5 AMAZING PRODUCTS FROM HOURGLASS (THAT AREN'T POWDERS)

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Hourglass Cosmetics is famed for its powder products, and with good reason; their blushers and bronzers create a gorgeous, lit-from-within glow and their face powders have an amazing soft-focus effect on the skin. However, they also do some pretty great products outside of that category, and today I'm going to spotlight a few of them...

We'll kick things off with complexion and the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Stick Foundation (Golden Tan) | £45. I have to start by saying I don't think this foundation will be for everyone, but I personally like it a lot for me. You simply swipe it on and the satin-textured product easily transfers to the skin. I tend to start off with a swipe on each cheek, my chin and my forehead, buff it in with a dense foundation brush, and then see where I'd like to build on the coverage. One of the real benefits of this as a base product is that you can sheer it our or build it up, without it looking heavy or cakey. Once applied, it has a glowing-satin finish and a medium (or full, if you build it up) coverage. The colour Golden Tan is more of a summer shade for me, but I can make it work - I chose it because Golden (despite the name!) just didn't have a warm enough undertone for me. I would say it looks good still towards the end of my day, but it's worth noting that it can start to settle into fine lines after several hours of wear. That doesn't bother me particularly, because it's not that noticeable and if I'm heading out after work and want to refresh it, I just apply a little of my compact powder and I'm good to go. However, it's worth mentioning in case that's one of your pet peeves!

In terms of eye products, I'll start with my favourite; the Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow in Foil | £28. This is the perfect product for glam eye look, even when you don't want to put in a load of time and effort! In one swipe, it gives you a gorgeous glittery look that doesn't give off fallout or flake and go all over the place as the night wears on. It's so easy to use and this formula works so well. It also feels like a very grown-up glitter formula, feeling subtle and restrained; kind of like glitter for people who don't like glitter. I have a few of these but my favourite is the warm coppery gold of Foil, which is perfect during the festive season.

Hourglass also make one of my favourite brow pencils and one of my favourite mascaras. The Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil* (Dark Brunette) | £33 | shouldn't work, but somehow it does! It's quite a thick, angled brow pencil but something about the texture and how the colour comes off makes it very easy to control and you can get your brows filled in with minimal effort in a couple of minutes. It also doesn't smudge or fade throughout the day. I also like the shade range and how they get the tone spot-on to make sure it looks natural and realistic. Although it's a pricey option, I get through around two and a half of my Anastasia Brow Wiz pencils in the time it takes me to use up one of these so, in that context, it doesn't seem too unreasonable. Another go-to glam product is the Hourglass Caution Extreme Volume Mascara* | £29 | full review. I've often been wary (or cautious, if you like a pun) of mascaras marketed as being 'volumising' because that often translates to 'clumpy' on me. However, this mascara gives full, long, dark lashes that still look separated and nothing over-the-top. The curl really lasts and this formula doesn't flake on me.

Finally, we'll talk about the lip gloss that made me change my mind about lip gloss! The Hourglass Unreal High Shine Volumising Lip Gloss in Unreal* | £29 | is something I love using to top off warm-toned brown-pink nude lipsticks, though it also has the opacity to work on its own when you're going for a more natural makeup look. It doesn't feel sticky or thick on my lips (my usual reasons for avoiding gloss) and gives a gorgeous, glamourous, super-glossy, dimensional look. Obviously it isn't the longest-lasting lip product in the world, but that comes with the territory! Unreal is a lovely caramel-brown nude colour that really works on me.

Have you tried anything from Hourglass?

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Read more posts from this series here!