I was sent a few products from the Hourglass range to review. The range is currently only available in the UK on the Zuneta website - also home to Rouge Bunny Rouge. Given that this brand is a favourite of the likes of Angelina Jolie, I was more than happy to give them a whirl...
I was sent;
Visionaire eyeshadow duo in "Prism"
ExtremeSheen lipgloss in "Imagine"
Calligraphy liquid eye liner in "Ebony"
Superficial Lash mascara in "Carbon"
Calligraphy Liquid EyeLiner in "Ebony"
This is a "felt tip" style liner - you get o.8g of product for £23. It is also available in "Indigo" and "Cognac"
The texture of the liner feels very "wet", and if your eyelids are less than smooth then this results in feathering. The product claims to be waterproof, however I found it washed off very easily with water alone... It is also not the deepest black I have ever seen in a liner of this type - and in addition to this, the tip of the liner is very thick, so if you like a precise thin line, then this may not work well for you.
Whilst I would happily recommend the RBR liquid liners, even at a cost of £27, I'm not sure I can say the same for this liner - while the applicator of the RBR liner and the product itself have enough "wow factor" to justify their price tag, sadly this one does not. Its not a bad product, I just can't say its amazing enough to pay over £20 for.
Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in "Prism"
These shadow duo's are available in six colourways - I was sent "Prism", a blue duo consisting of a metallic blue shade on the left (which is slightly more gray toned than the picture shows) and dark blue-black shade with blue shimmer, on the right. The compact comes with an applicator brush (marginally more useful than a sponge applicator...) and a mirror in the inside of the lid. The lid is actually an interesting feature as it has a central pivot and rotates - like this;
The rotating mirror is a very nice feature, however I am slightly unsure as to what function this has...
The duos cost £28, and you get 2x3g of product. They are formulated without sulphates, fragrances or phthalates. They can be used wet or dry.
Texture wise I'd say these are similar to Shu Uemura powder shadows. They area little less "buttery" in texture than RBR shadows, although they lie in the same price range (an RBR duo actually comes in at £27).
I found them easy to work with/blend. I used the shadows (together with the liner and mascara, and UDPP as a primer) to create this look;
The darker shade in particular is extremely well pigmented, while the paler shade is slightly less so. The two shades work well together however. Overall I liked these, however I'm not sure that the price point is not a little high. They also wore well without creasing. The packaging of the entire range is stunning, and this is especially true of the eyeshadows.
Superficial Lash Mascara in "Carbon"
This mascara is available in "Carbon" and "Sepia", and costs £19 for 8g. It clams to lengthen and volumise without clumping, creating dramatic lashes.
I really really like this mascara - the brush reminds me of the Estee Lauder brushes - very tightly packed bristles arranged in a conical wand shape;
This enables you to reach really small lashes in the corners and on the lower lashline, ensuring every lash gets a coating, and the fact that the brush is quite small means you are less likely to end up with splodges on the eyelids or below the lower lashes (a problem I have ALL the time!). The formula of the mascara is very good too - not too thick, not too thin, so it dries fast enough not to run if you sneeze a couple of minutes after application, but slow enough that you can build up your coats.
For me, this mascara created longer thicker lashes without clumping. It will not give "false lash drag queen style" lashes, but rather a dramatic but natural look. I found it wore well too, without the dreaded weighed down "droopy lashes" a few hours after application. I found two coats gave great results, and I feel £19 is an acceptable price for this product.
Extreme Sheen lipgloss in "Imagine"
This gloss is available in 9 shades, which all appear to be very wearable. It costs £21 for 3.6 g of product
As you can see, this comes with a brush applicator - personally I prefer these slightly to the doe foot applictors, which seem to be the norm with most brands. The gloss claims to be water resistant, meaning that you should be able to lick your lips etc without it fading.
The gloss has a pleasant scent - kind of a vanilla/cake scent, which personally I like, however some people I realise are less tolerant of this, hence the mention.
As for the water resistant claims, I would not really say that this is much more durable than most other glosses. It is a lot less sticky than some other glosses that I have tried, and feels light and comfortable on the lips. I always take claims of long wearing glosses with a pinch of salt, as the term is an oxymoron - glosses by nature are not long wearing. The bottom line is, it feels comfortable to wear.
Colourwise, the shade I was sent is a pretty peach shade with extremely fine gold shimmer running through it, which gives a nice glaze effect;
Overall a nice gloss, and I loved the glaze effect...
The disappointment of the eyeliner pen has not put me off the range - I have heard great things about the primers, and there are a couple of other shades I like the look of...
Have you tried anything from the range yet? How did you find it?
MizzWorthy xxx
