Hourglass Prism Eyeshadow Duo Review, Photos, Swatches
Why didn’t you tell me how amazing Hourglass’ Eyeshadows were? I am now!
Hourglass Prism Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo ($38.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a stunning, smoky duo of steel blue with a silver sheen and an intense, deep dark black with flecks of teal and silver running through it. The pigmentation of the two shades is absolutely insane–so vibrant, so smooth. The texture is excellent; smooth, soft, buttery, and easy to blend.
The packaging is kind of a gunmetal silver-brown, very modern and sleek. It’s actually a swiveling compact, which is interesting. I like that the packaging is different and elegant, but I get the feeling that it obviously contributes a bit to the steeper cost of these.
Just to put things in perspective, MAC eyeshadows are $290/oz. and NARS eyeshadow duos at $228/oz. — with Hourglass at$190/oz.
The pricing may be off-putting for some, but if it’s within your budget, I’d urge you to at least give ’em a swatch at your nearest Sephora sometime. They just might impress you as they did me!
I’m quite pleased with the quality and feel of the duo–I really didn’t expect it–and I’d say these are some of the best eyeshadows I’ve tried, from the texture to the pigmentation to the colors themselves. I definitely have to look into some of the other duos and see how those stack up against Prism (totally crossing fingers that they are just as amazing!).
Other duos include: Dune (champagne shimmer/deep olive shimmer), Exhibition (mauve shimmer/eggplant shimmer), Gypsy (peach ivory shimmer/bronze shimmer), Lagoon (seafoam blue shimmer/teal shimmer), and Suede (ivory shimmer/light beige shimmer).
Have you tried Hourglass’ Eyeshadow Duos?
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂
- Product: 30/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 5/5
Recommendation: I can’t believe nobody told me how amazing the texture of Hourglass’ eyeshadows are! Pricey but excellent in every way, Prism is certainly worth a look! (Seriously, did you see that I rate it 30/30 in terms of *quality*?!)
Availability: Sephora
The pigmentation looks awesome!
Wow that’s beautiful!
i love both colors nice to make a smokey eye
wow, an A! always exciting to see those!!! i’ll have to try this out 🙂
Thanks for the review, Christine! Mecca Cosmetica here in Australia has just launched these and amazingly, the price (AU$580/oz) is pretty similar to NARS (AU$557/oz). I might have to give these a try.
stunning! such dense and pigmented colors.
have you ever reviewed cover girl mascara’s?
do you think you could review the new Fushion one? apparently it’s Pat McGrath’s creation and she says its her favorite mascara!
have a beautiful week.
I have reviewed some of them! I will try.
Hourglass cosmetics is really high in quality. I have their mineral primer and it’s the best primer I’ve ever used. I just hate how INSANELY expensive their products are. Seriously, more expensive than Chanel and Dior makeup!
Amazing colours!
I don’t mind the price if it is worth it. 🙂
that blue.. is amazing!
Wow how gorgeous is that black? That is very expensive though, sadly for me 🙁
haha looks like Christine found a new love.
Gorgeous! I haven’t tried the eyeshadows, but I am completely hooked on Hourglass’s Veil Mineral Primer. Seriously, you should give it a go. It out-performs every other primer I’ve tried, regardless of price.
Does it have silicone in it?
Yes, it does … are you a non-silicone primer person? I forget sometimes that silicones are a no-no for some people, because they are usually fine for me!
Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 4.20%, Titanium Dioxide 2.45%. Other Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Polysilicone-11, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Hexyl Laurate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isosterate, Stearic Acid, Alumina.
Yeah, silicones are a no go for me!
What is it in silicone that doesn’t do you well Christine?
It causes breakouts.
oo, I want to try the primer now 🙂
I looooooove Hourglass eyeshadows! I have three of their palettes (most are no longer available, from what I can see), but they are absolutely gorgeous, with some of the most sublime textures and colors. Definitely in my top 5 faves.
I’ve never even heard of this brand before! Pretty sure it’s not available in the UK. Never mind, less temptation for me. 🙂
If you want the temptation, Zuneta.com carries Hourglass
This is worth investigating with a rating like that. How hot is that gunmetal shade? I’m not big on using shimmery black shadows but I’m almost sold. Plus, hourglass lipglosses DO NOT play nicely with my lips so I’m willing to give their shadows a second chance!
Ohh, what do the glosses do to your lips, Alexis?
Wow, thanks for this! I have never looked at their shadows before but certainly will now. What gorgeous swatches!
Does that blue have a mac dupe? So pretty!
Nope… the closest might be Moon’s Reflection.
Definatly worth trying even though it’s expensive. The pigmentation looks amazing!
could you PLEAAAASSSSEEEE do a look on this?
I’ll try!
Is there any way to buy these amazing e/s for me in Italy? WHY many companies I love don’t sell or even ship their products here? 🙁 However, Christine can you please tell me if there is a dupe in MAC for these stunning colors? Thanks!
No real MAC dupe 🙁
I definitely believe Hourglass is an underrated brand. I’ve used their primer and foundation for about 3 years now and although costly, I sure got a lot of compliments on my skin.
wow! loving it
OMGosh! I want it!!! The darker color looks absolutely amazing…WOW!
Ok I had to go try this out in a lonely corner in Sephora today. It was so beautiful I took one home and it looks so great on! awesome! as my wallet cries a bit.
LOL! Wow, that means it WAS inspiring, though 🙂 Glad you are enjoying it!
Oooohh me likes. Were these swatched without primer? How was the fallout with the sparkly shade?
Yep, without a primer, no fallout!
omg…im in love with that black!!
it looks very pigmented
Wow, these are absolutely gorgeous! But my how expensive! But hey, your site keeps opening another tab in my browser (I’m in Chrome if it matters) that takes me to itk.socialspark.com/success.html – it’s really quite annoying. Just thought I’d let you know in case you didn’t 🙂 Good luck with your exams!
Thanks for letting me know, I will let my tech guy know!
The maker of Hourglass started out with Urban Decay, so she knows what she’s doing in terms of pigmentation and packaging! 🙂 I love my Gypsy compact. Try them wet!
Just wondering how you think the darker color in Prism compared to Chanel spring 2011 regard Perle’s dark green and to Kose’s Addicition Neverland. Thanks.
Hi Daisy,
Unfortunately, we don’t have Kose here. Prism is completely different from Chanel’s quad, IMO.
Christine, thanks again for another helpful review. Only after reading it, I tried them at Sephora. I already own Gypsy and Suede and absolutely LOVE them. I am planning to add the entire Visionaire duos to my makeup collection. Amazing texture, great pigmentation, very blendable and the packaging is both luxurious and user-friendly, including the mini brush that actually works (unlike those dreaded sponge applicators).
Hourglass, PLEASE do not discontinue this product!
Any dupes for the steel blue shade? So gorgeous!
None that I know of!
Hi!! It’s really beautiful!!! Someone knows if there is a mac eyeshadow close to this one? Thanks!
These eyeshadows go on like a dream, so smooth.
If you use the technique from Le Metier of Beaute to layer these 2 colours and then the purplish plum from Exhibition Duo ontop, you will see a really gorgeous colour.
I love it for smoky eyes!