Hourglass Makeup, Built on a Mother's Pink Light Bulbs

Hourglass Makeup, Built on a Mother's Pink Light Bulbs

Hourglass began in Venice, California in 2004 with a founder who cared more about how skin looks in real light than in a catalog. Here are the powders and liquid blush it is known for, the veil-named base products, and the lip and eye pieces that finish a face.

Hourglass was launched in 2004 by Carisa Janes, who started it at 29 after leaving Parsons and working at start-up beauty lines, and she built it in Venice, California. A year later, People featured a makeup artist for Angelina Jolie using Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which is a pretty good way to be introduced to the world. I like that the brand began with a point of view: skin should look lit from within, not painted on.

The best story in the whole line is the smallest. The Ambient Lighting Powder was inspired by Janes's mother, who kept pink light bulbs at home because everybody looked better under them. That is the whole idea behind the Ambient Lighting Palette and the Ambient Lighting Bronzer here, powders that soften the light on your face rather than adding a layer of color. I dust the bronzer on where the sun would hit and stop earlier than I think I should.

The Veil Translucent Setting Powder is talc free and made to sit quietly on top of a base, so nothing looks powdery by lunch. If you like a shinier finish, Unreal Radiant Glow Liquid Highlighter goes on the tops of the cheekbones, and Unreal Liquid Blush is the one to tap in with fingertips before any powder. The Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette gives you several shades in one compact, handy for a bag.

Apply the liquid blush first, then powder lightly over it. It stays where you put it, and that is half of why I trust it. The other half is that it blends out easily when I overdo it, which happens more than I admit.

Collage of Hourglass powders, blush, foundations, mascaras and lip balms beside a close-up photo of an eye with soft lashes, freckles, rosy blush and glossy pink almond nails.
Hourglass powders, liquid blush, skin-like bases and the lip and lash pieces that finish the face.

Hourglass powders and blush

A base that looks like skin

A face looks best when the base is the least noticeable thing on it. That is where Hourglass keeps its most loyal fans, and I understand why. The formulas lean toward skin-like rather than matte, and the shade names read like a lighting studio.

Veil Mineral Primer is the smoothing layer, a light one that I use in the middle of my face where makeup slides first. Veil Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation is the easiest place to begin, sheer and soft, good for the days you want to look like yourself only more rested. Ambient Soft Glow Foundation is a little more finished, with the same warm-lit look the powders are known for, and Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation SPF 30 is the one I would pick for a morning outdoors, since it puts sunscreen and glow in one step.

The Vanish Foundation Stick is the fuller option. A stick is easier to control than a bottle, and I like it pressed in with fingers or a damp sponge on the places that need it, like around the nose and chin. It is the one I take traveling, since nothing can leak in a bag and it doubles as a quick touch-up. Then Veil Soft Focus Setting Spray goes over everything, a fine mist that knits the layers together.

A simple test: take a photo by a window without flash. If you can see the makeup, use less. If you can only see your skin, you are done.

Veil primer, foundation and concealer

Lips and lashes to finish

The lips and eyes are where Hourglass gets a little more playful. The Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm is the shiny one, a gloss-balm that visibly plumps, which you put on when the rest of your face is quiet, and Phantom Smoothing Blur Lip Balm is the softer, blurrier version for a natural finish that does not feel sticky. Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner defines the edge, and I like it best drawn in lightly and blended with a fingertip.

For lashes there are two very different personalities. Unlocked Defining and Lengthening Tubing Mascara is a tubing mascara that forms little tubes around each lash, so it slides off with warm water and is easier on tired eyes. Caution Extreme Lash Mascara is the dramatic one, meant for length and volume when you want the eyes to lead. Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil finishes the frame, best used in tiny feathered strokes rather than a solid line.

What I would skip: wearing the glossy lip balm, a heavy liner and the extreme mascara all at once. Pick the one place you want attention, and let the rest of the face support it. A face with a bold lash and a soft lip looks confident, and a face with everything turned up looks like it is trying to answer a question nobody asked. If you have sensitive eyes, try the tubing mascara first and only move to the extreme one for evenings.

Hourglass lips and eyes

How I would wear it

To wear Hourglass the way I do, think in layers and keep them thin. Skin tint or a foundation you can barely feel, a little primer only where you need it, liquid blush, then a light dusting of powder to blur the edges.

Finish with one thing that gives the face a focus: lips, lashes or brows. Keep the setting spray for last, and let it dry before you touch your face. Carry a powder for touch-ups instead of adding more base. Test shades along the jaw in daylight, not under a store light, and let them settle for ten minutes before deciding. That is the light your mother's pink bulbs were chasing anyway. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Hourglass Palette and A Better Makeup Mirror Starts With the Light, Not the Frame.