Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette ($58.00 for 0.175 oz.) is a warm-toned neutral palette with four matte finishes and one shimmery shade. All five shades were slightly to very powdery, though pigmentation was decent for three of the five shades. It’s a formula that needs a good primer or base (preferably a lightly tacky base) so the powderiness gets absorbed and color can be packed on, but even the most mediocre of eyeshadows can be boosted with such tools. At $58, it shouldn’t need the full bag of tricks to perform well. On the upside, I think the color combination works well together, and there’s a good light-medium-dark ratio so you can build various gradients of brown.
Infinity #1 is described as a “warm ivory.” It’s a very light beige with subtle, warm undertones and has a matte finish. It seemed marginally less powdery than the beige in Graphite–the two look virtually the same on me (the descriptions are the same, actually). It only lasted for six hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Infinity #2 is described as a “dusty rose.” It’s a muted, medium brown with warm undertones and a matte finish. It was incredibly silky but it was very powdery and dry, so there was a lot of excess product even with gentle touches of the brush in the pan. I had a lot of trouble getting this shade to adhere to the skin on its own, because the texture is thin and dusty, it just doesn’t stick. It tends to sheer out even more when you blend it. This was noticeably faded after six hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Infinity #3 is described as a “bronzed mauve.” It’s a smoky, bronzy brown with warm undertones and a metallic sheen. The texture was soft, finely-milled, somewhat powdery, but it was blendable on the skin. It had good color payoff both wet and dry (shimmery shades can be used damp in this formula). I had the best luck applying it by pressing it into the skin, then pressing more into the skin, and then using a very light touch to blend out the edges–and of course, make sure to tap your brush to remove the excess before you apply to the eye. It lasted for seven and a half hours on me before creasing. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Infinity #4 is described as a “cool taupe.” It’s a medium-dark brown with warm, yellow undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff and wasn’t as powdery as other shades in this palette, which made it a lot easier to work with. I don’t think it’s the easiest eyeshadow to use on bare skin, but it was manageable, and if you use a primer, it should help it blend more smoothly. (At this price point, though, it’s disappointing no matter what.) It lasted for seven hours on me before creasing and fading. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Infinity #5 is described as a “dark cocoa.” It’s a dark, taupe-brown with subtle, warm undertones with a cooler, gray-ish overtone and a matte finish. This shade wasn’t too powdery and still managed to have good pigmentation, though there was a dryness there that made it harder to blend. It really needed a lot of buffing along the edges and may just be more work than one wants to put in for a neutral palette (when there are so many to choose from). It started to fade after seven and a half hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
P.S. — I haven’t received my order from Sephora for the other five palettes. It was supposed to arrive yesterday, but it just says “order processed,” which means it isn’t even transit yet (but should have been, because it was 2-day shipping). It is unlikely I will receive this week. I’m really sorry 🙁
Infinity
PPermanent. $58.00.
Infinity #1
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Infinity #2
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Infinity #3
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Infinity #4
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Infinity #5
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
Hourglass Infinity #1 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #1 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #2 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #2 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #3 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #3 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #4 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #4 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #5 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity #5 Modernist Eyeshadow
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
Hourglass Infinity Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
The ratings are extremely disappointing! Also the colors are not anything exceptional (from what I see in the swatches!) This looked like the perfect neutral eyeshadow palette
It would have been a nice option for someone who wanted a more matte + neutral palette if it performed better!
Totally! I opened these reviews, like little presents! But, alas… the presentation is the most dazzling thing, I suppose! Maybe if you’re a packaging fanatic and you’d just like them as fall backs or keepsakes!
In all honesty, the Naked palettes seem like so much better quality, value and selection when stacked up against these palettes. Frankly, I am really surprised – based on their previous shadows, I truly expected irresistible, high quality products.
At least this one is better, but not good enough. The browns are so pretty, too.
The color choices are nice!
Oh, this isn’t a good sign at all.
I wouldn’t have bought this anyways – I have too many warm-toned neutrals – but now I’m REALLY grateful I didn’t buy any of them. I’m sure there’s a chance that the others could be better performing but still.
Definitely not 🙁
They are pretty, but rather average? Need something more exciting than neutrals! Also, what eye liner are you using under the eye? I am sorry if you answered out already, I didn’t see. Thank you!
I think it was Estee Lauder Emerald Volt 🙂
Another reason I don’t buy from Sephora, it took over two weeks for delivery for free shipping at one time. And you paid for shipping. This is unacceptable.
It’s odd – a shipping label was printed and put on the box, but UPS doesn’t actually have it. I re-ordered last night and did 1-day shipping, and it looks like after I called yesterday afternoon, now the original order is actually IN UPS’ hands.
I think the 1- or 2-shipping starts from when the order is actually “processed”, which can vary with things such as day of the week, time of day the order is placed, if there’s an issue with payment method (ie, systems are down on the cards end), etc… This is yet *another* reason I hate online shopping, LOL!
It was actually marked and they sent a shipping confirmation, but the box was just sitting in a warehouse for 2 days – it wasn’t processing. They had already taken payment, pulled product, packed it, and taped up the box. All my other Sephora orders from this week will arrive before it, plus I’m a flash shipping member, so processing time is just by the day’s cut-off 🙂
So far, so disappointing with the Modernist palettes! Looked so promising from a great brand. I wonder if any of them will be a hit. Fingers crossed for the cooler toned palette!
We shall see 🙂
Again I was expecting more in terms of quality. I think I like the other palette just a tad more.
They’re really comparable in terms of quality… not in a good way, lol.
Bullet dodged! thanks Christine!
No prob, Sonia!
This is really disappointing to see Hourglass products perform so poorly, especially at that price point.
I totally agree, Agata! 🙁
Dang… Oh well, I guess money saved on these can go to the Tom Ford duos for spring! 😀 Still sad to see that something so pretty performs so poorly…
There ya go 😉
THANK YOU for saving me 60$! Your honest opinion is my wallet’s salvation.
No prob, Jennifer!!
2/6 have bad ratings. Maybe, just maybe, the Exposure palette will be decent. But I won’t have my hopes up 🙁
LOL! From your lips to the pans of the Hourglass’ palettes yet to come.
I’m kind of heartbroken over how underwhelming the reviews of these are so far. I’m such a big fan of Hourglass in general, these have such an interesting, beautiful design and their previous formula was so, so good. It’s a shame they discontinued such a great formula and replaced it with such a mediocre one. Very disappointing from Hourglass. I’ve been itching to buy one, but unless one of the other 5 gets a much better review, I can’t justify it.
I just don’t think the Ambient Lighting formula works as well as an eyeshadow 🙁
Thanks for your job, dear!
I’m quite impressed by the fact that a brand like Hourglass, which is well-known for the excellence of its products, made these SO mediocre palettes.
Me too 🙁
Hmm very disappointing again… Also very dupable. Pass!
At least it’s dupable – no regrets!
Exactly haha!
Disappointing :-/ They look beautiful in the pan…
They do!
What a disappointment! I hoped these would be more like the old Hourglass duos. Those are AMAZING!
These are soooo much thinner in comparison.
Yes the duos are great!!
Awwwh, I was hoping that first palette was just a blip 🙁 My biggest eyeshadow pet peeve is when they are super powdery and blend away to nothing.
Weirdly, I like that same thing in the Ambient Lighting powders. I use the less-shimmery shades of those to set my makeup and the powderiness actually works well, and obviously, no “pigment” needs to show up in the same way. Wonder if they used the ingredient mix without really considering that eyeshadows need to bind better? :/
I was, too, Sarah, but no such luck. They very much feel like the Ambient Lighting powders, but like you, that formula doesn’t translate 1-to-1 for a great eyeshadow formula!
This LOOKS beautiful, and I love the way the shadows look, and I love Hourglass products… but $58 for what, 5 shades? And the pigmentation isn’t that spectacular? No, thanks. I’ll pass. Thank you for your honest review!
My pleasure, Jenny!
Ouch! Second or third like comment (from me) this week. Not your favorite set of items this week! I’m a little thrilled as I couldn’t bring myself to buy a palette with the shades side by side like these. But i do like Hourglass.
Sephora should have you on speed ship!!! How annoying that your two day shipping hasn’t shipped after 2 days….
Will you pick up any, Megan?
Probably not. I just bit on Viseart instead and those are pricey. I also think the upcoming Tom Ford shadows look gorgeous. Between those and other damage recently I’m looking for reasons not to buy. And this line isn’t getting the ratings it needs to justify the price. I do like the purple and green ones though…but I will wait until you’ve reviewed them.
Better than the last but still no bueno for the price tag. I don’t doubt your skill hence seeing how unblended #5 makes me cringe at the quality. Here’s to hoping the monochrome rose palette is better (the only one that I’m remotely interested in)
Let’s hope Monochrome is better!
A C+ from Hourglass? So sad. I trust you 100% and I will be passing on these. The concept is so cool and I love eyeshadow but I can’t justify the price for quality like this.
I was so sad about it!
This is so disappointing! There are too many dupes, not just of the individual colors, but of this type of palette in general, to justify buying this at any price!
Especially if it isn’t A-quality!
This is spectacularly bad! It barely even shows up on you. I love the Hourglass products I have, but these shadows are a definite pass for me. Whomp, whomp.
So far, they’re a pass for me too 🙁
My excitement for these palettes is slowly dying 🙁
Same for me 🙁
This is so shocking! I was kind of thinking this would be the next super innovative amazing product on the market! Thank you Christine for the review!
My pleasure, Jennie!
I’m sad to see you didn’t like it. Mine should arrive next week, but I like shadows that aren’t overly pigmented and I don’t mind some fallout. I guess I’ll just wait to see how it looks in person. Thanks for the review!
Do keep us posted on how you like yours, Mahima!
It is such a bummer that these palettes aren’t great. I received mine from Sephora yesterday – I got Color Field. I’m curious to see your take but the lighter brown based shades were really disappointing. I like the two green shades though, which were the reason I splurged on the palette. I’m wearing them right now and they’re lasting pretty well with NARS eyeshadow primer and the pigmentation isn’t bad. The palette isn’t worth the money but I’ll keep it for those two colors, and the size – it is perfect for travel.
Sorry to hear that you’re only 2/5 in love with your palette, Lauren. Happy to hear they’re lasting better over NARS’ primer for you 🙂 But so sad about your experience in general.
Ouch..I was in love with that one! Oh ..Christine I hope you can help me out with some MUFE artist for those olive tones in the dupes.. That is howI have been coping with this loss,lol. Marking down the MUFE dupes..my next purchase is going to be 12 pans! I have it budgeted out of my pay this friday..I am so excited .I couldn’t hold it in any longer,lol.
Here are some of the neutral-yellow-y shades: http://www.temptalia.com/swatch-gallery?sg=171239,171238,171236,171165,171161,171160,171159,171158,171157,171154,171151
Thank you!Thank you! Thank You! Oh man ..choosing that initial 12 is going to be harder than I anticipated! i have a plan to eventually try to get as much of the collection that I feel will suit me over 10-11 mos. Then maybe I won’t feel the need for any more palettes which I am swimming in! And I really do love these shadows.Is there a possible way to just look at all the swatches for just the MUFE artist shadows only?
I can really tell you have worked you butt of on your site. it is just amazing how organized. it’s like an online makeup database in itself. I just am not that technologically advanced to figure it out,lol. Seriously..total props to you! All this hard work and extremely long hours…you are going to reap what you sew in no time,no doubt. 🙂
Here you go, Nicole! 🙂 http://www.temptalia.com/swatch-gallery?brand=Make%20Up%20For%20Ever&type=12712&availability=Permanent&price=$21-$25
We hope to eventually make it a bit easier to look at a single formula, but it’s a ways out (couple months, probably). Best way to do is really just refining – so for these, I refine by MUFE, then powder eyeshadow, permanent status, and $21-25 🙂 Pretty much gets all of them!
Thank you for the link and tips!
ok, so i browsed the grades first and didn’t read the whole review but also have noticed this in recent reviews–some eyeshadows are swatched twice. Is there a reason why? 🙂
It depends, but if it is a cream product, then it’s usually to show what it’s like sheered out. If it’s a powder eyeshadow, then it is usually dry/wet application (Hourglass’ shimmery shades can be used wet or dry). If it’s a blush, then it is normal/sheered out.
At this price-point, I like my eye shadows buttery, smooth, with lots of pigment and little fall-out. Unique colors also help. These are a disappointment so far.
So far, these leave a lot to be desired!
What a shame! Love the Hourglass Ambient Powders and the blushes, but this is a definite skip for me. Too bad, this had so much potential! Thanks for the review!
No prob, Cindy!
It’s absolutely gorgeous. I love the colors!
The colors are pretty!
Wow, this is really disappointing. For $58, all of these shadows should be easy to blend, pigmented, and long lasting, but they aren’t. And applying these to make them “work” sounds really tricky. I think they need to resurrect their old shadow formula.
Yeah, I’m not fond of feeling like I need tricks to make a product work, because there are too many excellent products out there that are easier and more foolproof!
Honestly, while these are beautiful to look at, I am not sure that the price (for the quality and the quantity of shades you get) is worth it. Maybe Hourglass should invest in customizable lighting powder/blush palette…
It’s not worth it for the quality, that’s for sure.
Thank you so much for the review Christine! I must admit I’m kinda glad these palettes are not receiving great reviews.. My pocket appreciates it :p
Sometimes I can save you money! lol!
*Sigh* Another disappointing Hourglass palette. Hopefully there will be one that is good! I had my hopes up for these!
One can only hope!
I would love to see your review on the plum one
Hi Marie!
I ordered the other five, but they’re not here yet!
I agree,I am Vib Rouge..the 3 day shipping seems to have stretched to more like 5 business day lately. Plus, It seems those ” 500 perks” are not so great anymore. I do like the Nordstrom debit program. It comes out of your checking account (usually a few days delay) . So,it’s not a credit card..which would put me in the poor house for life! But you get points for actual gift certificates! I just got $40 in Nordstrom Notes to use. I’m sure I spent like $2000 or more there (not hard to do). But, you can use it store wide and at Nordstrom Rack as well, and I believe Hautelook(not 100% on that) ..Not just cosmetics either.They also have double and triple points days and special events just for doing it. for instance, i have a coupon, for $50 off to set up an appointment with a stylist. So, when I finally break down and buy a new pair of jeans, I’ll call. Just fyi. I do wish Beautylish and Neimans would do some sort of reward programs!
Sephora did that to me my last 3 orders. I was so livid because that last one I was going to Toronto for the holidays and I should have received my order 3 days before I left.
Dunno what the point of being VIB Rouge is if they sit on the orders (processing) for 3 days then ship them out. Terrible. 🙁
It’s odd – a shipping label was printed and put on the box, but UPS doesn’t actually have it. I re-ordered last night and did 1-day shipping, and it looks like after I called yesterday afternoon, now the original order is actually IN UPS’ hands. So it “shipped” but sat around Sephora’s warehouse, lol.
Ordering online from *anywhere* around the Holidays almost guarantees delays. I placed an order with Urban Outfitters during their Cyber Monday sale, and my order hadn’t even been processed for nearly 2 weeks… The order I placed prior, as well as subsequently, both processed & shipped within 48 hours, and I got them within the week.
I had such high hopes for these – they’re getting some abysmal reviews (given their cost).
Me too 🙁
Wow that really isn’t impressive for that price point. Pass on this!
Agreed!
I’m not feeling the need for this at all. My wallet thanks you!
Yay! 🙂
The final look is pretty at least!
Aw, thanks BB!
I’m so glad I saw your review! I was going to jump on this-not because I don’t have dozens of colors that look like it! Lol. I like the packaging, but disappointed in formula. Thank you for saving me time & money on this one.
Glad I could help ya, GK!
Hi Christine. Thank you for your honest review. I just received my palette in Color Field., the green/olive one. It came well-protected with a bubble wrap envelop, and there wasn’t scratch on the case (Thanks god!). I am wearing it now and it’s been a good 3 hours so far. ( I forgot to use a primer tho) I do notice some fallout during application but not uncontrollable, imo. Can’t wait to see your review of that!! xoxo
How did the wear go for the whole day, Fuji? Happy that you are liking it so far!
I started to wear it at around 3 p.m. and last time I checked, it was around 7 p.m. and everything was alright. And when I saw your reply around 11p.m. I checked up again, the pigment got a little “eaten up” around my crease and some pigment got stuck in the crease. I didn’t use a primer under this , and the look after almost 7 hours later makes me feel that the staying power isn’t as good as my MJB Night Owl palette.
Overall I still like the color since I don’t really own any green/olive theme palette. But I might not use it for a all-day-long work look or some intensive event where I don’t have much time for touch-ups.
Jeez, another one to cross off my list! These looked so great and hourglass usually has great shadows!
I know, right? Boo!
I was most interested in the plum toned palette (monochrome? ) but I know better than to think the purple shades will perform the best. :/
Well, plums do perform better than true purples, so maybe…
A very disappointing NEUTRAL palette – with so many neutrals on the market, Hourglass should have been outstanding. It is also a very boring palette, no new colours…. a pass.
Lovely look you did Christine. You worked the shades in really well.
Thanks, Genevieve!
…Well, I have long since zoned out on most neutral palettes, but I will say that the middle shimmery shade is pretty! It’s a shame it didn’t perform to expectations – getting nervous for the green one now!! 😛
Also: now I want chocolate ice cream.
Mmm, ice cream! Better than this palette 😉
The only thing that excites me about this post is your awesome eyeliner in the eyelook!! 😉
LOL! 😉
Wow – I really don’t know what to say about this. The UD LTD palette seems to be a whole lot better than these shadows (at least the first 2). I’m really eager to see how the green one (Colour Fields? Is that the name?) fares and whether it will be a “must have” or not for me (it’s the green one that really appealed to me, just looking at pics on line)
Yep, I think it is called Color Field – I have heard mixed reviews on it so far.
I’m not surprised given the review of the first palette. I honestly don’t know if I should be jumping for joy because I had AT LEAST two of these ( the plum and olive ones) on my must buy list and with a good score,given the sucker I am for well done palettes and the permanent placement in the collection, I would probably want them all! So, Saving me a ton of $ ( that is with if the others follow suit). But, I am pretty disappointed too. These are really unique and in the permanent range. I hope Hourglass pulls them and reformulates and divides the color somehow! Thank you for all the hard work to review these Christine AND your honest opinion!
Here’s hoping that one of the others performs decently, lol! I’m hoping for a B on one!
Still,at this price and from Hourglass,I expect A’s honestly. depending on which one it is and which individual shaded that do well, I MAY consider .If it’s the neutrals in the palette that bump up the grade,eh,pass probably. IIdk..I almost would rather pay $30 more and get 6 all A performing shadows that I know I will love in texture and shade.That’s just how I am . For this price range, a couple of lower performers is just not ok. They should just pull it before they loose their #$$ to returns.
Oh, the sadness. I ordered this one, the purple one (Exposure) and the green one (Color Field) as soon as they were available, then cringed when I read your first review. I totally agree – they’re super powdery. I used Exposure this morning and since I use primer it’s still in place, but it kicked up a lot of powder and fallout. It was blendable but I used three different brushes and they’re not even wipeable for use on another day – they need to be washed already because the powder is so fine and I had to work at it (yes, I know – I should wash them every day). I still like the colors of the ones I chose, but it’s so fragile to swatch and I’m afraid if I drop it it will be completely unrecoverable if it shatters.
I’ll probably at least one of mine when I get the rest, LOL, so maybe I can tell you if it manages to survive at least somewhat of a drop.
Happy to hear that it is wearing well over a primer 🙂
Considering how much hype surrounds this collection, you’d expect it to be much, much better! More money for me then 🙂
lol! True.
I ordered the Field palette from Sephora. It came within 3 days. This palette, too, is disappointing. A lot of fall out. Very powdery. The light colors are too light. The greens are pretty but don’t come out as vividly as in the palette. Only lasted a few hours on. Sadly, it is going back.
Ouch! All bad things to hear about it, Rona. Glad you can return at least!
Oh my goodness! Colour Field is the one I liked the most and had high hopes for. Looks like even this is a disappointment (and I’m getting the feeling that I’ve probably got dupes in MAC, Inglot and MUFE and all better quality too). It would have been nice to have all those shades in one integrated palette of GOOD QUALITY but it looks like that isn’t the case at all.
sounds like we will be able to nominate these for most disappointing products of 2015 🙁
🙁
This doesn’t bode well for the plum and olive palettes that were at the top of my list. Such a shame that these have been disappointing so far.
We can all cross our fingers!
I purchased Infinity from Barneys a few months ago and agree how powdery the consistency is. It’s an okay palette, not wonderful. I received two additional palettes from Sephora yesterday — Obscura and Atmosphere. For my coloring, I didn’t like Atmosphere in person (didn’t even try it on). However, Obscura performed much better than Infinity! I know I will use this a lot, as they are lovely, long-wearing browns. Looking forward to your review of Obscura!
Did you swatch Atmosphere, or did you just look at it and not like the combo, Luisa?
Was Obscura powdery at all or pretty good all-in-all?
I did not like Atmosphere in person, so I did not even touch it. The colors seemed off to me for my coloring. I do like Obscura, however, and it is much better than Infinity. There is little to no excess powderiness when I dip my brush. I love neutrals because they are so wearable and this palette is very classic for daytime. The finishes are a pleasing range of matte to shimmer for me.
The rating is so disappointing.. I would prefer to invest in a LORAC or Urban decay Naked palette than this.. 😛
It looks beautiful in the pan, the whole line is really tempting. I’m glad I read your review first, though. I’m less enthused
yikes .
this was one of the palettes i was willing to splurge on , but i’m so glad i waited for your review .
now i’m worried about how the other palettes will perform .
This is so sad! These look so beautiful sitting in their palettes, and I’m still holding out hope against all evidence that maybe Atmosphere (cool neutrals) and Color Field (olive) will be better — those are the two in addition to Graphite that interest me most — honestly, a palette of cool-toned neutral eyeshadows that come up to Hourglass’s *usual* standards of quality would be a truly *wonderful* and unusual thing, something I would treasure. What could Hourglass have been thinking? They do quite a few things so beautifully well!
I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that Exposure (the one I purchased) performs better. I’m now having to wait two more weeks for it. I ship to a friend who brings it over for me as I’m not in the U.S. She was suppose to visit this weekend but won’t be here for another ten days. Ugh, the anticipation, hehe. 🙂
All style and little substance. It’s a shame because these are really beautifully designed palettes. I have an Hourglass eyeshadow palette (Vol.6) that I think I paid almost $80 CAD for, but the quality is definitely there, too bad it isn’t with these ones!
I saw a bad review before and thought: “no, it can’t be!” But unfortunately, yes, yes it can. Can’t believe these perform so poorly. I wanted them all when I first saw them ;_; At least I get to save a lot of money now ^_^
I was just doing my makeup and realized that the ambient light powder and blush are also extremely powdery. It’s just not an issue for those type of products (my powder is too powdery lol), that’s what lets the powders blend into skin so beautifully. But this texture would be awful for eyeshadow. Wish they would have re-formulated. The palettes are so pretty. Hope they revamp this and re-release