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.
That’s a sexy looking lipstick bullet, if it can be described that way! Based on your description (stickiness) I’m not sure if I would like this. Hourglass is definitely a brand I want to venture more into – funny, I thought this was a French brand!
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It does have a Euro feel, doesn’t it? Carisa Janes, the woman who founded the brand, worked in the beauty industry for a long time before launching Hourglass. Apparently, she started working at Urban Decay back in the day! There’s an interview with her here: http://www.elle.com/beauty/g8292/carisa-janes-hourglass-cosmetics/
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Oh thanks for the link! I like stories like that – someone having the guts to strike it out on their own. One Hourglass item I really want to get my paws on is their eye shadow duo. I’m worried they’re going to discontinue them in favourite of baked eye shadows, judging from the way the line is heading…
http://www.hourglasscosmetics.com/makeup/eyes/eye-shadow-duo
(I want Dune!)
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Ooh, that looks pretty. I hadn’t seen those before!
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I first spied them on Temptalia’s blog years ago and they’ve been on my wish list for a long time.
Quo has a quad that uses that same packaging as the HG, with the swivel mirror, and they’re quite good quality too!
http://www1.shoppersdrugmart.ca/en/Beauty/Makeup/Eye-Shadows/details/057800824701
(pic on the site sucks, doesn’t showcase the packaging very well) I almost included in my top pre-made eye shadow palettes.
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Beautiful color
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ITA 🙂
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that colour is just divine! Love your blog would be great if you could check mine out!xxx
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It’s a great color! Thank you – I will check out your blog right now. 🙂
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Thank you lovely xxx
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I love the Hourglass lipsticks but am allergic to one of the ingredients. So sad! And Fawn is such an awesome shade too.
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Oh no! That is a shame! At least there are plenty of other pretty lipsticks to go around 🙂
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I never tried Hourglass lippies! Sorry to hear about your hangnail! Those are the worst.
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Aw thanks. It’s almost all better now. I’m such a baby when it comes to hangnails, haha.
I hope you’ll get to try the Hourglass lipsticks sometime!
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