HOURGLASS - Luxury Worth The Money

When it comes to choosing a high-end makeup brand, as a woman of color I do my homework because, for decades and decades, we have been intentionally overlooked by beauty companies. 

The biggest challenge has always been in finding a brand that offers a wider variety of foundation color choices and to further challenge the brand, those foundations required the perfect undertones. 

In the past, those companies challenged the cost as being the reason they didn’t try harder to accommodate our community but you would think that with $300 billion of value annually from our community that beauty companies would make an effort but the reality is that they do not and are essentially leaving money, big money, on the table.  

Again — $300 billion is a lot of money. As I learn more about the beauty industry, I have to ask myself what’s important to me beyond price. 

Recently I was introduced to Hourglass beauty products which are vegan and cruelty-free. In making products clean this brand is redefining luxury cosmetics through innovative formulas, cutting-edge performance, and covetable packaging. I was also attracted to their cruelty-free commitment and their stance against animal testing. Further, they donate 1% of annual profits from hourglasscosmetics.com to their partner, the Nonhuman Rights Projects, a U.S. organization that works to secure fundamental rights for animals.

Since 2017, the Unlocked Collection has supported the Nonhuman Rights Project's mission of unlocking the cages of wild animals in captivity. Hourglass donates 5% of annual profits from Unlocked products to the NhRP's efforts of securing fundamental rights for animals.

Continuing its commitment to animal welfare, Hourglass created the industry's first-ever vegan replacement for carmine. Confession Lipstick in Red 0 features a patent-pending vegan ingredient that replaces the industry's go-to red pigment produced from crushed female insects.

With nearly 70,000 female insects used to create one pound of the crimson dye traditionally used in cosmetics, Red 0 is a groundbreaking product that symbolizes our commitment to animal welfare: zero animal byproducts, zero animals harmed.

All this and Hourglass delivers high-end products that work and like many women of color, my hue changes with the season which means I have four different color foundations and Hourglass has a range of 32 shades with solid undertone options.  This is a weightless liquid foundation formula that delivers a 16-hour medium stay with a buildable coverage resulting in a natural, soft glow finish. The key word here is “glow” which is inspired by the iconic Ambient Lighting Collection.

The long-wearing formula is infused with blurring spheres that provide a light-diffusing effect, minimizing the look of imperfections for skin that looks smooth, even, and glowing in any light. The fluid texture is easily blendable which is essential in achieving a flawless second-skin finish for a complexion that looks seamless and lit from within. 

I can’t stress the importance of skin preparation and that includes using a moisturizer and primer. Because of the quality of the Hourglass products you just need a pea-sized amount of foundation placed at the center of the face and then blend outward using the Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush which is designed to reach under the eye with ease. 

Pro make-up artists suggest that you use a small amount at a time to achieve that flawless build coverage. When targeting smaller areas where more coverage is needed, I suggest that you use their Nº 8 Large Concealer Brush or Vanish Seamless Finish Concealer Brush to gently tap into the skin.

The full Ambient Lighting Collection includes an array of finishing powders, blushes, bronzers, and strobe highlighters, as well as the bestselling Ambient Lighting Palettes and limited-edition holiday edits. Utilizing groundbreaking Photoluminescent Technology, the powders capture, diffuse, and soften surrounding light to blur imperfections and refine skin’s appearance. Ambient Soft Glow Foundation is designed to pair seamlessly with the powders for a naturally luminous complexion that appears to radiate from within. 

The Vanish Airbrush Concealer is designed to be long-wearing, crease-proof, and waterproof and hides imperfections with blurring and evening the complexion. In short, it's a game changer.