Table of Contents
About Hourglass Cosmetics
Fit for your decadent lifestyle, Hourglass Cosmetics adds an elegant spin to your self-care routine with its voluminous line of certified cruelty-free makeup, as well as skincare products such as cleansers, essences, and sunscreens.
The brand has amassed a considerable fanbase, as evidenced by its eye-popping Instagram following of 1.7M. The healthy amount of media coverage it’s received has surely helped with this: our Hourglass Cosmetics review also found features on the brand in top fashion and beauty publications like Insider, Allure, and Nylon.
Hype aside, do these luxury cosmetics really cut the mustard? Let this Hourglass Cosmetics review give you the skinny with an in-depth look at the brand and its products, as well as customer ratings, promotions, and more to help you decide if this is your kind of glamor.
Overview of Hourglass Cosmetics
Founded in 2004 by Carisa Janes, who continues to serve as brand CEO, Hourglass Cosmetics quickly grew its media profile thanks to celebrity fans such as Angelina Jolie and Madonna. Headquartered in Venice, California, the brand now has 800 stores around the world and continues to stay on the cutting edge of makeup and skincare innovation.
The brand is also committed to ethical practices in its manufacturing, stating that ‘beauty and integrity should be synonymous.’ Many products are made without animal-derived ingredients, and there are also several vegan-friendly products. Hourglass is PETA-certified cruelty-free, and also donates 1% of all profits to the Nonhuman Rights Project.
Before we go further in this Hourglass Cosmetics review, let’s review some of the most prominent pros and cons of the brand.
Pros
- Variety of luxury cosmetics to choose from
- PETA-certified cruelty-free brand
- Many vegan-friendly products and items formulated without animal-derived ingredients
- Donates a portion of their revenue to the Nonhuman Rights Project
- Afterpay available for installment payment option
- Free shipping on orders of $50 and up
Cons
- Pricier than other brands
- Recent media controversy surrounding the brand’s limited range of shades—critics charged that they were only for lighter skin tones
Break out your martini glasses and feather boas—Hourglass Cosmetics is made for the ‘frou-frou’ life. Using innovative formulas to create classic looks, the extensive collection of Hourglass Cosmetics palettes, foundations, cleansers, essences, and more are perfect for all those aspiring Audrey Hepburns and Marilyn Monroes out there.
Below, this Hourglass Cosmetics review highlights some of the brand’s bestselling products so you can get a better idea of what it’s all about.
Hourglass Cosmetics Review
Beauty, class, and elegance—that’s what Hourglass brings to the table. This Hourglass Cosmetics review will go over some of the hottest items in the brand’s collection, from flirtatious mascaras to airbrush-quality foundations.
Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Mineral Primer Review
A painting is only as good as its canvas. Designed to provide a seamless makeup application every time, the Veil Mineral Primer acts as the perfect base for your foundation by blurring fine lines, dark spots, and other imperfections. It also has SPF 15 protection to minimize the effect of environmental stressors.
The best part of this Hourglass Cosmetics primer is that it’s entirely waterproof, which means you can easily tackle those ‘take her swimming on the first date’ occasions. Best paired with the Hourglass Cosmetics foundation, the Veil Mineral Primer is offered in three different sizes and price points:
- Jumbo size (60 ml): $75 (out of stock)
- Full size (30 ml): $54
- Travel size (8.95 ml): $20
Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Airbrush Concealer Review
Wave your magic wand and say bibbidi-bobbidi-bye to those dark circles under the eyes. The Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish concealer is a must-have for those mornings after sleepless nights or wee-hour Netflix binges. Creamy in texture, this top-notch blemish reducer effectively hides fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and other imperfections.
As an added cherry on top, this Hourglass Cosmetics concealer won Refinery29’s Beauty Innovator Award in 2020. Ideally blended with the Hourglass Cosmetics Immaculate liquid powder foundation, the Vanish Airbrush Concealer is available in two sizes:
- Mini (0.04 oz): $15
- Full size (0.20 oz): $34
Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation Review
Cake = delicious, caking = disastrous. Formulated to offer that perfectly airbrushed look, the Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation promises no lumps or bumps. Made for full coverage, it has a lightweight, velvety texture that makes it perfect for blending, and is packed with light-refracting microspheres and coated pigments for a smooth and seamless polish.
Offered in 32 different shades, the Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation is normally $56 but is currently marked down to $34.
Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick Review
Winner of the Best Foundation Award in InStyle’s 2017 reader’s poll, the Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick is a top-seller for a reason. Offered in a convenient twist-tube format, this waterproof formula provides instant, lightweight coverage in a simple swipe.
The long-lasting Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish stick provides over 12 hours of coverage, and the fantastically concentrated pigments will have you shining every minute. Available in 32 skin tones, the Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick is priced at $46.
Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Palette Review
In the mood for some afternoon glow? The Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Palette provides a breathtaking sheen of radiance to your look. Working equally well with full-glam face paint or that coveted “natural” aesthetic, this palette comes in two different versions: one concentrated on soft white light, the other offering warmer, more sun-kissed looks.
The two volumes are composed of the following shades:
Volume I
- Dim Light
- Incandescent Light
- Radiant Light
Volume II
- Soft Light
- Radiant Light
- Golden Bronze Light
For those looking to add more color to their look, we suggest using this with the Hourglass Cosmetics blush pot. And if you’re really into these highlighters, you’ll also love the limited-edition Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Light Edit palette, which pairs three of the shades from these versions with three exciting new shades.
Get everyday luminosity with the Ambient Lighting Palette for a cool $64.
Hourglass Cosmetics Caution Extreme Lash Mascara Review
Danger—the Caution Extreme Lash Mascara is for drama queens and femme fatales only! This lash-amplifying formula plumps and elongates your ‘flirtation devices’ to their maximum thickness and length. And in case there’s a sweet little kitten hiding beneath that fierce exterior of yours, the blend is waterproof, so don’t worry about misting up during tear-jerking movies.
With its 4D amplifier brush, this Hourglass Cosmetics mascara can reach those troublesome areas with ease. Don’t forget to get those bottom lashes as well to add some extra drama! The smudge-proof, jet-black Caution Extreme Lash Mascara can be yours for $29.
Who Is Hourglass Cosmetics For?
If you’re a fan of the finer things in life, Hourglass Cosmetics is your match made in heaven. The brand’s luxurious image in its marketing indicates that it’s targeting a wealthy, cosmopolitan demographic—and the price tags reveal that even more!
But that doesn’t mean that all of Hourglass’ products are behind an exclusive velvet rope. If you think of these products as one-time, treat-yourself luxury purchases rather than everyday essentials, you can take advantage of these celeb-approved formulas too.
Comparison: Hourglass Cosmetics vs. Morphe
Hourglass Cosmetics looks too good to be true, but is that all just a fancy facade? Inquiring minds want to know, so this Hourglass Cosmetics review has decided to help out by stacking its featured brand up against a comparable makeup label, Morphe.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of similarities and differences between the two brands in terms of products, perks, and more. Let’s dive in.
Hourglass Cosmetics:
- Offers a wide assortment of makeup and skincare products
- Considered a luxury brand
- Pricier than other retailers
- All products are cruelty-free and there are several vegan options
- Retail locations around the globe
Morphe
- Considered the “alternate Sephora” of makeup and skincare brands
- Home to several influencer brands such as Madison Beer and Lisa Frank
- All products are cruelty-free and there are several vegan options
- Reasonable prices
- Retail locations in some countries
In our opinion, Morphe takes the cake in this throwdown, as it offers a variety of makeup goodies at a reasonable price. By contrast, Hourglass focuses on luxury formulas, which aren’t as budget-friendly.
On top of that, Morphe is more upfront about its commitment to diversity and inclusivity, which are issues that have created some turbulence for Hourglass. (More on that below.)
Hourglass Cosmetics Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
From its lipsticks to its eyeshadow palettes, there’s no doubt that this brand’s products are on the more expensive end. So the question is: Are they worth your hard-earned cash? In this section, our Hourglass Cosmetics review offers a snapshot of customer feedback to see if we can get some answers.
Surprisingly, the brand website doesn’t have many customer reviews. We don’t mean that they’re intentionally leaving them out—we mean that there are literally only a handful of ratings for most products. (Do rich people consider it gauche to leave comments on a website, we wonder?)
Nevertheless, we’ve include ratings for some select products below so you can see the range of customer responses:
- Ambient Lighting Edit – Sculpture Palette—4.7/5 stars from 10 reviews
- Vanish Airbrush Concealer—3.4/5 stars from 5 reviews
- Veil Mineral Primer—5/5 stars from 4 reviews
Though we can’t draw any grand conclusions from such a small number of reviews, we’ll still point out the obvious fact that customers generally seem to appreciate the brand’s products. The perfect-scoring Veil Mineral Primer was a particular favorite, with one commenter raving that “This is a makeup must-have! I’ve tried so many primers and this one made my makeup stay perfectly on all day long. I almost didn’t want to take it off at night.”
Thankfully, we discovered literally thousands of customer reviews on third-party websites, which means that we can give you a much more complete picture of the brand. Let’s start off at Influenster, where there are 58.4K total reviews of the brand’s products.
From over 10.9K reviews, the Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick pulled in an excellent 4.4/5 stars. Customers loved the long-lasting wear, seamless application, as well as the product’s convenience.
Said one reviewer, “I love this foundation. It melts like butter on my skin and makes my skin looks so flawless. The fact that it’s in a stick form makes me very easy to travel with, especially by plane.”
“This foundation stick is AMAZING, I wasn’t expecting such beautiful application and beautiful coverage. This is a must in my makeup routine, also good for light makeup days and quick touch ups. Love love love,” another Influenster commenter wrote.
At Sephora, the Vanish Airbrush Concealer also gets a lot of love, with 4.3/5 stars based on 1.1K reviews. One commenter stated flatly that this was simply the best concealer on the market.
“Absolutely the best for under eyes! I’ve tried several both high end and drug store brands but always come back to Hourglass as it has the most natural finish that never creases and leaves my under eye area looking soft and young. Can’t go wrong with anything really by Hourglass… just lovely,” this user wrote.
The independent blog Ashley Brooke Designs also wrote a favorable review of Hourglass, particularly recommending the brand’s primers, translucent powders, setting sprays, and concealers. The Madonna-approved Veil Mineral Primer was particularly singled out for praise, with the reviewer saying:
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love the [Veil Mineral Primer]. It’s so good that I’ve even been wearing it without any foundation at all – Just adding a touch of concealer. It really is THAT GOOD.”
Overall, customers say that it excels in terms of product performance.
Is Hourglass Cosmetics Worth It?
It’s no secret that Hourglass is one of the most celebrated cosmetics brands out there, we believe that this brand is definitely worth a try.
In our opinion, Hourglass gets an A+ when it comes to product efficacy. There’s no false advertising here—across the board, its formulas perform as promised.
Hourglass Cosmetics Promotions & Discounts
At the time of writing, there seems to be no Hourglass Cosmetics coupon or Hourglass Cosmetics promo code available. But if you sign up to the Hourglass e-newsletter, you can get advance notice of any upcoming offers.
Where to Buy Hourglass Cosmetics
You can buy the brand’s products directly from hourglasscosmetics.com or at one of the brand’s many brick-and-mortar locations around the world. Hourglass Cosmetics are also available at such retailers as:
- Sephora
- Nordstrom
- Neiman Marcus
- Amazon
- Mecca
- Bloomingdale’s
- Cult Beauty
- Ulta Beauty
FAQ
Who is Hourglass owned by?
Hourglass Cosmetics was formerly owned by the brand’s founder and CEO, Carisa Janes. In 2017, the brand was acquired by Unilever.
Where is Hourglass Cosmetics made?
As the brand’s FAQ page does not include information about where its products are manufactured, we sought out other websites for answers. According to a quote from Hourglass on Ethical Elephant, “Most of our products are manufactured in Italy or the US.”
Is Hourglass Cosmetics vegan and cruelty-free?
Yep! Hourglass Cosmetics is PETA-certified, which means that all their products are cruelty-free. The brand offers several vegan-friendly items as well.
What is Hourglass Cosmetics’ Shipping Policy?
Hourglass Cosmetics offers free standard shipping for US orders that total $50 or more. Deliveries are made via UPS, and you have your choice of the following shipping options:
- Standard: $9 (for orders under $50)
- Three Business Day Select: $16
- Second Business Day Air: $19
- Next Business Day Air: $31
International shipping is via Global-E, with the choice of either Standard or Express delivery. Flat-rate or free shipping may be available depending on your location. The delivery window is typically 5-14 business days.
Once your order has been processed, the brand will send you a tracking number in your confirmation email so that you can follow your package’s progress.
What is Hourglass Cosmetics’ Return Policy?
Hourglass Cosmetics offers a 45-day window for customers to send back orders purchased directly from hourglasscosmetics.com. Note that items in the brand’s Exclusive Offers and Private Sale categories are ineligible for refunds.
To initiate a return, visit the return portal on the brand website. The company will then send you a prepaid UPS label for free return shipping. Returns are processed within 1-2 business days after they are received, and refunds to your original method of payment can take 5-8 business days.
How to Contact Hourglass Cosmetics
If you have questions that were not already addressed in this Hourglass Cosmetics review, you can contact the company via:
- Phone: 855-846-3814
- Email: [email protected]
Didn’t see everything you are looking for in this review? Here are a few other cosmetic options to consider when building your makeup routine:
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