My Melt Proof Summer Staples

It's in the 90s again today. You know, the melting heat that makes your lipstick suddenly feel like you have gloss on instead?

High temps, oil and sweat work against keeping that makeup on but  I have worked and tested to find hot weather staples that go the distance against melting heat. Since I have even more melt than most people, these really made the grade.  (Links to  previous reviews included if applicable.)


Lips-  Hourglass Aura Lip Stain-   Unlike a lot of lip stains this doesn't feel dry  on lips and  isn't  sheer. It also doesn't melt in the heat . With medium pigment and a waterlight feel it lasts longer than gloss and leaves no sticky mess behind when it does begin to wear off.

Foundation - Many might skip foundation  in  the heat.  I'm not one of them. I want a base and need it to help keep the oil at bay .  Ones that are the most meltproof, with the least wear off have been Shiseido's  UV Protection Liquid ,  Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder  and Cover Girl's new Ready ,Set Gorgeous, which says it is humidity resistant and has really surprised me with  how well it holds up.


Waterproof Mascara- When the humidity and dewpoint skyrocket , mascara goes down, down your eyes that is. Keep those lashes strong with a waterproof, budge proof mascara. The ones that work best for me ? MAC Extended Play ,   Cover Girl Last Blast Fusion Waterproof and  Clinique's new Lash Power Feathering

Eyes- Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow -  These long wear creams  are  a saver in Summer. Easy to apply  and long lasting, grab a  beige or golden shade for a wash of color  that even if it does wear off, doesn't leave behind a streaky mess. MAC's Paint Pots also do really well.

Cheeks-  The  NARS Mulitple -Creams are easier to apply to sticky skin without streaks but many , at least on me , are too creamy and fade fast. The Multiple dries to a powdery finish  but it's still easy to blend.  My fav shades ? Puerta Vallarta and South Beach.

Hourglass New Extreme Sheen Lipgloss Shades- Muse

Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipglass has added three new shades.

One of these is Muse, a very deep coral red. This is definitely not for shy, this lip color is super bold with intense pigment. I have to admit it's even giving this coral lip lover some pause. But it is beautiful and the color of Summer.

If you haven't tried Extreme Sheen  before, these are almost a  liquid lipstick . They have sheen but not high gloss and a thicker than most gloss formula. You get full, lightly hydrating coverage with one swipe of the wand .

Also new are Panoramic Lip Liner in coordinating colors.  The new ones are Empress( deep aubergine), Eden ( true nude), Muse ( coral red) and Raven ( orange red).

The other two new Extreme Sheen are Canvas ( dusty rose) and Ballet ( vibrant pink ).

Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss is $ 28 at Sephora, Net A Porter, Space NK and more.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush- Dim Infusion

At last I have an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush here. I've been waiting for these and had a sneak peek at all of them a couple weeks back .

I've been on a blush kick lately and this new Hourglass one is a nice addition. I chose Dim Infusion as I generally like the peach shades, but they are all nice.

Dim Infusion is a light peachy shade. It's a warming wash of color but not  deeply pigmented. Having  seen all the shades in person , some are deeper than others but none are overly so.   Radiant Magenta looks to be  the deepest of the group. Think "Soft Focus" and you get the idea.

Ambient Blushes don't really have shimmer which I think many thought they would. They have a light luminescence ( mica is the first ingredient)  but are shimmer free. There's  no talc in the formula and that along with the blending in of an  Ambient Powder shade  in each blush , makes them feel very smooth and silky  on skin as well as making them look instantly blended.

Dim Infusion Blush  is blended with Dim Light Ambient Powder.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush is $ 35 and available now at Sephora

The Year's Best In Beauty 2013

Happy New Year , let's hope 2014 brings many wonderful things to us all.  For the first day of the year I'm taking  a look back at the beauty that was best  in 2013. There were a few more items that I didn't include and since I like most beauty items at least a little if not a lot, many could be here but these are top of the heap for me ( links included back to earlier posts).

What was your beauty best last year?

Hourglass Ambient Powder/ Palette- This new powder from Hourglass became an almost everyday staple for me this year. First I had a single cake in Ambient , then later they released a trio palette and I was even more in love with those shades. All of them brighten.  perfect and polish while waking up skin without any heaviness. Some add  hints of warm color like Radiant Light.


Alterna Caviar CC Cream & Instant Recovery Caviar RepairX Duo-  A CC for hair ? Yes it seemed a bit much name wise, but product wise this made my hair the best it's ever been. Add in the Caviar RepairX shampoo/conditioner and my hair was in amazing shape.  Yes, Alterna is a bit expensive, but oh so worth it.

Marni Rose- I love a good rose and Marni Rose is  a lovely one. It's a fairly subtle modern rose  and as I said in my review, rich yet fresh.

Bumble and bumble Surf Foam Shampoo- I'm not a huge fan of hot Summer weather but one benefit is air drying hair. When I used Surf Shampoo, blow dried just a little  and left it air dry the rest of the way,  Gisele's waves had nothing on me.

RoC MAX Resurfacing Cleanser- A rich exfoliating cleanser that can be used daily. I tend to use it once a week or so , but every time it brings up glowier , smoother skin. It's a quickie facial.

Make Up For Ever  Pro Finish Compact Foundation-  Perfecting, smoothing, full coverage , it's all there. No caking , no heaviness just you but perfected. I use this at least 3 days a week or more. Not only it is easy to grab and apply quickly but it lasts and looks so good.

Sephora Contour Eye Pencil 12 HR- Hands down the best pencil eyeliner for lasting I've used . There is a huge , great shade selection and the retail is $ 9.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette - Updated- Swatches

Having now seen the new Hourglass palette in person I love it even more.  I swatched as best I could the three shades. You can see that the first two have some color and the third, the new Incandescent Light is mostly colorless. ( The swatches are out of order.)

This is my first try of Radiant Light, but it's one I thought I'd like. This imparts a warm glow to skin while Dim Light adds a hint of color that seems to perfect skin. It's like a much lighter version of a bronzer. Incandescent brightens  .

I love the idea of a powder palette and it something we don't see often.I can only think of one other brand that has one.  If you are a powder fan or want a gift for the makeup lover but are unsure what lip or eye shades she loves, then this might be just right.

*  Above updated 10/15

You know how I love my Hourglass Ambient Light Powder  . Now for holiday we can feast our eyes and skin on an LE Ambient  triple threat, yes a palette with 3 shades - two existing and one new.

Ambient Lighting Palette includes Dim Light and Radiant Light along with new LE shade Incandescent Light . The palette also includes a  5 ml trial size of  Mineral Veil Primer.

The Incandescent Light is a  " pearlescent powder that highlights the cheekbones and brightens the complexion with a celestial glow."

I should have a in person look at it soon and will update.

Hourglass Ambient Light Palette is $ 58 and available now at Sephora, Barneys, Space NK  and more.

Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Style - Nude No.5

With Hourglass Cosmetics new Lip Stylos you can pick your nude.  This new release is Hourglass entry into the lip crayon world and comes in 6 new nude shades .

Although lately I've been all about orange-y peach and coral , I adore  a nude lip and am rather proud of my large collection of amazing ones. We all go from a look we love and use a lot to finding new ones we stick with more and for a long time a nude lip was my mainstay. It's still a lip look I go to often and  Femme Nude Lip Stylo is taking me back to it.

As usual Hourglass amps up the packaging, with Femme Nude taking the lip crayon to the luxe next level. It's pretty to look at as well as wear.

The finish  of Lip Stylo is satin, and it's very creamy with plenty of moisture and medium to full coverage.  A perfect lippie for a lighter makeup day or as a complement to a deeper or smoky eye look. I particularly love this type of shade when I'm rocking a green eye. It just really works for me.

No.5  is the nude  with a hint of blush tone that warms it up . It is called golden peach  by Hourglass. It also has a very tiny bit of shimmer. I think it may be the only color to have that, and leave it to me to go right to the shimmery. What it does is just make it more luminous , less flat.

As I said these have nice moisture  with vitamin e in there and the moisture lasts. Wear time is good as well, 2-3 hours. Lip Stylos are a click pen, no sharpening.

I look forward to seeing  the rest of these in person and will have to restrain myself from buying all of them. No. 2 Honey Beige also looks very good to me.

Available now at  Sephora for $ 30 

Femme Nude Lip Stylo Ingredients:
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate, Oleyl Alcohol, Ozokerite, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera), Paraffin, Lanolin Oil, Lanolin Wax (Lanolin Cera), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil. May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Mica (Ci 77019), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090).

Hourglass No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil

Something unique  which is always fun  to find in the beauty world, is the new Lip Treatment Oil from Hourglass. Packaged as always in their luxe way , this  is an ultra hydrating boost for your lips .

It's an unusual release for warmer weather as this would be amazing in the cold temps but it works whenever you need moisture. Lip Treatment Oil  has 28 essential oils, plant oils and vitamins  and ingredients include borage, clove, eucalyptus, evening primrose, lavender, orange peel  and rosemary oils  along with sunflower, and  jojoba  oils.  Vitamins A, B5, C and E are there  as is  Volulip™ with peptide Pal-KMo2K for lip volume and softening.



All those plant oils give it a slightly herbal scent with eucalyptus, rosemary and the clove being prominent to my nose.  It's also vegan with no parabens and  lest you think it's all treatment , the oil does have a slight sheen  and shimmer on lips .

A neat feature is the applicator. You press the top below the tip to get the oil out and the  tip is  24 karat gold plated and antibacterial .  The oil iself is thick and viscous not thin or  runny and applies easily. It stays on lips awhile and  does provide major hydration. 

Hourglass No. 28 Lip Treatment oil is  $ 42  at  Sephora  and Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Previews New Products at La Perla F/W 2013

Hourglass Cosmetics once again provided the makeup for the La Perla presentations. La Perla showed both  Collection and Black Label at  Fashion Week. 

As often happens at fashion week, we get a sneak peek at what's coming soon. Listed are  a new Lip Oil ( doesn't that sound very interesting?) and Femme Nude Lip Stylo , which  from the image looks to be a line of nude toned lipstick pencils. Nice. My Hourglass Femme Rouge  lipstick in Grace is a top nude shade . The new Ambient powders were used as well. 

 The full look :

 

LOOK ONE – La Perla Collection

SKIN: Prep with Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum to create a seamless canvas for makeup. Follow with Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup in three shades: Porcelain, Ivory and Honey. “I use the deepest shade to contour, the lightest shade to highlight and the matching shade for the rest of the skin,” says Lee. Repeat the process with Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer in three shades: Hidden, Fair and Tan. Finish up with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in three shades: Radiant (golden beige), Dim (neutral beige) and Luminous (champagne pearl). “Blending the three powders creates an exceptional glow. You can literally become your own lighting technician.”

EYES: Augment brows with Hourglass Arch Sculpting Brow Pencil in Soft Brunette. Next, line the eyes with Hourglass Film Noir Kohl Eye Pencil in Espresso, and apply the mauve shimmer shade from Hourglass Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Exhibition to the lids. “To create a watery effect, I like to dampen my brush with a little No. 28 Primer Serum,” says Lee. “Unlike using water, the shadow never really dries down.” Finish with a few coats of Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara.

LIPS: Prep lips with Hourglass No. 28 Lip Oil, launching this summer, and follow by applying Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick in Raven and Icon. “I melted the shades together and applied the new color with a lip brush,” says Lee. “Although vibrant, it’s not an especially sharp shape. It’s still fresh, delicate and elegant.”

LOOK TWO – La Perla Black Label

SKIN: Prep skin with Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum to create a seamless canvas for makeup. Follow with Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup in three shades: Porcelain, Ivory and Honey. Repeat the process with Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer in three shades: Hidden, Fair and Tan. Finish up with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in three shades: Radiant (golden beige), Dim (neutral beige) and Luminous (champagne pearl).

EYES: Augment brows with Hourglass Arch Sculpting Brow Pencil in Soft Brunette. Next, line the eyes with Hourglass Film Noir Kohl Eye Pencil in Eclipse (black) and smudge. Follow with Hourglass Film Noir Kohl Eye Pencil in Espresso (brown) and smudge. “Layering the two shades gives the eyes more depth and intrigue,” says Lee. Follow with the eggplant shimmer shade from Hourglass Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Exhibition on the lids. Finish with a few coats of Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara.

LIPS: Prep lips with Hourglass No. 28 Lip Oil, launching this summer, and follow by applying Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo, coming this fall. “There are six shades and you pick the one that best suits your skin tone,” says Lee. “Femme Nude enhances your natural lip color. The sensual flesh tones are as appropriate for everyday as they are for the La Perla runway.”

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

 Powders seem to be  taking center stage this year, or at  least this season.  Add to the list a new one from Hourglass. 

Called Ambient Lighting Powder , there are 6 varieties , each to mimic light effects on your skin. 

I tried Diffused Light, liking the idea of brightening and softness. Even though I don't have that much redness.  Diffused Light is a pale yellow and yellow  in makeup  is often  used to combat redness as well as  sallowness.  It was hard to choose. They all sound nice.

This is a very finely milled powder that goes on sheer and light. You can tell you have powdered, but there is nothing heavy here. It's airy.  Diffused Light helped to keep shine down and warm things up just a bit. There is no shimmer that I can detect, but I don't know if that's true for all colors.

The powders come in a typically elegant Hourglass Compact and they are

free of parabens, talc, fragrance, nano-particles and gluten.

Ambient Light Powder shades: 

DIFFUSED LIGHT: A soft, warm, pale yellow powder. Light your skin with Diffused Light to reduce redness and give skin clarity – like a soft ray of morning light.

ETHEREAL LIGHT: An opalescent sheer, cool white powder. Light your skin with Ethereal Light to mimic a moonlit glow – even in broad daylight. 

RADIANT LIGHT: A sun-kissed golden beige powder. Light your skin with Radiant Light to extend a summer glow, or enhance the overall complexion with believable, subtle, warmth.

MOOD LIGHT: A soft, sheer lavender pink powder. Light your skin with Mood Light to mimic the softest most forgiving light and reveal your brightest complexion.

DIM LIGHT: A neutral peach beige powder. Light your skin with Dim Light to blur imperfections and highlight a radiant complexion with the perfect balance of warm and cool tones.

LUMINOUS LIGHT: A champagne pearl powder. Light your skin with Luminous Light to create a soft, incandescent candlelit glow – day or night.

Ambient Powder Brush also available with extra soft, high-grade taklon bristles and packaged with a protective travel pouch.

 $45 for each powder, $35 for the brush.

Currently on Sephora .com, in stores Mid February.

 

Hourglass Film Noir Eye Kohl

Hourglass has possibly  the most elegant makeup packaging around. Each of their products, no matter how basic , still looks totally chic.

Case in point is their new Film Noir Eye Kohl. This is the first eye pencil I've seen that has a pointed end that looks like an artist's brush. It's also very long. You feel like a makeup artist when you hold it. And the length , as it does  makeup brushes, makes it easier to use.

Hourglass has made this to be used on the inner eye rim , bottom line as well as eyeline . It's not too creamy nor too hard. It glides over the eye easily and can be blended. The pigment is very deep and the shade I have ,Espresso, is a very dark brown. It comes also in  Eclipse- Black.

Another neat feature - there are 2 caps. One has a built in sharpener.

Hourglass Film Noir Eye Kohl is $28  now at Sephora ,  with wider distribution  in January at luxury department stores.

Hourglass Cosmetics Best of Hourglass Set

Hourglass makes some fab products and this new for  holiday gift set gives 4 of them in one box.

 If you haven't tried Hourglass, this is a nice way to acquainted , and if you have , this is a try more/stock up set .

 The set includes a full-size Film Noir Mascara; full-size Extreme Sheen Lip Gloss in Ignite; travel-size Veil Mineral Primer; and deluxe sample size No. 28 Primer Serum . 

$ 59 

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation

Hourglass' new Immaculate  foundation is the holy grail for the oiliest of skins.  It totally and completely mattifies skin and leaves a light powder like finish that does not budge. I have never had any foundation go as long as this without at least a little oil breakthrough. Summer heat has met it's foundation match.

The coverage is medium and I do prefer  a little fuller coverage, but it is  also buildable  and I am so enthralled by how well it mattes that I'm flexible here. The liquid itself is a thin formula, and it blends very easily. It perfects skin and covers  well but you will still need some concealer on any spots or trouble areas. The foundation never looks heavy or cakey and it  has a soft focus finish

As I said this is for the oiliest, those of us who want skin as matte as we can get. It  is definitely not for drier skins . Combo to oily is where it's at with Immaculate Perfection.

 Call this  Complexion Perfection and find it at www.hourglasscosmetics.com or www.sephora.com for $ 55.00