeliner: Marc Jacobs Highliner in Blacquer
Mascara: Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme Mascara
Lips: Hourglass Confession Lipsticks in No One Knows and My Favorite mixed together (swatches of all colors here)
Top: Madewell

Close ups and more swatches:

Some swatch comparisons to Armani Eyes to Kill Eyeshadows (now discontinued) in 8, 9 and 5. Also swatched next to the Natasha Denona Crystal Top Coats. The Armani Eyes to Kill had a more metallic finish with less glitter. Natasha Denona’s have more glitter and a sheerer base color. MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid is more like a metallic finish (review soon on these).

Bottom line I love them all. 100% worth the splurge. If I had to narrow down my picks I would pick Reflect and Smoke. They are on the sparkly side but they wear beautifully in a variety of ways. I like that they are easy to apply and that they don’t have fall out on me. I think all the colors are standouts although Foil is a very yellow gold and I usually don’t like gold colors like this but it is pretty when layered with other shades.

You can find the Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadows out now. You may have to shop around as they have sold out on a few sites. Available at Sephora, Beautylish, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, Space NK and Hourglass Cosmetics.

If you’re shopping at Sephora, don’t forget you can use the Beauty Insider Appreciate promo code once online and unlimited times in store. Valid in both US and Canada:

Rouge Members: 20% off with code YESROUGE, valid 8/24 through 9/3
VIB Members: 15% off with code YESVIB, valid 8/30 through 9/3
Beauty Insiders: 10% off with code YESINSIDER, valid 8/30 through 9/3

Did you try these yet? I think they’re phenomenal!

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Hourglass Cosmetics

New Hourglass Launches: Ambient Lighting Blush Palette, Veil Additions + Caution Extreme Mascara

July 23, 2018

There have been quite a few new launches from Hourglass over the past months and I have a roundup review today. They have some complexion products for the face in their Veil Lineup, a new Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (Nordstrom exclusive), and a new mascara. Items reviewed today:

Ambient Lighting Blush Palette ($65, Nordstrom Anniversary Beauty Exclusive)
Veil Translucent Setting Powder ($46)
Veil Powder Brush ($64, double ended)
Veil Retouching Fluid in Natural ($34)
Caution Extreme Lash Mascara ($29)

Up first is a look at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Ambient Lighting Blush Palette. This has one new shade Surreal Glow and two repeats in Luminous Flush and Mood Exposure. Surreal Glow is the new color which is a soft light peachy pink glow which was actually in the Hourglass Holiday 2016 Surreal Light Palette. Each powder is hand made so no two are identical and colors can be the slightest bit different depending on how much color you get in each swirl. The Surreal Glow in my Nordstrom Palette is slightly deeper than the one I have in the Surreal Light Palette. If you’re an Hourglass fan there’s a high chance you already own 2 of the blush colors. I wish they would launch palettes with all new shades, but I do like these for their convenience, especially for travel.

Swatches:

Swatch comparisons below to a few colors from two previous Hourglass palettes in Holiday 2017 Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3 and Surreal Light Holiday 2016. I also found one close dupe with is the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Nuanced (reviewed here). The difference being Nuanced is a lot more shimmery and frosty so it’s more dramatic and won’t quite give you the same effect. Color-wise it’s the closest one I have.

Next are the Veil Product additions including the Veil Translucent Setting Powder, Veil Powder Brush and Veil Retouching Fluid in Natural. Their Veil Mineral Primer has been a long-time best seller for them. It’s an oil-free version so best used with oil-free foundations. Earlier in the spring they launched a few additions.

The Veil Translucent Setting Powder is an excellent translucent setting powder that doesn’t add any white cast to the skin and sets the face in a very natural way. On me it keeps makeup staying set all day without any cakey look. Texture is ultra fine and it does have a very subtle blurring effect to smooth out pores. It’s talc-free, invisible on the skin and has no flash back. The Veil Powder Brush is a double-ended brush that is loose and fluffy. I really love the way it feels on the skin and it performs really well. I use the larger side for loose or pressed setting powders and the smaller one is perfect for their blushes. It’s not quite as matte as the Marc Jacobs Coconut Setting Powder. The Hourglass one also has a lighter weight feel compared to Laura Mercier’s Translucent Setting Powder. All three are excellent, I cannot pick a favorite but I’m really pleased with the way the new Veil Translucent Setting Powder has performed.

The Veil Retouching Fluid is the best thing I’ve tried to highlight and enhance complexion. It has just the right amount of pigment and sheerness to apply under eyes, between brows upwards and anywhere you want to brighten the skin. Most of us use concealer to highlight and brighten. A good blending technique with a damp beautyblender will do the trick to smooth everything out, but in my opinion I think most of the concealers are too opaque to apply on wide areas of the face. I still do it occasionally when my foundation doesn’t have enough coverage, but in the Florida heat layers on layers of makeup are prone to caking eventually. For this formula the color Natural is my best match. It cancels out redness but in a natural way. It doesn’t cake or crease. It’s easy to touch up mid-day on top of your makeup and blend.

I swatched all the colors in store, sorry for the poor lighting quality but I took this in the mall with my iPhone, but I hope this helps as a reference for the color range. I feel like the gaps in between each color are fairly decent. The pigment is sheer and quite forgiving so I think you can easily find a match.

Swatch comparisons to Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Concealers in 3C, 3N and 3W (all shades swatched here), NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard, Macadamia and Ginger, Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer in Med-Light Neutral and Medium Neutral

Look wearing:

Base: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer all over the face
Foundation: Bobbi Brown Skin Longwear Foundation in Warm Natural 4.5 (I’ve gone up a shade deeper since my review here)
Highlight/Under Eyes: Hourglass Veil Retouching Fluid in Natural
Powder: Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
Cheeks: Hourglass Surreal Glow + Luminous Flush mixed
Eyeshadow: Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quad in Nude Dip
Mascara: Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash
Lips: Hourglass Confession Slip Lipstick in I Lust For (more colors reviewed here)

Last but not least is their new Caution Extreme Lash Mascara. I think it’s very good but it’s not my favorite as I cannot get it to consistently hold the curl. What it does do is give volume, intense color, and dramatic lashes. It stays on all day with zero smudging in my experience. It has lasted on multiple tests through Florida humidity, a swim in the ocean and an afternoon at the beach. It really looks amazing when it works! The holding the curl issue isn’t always working for me but so many mascaras don’t hold the curl for me. My solution is to sometimes layer different formulas for added volume and lasting power. A lot of you have messaged me saying you use this trick all the time! Right now my top two favorites are still the L’oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof and Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme. If I layer this new Hourglass mascara with the L’Oreal it works like a charm 100%.

Overall some nice additions and a few things to consider as beauty staples. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette is a Nordstrom exclusive, but all other items can also be found at Sephora, Beautylish, and Hourglass Cosmetics. If you’re looking for minis to try Sephora has a few options with a Mini Caution Extreme Lash Mascara and a Veil Prime and Set Mini Duo available. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Veil Translucent Setting Powder, Retouching Fluid, Veil Brush and Caution Mascara provided for review.

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Highlighters Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks

January 19, 2018

Hourglass is on a roll with new launches this spring and they have a new product called the Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick ($42 each for 0.21 oz/ 6.1 g). Their Ambient Lighting Powders are among my favorite for a luminous glow and now they’ve launched a Cream Stick version with five shades of their Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick. These are smooth easy to apply highlighters that come in a similar package to the Vanish Seamless Foundation. The formula is lightweight but creamy. According to Hourglass you can use these for the underglow as a base underneath foundation or for an overglow on top of foundation on high points like cheekbones, brow bone, nose or cupid’s bow. I’ve tried both and like them on the cheeks and eyes. The formula has enough creaminess to allow it to blend but it’s not so dewy that it will pull your foundation/powder. They have a soft dry down but it’s still creamy in finish. We are having Florida’s version of winter right now so I don’t know how these will hold up in hot weather or humidity, but for now it has stayed put all day without sliding off the face or eyes.

The shimmer is medium – it’s definitely glowy. Straight from the tube it’s metallic but if you blend it out it smooths nicely to a radiant finish without a harsh frost. If you liked the concept and colors of the Ambient Lighting Strobe Powders but found those glittery (I personally loved them here but I know lots of you complained about the sparkle) you might want to give the Vanish Flash Sticks a try instead because there’s no sparkle fallout.

Vanish Flash colors include:

Champagne Flash – a champagne pearl shimmer
Pink Flash – light pink shimmer
Gold Flash – pale yellow gold shimmer
Bronze Flash – warm bronze gold
Rose Gold Flash – looks more pink mauve oyster on me

Champagne Flash

Above wearing the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St. Moritz, Tarte Shape Tape Concealer in Medium, La Mer Pressed Powder in Light, Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss 722, Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Eyeshadow Palette in Glambition, Diorshow Brow Styler in Universal Brown, L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara in Blackest Black.

Pink Flash

Gold Flash

Rose Gold Flash

Bronze Flash

Overall a solid winner. My favorites are Champagne Flash and Pink Flash. In the face beauty looks above I only applied the highlighter for the three shades I did looks for to show what they look like alone. I typically don’t just wear highlighter – I’ll usually add a blush or bronzer as well. I really like these on the eyes as well. For application Hourglass recommends you blend with one of their brushes. I’ve found they work well straight from the tube and then I blend with my fingers. Or I’ll take my fingertips and rub them on the stick then apply onto the cheeks. They’re really quite versatile. If you’re in the market for a cream highlighter I’d recommend checking out one of these.

You can find the Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks out at counters now. Five shade options total. Available in stores and also online at Sephora, Nordstrom, Net-A-Porter and Hourglass Cosmetics.

Do you have a favorite Hourglass highlighter? Have you checked these out yet? What did you think? If not – what’s your current favorite highlighter?

Vanish Flash provided courtesy of Hourglass for review.

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Highlighters Hourglass Cosmetics Lips

New Hourglass Launches: Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3, Metallic Strobe and Confession Refillable Lipstick Set

September 28, 2017

There are three new limited-edition launches from Hourglass for lips and cheeks. Two new palettes have arrived with new formulas/finishes from the Ambient Lighting line and there are new shades of the Confession Ultra-Slim Lipsticks exclusive to a set. I have all three that I’ve been playing with for the past week:

Ambient® Lighting Edit Volume 3 ($80) has six different powders for face, bronzer, highlight and blush in Diffused Light, Hypnotic Strobe Light, Dim Light, Luminous Bronze Light, Surreal Halo, Pure Effect Blush
Ambient® Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette ($62) has three new metallic highlighters in Absolute Strobe Light, Pure Strobe Light, Lucent Strobe Light
Confession Refillable Lipstick Set ($54) has three new lipsticks in My One Desire, True Love Means and You Are My

Up first is the Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 3 which has a mix of existing and new shades. The colors included: Diffused Light (soft pale yellow satin powder), Hypnotic Strobe Light (pale champagne shimmer), Dim Light (soft pink satiny powder), Luminous Bronze Light (light bronze), Surreal Halo (mauve rose shimmer), Pure Effect Blush (light but bright pink).

The entire feel and vibe of this is on the light to medium side for color. Pigment is soft to medium with a naturally glowy feel. I thought the colors would be too light for my tan complexion but they all show up on my skin – Diffused Light and Dim Light of course have a sheer effect, almost like a finishing or softening powder. The bronzer does seem quite a bit lighter in color than the individual ones I own. Each powder is unique so I do understand there could be variation because the one I have in the palette has more highlighter vs bronzer, still the effect is noticeably lighter.

Finish is smooth and doesn’t emphasize pores. Lasting power is quite good – it stayed put on my face and cheeks from morning to late evening. All this being said if you already own a lot of Hourglass products individually you may find there are very close dupes. As mentioned in a few recent posts I’m in between places and most of my items are in storage so I don’t have access to products for comparisons. Off the top of my head I do feel this palette is very similar to existing shades although the Pure Effect Blush is one of the prettiest pinks I’ve ever swatched.

Worn below is:

Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation in Natural
Armani Luminous Silk Powder #4 + Hourglass Dim Light to set
By Terry Stylo Expert Click #8 Concealer
Hourglass Pure Effect Blush on cheeks
Hourglass Hypnotic Strobe Light on eyes
Marc Jacobs Beauty Glambition Eyeshadow Palette on eyes
Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim Lipstick in True Love Means

Up next is the Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette which I’ve previously reviewed here. The powders are smooth with buildable pigment and rich shimmer. It’s wearable for a pretty highlight but a little on the pale side for my tan complexion right now. Full review + swatches (also shown on the face) here but I’ll repost images below.

Last but not least is the Hourglass Ultra Slim Confession Refillable Lipstick Set. It has three new shades of lipstick that are exclusive to the set. There is one gold bullet exterior and two refills inside. The pigment is opaque with full coverage and smooth. Formula is just as good as the individual shades all reviewed and swatched here.

My favorite shades are still from the individual lineup but all three of these are wearable for pretty much any occasion, day or night. I’m giving away the three new launches featured in this post to two lucky readers, enter through the widget below. Here’s how this will work:

Giveaway open internationally, but you must be 18 years or older
Giveaway will run from 9/28/2017 through 10/12/2017 11:45 PM EST
Two winners will be selected at random through the widget below
Giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find the new Hourglass launches at all Hourglass counters, stores and retailers now. They are limited-edition. Available online at Nordstrom, Sephora, Bergdorf Goodman, Space NK, Net-A-Porter, Barneys New York and Hourglass Cosmetics.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

New Hourglass launches sent courtesy of Hourglass for review. Giveaway items purchased by me.

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