Drama and Hourglass Goodies

Hi guys, hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was...eventful, shall we say. In short, I was in Edinburgh to celebrate a friend's birthday. I woke up on Saturday with an insect bite on my top lip but thought nothing of it. I started to feel awful during the day and went to bed early to sleep it off. But I woke up at 3am and my face felt tight and just weird and when I touched my cheek I knew something was wrong. I got up and looked in the bathroom mirror and my face was extremely swollen and red on one side (the side where I was bitten!). It was awful and really sore. I must have had an allergic reaction or something. Of course, me being me, I got all upset and freaked out. I held cold damp towels to my face and luckily it went down a bit. I took an anti-histamine on Sunday morning and that seemed to work wonders. My face went down alot so now it's just my top lip on one side that's swollen. It just looks like I've been punched in the face!ha ha. I have never ever had anything like this happen to me before so it was a bit of a shock. So that's my drama for the week.

Anyways, my fat lip aside, let's get down to business...

This is going to be a post on some Hourglass products, namely the Extreme Sheen Lipgloss, Superficial Lash Mascara and Calligraphy Liquid Eyeliner. First up is the lipgloss...

This shade is called Ignite and it's a nude beige with slight gold shimmer. This is a very wearable shade and it's actually warmer toned than I thought it would be. The shimmer particles aren't too overbearing and it didn't feel gritty at all on my lips. The website describes it as a "water-resistant lip gloss that comes in a range of pretty shades. It has a brush applicator, ensuring it glides on smoothly and evenly. It smells delicious, as lip glosses should". Here's a swatch...

The formulation is very good and it lasts a long time without having to re-apply. It doesn't feel overly sticky or gloopy like some long lasting glosses can. Although it's hard for any gloss to stay put through eating and drinking. All in all, this is a nice lipgloss but I wouldn't say it blew me away. The packaging is pretty slick however it costs £21 which I think is too pricey for a product that's just 'nice'. I would probably much prefer to get a MAC Lipglass which would be cheaper and also you have the choice of a greater range of shades.

Next up is the Superficial Lash Mascara...

The wand looks pretty much exactly the same as the one for Estee Lauder Sumptuous which can only be a good thing as the tapered end makes it easier to grab the little lashes in the inner corners without poking your eye out. The website describes it as "Lash-defining and color-rich, Superficial Lash is a hydrating formula that coats lashes in weightless volume and sheen. Eyes are instantly highlighted as lashes visibly increase in volume, length, and height".

This mascara definitely lengthens and curls but I wouldn't say that it added any volume to my lashes. It didn't clump on application and it lasted pretty well over the day with no flaking or smudging. I would say this mascara gives the lashes a natural look and to be honest that's just not what I'm interested in. I want dramatic lashes or at least the option to have a buildable formula. This mascara just doesn't have the wow factor for me.

Lastly is the Calligraphy Liquidliner in Ebony (Black)...

The website describes this liner as a "refined felt-tip precision eye liner, infused with botanical extracts and pearl protein, creates striking, definitive eyes without tugging or skipping. The longwearing formula quickly dries to prevent smear and transfer. The formula contains antioxidant-rich rosemary, perilla, chamomile, and aloe extracts to soothe and moisturise the eyes. This product is waterproof, but comes off easily with all eye make-up removers".

Now, in my mind, £23.00 for a liquid liner is somewhat ridiculous bearing in mind that my HG waterproof liquid liner is Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero SmudgeLiquid Liner and is priced as £17.00. Yes this Hourglass liner is goof proof and has a long lasting formula that doesn't budge BUT why would I spend £6.00 more on a product when I can get the same results at a cheaper price. I don't mind spending a bit more money if I think the product is well worth the splurge (Hello Rouge Bunny Rouge!) but this brand has just got their pricings all wrong. I think they have overpriced their products completely and if you don't have the substance to back up the price tag, then customers won't be impressed at the end of the day.

So overall, I'm not that enamoured with the brand to be honest, all of the products I tried were nice with practical sleek packaging but that certainly doesn't warrant the prices.

Have you tried these products?