I always get excited when Hourglass has a new launch. I’m a big fan of their whole line but I especially love their Ambient Lighting Blushes and Powders. They recently released a new foundation in a stick form and I had the pleasure of testing two shades.
The Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick is a long wearing foundation stick with the coverage of a concealer, fluidity of a liquid and weightless as powder and gives an invisible full coverage base.
The formula of the foundation has double the amount of pigment than your regular foundation and also doubles up as a concealer and a foundation. The formula is also waterproof, promises 12h wear and adjusts to your body temperature for effortless blending. With 26 available shades I think there is a shade match for every skin tone out there. Since the bullet has a triangle shape it’s good for highlighting and contouring and makes for an easy application.
Hourglass also released a Vanish Foundation Brush which is a buffing type foundation brush that has an unique shape to fit in to all the contours of the face including around the nose and the eye area. The brush is super soft and dense enough so it buffs the foundation pretty well on to the skin.
I received two shades of the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Sand (light/medium with golden undertone) and Light Beige (medium with cool undertone).
The shade in Sand has a yellow undertone and appeared too yellow on my skin for my liking. Light Beige is a better match for my skin and I can make it work but I think by the description, the shade in Nude would be my perfect match since I prefer my foundations to be on the neutral side.
The pigmentation of the foundation stick is out of this world, I literally needed one swipe on each cheek, one swipe on my forehead and one on my chin to achieve medium coverage. As the name applies the foundation stick blends effortlessly on to the skin and looks very natural. It has a velvet finish and doesn’t stay sticky on the skin so I didn’t feel the need to powder my face.
My skin has been on the normal side so I used a hydrating primer before applying the foundation stick and it worked really well and didn’t leave me with any dry patches. I would say that since this foundation has a satin velvety finish it would be good for people with normal to combination and oily skin. If you’re extremely oily I recommend using the Hourglass Veil Primer before applying the base because the primer goes really well with the foundation and provides a nice slip for application.
Swatches L to R: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Light Beige, Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Sand
The Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick is my first foundation that I’ve tried that’s in a stick form and I can definitely see the appeal of it. The stick form makes for a very easy application and it’s also very travel friendly plus since the foundation stick is extremely pigmented you only need a tiny bit of product to achieve medium coverage. The foundation is also buildable to a full coverage but still looks natural on the skin.
A tip if you prefer lighter bases, you can always use a damp sponge for blending which will sheer the foundation and leave you with a very natural base. If you like a medium to full coverage base, a buffing brush is the way to go. Both the brush and the damp sponge worked for me really well.
The Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick is available both at Sephora and hourglasscosmetics.com and it’s priced at $46.
*PR Sample