HOURGLASS COSMETICS - What are my must haves from this luxury beauty brand?

Carisa Janes founder and C.E.O. of Hourglass Cosmetics, launched her own vegan and cruelty-free luxury beauty brand at Barneys New York in 2004 at the age of 29, and later sold it to Unilever in 2017.


I had resisted the gorgeous Hourglass AMBIENT LIGHTING EDIT PALETTES for a few years, that was until last year when The Unlocked Edition was launched. With 6 stunning warm toned shades that were right up my street, I can create several complete makeup looks for day and night, it is ideal to travel with, and great for the minimalist amongst us (definitely not me... I could open my own beauty store!).

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Edit Palette - The Unlocked Edition

• 2 x Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder - ‘Soft Light’ (light ivory beige) and ‘Filtered Light’ (tan beige) Finely milled finishing powders with a diffused glow that does not look cakey or settle on dry patches, and produces a natural radiant complexion (similar to how skin looks after a mist has been used) that lasts all day. Hourglass Ambient Lighting finishing powders are my holy grail finishing powders and I use them on clients at every given opportunity, Dim Light, Diffused Light, Mood Light (I love using this as a natural blush on fair clients) and Radiant Light are the shades I reach most for. depending on skin tone and the desired look.

• Ambient Lighting Bronzer - ‘Golden Bronze Light’ (warm golden bronze shimmer).

• 2 x Ambient Lighting Blush - ‘Nude Glow’ (nude peach shimmer) and ‘Mood Flush’ (rose pink satin finish).
• Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder - ‘Champagne Strobe Light’ (champagne shimmer).

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Edit Palette: The Unlocked Edition - Soft Light, Filtered Light, Golden Bronze, Nude Glow, Mood Flush and Champagne Strobe Light

How?

1. Set foundation with a light dusting of your chosen setting powder. The setting powder helps foundation stay on all day, but it can make the complexion look dull and dry.
2. To help bring back a natural glow and luminosity to the complexion, apply Soft Light or Filtered Light with a powder brush, tap off excess before lightly dusting all over the face and eyes.
3. Apply Golden Bronze Light to the hollows of the cheeks, along the sides of the nose, temples of the forehead, the jawline, in the crease of the eyes and lash lines. Alternatively, using a bronzer brush, tap off excess and apply all over the face for an all over warmth.
4. Add Nude Glow or Mood Flush to the apples of the cheeks and across the eye lids if desired.
5. Apply Champagne Strobe Light along the upper cheekbones, center of the forehead, the brow bone, along the bridge of the nose, cupid’s bow, the chin and the inner corners of the eyes. For a strobe effect, use fingertip, a sponge applicator or lightly spritz the brush before applying.

AMBIENT LIGHTING BLUSH are lightweight hybrid blushes that combines Ambient Lighting Powders with blush colours, creating a very natural, soft, multi-dimensional blush shade. These blushes produce a beautiful ethereal look, which is long lasting and gives the skin a gorgeous luminescent lit-within flush. They build well so you can layer until you reach your desired look, and blends effortlessly should you get a bit carried away.

Mood Exposure is a combination of mood lighting finishing powder (a lavender powder that produces a warm natural looking blush for fair skin tones) and a rose blush, which creates a very natural flattering warm shade. Hourglass Mood Exposure is my holy grail blush, perfect for light to medium complexions, giving cheeks a stunning youthful pop of colour... try it and be pleasantly surprised.

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Blush - Mood Exposure

How?
Lightly swirl the entire compact, tap off excess and apply to the apples of the cheeks.


SCATTERED LIGHT GLITTER EYESHADOW are light reflective, semi-loose glitter that is easy to use, applies smooth and sheer, buildable for desired intensity without looking heavy, are long-wearing and looks great day and night. The eyeshadow comes in a lightweight pot making it ideal to travel with, and has a little plastic inner lid that helps keep the shadow compressed in the pot.

Create a beautiful sophisticated sparkle and understated glam for any occasion. Available in 5 beautiful shades: Smoke (cool taupe - I love using this on blue eyes, as it brightens and makes them pop), and Blaze (warm copper) are suitable for most skin tones. Reflect (warm champagne) and Aura (cool pink) are best suited for light to medium skin tones, and Reflect Foil (cool yellow gold) look great on medium to dark skin tones.

HOURGLASS Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow - Reflect

How?

1. Using fingertips lightly apply the glitter eyeshadow gliding it across the eyelid for a smooth glitter sheen. Alternatively, apply with a sponge or silicone applicator for a more precise and controlled application (glitter doesn’t end up everywhere!).
2. If intensity is desired, build with additional layers to achieve a deep pigmented effect.
3. These eyeshadows can be layered on top of other eye shadows to produce a glistening sheen, or applied to the inner corners and lower lash lines of the eyes.
4. Replace clear inner lid, gently pressing down before recapping the lid.

ARCH BROW SCULPTING PENCIL is a mechanical eyebrow pencil that is a combination of powder, pencil and wax, creates naturally looking defined eyebrows effortlessly. This sleek double-ended eyebrow pencil has a brush to groom brows into place and doesn’t need sharpening. Available in 9 shades.

HOURGLASS Brow Sculpting Pencil - Natural Black

How?

1. Twist up slightly until the product reveals itself.
2. Define your brow shape by using the wider edge of pencil to outline your desired brow shape.
3. Use small strokes to fill in any sparse areas to even out your brow.
4. Layer and apply with more pressure to go dark and bold, or use a lighter touch and blend out to soften for a more natural look.
5. Use the eyebrow brush on the other end, to groom and blend brows in place (do this if you have gone a bit heavy handed with the pencil).

NO.28 LIP TREATMENT OIL

HOURGLASS No.28 Lip Treatment Oil

CONFESSION ULTRA SLIM HIGH INTENSITY REFILLABLE LIPSTICK is a creamy richly pigmented opaque colour, that will not feather or smudge, and leaves a satin finish. The stunning sleek gold packaging is the big attraction, with it’s ultra slim well-weighted casing, that feels sturdy and luxurious to hold.

HOURGLASS Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick - If Only, and Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipstick Refill - I Can’t Live Without, I’m Addicted & I’ve Been

I love the refillable concept of being able to change colours by simply pulling and pushing the refill. There is nothing on the outer case to indicate what colour is inside, so I found it better and less confusing to buy the refills in shades I like, and store them upside down with the shade facing up.

HOURGLASS Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick - If Only, and Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipstick Refill - I Can’t Live Without, I’m Addicted & I’ve Been

With so many beautiful shades to choose from, you are likely to find a colour to your skin tone and style. I like half of the 32 shades available:

BEIGE - I'll Never Stop (nude beige),
PINKS - My Favorite (nude pink), I Believe (vivid pink), I Can't Wait (vivid fuchsia), When I'm With You (deep magenta),
ROSE - I've Never (nude rose), I Want (medium rose), If Only (deep rose),
I'm Addicted (terracotta rose), I've Been (deep brown rose),
PLUMS - One Time (aubergine), If I Could (plum),
REDS - I Crave (bright red), My Icon Is (blue red), Secretly (classic red), I Can't Live Without (currant red).


GIRL LIP STYLO is a hybrid of a lipstick and a lip balm which glides colour on smoothly, instantly hydrating and nourishing lips. 20 wearable shades in a turn and twist applicator, does not need sharpening and creates a wash of colour that is buildable for a silky soft finish.

HOURGLASS Girl Lip Stylo - Inventor, Activist, Icon, Idealist, Influencer, Futurist & Peacemaker

The shades I am particularly fond of are:

PINKS - Dreamer (peachy pink), Creator (nude pink) and Explorer (soft pink),
ROSE - Seeker (pinky rose), Activist (nude rose) and Inventor (soft rose),
MAUVES - Futurist (medium nude mauve) and Achiever (deep mauve),
REDS - Lover (vibrant orange red), Innovator (classic red), and Icon (blue red).


How To Apply Lipstick?

1. Prep lips by exfoliating lips 1-2 times a week, and before wearing a matte liquid lipstick as they tend to highlight any dry flaky patches. Gently buff with a wet toothbrush or a lip scrub. Rinse off and pat dry.
2. Apply a lip balm to ensure a nourished base and allow to absorb. I usually do steps 1 & 2 as part of my skincare routine, so by the time I am ready to colour my lips they have had time for the balm to work. Optional, use a lip mask for extra hydration and smoothing effects.
3. Blot lips with using either blotting papers or a single ply of tissue and remove any excess or oil.
4. Use a concealer or foundation close to your skin tone for uneven or dark lips, when wearing a light shade or if a truer colour is desired.
5. Use a lip liner in a shade that closely matches the lipstick, and use the tip to line the lips and use the side of the tip to fill in the lips. I find this method to fill lips in is faster, easier and lips aren’t being dragged, (a great method for sensitive, cosmetically enhanced, or sore lips).
6. Using a lip brush, apply your chosen colour to the centre of the bottom lip and work your way outwards ensuring all edges are reached, before working on the upper lip. Using a brush provides more control and is a necessary step, when opting for bright or bold lip colours.
7. Check in the mirror to make sure there are no smudges or colour outside the lip-lined edges or on teeth. Use a concealer to tidy around the lips or for a more defined look.
8. Place a single ply of tissue on the lips and take a brush with translucent setting powder and gently dust over the lip area. This method ensures any excess lipstick is blotted away that will last longer and turn a silky lipstick to a matte finish.
9. Re-apply colour to add shine and coverage to the lips.