Back in May, I was invited to an Hourglass Cosmetics launch in Birmingham to celebrate the new release of the Unreal lipglosses.
I know, I practically squealed when I got the email, and then almost squealed again when I saw that the event was in Birmingham, which meant only an hour on the train rather than 2 and a half to London.
So one rainy Wednesday morning in May, I went to Harvey Nichols in Birmingham where I met the Hourglass team and came away with an Hourglass shopping list as long as my arm.
I was very kindly gifted some products to try, and after using them for the past couple of months, I thought it was time to sit and write a post about whether the high price tags were justified.
Are Hourglass products worth the price tag? Let’s see shall we.
Unreal High Shine Volumizing Lip Gloss
Let’s start with the products that I went to the launch for, the Unreal glosses are so up my street, because as you may know, I do not like a matte lip. I’m all about a gloss so was so excited to hear about these pigmented glosses that come in 18 different shades.
Sold as hydrating, lip plumping (but not in the usual omg why is this burning my lips kind of lip plumping gloss) and not being sticky, they sound a gloss lovers dream come true. And well they are.
I have two shades, one is Enchant a cool toned light pink and Impact, a berry shimmer (which admittedly I haven’t tried yet.) But let me tell you, I have not been far from Enchant over the past few weeks. I’m not usually a pink lip kinda girl, but I have been loving this.
It feels so nice on the lips, definitely isn’t sticky, is pigmented and does give a very slight plump to the lips. I really like it and it is one of my favourite glosses that I’ve tried. You don’t need a lipstick underneath either which I love!
There are some lovely looking nude shades in the line up which I must try next, I’ve got my eye on Sublime and Child.
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
Next we move onto the well hyped veil mineral primer, which I was so excited try!
It has SPF 15, and is supposed to keep your make up on all day, make it non transferable (so none of that getting your make up all over your other half’s clothes!) and keeping everything matte and flawless. It sounds perfect right?
Well, sadly for me, it wasn’t meant to be. Because like many other silicone based primers, this broke me out which I was SO sad about!!
I really liked it though, it made my skin so smooth and made my make up look lovely, but it did break me out *I think* so I’m currently having a bit of a break from it. I may try it again soon to just double check if it does break me out – but I’m convinced it’s this primer so I’m really sad! So if you have acne prone skin/sensitive skin, maybe give this a miss!
Hourglass Mineral Veil Translucent Powder
Next let’s move onto something a bit more positive : the translucent powder of dreams.
The PR girls from Hourglass were really hyping up this powder at the launch and I was thinking ‘how is a powder so special?’ But let me tell you, this is a special powder.
From the moment I first brushed this onto my face, it was like applying a real life Facetune filter and I was like ‘what is this sorcery?’
It mattifys, without being too matte if that makes sense. Airbrushes everything and a little goes a long way.
Is this worth the price tag? 100%.
Hourglass Vanish Foundation Stick
I’ve never really got on with foundation sticks till I tried this one. The buildable foundation creates flawless coverage which isn’t matte but isn’t dewy- which is perfect for my skin.
I tend to put this on then blend with my beauty blender and then go back in to add a little on places which needs a little extra coverage. It doesn’t go cakey, it just applies so nicely and gives you such a flawless base. It works with your skin’s temperature to blend seamlessly – how clever is that?
I set this with the powder and it’s my favourite base combo right now. It also lasted very well in 38 degree heat in Paris last week!
Also the colour that I have is so perfect for my skin tone, it gives me a perfect sun-kissed glow that is so natural that I’ve never achieved with another foundation before! I have the shade Warm Ivory btw. There’s 32 shades to choose from and like the other Hourglass products it’s cruelty free and this as well as the primer and Unreal lipgloss is vegan.
By 2020 Hourglass Cosmetics will be completely vegan which I think is so amazing.
Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara
I feel like I’ve not been able to really try out this mascara properly yet as I’ve had lash extensions since getting it, but when my latest lash extensions fall out, I will be having a break so will be able to try it properly then!
However, I have tried it on my bottom lashes and it does a pretty good job at lengthening and separating them, however I have noticed a lot of product building up in the brush, but I’ll try it on my upper lashes and will report back!
So that’s all the Hourglass products I have tried so far, my stand outs are the translucent powder, Vanish Foundation stick and Unreal lipglosses. Next on my list to try is the Glitter eyeshadow and Ambient Lighting powders.
Hourglass is pricey, but from what I’ve seen from the products so far, some of them are incredible , and I love the focus on being cruelty free and vegan which I think is really cool. You can also tell the high quality of the products and I am definitely a new Hourglass fan (however my bank card is already quivering!)
I’d love to know if you’ve tried anything from Hourglass – what did you think?
*The items above have been gifted to me, but I was under no obligation to post and all my opinions are 100% my own and honest.
