Product Review -- Hourglass Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette

I'm a fan of the Hourglass Strobe Lighting Powders, but I've found the highlight they provide is rather subtle.

It works well for everyday when you want a softer glow, though it doesn't give me the bold look that I want sometimes.

So I was intrigued when I heard about the Hourglass Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette, which Hourglass describes as offering the brightest highlight to the skin.

As far as I can tell, the Metallic Strobe Powders are only available in the limited edition palette at the moment, but I would imagine that they'll be released separately at some point.

Review -- Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Monochrome

I was super excited when I heard that Hourglass was coming out with a new line of eyeshadows, the Modernist  Eyeshadow Palettes.

I have one of their old duos and 6-pan palettes, and I enjoy both immensely -- and besides that, I've loved virtually every product I've ever tried from the brand.

It seemed like a safe bet that these new palettes would be fabulous too.

So I stalked the Sephora website for days, waiting for them to make good on their "Coming Soon" promise.

Once the palettes were available for sale, there were about five of the seven shade options that I wanted, but I was good and only ordered one -- Monochrome.

Review -- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes

Last year, I fell in love with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders.

They're kind of a difficult product to describe -- I use them mainly as finishing powders, but depending on the shade that you use, they can also function as highlighters or even light bronzers.

My favorite Ambient Lighting Powder is the Ethereal. It is the perfect fit for my pale skin and just seems to create this amazing soft focus effect on my face that makes my skin look far better than just about any other powder in my collection.

It's a must-have for me now.

So when I heard that Hourglass was coming out with Ambient Lighting Blushes, I knew that I would have to give them a try.

Recent Favorites

It has ages since I last did a favorites post.

I get so caught up in reviewing new products that I sometimes forget that sharing what "older" products I'm loving can be just as helpful.

(I'm going to try not to go so long between favorites posts in the future -- and maybe mix in a few other non-review posts here and there to keep things interesting.)

But since it's been so long since my last Favorites, I'm going to share some things that I've been loving for the past few months or so.  To keep it simple and quick, I'll break them down by category so if you're not interested in a particular type of product, you can just skip over it.

Review -- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders (Ethereal Light, Dim Light, & Luminous Light)

I knew that I would purchase one of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders as soon as I read about them.

A powder designed to capture, diffuse, and soften the light that surrounds your skin?

Yeah, sign me right up.

We all know that lighting can affect the way our skin looks.

I can't tell you how many times I've nearly gasped when I caught a glimpse of myself in the harsh florescent lights of a public bathroom -- why do they always use the most unflattering lights in those things anyway? -- or how many times I've become embarrassingly enamored with my own reflection when I caught a glimpse of myself in oh-so-forgiving candlelight.

Being able to replicate the look of flattering light with a convenient pressed powder that you can take with you everywhere seems a little too good to be true, right?

Hourglass Vol. 6 Neo-Classic Eye Palette

I'm a big fan of Hourglass Cosmetics.

While they don't have as large a line as some other makeup brands, every item that they offer is high quality and high performing.

They're also seriously high cost, though - which means I only treat myself to items from the line every so often. 

A couple months back, I had a gift card for DermStore that was about to expire, and when I went to the site to figure out what I wanted, I was surprised to see that they carry Hourglass products.

Favorite Foundations for Dry Skin

When I was younger, I had seriously oily skin and I was locked in a constant battle to keep my foundation on my face and shine-free.

Then I started using Retin-A (and getting older) and my skin started to get dry.

Not seriously dry, but depending on the season and what skin care treatment I'm using at a given time, I can have flaky patches that look cakey and gross if I don't use the right foundation.

So I've realized that having dry skin is no picnic either.

Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipsticks in Edition and Fresco

I've mentioned before how much I love Hourglass Cosmetics' Femme Rouge Lipsticks.

I listed Grace, a pretty peachy shade, as one of my favorite everyday lipsticks, and Whisper, a gorgeous golden pink, would definitely make that list if I redid it now.

The Femme Rouge formula is wonderfully smooth, creamy and moisturizing, so the lipsticks are a treat to wear.  They also last pretty well on the lips, which is always nice.

April Favorites

Quite a few favorites this month...

 I know that I'm a little early with my monthly favorites list, but I always feel like I should do it when I think of it since I've been having a little problem with forgetfulness lately. 

And April's practically over  - I'm pretty sad to see it go because it's been a pretty good month.  Well, the Mets have played better than expected anyway and makeup wise, there were quite a few products that rocked my world.

It doesn't take much to make me happy.

Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Whisper

Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Whisper

I think that I've made it pretty obvious - like here and here -  that I am a huge, huge fan of Hourglass Cosmetics' Femme Rouge Lipstick formula.

Even though I'd only tried one shade - the wonderfully peachy-nude, Grace - I could see why Hourglass gets away with charging a whopping $30 per lipstick.  Smooth, creamy and completely non-drying, it's like heaven on the lips - and without question, the best lipstick formula I've ever tried.

Brand Spotlight - Hourglass

Hourglass Goodies

I had heard about Hourglass Cosmetics for a while before I actually tried anything in their line.

All the chatter was pretty positive, but the brand is kind of pricey, to my mind anyway, so I was hesitant to buy anything. Then one day, a friend and I were just kind of window-shopping at Sephora. When we passed the Hourglass section, I pointed them out to my friend and told her that I’d heard it was a really nice line. Just at that moment, a sales person came along - as they always seem to – and she talked me into letting her try the Illusion Tinted Moisturizer on me. I had no intention of buying it even as she was applying it, but once I looked in the mirror and saw my friend’s reaction (she insisted the girl try it on her right after!), I was a goner.

Favorite Everyday Lipsticks

The other day, a friend asked me to recommend a MAC lipstick that would work well for everyday. I love when people ask me for advice like that – I love talking about makeup the same way that I love Diet Coke and caramel creams - but it’s also a tough question to answer since your coloring and personal preferences play such a big role in determining what constitutes a good everyday lip color.

But my friend’s question did get me thinking about what my go-to lipsticks for everyday are, MAC or otherwise, and when I looked through the lipstick drawer in my makeup stash, I realized that there was definitely a few shades that got more love than all the others. I was going to try to limit my selections to five shades, but in the end, seven made the cut because I just couldn’t bring myself to cut two.  These are the lipsticks that I turn to when I don’t want to think too much about what I’m wearing or worry about my lip color working with the rest of my makeup.