Hourglass Foundation Review — Immaculate Liquid Powder

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Today we are venturing into the world of Hourglass foundation. The Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation to be exact.

With most products, I know within the first use whether I like it or not. But with this one, it is so multifaceted that it took me a several trials and errors to figure out how the product works and how to use it.

Now that I finally have all that sorted out, I am ready to share the findings of my very long experiment. Keep reading to learn all about this interesting Hourglass foundation, and if it may be right for you!

 

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, the basics

Price & Availability

Let’s just start with the price. This 1 oz. bottle of foundation costs $55.00. Yes, you read that right. The product is pricy.

I purchased mine at Sephora, but it can also be found at www.hourglasscosmetics.com. (In case you were wondering, Ulta does not carry Hourglass products as the time of this post.)

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation >> Purchase at Sephora

Product claims

The Hourglass Foundation makes four major claims. (From Sephora website):

a) Absorb oil– “exceptional oil absorption – absorbing 75 percent of its weight in sebum while retaining the skin’s natural moisture.”

b) “Transforms instantly from liquid to powder creating an all-day finish … eliminate(s) the need for powder, blotting or constant touch-ups.”

c) “never looks dull, flat, … cakey, or mask like”

d) “camouflages imperfections” and provides “unsurpassed coverage”

Those are some serious claims. Basically, Hourglass is positioning this foundation as a miracle product that will control your oil so you can look flawlessly radiant all day with no effort. If this turns out to be true, I’ll be pinching myself to see if it’s a dream.

This is pretty much what every oily-skinned person dreams for in a foundation. Unfortunately, this miracle combo is very difficult to find. Based on my tests, I don’t think the Hourglass Immaculate Foundation makes the cut as the ideal foundation. Let’s talk about why.

How it applies on my skin

The instructions for the hourglass foundation recommend using your fingers or the dedicated Hourglass foundation brush to apply. Using a sponge applicator, such as a Beauty Blender, is not recommended. I assume the reason why sponge application is not recommended is because the moisture from the sponge (assuming you are working with a Beauty Blender or similar,) will cause the foundation to cake up once it starts transforming into a powder.

To test my theory, I applied a swatch on my arm this way and attempted to build coverage. I got about the same result that I did when I just applied it with my fingers. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “That’s good right? I can use a sponge?” Um, well, I didn’t say the result was great, I just said it was the same.

When I applied the foundation with the recommended method, it was still very difficult to achieve an even, flawless look. On my other arm, I applied a dab to my skin, like I would with any other foundation on my face. I then blended the foundation with my fingers. I ended up with a streak of thicker coverage down the center of my arm no matter how much I tried to blend it. Almost as soon as the Hourglass foundation touches air, it begins turning into powder. Once this happens, it is near impossible to blend.

After the problematic arm trials, I thought I’d better just try it on my face.

Where things went (even more) awry

The foundation looked the same on my face as it did on my arm, and presented the same problems. Because the coverage is very light and uneven, I tried applying a second layer to build up the coverage. That turned out to be a bad idea.

The larger circle on the left shows the foundation collecting in one area, caking up and settling into lines. It brings out the texture of the skin. If you think it unattractive on an arm, it’s even worse on the face. In the circle on the right, you can see the foundation gunking up around my little hairs.

While I think the whole liquid-to-powder concept is cool, it makes the product so hard to work with because it basically turns on itself. One minute it is a liquid foundation that is blending fine, the next minute, (this all happened way to fast,) it is a powder foundation that no longer wants to associate with the parts that are still liquid. Think about it, what happens when you apply a liquid over a powder? The powder starts absorbing the liquid and clumping up like mud. That’s how you get the dreaded uneven cakiness on your face. We want to avoid that, not apply a foundation that will do that to itself.

And the moral of that very long story is: the Hourglass foundation is not buildable.

If you have any acne scarring, hyper pigmentation, etc. that you want covered, I would recommend using your spot concealer first and then carefully blending the Hourglass foundation over the top to even everything out.

The most effective application method I’ve found

The Hourglass foundation does tend to stick to dry patches, so be sure to exfoliate and moisturize thoroughly before application. Application will be heaps smoother if you don’t give the foundation any reason to cake up.

I found that using a stippling brush worked best to apply the Hourglass foundation to the skin. It spreads the product lightly without rubbing too much, which exacerbates the gunkiness. They key is to get the product spread evenly with as little rubbing or blending as possible. If you can do that, (and you don’t mind light coverage,) the finish is quite beautiful.

How it wore throughout the day

Once you get through the application debacle, I have to say, the foundation wears pretty well. I typically end up with light coverage since I don’t bother trying to build it up. Even though it is light, I like the nice “blurred” effect that it casts over my skin. Everything looks smooth and even without looking like you are wearing heavy makeup.

In terms of longevity, which I define as the amount of time it takes for me to become an oily mess that cannot be fixed with just a blotting sheet, this foundation does exceptionally well compared to all other foundations I have tried. The finish after it is first applied feels like a velvety powder application, so I don’t feel the need to powder over it for the most part. Those with very oily skin, and not a lot of dry patches, will probably like this foundation.

On days where I just need my makeup to last a reasonable 6-8 hours, I don’t powder over it. By the end of the day, while I am more dewy than I started, I wouldn’t consider it “shiny” to the point where I need a major overhaul.

If it is one of those days when I put my makeup on in the morning knowing that I am going to be out and about for 10, 12, or more hours, then I will apply some powder just to the oiliest areas. For me it’s the center of my forehead and the tip of my nose. After that, I am usually good all day, so long as I’m not running a marathon or anything.

Did it live up to its claims?

For me, I reach for this foundation when I have a specific look and outcome in mind: I want a natural daytime look that will last well into nighttime without breaking down too much.

It has to be that specific combination, because if I want a natural look that lasts just enough for me to go to the grocery store, I will go for one of my BB creams instead since they cause so much less grief to apply. Likewise, if I want long-lasting full coverage makeup, the Hourglass foundation can’t give that to me, so I have other options for that scenario.

Let’s go back and take another look at the claims this foundation makes and see how it stacks up.

“exceptional oil absorption – absorbing 75 percent of its weight in sebum while retaining the skin’s natural moisture.”

Yes, the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation does absorb oil quite well and does keep me shine-free much longer than the average foundation does.

“Transforms instantly from liquid to powder creating an all-day finish … eliminate(s) the need for powder, blotting or constant touch-ups.”

Yes, it does transform “instantly” from a liquid to a powder, although I’m unsure if the rapid change is for the better. It would definitely be better if the foundation allowed for a bit more blending time. But since it doesn’t, it is workable.

Eliminating the need for powder/blotting/touch-ups is subjective, and so although it did work pretty well for me considering the amount of oil I have, it may not work the same for everyone. “Eliminate” is a very strong word. I think it is a bit presumptuous for Hourglass to use that word, but that’s just me being a language snob. “Reduce” would have been a better choice, methinks.

“never looks dull, flat, … cakey, or mask like”

I’m on the fence about this one because, yes, if you apply the foundation lightly and quickly, then you will have a beautiful finish. However, the finish goes from smooth and gorgeous to dull, flat, cakey, and mask-like really quickly, so you have to be super careful. This is basically the reason I don’t wear it every day — it’s just too finicky, and it has massive potential to look terrible. I just don’t want to deal with that on most days.

“camouflages imperfections” and provides “unsurpassed coverage”

Camouflages imperfections–yes. Unsurpassed coverage– not really.

Have you tried the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation? What did you think of it?

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation >> Purchase at Sephora

That’s all for today!

If you’re on the hunt for new foundation, check out this review –> Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation.

If you found this post interesting, informative, or just plain entertaining, tell me about it in the comments below. And don’t forget, sharing is caring!

Till next time ♥︎

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FTC- This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned. I purchase all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.