My first time trying hourglass!
Yep, you read that correctly. I have never tried out hourglass products... until now. How do I even deserve to call myself a beauty blogger I hear you say? Shocking isn't it. They are probably the most blogger-esque beauty products available on the market and I am only trying them out now. In 2018. All I'm saying is, without some serious spoilers for what's ahead - I have been missing out big time. Cult Beauty kindly stocked my beauty stash with my with my first handful of hourglass products and over the last few days I've been trying them all out, aka wearing them every single day since they arrived. Keep scrollin' to find out my thoughts on these goodies with a few swatches thrown in and potentially some photos of the products on my face too... and just a little FYI, in the photos I'm wearing every product I've mentioned in the post except the girl lip stylo (I'm wearing MAC kinda sexy!)
HOURGLASS VANISH SEAMLESS FOUNDATION STICK
I've heard so many good things about the hourglass vanish foundation stick and it's something I wasn't 100% sure about, just because I have personally never used a foundation in the form of a stick before. I'm one of those girls that tends to stick to what I'm comfortable with and for me that has always been liquid foundation. Having said that, if the opportunity arises to test out some new products then I always grab it with both hands, because well, hello I'm a beauty blogger. But jokes aside, I was really intrigued to see what the hype is around this product and I have certainly not been disappointed. I have it in the shade warm ivory for reference. I don't know why I was so scared of foundation sticks before because they are so damn easy to use?! There is none of this pumping foundation onto your hand and making a complete mess of everything, you literally just swipe the stick straight onto your face, grab your beauty blender and you're good to go. What a game changer. I can't believe how easily it blends into my skin too, and how such a little amount goes such a long way. The coverage is amazing too, it's something that you can build on so if you only like a light coverage you can just use a small amount and obviously for a heavier coverage, just use more product. It gives my skin such a natural, flawless look and I have become slightly obsessed to the point where I have forgotten about every other foundation in my drawer. I will admit that the price of it (£42) scares me a little because it's definitely going to hurt to replace it but I really do love it that much that I would pay it in a heartbeat, and that's not something I say lightly. It lasts so well throughout the day and I only get a smidge bit oily with it (I can never go 100% oil free unfortunately) so it's got a big thumbs up from me.
HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDER
I don't have many powders in my collection as it's one of those products that I never feel as if I need to invest in if you know what I mean? Anyway, a product that has been on my lust list for the longest time now is the ambient lighting powder, and I can't believe how wrong I have been. I've heard so many good things about the hourglass powders. How flawless they leave your skin looking, how they hide every pore... I can now confirm that this is so true, I have the shade diffused light which blends seamlessly into my skin and sets my foundation, leaving me looking imperfection free. The best thing about it is that it sets my base and mattifies everything yet the idea is that it gives your skin a beautiful glow and it really does. It just ticks all of the boxes as I can now set my makeup but much more naturally and my skin still looks glowy and healthy. It instantly brightens up my complexion and it's so finely milled and lightweight that it just sinks into my skin. I think you can just use these as highlighters depending on which shade you get, but I find that diffused light works like a dream as an all over powder to set my base. It's incredible how as soon as I apply it, my skin instantly looks blurred. I've seen primers do this to my skin once they've sank into my pores but it's crazy that a powder brushed over the top of my foundation can do it too! I honestly don't know how I've lived without this powder in my life, it's now an absolute staple.
HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING BRONZER
I've always been a bit sceptical about the hourglass bronzers - I'm usually one for a matte bronzer and I thought that these would make my cheeks super shiny, not that I'd ever actually tried them out! I have the shade luminous bronze light and I couldn't have been more wrong about them to be honest, yeah they have a glow to them as that's the aim of hourglass products but again, it's like a beautiful healthy glow to the skin, not a disco ball running across your cheek. I have to mention something I find amazing about the hourglass bronzers and blushes though - I always thought the marble effect in them was just over the top and disappeared once you started using it but it literally runs all the way through the pan. It doesn't matter how much you swirl your brush in the pan, the same perfect marble look stays firmly in place. Is it just me that finds that incredible?! Anyway, I've been using this bronzer every day since it arrived and I am just crazily obsessed. It looks very sheer in the swatch on my arm but as you can see from the images of my little old face in this post - it gives my skin the most gorgeous warmth. It's a lot more pigmented than it swatches and it's also buildable, so if you don't like much bronzer then this would work just as well as it would for someone who loves a good flush of colour. I stopped contouring a while ago so bronzer is all I use to give my face some definition and this one fits the bill perfectly whilst leaving my skin all glowy and lush. It's a babe. Also if you don't want to commit to a regular size, and want to purchase a travel size version like the one that I've got (they are so cute) for half the price, you can find it here.
HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING BLUSH
I never wear much blush but it's a product in my routine that I just can't go without. I hate bold blushes and always opt for ones that give me a subtle flush of colour to the cheeks, but I feel like I just look odd without that little bit of colour you know? Anyway I was super excited to try out the hourglass blushes, I've heard nothing but good things and I love a blush that gives me that bit of colour and glow at the same time - killing two birds with one stone! I have the ambient lighting blush in the shade diffused heat which is a lot more subtle than I expected it to be, but for me that's a good thing. It has a very natural colouring to it which I love - and again, like the other hourglass products, it's buildable depending on what sort of look you want to go for. For someone like me who loves a subtle flush of colour, it's just so perfect. I love the healthy glow it gives to the tops of my cheekbones and most days I just go without highlighter because this paired with the bronzer gives me all the glow I need for a natural everyday look. I'm dying to add more hourglass blushes to my collection now because I've had a taste of just how beautiful they really are!
HOURGLASS GIRL LIP STYLO
Admittedly, before receiving the girl lip stylo, I hadn't heard that much about them! I have the shade activist which is a beautiful dark pink - very similar to CT pillow talk. I already know that I get on really well with lip crayons as I love the ones from NARS so I had a feeling that I would love this one too - and I do! The formula isn't matte, but it's super creamy and easy to apply, leaving your lips with a sheen throughout the day. It doesn't last well throughout eating as most non-matte lip products don't, but it's one of those lipsticks that you can apply without even looking so it's very little effort to re-apply. I've had super dry lips lately so a product like this is exactly what I need, it's so hydrating which means I'm able to keep wearing lipstick without having shrivelled up lips by the end of the day! I'm actually really loving lip products that have a dewy look to them at the moment, it makes a nice change from a matte lipstick and I think they look so much better during the summer months.
So those are my first impressions of my first time using hourglass, I think it's obvious from this post that I am clearly impressed with the brand and I can't wait to start adding more goodies to my stash! Hourglass is actually Cult Beauty's brand of the month this month and you can get free worldwide shipping all month - so get shopping below! Do you have a favourite hourglass product?
This post contains PR samples.
