I’m going to spend the rest of the week reviewing some of my lipsticks, because I stupidly ripped off a miniscule hangnail on my swatching hand, and have no desire to get nail polish remover in there! (I might post a few nail polish swatches I’ve already made but not yet posted, though.)

So, my newest favorite everyday lipstick is by Hourglass Cosmetics, an American brand launched in 2004. It was first sold exclusively at Barneys, but the brand is now available through many channels; I got my lipstick at Sephora in Canada. Hourglass is probably best known for their Ambient Lighting Powders (I have yet to try out the Diffused powder I got last Christmas), but I am so pleased with the Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick in Fawn.

Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipsticks are slightly eco-friendly because they are refillable! I don’t really use up lipsticks that quickly, so I doubt I’ll ever be able to take advantage of this, but I think it’s a nice touch and some other luxury brands with fancy lipstick cases should follow their lead.

The tube itself has a solid heft to it and is dark brown metal with an awesome oil-slicked kind of finish to it. It looks very sleek and modern.

Fawn is described by Hourglass as a “burnt sienna”. On me, it’s a midtoned coral that doesn’t lean too orange or too pink. The “burnt” part of the description, to me, suggests a browned shade, but I find Fawn to be quite a clear color and not overly browned.

The formula is a cream with a pretty gloss to it. It’s semi-sheer and buildable to full opacity. The swatch shows about 3–4 swipes. This is as dummy-proof a lipstick as it gets, for me!

Longevity was not bad at all, considering the lustrous nature of the lipstick and its reasonably hydrating formula. My lipstick stayed on for about 6–7 hours (that’s through dinner, too), and my lips actually felt moisturized by the end. No peelies!

It’s not entirely weightless on the lips, like the company claims, and it does have a slight stickiness, but overall I like the feel of this lipstick very much: very soft and lightly creamy. I feel like the slight stickiness helps it stay on better and act more like a lip balm.

The lipstick does have a vanilla scent (a little more cloying than MAC’s) but no taste that I could discern.

Also, this is a minor complaint, but I do not like the squared-off tip of the lipstick bullet. It makes application from the tube unnecessarily tricky. The hourglass imprint is cool, though.

Third minor quibble: my tube also came with a less than perfect-looking tip—not used, just uneven and a bit sloppy looking—which I found to be disappointing in a lipstick in this price range.

Despite the last few concerns, I really liked this lipstick and would buy it again! I’ll definitely have to check out more shades.

Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick is US$30 / CA$35 and 0.12 oz / 3.5 g. The lipstick refill cartridges are US$24 / CA$28. The lipstick is made in the USA. The brand is cruelty-free.

Hourglass Cosmetics has its flagship store in Venice, CA, USA.