Hourglass returns to Singapore

After a few years of absence (during which the brand pretty much reinvented face powders and went from an obscure niche name to a cult brand), Hourglass is finally back in Sephora Singapore.

And they are back with a vengeance. 

You can now find all the best-sellers, from the classic Veil Mineral Primer to the must-try Ambient Lighting Powders which put the brand on the map. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders and Palette

There is a lot of hype, so my top 3 priority picks for you to check out are:

1. Ambient Lighting Powders - the hype is real. These ultra-fine, ultra-silky powders give a soft-focus perfected luminosity without emphasizing pores or looking metallic. There are two finishes, matte vs slightly pearlescent. I like both equally. (Check out Diffused Light for a great under-eye brightening powder.)
2. Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders - yes, I love my Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors, but not everyone wants a high-sheen metallic look. The Hourglas Strobe powders have a knack of creating a subtler, polished, emanating-from-within, 8-glasses-of-water, 8-hours-of-sleep, 8-weeks-of-facial-and-juicing glow.
3. Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation - it's time for a return to a proper matte foundation with great coverage. This formula contains clay to absorb oil, and is perfect for hot humid weather. If you have normal to slightly-dry skin, you can skip the powder.

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation

Three other worthy mentions include:

• Veil Mineral Primer
• Ambient Lighting Blushes
• 1.5 Mechanical Gel Eyeliner

These honorable mentions are good, but two are relatively new to me.

I feel primers tend to be as personal as mascaras; whether something works well on you or not depends what foundation and skincare you wear, so what I find fantastic may not work as well for you, and vice versa. I will just say if you're looking for a matte primer, this is worth trying.

As for the marbled blushes, they are gorgeous and silky, and I know a lot of people will buy at least one just to check out. They just aren't as game-changing as the other original Ambient Lighting powders. (Just my personal opinion - they might rock your world.)

One other cultish item which is still quite new to me is the 1.5mm Mechanical Gel Eyeliner. I'm one of those lazy people who will use pencils to create flicks, so I can get a gel-liner effect without having to wash a brush, and this just makes the job much easier. I'm still testing it out so I can't say how long-wearing it is compared to others but if you have some extra budget this is something to check out as well.

Hourglass VEIL Mineral Primer

I personally feel Hourglass consistently excels at face/skin products - especially face powders (powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter), so if you have to pick only one item this is where you should probably look.

Hourglass Modernist Eye palettes

You can stop by Sephora.sg from today onwards to check out the line (and enjoy free shipping over S$40 within Singapore) or stop by some of the stores to swatch and play first. I kinda suspect the bestsellers will go out of stock pretty quickly during the "launch rush", so you might need to move fast.

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette Haul and Swatches: Atmosphere,Obscura, and Exposure

When I saw the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes on Net-a-porter.com, I knew I had to try them. These 5 color eyeshadow palettes look like solidified silt on a riverbed. (Or ribbons of thick fudge in multi-flavored ice-cream.)

These shadows come in a range of gorgeous neutral tones, and the formula is INCREDIBLY pigmented. Almost to the point where they are a bit tricky to use without making a mess. They don't feel like traditional pressed pigments, and they aren't baked. You barely need to touch them to get lots of pigmentation.

But the problem is also that they can go on patchy or give you tons of fall-out simply because so much of it comes up once touched. If you are using brushes to apply these, be careful to use a very light touch or you will use up the palette in no time. And these don't come cheap at USD$58 (around SGD$66) per compact.

I picked 3 of the 5 available palettes:

• Atmosphere - matte Neapolitan ice cream colors of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, dark chocolate and one satin-textured chocolate fudge color
• Obscura - warm rich brown tones with 1 satin creme brulee shade, 2 metallic bronzes and 2 satin/matte dark cocoa shades
• Exposure - rosy-plum and wine browns in shimmer and satin textures

I've got the 3 palettes swatched for you here.

As you can see, the colors are beautiful. So are the textures. But you DO need to know how to work with them or you can make a mess. The best thing you can do is to treat these like loose pigments. The shimmery shades can be applied damp (although I suggest picking up the colors on your brush before misting the brush - not applying moisture to the palette directly), and can give you a molten look. But whether you decide to use them dry or wet, I would highly suggest putting on a primer or base first so the pigments have something to grab and cling on to. Otherwise, they can dust and blend right off your skin.

And try to pack on the colors using a firmer, flatter brush just so you don't whip up pigments all over the place. It is quite a waste when you dip a fluffy brush in and see the colors fly everywhere.

Do I recommend these?

If you're a real collector, an Hourglass fan, or you love the look of these palettes, and you don't mind the price or working with loose pigments, then go for it. 

If not, these are very expensive for what they are, and I will say the formula isn't as "sophisticated" as I expected them to be. They are pigmented if you touch them, but they are finicky and trickier to apply than other high-end shadows. Basically they aren't as easy for makeup newbies to use as - say - a Marc Jacobs, Chanel or Dior palette would be. I personally feel if you're paying so much, you should expect products to be MORE foolproof than usual.

I don't regret getting these but I won't repurchase. And if you're on a budget, I wouldn't suggest you get these, even though they're real pretty to look at in the pan. You can get far more bang for your buck with any of the Urban Decay palettes.