Hourglass’ sophisticated formulas make achieving an expert finish easy …
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Founded in 2004 by Carisa Janes in LA (and owned by Unilever since 2017), Hourglass is renowned for being a beauty brand to turn to when you want to achieve that elusive “no make-up” make-up look. Beauty editors, models and fashion insiders all rave about how the superior refined formulations make it almost impossible to apply their products badly.
Every element of the collection works to enhance your natural skin without ever looking heavy or cakey. And the silky texture of the foundation and the subtle shades of the blushes, along with the high quality of the brushes, justify the prices. You also only need to use a tiny amount, meaning a little goes a long way, and anything you invest in will last.
Here’s our pick of the Hourglass products that have become essentials in our make-up bags:
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blusher
The shades of the renowned Ambient Lighting Blush feel modern, and feature an innovative combination of multi-dimensional pigments with a soft-focus finish to subtly define cheekbones and add a healthy flush to your skin. The pay-off is exquisite; in just one swipe your make-up is elevated without looking overdone. These blushes are also available in minis, to try them out first before investing in the full size version.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blusher, €47.40, at Cult Beauty.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
The Ambient Lighting Palette is something of a cult beauty product. In addition to the standard shade trios, Hourglass releases limited-edition versions every year which are almost always guaranteed to sell out. Created to be used as finishing powders, these luminous pigments give your skin a lit-from-within glow. Apply them as you would a highlighter, along the upper cheekbones or anywhere on the face you want to add a touch of glow and radiance. These powders use photoluminescent technology to illuminate the skin and never look too shiny or sparkly.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, €72.30, at Cult Beauty.
Hourglass Ambient™ Soft Glow Foundation
This is the ultimate foundation to create a “your skin but better” finish. It is a go-to if you favour a natural make-up look, as it blends in seamlessly to your complexion and uses blurring spheres to diffuse the appearance of any blemishes, fine lines or redness. It also provides blue-light protection and is non-comedogenic.
Hourglass Ambient™ Soft Glow Foundation, €58, at Brown Thomas.
Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow
We adore these eyeshadow singles from Hourglass. While it is hard to choose just one, the shade Smoke is our favourite to create an easy subtle smoky eye in seconds. All you need is a light layer of it across the lids to brighten up the eye area. The finish is less glitter, more refined glimmer with elegance. As with all Hourglass products, they feel lightweight and look luxurious.
Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow, €33, at Brown Thomas.
Hourglass Brushes
Once you’ve used these brushes, it’s a challenge to go back to applying your make-up with any other options: the super-soft bristles distribute products evenly, which making the whole process of applying make-up feel so simple and effortless. We especially appreciate them in the mornings when we’re tight on time. If we had to choose just one, it would be the dual-ended Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Face Brush as it can be used in various different ways; the Hourglass Vegan Brush Collection (€723.20, at Cult Beauty) is also top of our wishlist.
Shop the full Hourglass collection at Brown Thomas and Cult Beauty.
