Hourglass did that amazing thing that few brands accomplish. They started out with hero products within hero packaging and wowed everyone from the get-go. Ambient Lighting Edit, anybody? From such heights, i.e creating a product that mimics an incandescent glow (uhh – yes please) you would think the following products could never live up to the expectations set by those beautiful six-shade powder palettes we all covet. Think again.
There’s been the great mascara, the crazy cool ultra slim lipsticks, the little glitter pots of ‘scattered light’ – I could go on. Today it’s perhaps their lesser hyped product I want to talk about. The tinted Lip Treatment Oils are such perfect little ‘treat yourself’ products in beautiful shades and slightly more novel than a standard lipstick purchase. Yes, they’re definitely on the pricey side for a lip product, but these are a little luxe and different – did you see the gold tipped applicator?
For girls that love the look of a gloss, and the treatment of a balm, this may be for you. I would say the texture is somewhere between a gloss and an oil – not particularly sticky, but not completely oily either. These feel luscious on the lips, and didn’t leave them starting to peel off in the way that some glosses do. If you’re a Clarins fan, they sit somewhere between the Tinted Comfort Lip Oil (but more colour pay-off) and the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector (more hydrating), and in much more beautiful packaging.
The push-down applicator is genius, as is the gold nib that feels cooling and lovely on the lips, and best yet: you don’t end up with a sponge tip full of stagnant product like the Clarins Instant Lights. Hourglass being Hourglass, they’ve thought of practically everything, down to the product’s shade and amount being visible in the side panel, so you know when you’re running low and it’s easy to pick your colour out of the drawer.
Being critical, which you know I can’t help, my only wish is that these tasted a little better. They don’t taste bad, in fact when trying to describe it I find myself lost for words, it’s just that they don’t have a particularly delicious taste on the lips in the way that the Clarins Comfort Lip Oils do, in honey or raspberry say. If anything there is perhaps a slight musk flavour. A moment after application however, that is long forgotten and you’re left with gorgeously glossy lips that you can’t help rubbing together. These leave behind a very slight stain on the lips as they wear down, so you’re left with that ever so pretty something something on the lips rather than obvious product.
Next time you’re in the mood for a ‘treat yourself’ purchase, I say put down the matte lipstick and try one of these out. Adorn is a lovely natural pink colour that adds a touch of ‘just something’ to the lips, while Nocturnal is a richer ‘just bitten’ pink, that gives a bigger whack of colour.
Find Hourglass at Mecca