Hourglass added four new shades of their Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm ($38 each) and they are incredibly beautiful. Three of them are shimmers and one is a new red. Out of all the Hourglass lip formulas this is probably my favorite, especially since I love a glossy lip.
Above left to right:
Secret is a rose with gold shimmer (think MAC Sophisto vibes, but not as frosty)
Invite is a medium tan brown with gold shimmer
Wander is a light peachy pink with golden shimmer
Red 0 is the most perfect wearable red for those who don’t like to wear red
Every single color of the new Phantom Glossy Balm is wearable and even though Wander is on the lighter side it still shows up on my lips – the pigment is perfect. The regular non shimmer shades are very soft and almost melty feeling once they’re on the lips. The shimmer version is smooth without texture but they have a slightly stiffer feel which I actually like better.
Since these are glossy balms lasting power isn’t going to be long, but they don’t slide off easily and I really like that the finish is forgiving so it fades nicely. They are nicely hydrating and smooth without feeling thick.
The Hourglass team sent a beautiful press box with the new shades and also included three from the permanent lineup. I’ve reviewed them here, here and here but thought I’d add them here too including Desire (rose mauve), Lure (plum) and Sense (the best nude pink).
Overall love. Every single color is one I think could be universally flattering. I’ve finally found my new holy grail red. I was hoping the peach orange shade Mystic in the Holiday 2024 Duo would be out individually but it looks like it’s only available in the set (still in stock). I might end up buying the set before it sells out since I love peachy coral shades.
Hourglass dropped three limited-edition palettes and I literally cannot believe it’s already that time of year. There are three palette combinations in the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette for this year ($90 each). This year they finally launched palettes with mostly new shades and I could not be more thrilled. You can find them now online at Hourglass Cosmetics for the early access. They will be launching globally at other retailers from 9/20.
The Dragon Palette has the lightest tones and variations but I think it’s a versatile one and can be worn on light/fair to tan skin tones. I love this one – it really surprised me because it looks very ordinary in the pan but the shimmers and diffused quality of the powders are really flattering. It’s warmer than last year’s Jellyfish palette.
Dream Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – a soft light pearl with a soft opal sheen
The Evil Eye Palette is the medium tone palette of the three. At first glance I thought it would be nearly identical to last year’s Leopard. Side by side swatches show the tones are indeed different with a cooler pink highlight, more neutral/pink tones vs warmer shades. They are similar but I think there are noticeable differences.
The Lotus Flower Palette is the darkest variation this year. It’s more neutral in undertone compared to last year’s Snake palette. On my medium tan skin tone the new Lotus Flower pulls warmer than what I see in the pan, but it will probably be more neutral on darker skin tones. I love the colors in this palette, but not so much on my skin tone. The shades are stunning for sure, but since the tones are darker they do require an ultra light hand for my skin tone.
Gilded Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – a stunning warm golden shimmer
Desert Flush Ambient Lighting Blush – burnt peach
Eternal Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – warm amber tan
Radiant Rose Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – metallic copper rose shimmer
Red 0 Ambient Lighting Blush – deep berry pink
Bronze Heat Ambient Lighting Bronzer – deep bronze
Look below wearing the Lotus Flower Palette on the eyes and cheeks + Phantom Glossy Balm in Slip
My two favorites are the Dragon and Evil Eye. These arrived at the perfect time as I’ll be traveling soon and will most likely bring one of these with me. Are they worth the price or the splurge? I think they are. I love every single color and each palette has enough shades for a full face look – I often use at least 1 or 2 of the shades on the eyes too.
By popular request, here are side by side swatches of the 2023 palettes vs this year’s 2024 launch:
In case you want a closer look at previous palette launches, here are the blog posts (there are lots more, but here are the more recent ones):
I ordered these palettes the second they launched at the Hourglass website. Since then they’ve added a few more holiday items including a Holiday Brush ($52, 2 variations), new Glossy Balm Duo ($55, Trace and Mystic), Brush Set ($150), Full Face Set + Bag ($270) and a few other sets you can check out here.
Hourglass launched a new liquid blush in dropper format called the Unreal Liquid Blush ($36 each). They also added a new No 15 Blush Brush ($46) which is angled to go along with the new launch. The Hourglass team sent all the shades for review and I have swatches and a closer look today.
These Unreal Liquid Blushes are in a small bottle with a dropper at the top. To dispense there is a soft button at the base you press to dispense one drop. They recommend applying to the back of your hand and picking up product with the brush and applying in a stippling method.
Product is very pigmented but with some fluidity, so it is easy to blend and build. There are seven shades and I think the color range is very good. Tones are very flattering although most of them are on the warm side with 3 being peach/coral so if you prefer cooler tones these might be too warm.
Scene is a nude pink, this pulls very natural on my skin but still shows up
Whim is a bright pink, this one is my favorite
Vision is a warm rose
Moment is an orange
Future is a coral with a hint of pink
Imagine is a burnt orange
Craft is a berry
Formula is very easy to dispense without it overflowing. I also like how easy they are apply and blend. Another plus is these didn’t pull off my foundation or powder off when I blended it on top of my base. The Craft shade took a little more effort to blend smoothly since it has the most contrast with my skin tone. They remain dewy on the cheeks after blending but not as dewy as the Pat McGrath Divine Cream Blush.
The Unreal Liquid Blushes are described as being able to last up to 12 hours but this was not the case for me. While the color does stay on the cheeks for a while, after 3-4 hours or color faded on my cheeks and they looked more dewy than when I first applied it. I do think they will hold up better in cooler weather, but even in cooler weather I don’t see them holding up for a full 12 hours.
Looks wearing each blush shade with a coordinating lip color. For skintone reference I’m wearing the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5.
Scene Unreal Liquid Blush + Tide Unlocked Satin Lipstick + Sense Phantom Glossy Balm
Overall I love the colors even if there is one too many peach/orange tones (just my opinion though). I like that the pigment level is easy to control. Lasting power could be improved but that would mean they would have to alter the formula and finish to something less dewy.
The brush is very well constructed and works beautifully for blending. I really love the Hourglass brushes, I own quite a few in my collection and use them all the time. I do think you can use any one in your collection though.
If you’ve been curious about these I hope you found this review helpful!
The Unlocked Soft Matte Lipstick is a soft blurred matte lipstick with full coverage. They’re very opaque with full coverage and according to Hourglass they’re infused with a primer for smooth application. I found they did indeed apply smoothly but there was some tugging and looked dry on my lips. Granted a matte finish can look dry, but these felt like they sucked all the moisture from my lips making them feel a little tight.
Most of the colors I tried pulled very warm on me. The matte finish made these look a little muted/faded on me, but it could just be the colors I picked out. They swatch beautifully on the hand. On my darker pigmented lips I did not really like any of these shades. Poppy is pretty and right along the lines of a shade I would wear, but in real life it emphasizes my lip lines and looks very dry.
I do think they are long-wearing but they felt so dry & uncomfortable on my lips I couldn’t leave them on long enough to see how long they would last.
Magnolia is a pale warm nude pink
Tulip is a cool-toned pink
Tigerlily is a burnt orange
Peony is a warm brown beige
Foxglove is a very warm berry
Poppy is a muted coral (not shown above because I dropped it and the entire tube was smashed)
There are seven new Shape and Sculpt Lip Liners. As a neutral lip lover I picked up the four lightest colors. Formula is very long-wearing. Application is relatively smooth. Shades pull very warm and I’m not sure the colors aren’t unique enough to justify if you already own a lot of neutrals.
Shade 1 Expose does not show up on my lips, but these days I feel like most of the new lighter neutral pencils do not
Shade 2 Flaunt is a warm pink rose beige
Shade 3 Tempt is a deeper brown pink
Shade 4 Undercover is a darker terracotta brown rose
Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
Last we have a look at the new shades of Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm. I love this formula although in the hot summer months they can get a little melty in the tube. They’re soft, glossy, hydrating and have a slight cooling sensation. Hourglass added the 2 shades from their Holiday 2024 Duo Set and I’m thrilled they’re permanent! These are very balmy so the lasting power isn’t super long, but this is a formula I don’t mind reapplying. Just an FYI price for what you get is pretty high. A number of you have told me to me these were not worth it for you because you used them up in a matter of a few weeks with daily use and re-application. I kinda agree, but I like these enough to splurge on. New Shades include:
Crave – warm pink
Rouse – plum brown
Reveal – bluer-toned pink (cooler version of Crave)
Wish a pretty coral color
I swatched these next to some of the other Phantom Glossy Balms I own:
Overall the matte lipsticks are a miss for me. I think there are better matte lip formulas out there like from brands like Pat McGrath, Lisa Eldridge, Charlotte Tilbury and Armani to name a few. That being said I usually do not like or wear matte lips and I have seen a lot of positive reviews on these – I might be the only one who does not love these.
Lip liners aren’t bad. The colors don’t really jump out to me, but formula is long-wearing and I think they could be neutral staples if you don’t have a lot of lip pencils.
I love the new shades of Phantom Glossy Balm. I think they’re fresh, flattering and perfect for year round – they have me looking forward to warm weather months.
You can also customize the palette combination of the compact + palette inside on the Hourglass website (they have an exclusive Owl design) although I ordered the palettes as they are named/pre-designed. There are repeats in each palette but Hourglass gave us quite a few new shades this year.
Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked – Jellyfish
The Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked – Jellyfish is probably my favorite although I’m not thrilled about the finishing powder repeats. They are nice to have and work well to set or blur, but I think the vast majority of us already own the setting powder and are craving all new shades.
Lunar Bronze swatches warm on my arm but it’s actually more neutral. The pink blushes are neutral and the new highlighter pulls cool-toned on me. I am currently in between MAC NC30 and NC35 (I’m wearing NC35 in the new MAC Studio Radiance Serum Foundation) and this one surprisingly shows up on me. At first glance I thought there could be a chance it would be too light but it works for me!
Diffused Light Finishing Powder (repeat, available individually)
Rose Fusion Blush (new)
Opal Strobe Light Strobe Powder (new)
Bronzer Lunar Bronze (new)
Diffused Heat Blush (repeat, available individually)
Ethereal Light Finishing Powder (repeat, available individually)
The Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked – Leopard Palette seems the most versatile to me but it has a lot of repeats in it. I do think if you’re new to Hourglass or makeup and want a good mix of shades that you can wear with almost any lip, this is it.
Dim Light Finishing Powder (repeat, available individually)
Celestial Strobe Light Strobe Powder (repeat from Holiday 2022 Butterfly Palette and 2023 Blush & Glow Palette)
Mood Exposure Blush (repeat, available individually)
Iridescent Rose Blush (repeat from Holiday 2019 Ghost)
Ethereal Flush (new)
Lustrous Bronze Light Bronzer (repeat from Holiday 2022 Elephant)
The Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked – Snake is the most unique as it has almost all new shades. It pulls very warm and reminds me of the Holiday 2022 Tiger Palette, but isn’t as orangey. This year’s Snake Palette has more pink tones but still pulls warm.
Radiant Light Finishing Powder (repeat, available individually)
I tried to get the same camera and lighting settings as last year to do side by side swatches. I think they’re close enough to give you an idea of how different/similar they are. Full review of Holiday 2022 here.
Holiday 2023 vs Holiday 2022 Palettes
Overall I think the Holiday 2023 palettes are really beautiful. For me they were worth the splurge even though they’re incredibly expensive. Are any of them must-haves? I think it depends on how many other Hourglass palettes you own, but I do think this year’s palettes are among the prettiest ones I’ve tried.
Based on the feedback from many of you, opinions seem mixed. A good portion of you are like me: love these and collect them every year, even if there are duplicates and similarities. Then there are quite a few who passed on the last year’s palettes and aren’t quite sure about this year’s because you own one or two from several years ago and either never used them or think there are too many similarities to justify another one.
With the holiday season approaching (sets come out earlier and earlier every year), I think there will definitely be some upcoming sales like Friends and Family discounts or gift card events etc. You might want to bookmark these or add these to your wishlists for those times.
Currently available at Hourglass Cosmetics. Customization options are exclusive to Hourglass. Pre-designed palettes will be launching at all retailers starting September 22.
What do you think about these palettes? Did you order any of these yet?
The Veil Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation is a balmy tint with a hydrating feel but nice dry down. It has very sheer coverage that is barely there. I didn’t know what to expect because hydrating tints usually feel thick or heavy on my skin – but the concept was really interesting to me so I ordered it sight unseen. It does have a semi-thick texture but blends out easily with a sponge. Once set with powder it has very good lasting power – it stayed put all day without any touch ups required.
For shade matching, I ordered Shade 8 based on their shade chart. I am a match to Shade 8 in the Ambient Soft Glow Foundation formula (which runs very olive). Shade 8 in the Skin Tint ended up being too light and peachy/pink so I ordered Shade 9 which is a better match but still a bit light. Since the formula is sheer it’s forgiving and I can make it work.
A few of you messaged me on Stories saying you’re a Shade 8 in Ambient Glow and found Shade 10 to be a good match in the Hydrating Skin Tint.
Formula-wise I think it’s surprisingly good, especially since most Hourglass foundations don’t work well for me color-wise or formula-wise. It makes my skin look pretty good! You can see the transformation here (I’m having a bad skin week and I think it smoothed out the skin nicely).
The Veil Translucent Setting Powder was one I really loved a while ago. I used it up and never repurchased but they added tinted shades in Medium and Deep which I think are great. It’s lightweight and very natural looking. In terms of a blurring effect the Givenchy Prisme Libre is still the better option for an almost airbrushed look, but the Hourglass powder is still very good.
Phantom Glossy Lip Balms (New Shades)
Last but not least we have a look at the four new shades of Phantom Volumising Glossy Lip Balms. All four shades are really beautiful, naturally flattering and easy to wear. It’s been a while since I have worn these even though I own a bunch of colors. I forgot how soft and almost melty the texture is and I’m not sure how I feel about them in this heat. I for sure love these in cooler temperatures. Right now they feel like they will almost slide off the lips in heat. The good news is they seem to stay put pretty well, but adding a liner underneath does help extend the wear.
I have a look at Hourglass Holiday with swatches of all three Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Face Palettes and the Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm Duo they launched this season. The items have been out for a while by now but if you’ve been on the fence about splurging I highly recommend adding them to your Sephora cart for the Holiday Savings Event starting this Friday (for Rouge)!
Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Face Palettes
There are three holiday Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Face Palettes this season. They’re quite the splurge at $85 each but I was really glad to see lots of new shades. If you’re like me you’ve collected nearly every holiday palette they’ve launched. I do see some similarities to previous seasons but I really love the options this year. My favorite of the three is the Elephant Palette although I think the Tiger Palette has the most unique colors.
All three performed exceptionally well. They have a good mix of textures including their soft diffused finishing powders, metallic strobe highlighters and luminous blushes.
Tiger Palette
The Tiger Ambient Lighting Edit Palette has the deepest tones out of all three. I’ve been using the 2 deeper shades as eye colors since they’re really deep on my skin tone. This one has:
Transcendent Light – soft brown satin
Brilliant Glow Strobe Light (new) – bronze and gold swirl for a light gold shimmer
Burnish Glow (new) – shimmering bold orange with gold shimmer
Divine Strobe Light (new) – metallic pale yellow gold
Copper Flash Strobe Light (new) – metallic copper rose
Iridescent Rose – swirls of pale pink and rose shimmer
The Butterfly Ambient Lighting Edit Palette is the lightest option with three pale powders and two rose tones for blush. It’s a stunning one but I wish it had a bit more variation. Colors include:
Ethereal Light – pale white satin finishing powder
Incandescent Light – ultra pale white pink with shimmer
Soft Flush (new) – berry rose pink blush
Diffused Light – sheer pale finishing powder
Sunset Glow (new) – reddish berry blush
Celestial Strobe Light (new) – metallic pale champagne
Butterfly Palette + Phantom Glossy Balm in Rouse
Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balms
I wanted to give the Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balms ($35 each) a shout out, especially since there’s a Holiday Phantom Glossy Balm Duo ($50) with Slip (pink rose, also worn here) and new Rouse (brownish red). These have a really beautiful formula with a twist up style tube. They are incredibly expensive for the amount of product you get and once you twist up they don’t twist back down. These are glossy balms with a good color payoff. They almost melt into the lips when you apply but they don’t slide off. Since these are glossy there is not much staying power. They’ll stick to the lips as long as you don’t touch anything to your lips.
I love the product and colors but I wish they gave you more product for the price. Mist is a beautiful pale pink, Slip is a rose pink, Lucid is a stunning coral peach, Rouse is a brown red.
The Holiday Duo has sold out a number of places but you can still find it at Ulta, Bloomingdale’s, and Space NK.
That wraps up my Hourglass haul + review! I’m really happy with everything and I purchased them on my own. I think they’re easy to wear and add a lovely polished look.
If you’re looking for new brushes or tools I highly recommend checking out Hourglass. I’ve slowly added pieces to my collection over the years and they’ve held up so well. I really love the Vanish Foundation Brush, Concealer Brush and Smudge Brush to name a few. I’ve had their Travel Brush Set on my radar for a few years now. They’re actually full size and there’s no price break for the set, but I think the case is why they call it a “travel set”. I think I might splurge this year with the upcoming Sephora sale.
Have you tried the Hourglass holiday launches yet? What did you think? Out of all the holiday palettes that have launched this year which one has caught your eye the most?
