Hourglass

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3

September 20th, 2017 by Karen 18 Comments

hourglass ambient lighting edit vol 3 top pic — Inspiring wannabe rappers everywhere: the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Vol. 3 ($80)

Hourglass, Hourglass,
Your makeup kicks @ss.
Hourglass, Hourglass,
Face powders lit with all the sass.
Hourglass, Hourglass,
Prepare to drop some major cash!

They say that you should never give up on your dreams…but I don’t think they were referring to me and my dream of becoming M.C. Makeup, because I’m a sh*tty rapper! I might know all the words to most of Lil’ Kim’s songs, but that doesn’t mean they come out in the right order, haha.

This palette, though? — the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3? It IS coming out in the right order, because this is the third year in a row that Hourglass has done a palm-sized travel kit o’ powders for the holidays, and it’s numero three.

I love the first one, Vol. 1, and still use it all the time. The second one, however, I bought but soon returned because, even though I thought it was beautiful, it wasn’t right for my skin tone. It was too light.

Like the first one, Vol. 3 has six pans of face powder that I think will suit more skin tones than ever. It also looks pretty chic in that gorgeous rose gold packaging, but it should…because it’s $80.

hourglass ambient lighting edit vol 3 overhead — Top row, from the left: Finishing Powder in Diffused Light, Strobe Powder in Hypnotic Strobe Light (NEW) and Finishing Powder in Dim Light; Bottom row from the left: Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, Blush in Surreal Halo (NEW) and Blush in Pure Effect (NEW)

Of the six pans, three are re-promotes — Dim Light, Diffused Light and Luminous Bronze Light — and three are NEW! — Surreal Halo and Surreal Halo (which are blushes), and Hypnotic Strobe (a highlighter).

Both Surreal Halo and Pure Effect are darker and more intense than the colors in last year’s palette, which is potentially fantastic news for marvelous medium-toned mavens and darker damsels.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3: the six shades

Dim Light — This subtly luminous peachy beige can set your makeup, and it doubles as a highlighter. It creates that trademark Hourglass Ambient Powder sheen.
I dig this one. I’ve been using it as an all-over face powder and to set concealer.
Diffused Light — This warm pale yellow can set, highlight and conceal redness, but I can’t really work it now because I still have a tan from summer. For now at least, it’s borderline chalky on me.
Lighter lovelies are in luck, and I suspect that it’ll also work better for me as we get closer to winter.
Luminous Bronze Light — This medium tan has golden undertones and creates a subtle golden sheen. I think it works better as a bronzer than a contouring powder, but watch out — if I apply too much of it over large areas on my face, it looks muddy and kinda dirty (especially on my cheeks).
I much prefer Hourglass Radiant Bronze Light, which is warmer and more golden, but this one’s also very pretty if you get the amount right.
Surreal Halo Blush (NEW, exclusive to this palette) — This bright berry is absolutely GORGEOUS and creates a very natural flush. I don’t have anything else quite like it in my Hourglass collection.
I like applying it by doing big sweeps with a large fluffy brush because, for some reason, it looks REALLY good when you cover a lot of skin with it.
Pure Effect Blush (NEW, exclusive to palette) — This bright petal pink is brighter and more intense than the other pink Hourglass blushes out there.
I like layering it on top of Surreal Halo, where I’ll do a small pop of color on the apples of my cheeks. 🙂
Hypnotic Strobe Highlighter (NEW, exclusive to palette) — This shimmering champagne gold is great for subtle highlights.

hourglass ambient lighting edit vol 3 swatches — Swatch out! From the top: Finishing Powder in Diffused Light, Strobe Powder in Hypnotic Strobe Light (NEW), Finishing Powder in Dim Light, Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, Blush in Surreal Halo (NEW) and Blush in Pure Effect (NEW)

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Countdown to National Lipstick Day on July 29th! Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick

July 27th, 2017 by Karen 14 Comments

hourglass confession lipstick review — I love these new Hourglass lipsticks to bits.

Two more days ’til National Lipstick Day!

I must confess… Sometimes when I drink too much coffee, which I did today, I get so hyper that 1) I annoy myself, and 2) my hands get really sweaty, and when my hands get sweaty, I have a hard time opening the Hourglass Confession Lipsticks.

They look so cool, but man! — they’re slick.

hourglass confession lipstick packaging — A bullet you don’t want to dodge…

Shout-out to the person (or peeps) who decided to put these in bullet-shaped packaging, though. Very clever. 🙂 A bullet-shaped case with a lipstick bullet inside? Oh, the symbolism. The layers within layers. That kind of thing gets me every time (it’s the former English major in me).

hourglass confession lipstick refill — Oh, hai!

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Explorer

June 6th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

hourglass explorer girl lip stylo — Praise be to coral lipstick! Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Explorer is errrrrrthang

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

You know when you’re standing in the middle of Sephora, carrying as much as you can possibly carry in your paws, but you see one more coral lipstick that makes your eyes light up, and you think, “Oh, boy, I dunno… I’ve already got too much. Do I really need another coral lipstick??”

GIRL. The answer is yes. The answer is always yes. 🙂

I keep finding myself reaching for Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Explorer on my lady dates lately. It’s a soft pinkish coral. It’s not a super bright orange-y coral, so it doesn’t go into costume/vintage territory…which can be a totally kick-@ss look, for sure, but I have to be in the mood for it.

I think it’s an awesome everyday neutral.

The Girl Lip Stylos are $32 each, so they’re definitely on the expensive side, but if you have dry lips (which I do!), or, if you can’t stand it when your lipstick breaks up or gets patchy or latches on to your flakes, or if you just like easy-to-apply, low-maintenance lipsticks that you can throw on anywhere, even while you’re crossing Market Street in SF, which I totally did last weekend, they’re beyond great!

Creamy and oh, so hydrating, they feel fantastic on my lips (they’re unflavored and unscented, by the way), and they last about three hours.

Oh, and get this: even though I’ve owned Explorer for months and have worn it dozens of times, the pencil tip hasn’t flattened. It’s still pointy! I don’t know what kind of makeup voodoo is at work, but whatever Hourglass did, something is keeping the tip pointy.

hourglass girl lip stylo — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos from the top: Believer, Creator, Explorer, Seeker and Peacemaker

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What I Wore Wednesday, Vol. 12: Sparkly Purple Liner, and Fun With Matte and Dewy Finishes

May 10th, 2017 by Karen 23 Comments

I know I’ve asked this before (oh, 10 or 12 times), but do you like to wear colorful eye makeup? Like, lately? I’ve been pretty adventurous with color lately. More than I’ve been in years. At least two or three. I dunno… I went through a loooong period when all I wanted to wear on my eyes was brown shadow, and that was fun in its own way…but I’ve been liking playing with color again. It’s time.

(I’m wondering, does everyone go through a brown shadow phase at least once in their life?? Hmm…).

Anyway, for the last couple of “What I Wore Wednesdays,” I went full-on colorful, but today… Girl, I just wasn’t in the mood to blend very much (it happens), so I kinda cheated a little with a sparkly purple liner on my lash lines and taupe/bronze/brown lids.

Purple liner, especially bright and sparkly ones like the one I’m wearing (it’s MAC Designer Purple, an amazingly bright and sparkly purple liner that lasts FOREVER on lash lines), gives you a lot of bang for your back in terms of effort. You’ll look like you tried really hard, but ya know, it’s just a purple eyeliner. 🙂

I went “stash shopping” for this look, which is always exciting because it’s like digging for secret beauty booty/pirate treasure for things that haven’t seen the light of day in a while.

I had this picture in my mind of matte lids with sparkly purple liner, dewy skin and matte neutral lips, because I wanted to play with finishes and color, so I grabbed MAC Constructivist Paint Pot (which I used as an eyeshadow base) and the Hourglass Infinity Eyeshadow Palette, which I’ve always considered underrated, and Chanel Malice Blush, because LK and I were talking about it in the comments last week, and I got a hankering to wear it.

Oh, Malice… Reunited and it feels so good!

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New From Hourglass for Summer 2017: The Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes and Two New Shades of Ambient Lighting Bronzer

April 19th, 2017 by Karen 18 Comments

hourglass ambient strobe lighting blush bronzer — There’s a new line of Hourglass single pan blushes for summer and two new shades of Hourglass bronzer (available now online and coming soon to stores)

I think we should start a petition to promote ice cream ? as a legitimate dinner option. Because why not? It’s got protein and…calcium. It’s totally real food.

Thanks, Hourglass, for giving me an ice cream ? craving. All I can see when I look at these new bronzers and blushes from Hourglass is ribbons of caramel in rich chocolate. Mmm…

A new line of Hourglass blushes and two new shades of bronzer

Hourglass has some new things for summer, yay! This is epic news for me because they’re one of my all-time favorite high-end brands. Their products are pricey, but they work amazingly well, and they’re BEAUTIFUL. The brand carries things that you just can’t find anywhere else (like the Ambient Lighting Blushes and their Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Sticks).

Now there’s a new line of super shimmery blushes (although we have seen them in a palette before) called the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes, which are $38 each and available in four shades, and two new $50 shades of Ambient Lighting Bronzer, bringing the new total up to four.

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra (left) and Euphoric Fusion (right)

hourglass iridescent flash brilliant nude strobe lighting blush — Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes in Iridescent Flash (left) and Brilliant Nude (right)

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Speed Is the Name of the Game With Hourglass Voyeur Waterproof Liquid Liner

February 22nd, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

It’s the Murphy’s Law of makeup. Whatever can go wrong with your winged liner, will go wrong with your winged liner, and that little kitten flick you intended to make morphs into a giant jungle cat of a flick extending from the outer corner to almost all the way behind your ear.

That said, it feels a little strange to talk about new $34 Hourglass Voyeur Waterproof Liquid Liner in the context of speed, and speediness, because, you know, “liquid liner” and “speediness” don’t often go together, but they do in the case of this liner. It makes quick work of liquid liner lines.

So, how does it do what it does? I dunno… It’s some kinda Hourglass hocus pocus.

A new addition to the permanent line, it’s a dark, true black liner with a shiny finish and a waterproof formula, and the color doesn’t have any blue or green undertones.

The tip reminds me of Tom Ford’s liner

The long, thin felt tip looks a lot like the tip of my holy grail Tom Ford liner, which is the main reason I was eager to give this liner a try, but it’s not exactly the same. It’s slightly stiffer (the Hourglass tip) and, because of that, the first few lines I drew with it were jagged, thick and, basically, out of control.

The tip took me a little while to figure out.

Use a light touch

Like, the lightest of light touches — we’re talking butterfly kisses. Once you get that down, it’s easy to quickly draw crisp lines with it in just a minute or two.

SO FAST!

And I think that the intensity of the black color lends to its quickness, along with how readily the liquid dispenses from the pen tip. Even that seems faster than usual for liquid liner.

I mean, it doesn’t gush out like a liquid geyser or anything, but if you press too hard… Not good. Your lines will look thick and jagged.

If, on the other hand, you use a light touch with it, it’s easy to get those perfect, opaque crisp lines.

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5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Light, Old-School Shampooing, and the Golden Girls Have a Café

February 10th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

1. Meet me at Rue La Rue Café

As you may or may not know, I am moderately — OK, intensely — obsessed with The Golden Girls.

There are lots of reasons. Like, I dig their naughty humor (even though it went over my head when I was younger), the camaraderie among the women, the fabulous ’80s fashion, and Sophia Petrillo had THE BEST lines.

Well, get your shoulder pads and your shimmery genie pants ready, because a Golden Girls-themed cafe is now open in New York City!

It’s called Rue La Rue (of course it is).

Do you think they serve cheesecake?? (They do.) I want to fly cross country just to have brunch.

Also in breaking Golden Girls news, all seven seasons start streaming on Hulu February 13th.

You’re welcome. 🙂

2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Light

Bronzer!

I love bronzer. Always. 24/7/365. But with all the rain we’ve been having (seriously, it just won’t stop!), my skin hasn’t seen the light of day in…I can’t even remember how long. I look borderline jaundiced. The yellow tones are turned up, and I have zero natural bronzy glow.

hourglass cosmetics summer 2015 — Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Bronze Light

I rediscovered Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Bronze Light last week (I just sort of forgot about it for a while), and it’s giving me life. I’ve been all about that sun-kissed deliciousness.

Funny thing is…when it first came out, I just felt so-so about it. I think it was because I wasn’t using it with the right brush, but the trick, I’ve found, is it to use the biggest, fluffiest face brush you’ve got, one that covers a big area, and lightly pat the product (don’t sweep).

The undertones are warm and delicate, so if you use a face brush with a compact, dense brush head, you run the risk of ending up with orange, shiny stripes. If you apply it with a big, fluffy powder brush, on the other paw, and do a series of light pats on your cheek bones, across the bridge of your nose and around the edges of your face, it warms everything up and bathes your skin in the light of a buttery sunset.

Straight magical.

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The New Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos, Part 2: Yeah, I’m Lovin’ These Lighter Shades

January 16th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

hourglass creator — Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Creator, one of 20 shades in the new $32 Girl Lip Stylo line

How far would you go for the perfect nude lipstick? What would (or wouldn’t) you do? To what ends would you traverse?? Girl, because I know I’d go far! I’d wake up from a dead sleep at the witching hour, and THEN walk several miles, uphill, both ways, IN THE SNOW, to find a perfect nude lipstick.

I’m dedicated to mah nudes! And the one thing I want from them more than any other? — that they play nicely with my lip lines and don’t settle in them.

Well, that and that they don’t make me look half dead… You know what I’m talking about. Those nude lipsticks that wash you out, and make you look like a throwback to Michael Jackson’s Thriller video?

hourglass girl lip stylo part 2 — Batch #2 of the new $32 Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos (here was batch #1)

I’m so happy that this second batch of 10 new Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos — the nudes, pinks, peaches corals and browns — is just as smooth and pigmented as the 10 bolder, brighter colors we looked at the other day. They’re fantastic!

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