Hourglass holds a firm position in my top 10 favourite beauty brands. Their products just never fail to impress, and it’s one of the brands that whenever there’s a new launch, I’ll be the first to run to the store in the hope of getting my hands on their latest product. The recent launch of their new foundation stick was no exception.
Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick, is a foundation packaged in a convenient and travel-friendly stick format, and it has a lot to offer. Described as having the full coverage of a concealer, fluid texture like that of a liquid foundation, and weightless feel like a mineral powder. The formula is very pigmented and acts both as foundation and concealer all in one, making it buildable to full coverage but looks and feels lightweignt and natural on the skin. The foundation is available in 26 different shades, which means you’re guaranteed to find your perfect colourmatch.
I got mine in the shade ‘Sand’ (my MAC shade is NC30-NC35), which matches my skin tone perfectly. The packaging of this foundation fits right in with Hourglass style and trademark; sleek, and sophisticated, with that guaranteed wow factor. The foundation comes in compact triangle-shaped twist up stick, which not only looks and feels luxurious, but also very convenient and easy to carry around or travel with.
I have to admit, I’d never been a fan of foundation sticks. I have normal to dry skin and prefer a liquid foundation, something that will hydrate my skin. Foundation sticks, in my opinion, have a tendency to be drying, heavy and cakey. I was however, very pleasantly surprised to find my perception proven completely wrong after trying out Hourglass Vanish foundation stick. The texture of the Vanish Stick is incredibly creamy and ‘completely’ easy to blend, just like you’re blending a liquid foundation, and it also feels so beautifully lightweight and comfortable on the skin. It does, as it claims, blend into a completely seamless and smooth finish, it does not cake or emphasise pores like most foundation sticks tend to do. Coverage is medium and can be buildable to full, I find that it gives me enough coverage after one layer that there was no need for me to use a concealer (only for my undereye).
Along with the Vanish Stick, Hourglass also launched the Vanish Foundation Brush, which is a dense kabuki type foundation brush, designed to use with the Vanish Stick to buff and blend the foundation into a flawless smooth perfection. But this is another additional £42, and to be honest although it is a very good brush, if like me you already have so many foundation brushes lying around, just don’t bother buying another one. I’ve also been using my Oval Artis 7 and sometimes Real Technique buffing brush or the Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush, and they have all worked just as good.
In terms of lasting power, I think this will depend on your skin type and possibly what products you use underneath and what products you use to set the foundation. I find that on days when my skin is very dry, the foundation tends to gather and cling on to dry patches by the end of the day. But on days when my skin is normal, the foundation does last beautifully througout the entire day. So if you prep your skin well, make sure it’s well moisturised and hydrated, and use a good primer depending on your skin type, I think this is an amazing foundation. It offers a gorgeous full coverage flawless finish with a very lightweight texture, incredibly easy and a joy to blend, and I absolutely adore the sleek and convenient packaging, which I can just chuck into my bag and carry with me wherever I go.
Have you tried the Hourglass Vanish Foundation Stick? What are your thoughts?
