Tested for you: The luxury cosmetics brand Hourglass Cosmetics

A luxury cosmetics brand must offer more than just glamorous packaging. However, many renowned brands attract attention more for their appearance than for the performance of their products. Often, only a few products live up to the hype, while the rest of the line tends to disappoint.

Disapointment about luxury cosmetic brands? Hourglass is different. The products consistently impress with high-quality pigments, long-lasting results, and skin that glows from within. You could call it the core of their DNA. If you look around on social media, it’s almost impossible to find anyone who isn’t raving about the products. You’ll also find them in the makeup bags of many international celebrity makeup artists.

The luxury cosmetics brand was founded in 2004 by Carisa Janes in Los Angeles, after she noticed a gap in the market for a beauty brand that focused on active ingredients, modern design, and exceptional functionality. Hourglass soon became synonymous with luxury makeup. It is one of the first luxury brands to completely eliminate animal testing. From the very beginning, it has relied on vegan formulations without compromising on quality or elegance. In 2017, the company was acquired by Unilever, but Carisa Janes remains CEO.

Luxury cosmetics brand committed to animal welfare

The commitment to animal welfare is also reflected in the new iconic Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked palettes. They focus on four majestic animals: deer, swan, fox, and horse—surrounded by beautifully designed flowers. The palettes were hand-painted by renowned Ukrainian tattoo artist Sasha Unisex. She is known for her use of bold, geometric watercolors that blend fantasy and reality in her body art. The Living Canvas brings scenes of flora and fauna to life, celebrating the beauty, spirit, and symbolism of animals in nature.

„When working on this project, I wanted the packaging to be more than just beautiful. I imagined how it would feel to open the palette for the first time, and I wanted that moment to be special,” says Sasha Unisex. “With tattoos, you think about longevity—how the image moves with the body. Like tattooing, makeup is a creative tool. I love how it can transform and highlight personality. It’s a different kind of art.“

Beautiful and powerful

In addition to the best-selling shades, this year’s palettes include several brand-new shades and at least one blush or bronzer created using Hourglass’ signature Miscelare marbling technique. Here’s what you’ll find in the palettes:

The Deer features three new shades. Cool ivory and bronze shades with warm peach and pink tones. All contain the finest pearlescent particles for a soft glow.
The Swan comes with four new shades. It is a palette full of peach, bold coral pink, and plum tones. With a golden shimmer and matte bronze, they create a multidimensional glow.
The fox has five new shades, including warm coral, terracotta, and rich berry tones. They blend with matte bronze and shimmering gold tones to create a radiant complexion.
The horse creates endless shine with plum, peony, and warm rose tones enhanced by shimmering champagne and golden bronze.

Custom design

This Christmas, customers can customize their own palette at HourglassCosmetics.com They choose their favorite design and combine it with their chosen color palette. A great gift to treat yourself or others. And do some good at the same time. Five percent of the net profit from each palette will go to the Nonhuman Rights Project, which works to secure the basic rights of animals.

The palettes will be available on the Sephora app from September 5, 2025.

And another favorite product from the luxury cosmetics brand…

Veil Hydrating Skin Tint is a lightweight foundation that instantly increases the skin’s moisture content by 52 percent, according to Hourglass. It really does keep your complexion looking fresh and healthy all day long. I find the texture particularly pleasant. It melts instantly onto the skin and forms a transparent veil that conceals minor imperfections and evens out the complexion. It certainly lives up to its product name, Veil. It leaves the skin looking visibly plumped and smoothed.

This is ensured by the formula with 94 percent ingredients of natural origin, including hyaluronic acid, which provides the skin with deep moisture by attracting water and supplying it with plenty of moisture. It also contains plant-based squalane, meadowfoam oil, and a rambutan blend. Squalane protects the skin from moisture loss and helps to preserve its natural radiance. Meadowfoam seed oil regenerates with nourishing fatty acids to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. And the rambutan blend increases the natural moisture content of the cells to strengthen the moisture level in the long term.

And what is the best way to apply the veil? Use your fingers to spread some of the product in the middle of the face, on the chin, and on the forehead. Don’t use too much at once; you can always add more if necessary. Use your fingertips, a foundation brush, or a makeup sponge or blender to blend the foundation outwards.

“Veil Hydrating Skin Tint” by Hourglass, 35 ml, $49.00