Hourglass Cosmetics Prodigy Lipgloss and Visionaire Eyeshadow Duo

Hourglass is one of the newer brands to hit Sephora and I've been pretty curious about their products. What catches your eye about Hourglass is the really interesting packaging. Their lipgloss comes in a flat tube that is about the size of my cell phone! I'd heard good things about them so I'm really happy to be able to test them out. Here's what I tried:

This is the Prodigy Hyrdating Lip Gloss in Legend and the Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Prism.

Check out that packaging! Have you ever seen anything like it? It's so futuristic looking.

One of the unique features of the Prodigy lipgloss is that it's flat. Here it is on the right- it's actually thinner than the eyeshadow duo. It's flat and thin, perfect for carrying in your pocket without creating a bulge. It's also unique because it has a soft plastic section that holds the gloss and it sits in a solid frame with a cap that snaps off. Can't say I've ever seen anything like it in my life. Here's a closeup:


Note the curved molded applicator. No wand or sponge type applicator, which I like because it seems just a little bit more sanitary. The cap doesn't twist or screw on at all- it just snaps on. In fact, removing the cap feels a little bit like snapping the gloss in half, but that's how you're supposed to remove it- twisting will actually break the tube. I feels wrong at first, doing something that seems like it will break the item, but you get used to it after the first few times. The cap is also so shiny and reflective that you can use it as a mirror. It seems like a lot of thought went into making a completely different type of tube because it's really nothing like any other gloss I own.


And if you think that's cool, take a look at the Visionaire eyeshadow compact!


It has a mirror and contains a brush that is actually useful. Not one of those wimpy plastic-bristled mini brushes like in some eyeshadows. This one is just like a mini version of a full-sized shadow brush, similar to the brushes that come in the MAC holiday shadow palettes.

But what's so cool about this? Check it out:



The mirror will swivel into any position you want! You can turn it completely backwards, you can stand it straight up, lay it flat, anything. Now, I normally apply my makeup in front of a mirror to begin with so it's not terribly useful for me, but I can't say it isn't interesting and innovative. It may be more geared toward people who travel or carry a makeup bag.


Enough about the fascinating packaging, let's talk about what's inside.


Please enlarge these images if you so desire. I keep them huge so you can see the detail close up. The Visionaire eyeshadow duo in Prism contains a smoky grey shimmer on the left and a very pigmented black with rainbow shimmer on the right. It's imprinted with the image of an hourglass- that actually took me a few minutes to figure out. It's the hourglass logo. These shadows are 0.10 oz each (0.20 oz total).


These are the items swatched over bare skin- no primer or anything. Check out that shimmer in the black shadow- it has prismatic qualities to it- it reflects a rainbow of colors when the light hits it just right. At first I thought it was just plain silver microglitter, but then when I saw it in sunlight I was amazed.


The Prodigy Hydrating lipgloss is very nice. While the shade I received, Legend, isn't quite right with my pale cool skintone, I am in love with the formula. Legend is a warm sheer shade with a good amount of shine and no shimmer. They claim that the gloss formula is long-wearing and water resistant, and it really is. It lasts longer than most glosses, even after drinking.

The texture of it is so nice. It's plush and thick and slick feeling without even a hint of stickiness. It's not thin and oily like non-sticky glosses tend to be. It feels so soft. While I am frequently complaining about the prevalence of mineral oil in practically every beauty product, I must admit that it gives lipglosses a really nice texture. The first four ingredients are Polybutene, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil/Paraffinum Liquidum. And, just for thoroughness sake, here's the full ingredients list:

All shades contain:
Polybutene, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil/Paraffinum Liquidum, Octyldodecanol, Silica, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Trihydroxystearin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide May Contain: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Carmine (CI 75470), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 33 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140).

The gloss itself has no perceptible flavor or scent. It barely even smells like gloss. This is a downside for me because I prefer everything to be scented, but I know a lot of people who prefer an unscented gloss.

I would love to try this in a shade that compliments my skintone more because I really enjoy the formula.

As for the Visionaire eyeshadows, they're just as nice.

The texture is so dense and velvety. The packaging describes them as "sheer" but that couldn't be farther from the truth. They're so pigmented you barely have to apply any at all! The black half is quite honestly, the best black shadow I own. The pigment is just amazing and it blends so well without getting streaky or losing intensity. Both the shades apply effortlessly and blend perfectly. They seem to have a bit of a sticky or creamy texture to them that helps them adhere to the lid.

Here's a look I did using the Prism duo:


I used the black in the crease and the grey on the lid over a base of Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

They are a joy to apply. I'm really impressed with the texture and pigmentation.

Despite the amazing pigmentation and formula, there were a couple of issues that I experienced with these.

The black shadow, after blending, loses most of the rainbow shimmer. This is a minor issue as it can be easily remedied by gently patting on a little more shadow after blending. That's what I did when I wore this look. It sticks really well so the shimmer/glitter particles won't fall off all over your face.

The other issue I had was with the grey half. I wore this exact look three times, each time over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and each time I experienced significant fading and creasing on the grey. On two occasions, the grey color was completely gone after about 9 hours while the black still looked freshly applied. This is very puzzling to me. I almost never experience fading and I can't even remember the last time my shadow creased. Is it not compatible with my primer? Is it reacting with my body chemistry? Is it a problem with the shadow itself? Like I mentioned before, the black shadow still looks absolutely pristine and not the least bit faded or creased after the same amount of time. Does anyone have any insight as to why this is happening or have you experienced the same thing?

Here are the ingredients on the eyeshadow:
Dune, Gypsy, Lagoon:
Talc, Zinc Stearate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Nylon-12, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Silica, Lauroyl Lysine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. May Contain: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Carmine (CI 75470), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090:2), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), Black 2 (CI 77266).
Exhibition, Suede, Prism:
Talc, Zinc Stearate, Triethylhexanoin, Boron Nitride, Lauroyl Lysine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. May Contain: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Carmine (CI 75470), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Tin Oxide (CI 77861).

All of this incredible packaging and luxurious formula does come at a cost. This is one of the higher-priced brands I've encountered at Sephora. The Prodigy lipgloss is $26 and the Visionaire Eyeshadow Duo is $38 (!!!). While the formula of the products I used was much nicer than anything I've ever used from other higher-priced brands like Chanel or Dior (whose eyeshadows I'm convinced are made of pure sidewalk chalk), seeing those numbers makes me a little lightheaded. Though, if they sold the black half of the Prism duo as an eyeshadow single for $19, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it, it's that good.

I've only seen Hourglass Cosmetics at Sephora, so I'm not sure where else it's available for purchase.

So, what do you think? Have you used Hourglass before?

(These were sent to me for review.)