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Introduction to Hourglass
Introduction to Hourglass
I’m new to this brand. Where should I start?
Finishing Powders
Highlighters
Blushes
A Few Notes | When I reviewed the brand’s eyeshadow palettes, it seemed that the majority of readers had similar issues of sheerer, more powdery product, but there are still some who like them. That being said, if you like really sheer, silky eyeshadows, you may enjoy the Hourglass formula. Hourglass also makes some nice brushes and base products, like their Veil Mineral No. 28 Primers. Their Lip Oil is also a fantastic lip treatment if you have very dry lips.
What would you recommend to someone just trying Hourglass for the first time?
WHERE TO BUY
SEPHORA NEIMAN MARCUS NORDSTROM BERGDORF GOODMAN SPACENK
I’ve been wanting to try an hourglass blush for a while, but I’m so torn between Dim Light, Mood Exposure and Diffused Heat!
Those are tough to choose between!
I’d recommend Hourglass Immaculate foundation for anyone with oily skin. I also love my ambient lighting palette.
Thanks for the rec, Andrea!
Love Hourglass! (except their eyeshadows). Dim Light is the absolute best setting/finishing powder for my complexion (between fair and light; cool undertones). Diffused is great for setting my undereye concealer or if I’m trying to tone down a very red face. Radiant Light actually works as a bronzer for me. Ethereal Glow is probably my all-time favorite blush; for my complexion, it’s easy and foolproof. Have not purchased one of the Strobe powders yet; still using the Incandescent Light from my original Ambient Lighting powder palette as a highlighter.
Love the primers; I use Mineral Veil most of the year, No. 28 in late fall/winter, when my skin gets dehydrated.
Love their brushes. Use the No. 2 foundation/blush brush daily for applying and blending blush, and it has some serious competition in my collection from MUFE and Wayne Goss blushes.
Love the lipstick in Fever, a bright pink.
The saddest part is that they used to have one of the best eyeshadow formulas! 🙁
Oh gosh, YES! I have the Dune duo and it is so fabulous. I had been planning on getting Gypsy or Suede and then, suddenly, they were GONE. Their new palettes are not even close in quality (though Colourfield is the best of the bunch, from my experience). The old ones were pricey for duos but so worth it; the newer ones are just pricey..
And so much worse! I just don’t know why they went for something so, so, so powdery/dusty/soft? They have a great FEEL in a way, but they under-perform so much!
I so much wish I had purchased the blue duo while it was still available! Hard to understand now why I didn’t…
This one is a very helpful compilation. I have been wishing to get a few Hourglass products for quite sometime now.
Being a blusher and highlighter addict, I might want to start with those first. If I rightly recall, they had come up with a six color cheek palette. Was it a limited edition, if you recall, please?
Yes, it was LE!
It was both LE and a total rip off. Thanks to Christine’s calculations, we all learned that even based on Hourglass’s rather high price point, we were getting about half the value/product that we were paying for (something like $45 worth of product for $80….and it was even worse here in Canada). I don’t mind paying high prices for products but I really resent being cheated of value as Hourglass did with that palette. I’ve actually not purchased a single Hourglass product since that information came out.
Oh my! That’s a total rip off for sure. I completely agree with you. I wouldn’t mind paying for something, but I don’t want to be cheated of course.
Shall pick up single pans then.
Thank you so much Mariella.
Xoxo
Love Hourglass, all their powders are aaaaammaaaazzing. I’ve been using Hourglass arch brow sculpting pencil in dark brunette for almost a year and recently purchased it in taupe. The taupe shade looks a bit more natural but I prefer it in dark brunette since I feel like I only need like 3-5 strokes to fill in each brow (thick full brows here, just fill me in very lightly) the brush at the end is also great since it softens the intensity if you over apply. I seriously don’t see myself using anything else BUTTTTTT I am curious about Surratt’s brow pencil and Tom Ford’s 😛
Oh and Ps – I use the no 2 brush to apply liquid or powder/mineral foundation, bronzer and blush all in one-go, I love it.
Happy to hear that their Brow pencil is so good, Gilbert! 🙂
IMO, if you like a more natural, subtle look, Hourglass has some of the best finishing powders, highlighters, and blushes in the market. Since they are pricey, a value kit with different shades is usually the best way to go, although the last one (the Ambient Edit) hasn’t been all that great on value, but with cash back and Sephora sale, it might be worth it. Just a heads up, I have Diffused Light, and unlike the other colors, there’s hardly any shimmer in it, but it’s still a nice, sheer powder. And I like their Mineral Veil primer, nice during the summer, as it has supplemental SPF and is very lightweight, as my face really hates heavy silicone primers. And unless you like your shadows sheer and powdery, stay away from the Hourglass shadow palettes, those need to be recalled.
Thank you so much for sharing your recs, Katherine! 🙂
You know, I still don’t own anything from hourglass. I will probably try an Ambient Lighting Powder someday.
I’m so surprised!
I have only limited experience with Hourglass, but I absolutely love their Mineral Veil Primer. And I know that I will eventually get the Ambient Lighting Palette trio. Also, having seen Muse lipgloss, I’m sold! Helps that it is also the name of one of my numerous uno favorite bands I listen to: Muse.
*numero , damn autocorrect!!!
That primer is amazing! I also love the serum primer.
I’ve recommend the blushes to anyone new to the brand. The blushes give color and show off the Ambient Lighting product.
Great rec, Tracey!
I’d definitely tell people to go with the face powders/ highlighters/ blushes ahead of anything else and then to try the base.
I’d also probably caution them that subtlety is one of the brand’s hallmarks, so they shouldn’t be expecting anything drastic.
That’s a good point — it is a subtler brand!
Having looked at your swatches, I don’t think there is anything much here I really like. Hourglass is an expensive brand overall and I would look at your dupes. Sorry Hourglass!
Money saved!
When my ban is over I think I must try some Hourglass.
They are worth checking out 🙂
While the Hourglass powders took me a while to warm up to (almost a year!), they are some of my favorite highlighters now. Very daytime/office appropriate.
I would also recommend Radiant Magenta blush, I love that is has a gorgeous golden sheen! Oooh, and the Archbrow Sculpting Pencil – it is my no fuss, everyday brow pencil! 😀
Thank goodness they finally won you over, since they aren’t inexpensive!
I recommend (for those with more oily-oily/combo skin) the Immaculate liquid powder foundation for a long lasting wear. I find most powders break me out so this sets to a beautiful haha skin-satin finish that just blew me away the first time I saw it. It also kept me less shiny at the end of the day and those with an oily t-zone, you would definitely appreciate it.
**warning: I found it to oxidize a little. I would go maybe one shade lighter if possible and Sephora always does a nice sample in that regards.
Dim Infusion blush is also a nice one. 😀
Thanks for the tip about the oxidization!
I do like their Ambient Light powders but they’re by no means unique or “must haves” (and since getting WnW Reserve Your Cabana, I’m almost shocked by how similar it is, for $5!). Time was, I’d have said for sure the Mineral Veil Primer, but then Cover FX came out with a primer with a higher SPF and a lower price tag that was every bit as good though that is now discontinued 🙁 I liked their stick concealer when I first got it but it went “off” (got very dry and developed a bad smell) within something like 3 months and NO ONE could possibly finish off something like that in 3 months!
Oh no! 🙁 So sad that the CoverFX “dupe” is already discontinued!
Always felt somewhat out of the loop, with the Ambient adoration. Got the first trio; don’t use it much. Pulls very yellow, not warm or gold, but sallow on me. Add a pinky coral lip, and it’s the jaundice ward. Hardly flattering. Do love Mood Exposure. Liq lips are pretty statement, if you prime, so as not to dry out. Icon is a classic, that comes up in Sephora deluxe samples fairly often.
Icon is gorgeous!
Love, love, LOVE my Ambient Lighting and Ambient Lighting Blush palettes. Not only do they give an incredibly natural but polished glow/flush, but my brush picks up just enough product with almost zero fall-out from the pan; i.e. very little waste of product, so the palettes will last you a very long time. I really appreciate that aspect because it’s not an inexpensive item.
For anyone wanting to try several different shades, I’d assume that the company will put out another palette around the holidays, like they have in past years. That’s when I got both of mine.
Here’s hoping they do another one! Perhaps less expensive/better value than last year’s, lol!
I used to own Imagine and my sister jacked it. I’d throw up their bases, mascaras, brow products, and palettes too. Honestly, all of their products have been quality. I just find everything they do sans blush runs a bit warm. I miss their old palettes for eyes though and the duos. I should have put those up for the DC question!
I have the palette of 3 and the finish these powders have is STUNNING!!! I really want to use Dim light as an overall finishing powder but it’s actually a smidge dark on my pale complexion (NC15)….I wonder if anyone has luck with Ethereal powder for an overall finishing powder or if it’s too pale?
No one ever talks about it but I love love LOVE the Hourglass film noir mascara, it’s an absolute HG product for me. The formula is great, not dry but not too wet, and it looks like you’re wearing lighter falsies on.