If you've spent any time on beauty TikTok lately, you've seen Hourglass: the sleek black-and-gold packaging, the impossibly glowing skin, the comment sections full of people declaring a new holy grail.
Hourglass isn't new to me, though. I've been buying it for years, and my experience has been decidedly hit or miss. Some products became instant staples I've repurchased more times than I can count. Others looked beautiful on my vanity and disappointed the moment they touched my face. At these prices, a miss stings.
So I decided to settle it once and for all. Over the summer, I put 30 Hourglass makeup products to the test, so you can know exactly what's worth buying without spending a small fortune on something that doesn't live up to its price tag.
I'll admit part of the brand's pull for me is its ethics. Founded by beauty industry veteran Carisa Janes, Hourglass has been cruelty-free since its first launch in 2004 and became fully vegan in 2020, which is still rare in luxury makeup. Its Red 0 lipstick was even the first vegan replacement for carmine, the red pigment traditionally made from crushed insects. The brand also donates 1% of the profits from its own website to the Nonhuman Rights Project, a US organization fighting for the legal rights of animals.
A little context before we begin: my skin is dry and leans dull, so hydration and glow are everything to me. I also tested with a light summer tan, which meant I needed less coverage than I would in winter. Keep that in mind if your skin is different.
All told, I spent $1,539 of my own money testing these products to separate the holy grails from the holy don’ts.
|
Rank |
Product |
Price |
Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Veil Hydrating Skin Tint |
$60 |
Splurge |
|
2 |
Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation SPF 30 |
$60 |
Splurge |
|
3 |
Ambient Lighting Powder (mini) |
$32 |
Splurge, holy grail |
|
4 |
Ambient Lighting Blush |
$48 |
Splurge |
|
5 |
Ambient Lighting Bronzer (full size + mini) |
$90 |
Splurge |
|
6 |
Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette |
$98 |
Splurge (cult following) |
|
7 |
No. 16 Highlighter Brush |
$48 |
Splurge |
|
8 |
Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush |
$52 |
Splurge |
|
9 |
Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm |
$38 |
Splurge |
|
10 |
Phantom Smoothing Blur Lip Balm |
$38 |
Splurge |
|
11 |
Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow |
$30 |
Splurge |
|
12 |
Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara |
$34 |
Splurge |
|
13 |
Veil Powder Brush |
$68 |
Splurge, if budget allows |
|
14 |
Vanish Airbrush Primer |
$58 |
Splurge, if budget allows |
|
15 |
Veil Translucent Setting Powder |
$52 |
Splurge, if budget allows |
|
16 |
Vanish Airbrush Concealer |
$39 |
Splurge, if budget allows |
|
17 |
Ambient Soft Glow Foundation |
$60 |
Skip, buy the Veil or Illusion instead |
|
18 |
Unlocked Satin Crème Lipstick (2 shades) |
$76 |
Skip, unless hydration comes first |
|
19 |
Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick |
$49 |
Skip, unless money is no object |
|
20 |
Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil |
$38 |
Skip |
|
21 |
No. 15 Blush Brush |
$48 |
Skip, unless you use cream or liquid blush |
|
22 |
Ambient Lighting Palette |
$75 |
Skip, buy the singles |
|
23 |
Vanish Foundation Brush |
$52 |
Skip |
|
24 |
Vanish Seamless Finish Concealer Brush |
$42 |
Skip |
|
25 |
Ambient Lighting Edit Brush |
$52 |
Skip |
|
26 |
Unreal Radiant Glow Liquid Highlighter |
$38 |
Skip |
|
27 |
Curator Eyeshadow Palette |
$68 |
Skip |
|
28 |
Voyeur Waterproof Gel Eyeliner |
$29 |
Skip |
|
29 |
Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner |
$29 |
Skip, unless you have a good sharpener |
|
30 |
Unreal Liquid Blush |
$38 |
Skip, my least favorite |
|
Total spent |
$1,539 |
Worth the Splurge
My favorites, from the very best down. These earned every cent.
Category: Complexion · Price: $49 · Shade tested: 7 · Verdict: Splurge
This is my favorite Hourglass product, full stop. Of every foundation I’ve tried, it’s one of only two that have never dried out my skin (the other is number 2). It melts in, evens everything out and leaves a soft, luminous glow that makes dull skin look genuinely healthy, rather than just shiny.
It was perfect for summer, when my tan meant I only wanted a little coverage, a lot of radiance and serious moisture. And while $60 is a lot for a skin tint, a little goes a long way, so one bottle lasts.
My one wish? SPF. It doesn’t include any, so you’ll still need sunscreen underneath. And if you need fuller coverage or have oily skin, this probably isn’t your match. But for dry skin that craves glow, it’s the best I’ve found.
Category: Complexion · Price: $60 · Shade tested: 7.5 (light medium) · Verdict: Splurge
A 10 out of 10, and one I’d recommend every single time. It goes on like butter, and it’s radiant, luminous and deeply hydrating, exactly what my dry, dull skin needs. My skin genuinely feels healthier wearing it.
The coverage is lovely without being heavy: enough to even everything out for everyday wear, and buildable when I want a more polished finish. That matters to me, because full-coverage foundations tend to dry my skin out. It doesn’t settle into fine lines, it lasts all day, and, unlike the Veil skin tint, it has SPF 30 built in.
In fact, the two make a perfect pair: I’d wear the Veil Hydrating Skin Tint in summer, when my tan means I need less coverage, and switch to this in winter. Obsessed.
Category: Cheeks & Glow · Price: $32 (mini size) · Shade tested: Diffused Light · Verdict: Splurge, my holy grail
Full disclosure: this one isn’t new to me. I’ve been using it for years, long before this test, and have repurchased it more times than I can count. It’s my holy grail, and in my opinion Hourglass’s most underrated, best-kept secret.
Dusted over setting spray as the final step, it gives skin a soft, filtered look, as if someone smoothed it over in real life and in photos. The glow is radiant without ever tipping into shiny, and it’s subtle enough for both no-makeup days and full glam. My makeup simply doesn’t look the same without it. Yes, it’s expensive, but a compact lasts for ages, and it genuinely works.
Category: Cheeks & Glow · Price: $48 (standard size) · Shade tested: Mood Exposure (soft plum with Mood Light) · Verdict: Splurge, a must-have
A 10 out of 10, and my everyday blush. Mood Exposure is a soft plum fused with Hourglass’s Mood Light finishing powder, so it gives cheeks color and a lit-from-within glow in one sweep. The finish is smooth and radiant, it blends effortlessly, and it instantly makes the rest of my makeup look fresher.
The pigmentation is the real magic. It’s rich enough that a little goes a long way, yet never too intense, unlike so many blushes. That means one compact lasts a long time, which makes the $48 price easy to justify. Add in the compliments I get every time I wear it, and this is the closest thing to a must-have in the whole lineup
Category: Cheeks & Glow · Price: $58 (full size) and $32 (mini) · Shade tested: Radiant Bronze Light · Verdict: Splurge
One of the best bronzers I’ve ever tried, and the one I’ve literally been stopped on the street about. Radiant Bronze Light is a warm bronze with a golden glow, which looked especially good on my summer tan.
The real magic happens when you layer the Ambient trio: this bronzer, the Ambient Lighting Blush and the Ambient Lighting Powder. My everyday routine this summer was simply the Veil Skin Tint, those three and the Unlocked Tubing Mascara (number 12), and I’ve never felt more glowy or received more compliments. Perfect for that Toasty Makeup Look.
Two caveats. Its staying power isn’t perfect, so I bought the mini to carry in my bag for touch-ups. And it has a little shimmer in it, so if you prefer a completely matte bronzer, this might not be for you.
My tip: start with the $32 mini. A little goes such a long way that it lasts for ages, and it fits in any bag for touch-ups.
Category: Cheeks & Glow · Price: $98 · Shade tested: Love · Verdict: Splurge
I can confidently say my makeup has never looked better. The powders are silky, blending seamlessly into the skin for a gorgeous blurred finish, and the shades are flattering, elegant and versatile. Together, they leave skin looking glowy, healthy and, frankly, expensive.
It did take me a little while to work out which shades to combine and which brushes work best, so give yourself time to experiment. Once you do, it’s an easy all-in-one: blush, bronzer and glow in a single compact that lives in my purse.
So why splurge on this palette when I tell you to skip the Ambient Lighting Palette (number 22)? Because here I use every single shade. With blush and bronzer included, it gave me far more for my money. It’s also the only Hourglass palette I’ve found with real variety in blush and bronzer shades that show up on light-medium skin like mine. And it’s the prettiest Hourglass palette design right now; I love the collaboration behind it. Yes, $98 is a lot, but the quality is top shelf.
Feel-good bonus: this palette is part of Hourglass’s Unlocked collection, so 5% of its profits go to the Nonhuman Rights Project.
Category: Brushes · Price: $48 · Verdict: Splurge
The best Hourglass brush I tested. The bristles are impossibly soft, it blends powders seamlessly and it’s wonderfully versatile: powder highlighter, blush, even a light dusting of bronzer. One caveat: it’s pretty bad with liquid highlighter, so stick to powders with this one. For a brush you’ll reach for every day, the price feels justified.
Category: Brushes · Price: $52 · Verdict: Splurge
The surprise of the whole test. On paper, it’s a foundation brush, and a very good one: the unique shape buffs base into skin for a beautifully smooth, seamless finish. But it turned out to be the most versatile tool in my bag. I use it for foundation and practically everything else, from liquid bronzer and blush to contour and finishing powder. It blends absolutely anything and distributes product beautifully.
The size and shape are just right, the bristles are incredibly gentle, and the quality is obvious the moment you pick it up. The No. 16 still edges ahead for overall performance, but if you only buy one Hourglass brush for doing everything, make it this one.
Category: Lips · Price: $38 · Shade tested: Red 0 · Verdict: Splurge
Worth the hype, and then some. I’m usually not a lip gloss person because of the sticky texture, but I love shine, and this gives you all the gloss with none of the stickiness. It’s smooth and rich, glides on effortlessly and lasts a long time. Honestly, I’ve never tried a formula quite like it.
A note on the shade: don’t expect a bright red. Red 0 goes on as a sheer raspberry red, which I found incredibly flattering, and I get compliments every time I wear it. It genuinely changed the lip game for me. A 10 out of 10, and I’ll be repurchasing.
Category: Lips · Price: $38 · Shade tested: Whisper 45 (pink mauve) · Verdict: Splurge
For dry lips, this is a dream. It’s genuinely hydrating, and the blurring effect softens texture so lips look smoother and fuller. Whisper 45 is the kind of pink-mauve that looks like your lips, only better. Thirty-eight dollars is steep for a balm, but this one earns it.
Category: Eyes & Brows · Price: $30 · Shade tested: Ray (deep champagne) · Verdict: Splurge
I love this formula. It glides on smoothly, stays put all night, and the sparkle is genuinely stunning, with rich pigment behind it. Ray, a deep champagne, is the kind of shade that catches the light every time you blink, and I get compliments whenever I wear it.
The one flaw: the shadow can dry out and crack over time. Mine has split into several pieces inside its glass jar, which is annoying, but it hasn’t affected how it applies. At $30, one of the most affordable products in this review, it’s an easy splurge.
Category: Eyes & Brows · Price: $34 · Shade tested: Espresso · Verdict: Splurge
The perfect everyday mascara. It lengthens and separates beautifully, and because it’s a tubing formula, it doesn’t smudge or stain, even after a full day at the office. Espresso, a soft brown, keeps the look natural and polished. The packaging is beautiful and, refreshingly, works just as well as it looks.
It isn’t the most dramatic mascara out there, so for a big night out I’d reach for something more volumizing. But for everyday wear, I’d recommend it without hesitation.
Feel-good bonus: this tubing mascara is part of the Unlocked collection, so 5% of its profits go to the Nonhuman Rights Project.
Splurge, If Your Budget Allows
Genuinely good products, but you can find similar results for less.
Category: Brushes · Price: $68 · Verdict: Splurge, if your budget allows
Performance-wise, this brush is outstanding. It’s incredibly soft, blends like a dream with both powders and liquids and is just as good at targeted setting under the eyes as it is at an all-over dusting.
The catch is the price. At $68, it’s an extremely expensive brush, and you can find more affordable ones that do the job well. If you have the budget and love beautiful tools, go for it. If not, this is the easiest splurge on the list to skip.
Category: Complexion · Price: $58 (standard size) · Verdict: Splurge, if your budget allows
If visible pores are your nemesis, as they are mine, this primer delivers. It blurs and minimizes pores, smooths the skin and makes everything on top of it look better. My makeup simply looked more polished with it underneath.
It isn’t perfect for dry skin, though. I found it could feel a little drying, and the texture could be improved. At $58, it’s a worthwhile splurge if pores bother you and you have the budget, but you can find equally good, or even better, primers from other brands for less.
Category: Complexion · Price: $52 · Shade tested: Translucent · Verdict: Splurge, if your budget allows
A setting powder that doesn’t make dry skin look drier is rare, and this is one of them. The texture is smooth and surprisingly hydrating, it suited my skin beautifully, and it has a lovely blurring effect that softens pores and imperfections.
It isn’t flawless, though. I noticed some creasing, and the packaging can be annoying to use. More importantly, Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake, Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish powder all perform just as well for me, and each starts at a lower price. Buy the Hourglass if you love it; otherwise, those are excellent alternatives.
Category: Complexion · Price: $39 · Shade tested: Fawn · Verdict: Splurge, if your budget allows
My favorite concealer, full stop. The texture is creamy and blends out beautifully, and the coverage is amazing: it hides dark circles and under-eye imperfections while brightening the area, leaving skin looking smooth, fresh and polished rather than caked. It lives in my bag for touch-ups throughout the day.
So why not a full splurge? The packaging. It looks beautiful, but for $39, it doesn’t work as well as it should, in terms of spill. If you love the formula as much as I do, it’s worth it; just know you’re paying partly for a design that could be better.
Not Worth the Price
Good formulas let down by price or packaging, plus a few outright misses.
Category: Complexion · Price: $60 · Shade tested: 7 (light medium, warm undertones) · Verdict: Skip, buy the Veil or Illusion instead
On its own, this is a good foundation. The coverage is solid, it glides on smoothly and it gives skin a nice glow. The problem is its competition: Hourglass already makes two foundations I love more. Next to the Veil Hydrating Skin Tint and the Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation (numbers 1 and 2), it simply doesn’t deliver the same glow and radiance. Since all three cost $60, put your money toward one of those instead.
Category: Lips · Price: $38 each · Shades tested: Red 0 and Oasis 213 (natural pink) · Verdict: Skip, unless hydration comes first
This was the hardest verdict in the whole review, because I genuinely love this lipstick. It’s the most hydrating lipstick I’ve ever worn, a real gift for dry lips, yet it never feels greasy. Both shades I tried are beautiful: Red 0 is the perfect, richly pigmented red (and a vegan first for the industry), while Oasis 213 is a soft, neutral pink with a lovely satin finish. The wider shade range has some gorgeous nudes, too.
So why the skip? At $38, I’d want more staying power; I found myself reapplying more than I’d like. And the creamy texture and shades aren’t for everyone, so this one is very personal. If hydration matters more to you than longevity, it’s worth trying. If not, you’ll find longer-lasting formulas for less.
Category: Complexion · Price: $49 · Verdict: Skip, unless money is no object
TikTok treats this stick as holy grail territory, and I understand why. The coverage is great and the finish is beautiful. But the texture could be smoother and it doesn’t blend as easily as I’d like, and the triangular packaging is a little awkward to work with.
One genuinely great discovery: mixed with Chanel’s Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint, the results are amazing. So if you have money to spare, that combination is worth trying.
Still, I will die on this hill: at $49, you can find better foundation sticks for less. And within Hourglass itself, it simply doesn’t measure up to the Veil Hydrating Skin Tint or the Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation SPF 30. If you’re going to spend on an Hourglass base, spend it on one of those instead.
Category: Eyes & Brows · Price: $38 · Shade tested: Soft Brunette (medium brown) · Verdict: Skip
On performance alone, this pencil is excellent. It creates natural-looking brows, lasts all day and is genuinely easy to use, even on rushed mornings. The problem is the price: $38 is a lot for a brow pencil when equally good, and sometimes better, options cost far less.
Category: Brushes · Price: $48 · Verdict: Skip, unless you use cream or liquid blush
This one depends entirely on your blush. With liquid and cream formulas, it does a lovely job and earns its price. But I’m a powder blush person, and with powders it was just okay, nothing to write home about. At $48, okay isn’t good enough. If you’re choosing one Hourglass brush, I’d buy the No. 16 Highlighter Brush or the Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush (numbers 7 and 8) long before this one.
Category: Cheeks & Glow · Price: $75 · Shade tested: Volume II · Verdict: Skip, buy the singles
The glow is gorgeous and the palette is undeniably versatile, so I understand the appeal. But it taught me something about myself: I’d rather buy single shades. I loved the two shades on either side, but the highlight in the middle has been used maybe twice.
Since my real favorites are the standalone Ambient Lighting Powder and Ambient Lighting Bronzer (numbers 3 and 5), I’d put that $75 toward those instead. And if you do want a palette, the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked palette in Love (number 6) is the far better buy, because you’ll actually use every shade.
Category: Brushes · Price: $52 · Verdict: Skip
I absolutely loved this brush at first. The bristles are wonderfully soft, it blends beautifully, and the application is flawless. Unfortunately, that first impression didn’t last. Over time, it started shedding, with bristles falling out even though I cleaned it properly and always dried it upside down.
A $52 brush should get better with age, not worse. When the quality fades this quickly, the price simply isn’t justified. If you want an Hourglass brush for foundation, the Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush is the far better buy.
Category: Brushes · Price: $42 · Verdict: Skip
The same story as its foundation brush sibling. I genuinely like using this brush: the bristles are incredibly soft, and it does a great job with concealer. But it sheds, and for a $42 brush, the quality just isn’t there. A brush at this price should be built to last. If you already own the Vanish Airbrush Concealer, a well-made, more affordable concealer brush will serve you just as well.
Category: Brushes · Price: $52 · Verdict: Skip
The worst of the Hourglass brushes I tested. It’s very dense, and in my experience it just doesn’t work well, especially for $52. Worse, it started shedding quickly. I can barely use it without leaving stray bristles on my face mid-application. If you love the Ambient Lighting Edit palette, pair it with the No. 16 Highlighter Brush or the Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush instead.
Category: Cheeks & Glow · Price: $38 · Verdict: Skip
The formula itself is gorgeous: a beautiful glow, easy to blend and a lovely finish. The packaging is another story. The product spills out when you don’t want it to, and with long nails it’s tricky to get any out at all. At $38, I expect packaging that works with me, not against me. The formula alone can’t save it.
Category: Eyes & Brows · Price: $68 · Shade tested: Minimalist · Verdict: Skip
I have nothing bad to say about the formula. The shadows are richly pigmented, blend effortlessly and last all day. But $68 is a steep price for what you get, and the packaging doesn’t feel worthy of it. Other brands offer comparable quality for considerably less.
Category: Eyes & Brows · Price: $29 · Shade tested: Cave (brown) · Verdict: Skip
In true Hourglass fashion, the packaging is luxurious, the kind that makes you feel expensive before you’ve even used it. And when it goes on, Cave is a gorgeous brown that I genuinely love. The problem is getting it on at all: the liner broke on me again and again. An eyeliner that won’t stay in one piece is a dealbreaker, however beautiful the color.
Category: Lips · Price: $29 · Shade tested: Tease 1.5 (cool nude pink) · Verdict: Skip, unless you have a good sharpener
In many ways, this is one of my favorite lip liners. Tease 1.5 is the perfect cool nude pink, and the formula is creamy, well pigmented, glides on smoothly and stays put.
The problem is the packaging, which I genuinely can’t stand. The pencil is nearly impossible to sharpen, and the included sharpener wastes a frustrating amount of product. At $29, every wasted shaving hurts. If you already own a good sharpener, the formula is worth it. If not, there are liners on the market that don’t come with this headache.
Category: Cheeks & Glow · Price: $38 for 0.34 oz · Shade tested: Vision – true rose · Verdict: Skip, my least favorite
My least favorite product of the entire test, and the only one I genuinely disliked. To be fair, the color and finish are beautiful. The problem is the pigment: it’s so intense that you only need the tiniest drop, and it was far too easy to overdo it and ruin the makeup I’d already applied. Some will see that as value for money, since a bottle goes a long way, but for me it was simply too much. That part is personal taste.
Application only made things worse. With a brush, a few drops turned intensely pigmented, Rare Beauty-level intense, to the point that I looked a little unhinged. With a sponge, it went the other way: so sheer that it wore off unevenly in patches across my face. There was no happy medium. Honestly, this is the worst blush I’ve ever used.
The packaging, though, is objectively a problem. Like the Unreal liquid highlighter, it’s hard to get product out with long nails (you have to squeeze from the bottom), and it ran over and spilled into my makeup bag more times than I can count. At $38 for 0.34 oz, I expect a blush that stays in its bottle. Between the mess and the overwhelming pigment, this one is a firm skip.
Is Hourglass makeup worth it? Partly. The brand truly shines in complexion and glow: the Veil Hydrating Skin Tint, the Illusion foundation and the Ambient Lighting trio are splurge-worthy standouts, especially for dry, dull skin. And the best part? Whatever you choose, it’s cruelty-free and vegan.
And I’ll say this for Hourglass: nobody does packaging prettier. The sleek black and gold oozes luxury, and it genuinely makes me happy every time I catch it on my bathroom shelf, in my toiletry bag or, in mini form, tucked into my evening clutch. Which makes it all the more ironic that packaging turned out to be the brand’s biggest weakness. Leaky liquids, a pencil that refuses to sharpen, shadows that crack in their jars and brushes that shed: too often, the very thing that made a product beautiful to look at made it frustrating to use. Hourglass has mastered looking like luxury. On too many products, it has yet to make it work like luxury.
You can shop the full range at hourglasscosmetics.com, as well as at Sephora, Ulta and Bluemercury. And if you’re ever in New York, the brand’s global flagship at 14 Prince Street in Manhattan is worth a visit: an elegant, apartment-inspired space where you can try everything before you buy.
Why trust Cult Confidential
Every product in this review was bought and tested by our editor over several months of summer wear. No brand paid for placement, and all opinions are our own. If we ever feature gifted or affiliate products, we'll tell you clearly.
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