Hourglass Cosmetics is really a one of kind brand. They are not only a cruelty free brand but they release new products at their own pace. And in an over saturated industry where new releases are as frequent as Instagram ads, it’s actually really quite refreshing.
So when Hourglass announced the release of their new Vanish Liquid Seamless Foundation, the beauty world went crazy. Including me. I was going two months strong with a no buy but the last day of January, my will broke and I ran to Sephora to pick up my shade. It was too tempting for this beauty junkie to resist.
To lessen my guilt about breaking my no buy, I decided I would do a comprehensive wear test of the foundation. A 28-day wear test to be exact. For the month of February I decided to test this foundation in a few different ways to really test out it’s claims but also to see the best way to apply.
Keep reading for my weekly trials and my final thoughts :)
WEEK 1
For the first week, I decided to follow the recommended application. I studied the Marc Reagan x Rosie Huntington-Whitley educational video before diving into the foundation.
Marc Reagan stresses that this foundation does not need a primer and instead that it works best with just moisturized skin (specially suggesting something super hydrating). So after my usual skincare routine and letting my Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream moisturize sink into my skin, I resisted applying a primer - something this combination oily skin girl is not used to. Instead, I pumped half a pump of the foundation onto the back of my hand and dotted it onto my face where I felt I need the most coverage.
For me this is my cheeks, nose, and chin due to rosacea induced redness and large pores. I was quite skeptical that half a pump would be enough, especially considering the pigmentation of my rosacea but I was pleasantly surprised by the coverage such a little amount provided. I did, however, feel that I might fair better with ¾ of a pump instead.
I immediately noticed though that the formula is quite different from other forumlas on the market. As I blended it into the skin, the consistency reminded me of a dry oil instead of your typical liquid foundations. It moved and blended easily but it really stayed where you placed it (in a good way).
Because I didn’t want to spend the extra money on the Vanish Brush or the No.2 brush, I used my Sonia Kashuk flat top buffing brush. I found that pressing and dragging the product into the skin more evenly distributed the product than typical circular buffing motions did.
The foundation really looked seamless and in a way set itself. It’s almost as if the foundation has a primer and setting powder ingrained into the formula. But because I am a combination oily girl, I decided to lightly set my face as I normally would.
After one full week, I was ecstatic and in awe. The foundation lasted on days where I was running around midtown, against the cold wind, and sweating from running from one appointment to the other to days where I was chained to my desk in an overheated office. The oils in my t-zone didn’t really break up the foundation or break through the foundation, and instead I just looked dewy and glowy.
I did find though that the foundation worked best when applied almost immediately after moisturizer. On the first day when I let me moisturizer sink in, my face felt a bit dry.
WEEK 2
For the second week of February, I decided to try the foundation as I would any other foundation. This meant primer.
So immediately after my skincare routine, I applied a layer of the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, then the foundation and the rest of my makeup routine.
Interestingly enough, the foundation looked slightly caked on my skin, and broke up a bit around my nose and mouth. Nevertheless, the product stayed in tact and really beautiful
WEEK 3
I decided to go back to no primer for the third week and thought I’d have a bit of fun this week. In the video with Marc Reagan and Rosie Huntington-Whitley, Marc uses all Hourglass products over top the foundation. Of course on someone like Rosie, who has seemingly perfect skin (oh, and not to mention the perfect lighting of that video), everything looked flawless.
Because the foundation has a natural finish and seems to set itself, I was sure that powder products would sit beautifully overtop but was curious if cream products would love the foundation around.
I decided to test out one of my favorite concealers - the Hourglass Hidden Concealer. I love wearing this product as it really does provide amazing coverage while still being blendable and looking natural.
I applied the concealer under my eyes, around my nose, and on a pesky spot on my cheek and blended it in using the same Sonia Kashuk brush. It was seamless. The two products really pair beautifully together.
As I guessed, the Ambient Lighting Bronzer and the Ambient Lighting Highlights looked seamless with the foundation as well.
Of course, I had to test out the Hourglass Vanish Highlight stick over top. I usually apply the product onto my fingers and tap the product in, but for this experiment, I decided to apply it directly on top of my foundation.
Seamless. The foundation didn’t move or break up.
WEEK 4
For the last week, I thought I’d experiment with using a different moisturizer, especially considering my skin did feel slightly dry during the first week. So i brought out the Boscia Cactus Water Gel Moisturizer. I wondered if a more water based moisturizer might help that slightly dry feeling and if it further help to keep my oils at bay.
For the first few days, I really massaged the moisturizer in, letting it fully sink in. The foundation was of course seamless, lasted all day, and didn’t break up.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I give this foundation 4 out of 5 stars. I deducted one star because I find that application can be quite finicky. Finding that sweet spot of when to apply your foundation after skincare is a bit annoying. I ended up applying a second layer of a lightweight moisturizer (Kiehl’s Glow Formula Hydrator) to make sure the foundation didn’t feel dry or break anywhere.
Finding the right amount of product to pump out was also a bit tricky. If you apply too much product, you definitely run the risk of looking cakey. This product definitely requires you to work relatively quickly and have the right amount ready to blend in. However, because the formula is so full coverage, I think you will end up using less product, which helps to justify the price.
All in all, I’m really enjoying this foundation. I’m curious to see how it stands up to warmer weather when sweat is a serious threat.