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I recently splurged on the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Primer ($44) because I love the powder version so much (it's my holy grail high-end finishing powder) and I had really high hopes for this. Unfortunately, anticipation can sometimes lead to disappointment and I may be really unpopular for saying this, but...I wasn't all that impressed by this.
Here's why:
Dewy skin has recently become popular again so it's only natural that we'll start to see products that claim to give us that "lit-from-within" glow. The thing is, there are products that were released the last time dewy skin was in that give the same effect for a lot less money. One example off the top of my head is L'oreal Magic Lumi. I still use that primer all the time! Another one is Pixi's Flawless Beauty Primer. Both of them give your skin a subtle glow that peeks through your foundation to help your look flawless and glowy.
That's basically what this new Hourglass primer does for me...but it's $44 for a little 1 oz. tube. One thing it has going for it is that it comes in three different shades. Luminous Light gives your skin a beautiful glow without adding a lot of color, while Mood Light has a pink/lavender tone to correct a sallow complexion. Dim Light (which is the one I got) has a peachy brown tint and warms up my skin a little bit. You can see in the heavy swatch below that it looks almost bronzer-like against my pale skin, but once you spread it out (just above the heavy swatch), the effect is more subtle.
It feels really thin and lightweight...not at all like a traditional silicone primer. It goes on more like a lotion that absorbs almost instantly with no greasy or sticky feel, so those with oily skin types will probably love that about it. For me, it's actually a negative because my dry skin absorbs this as I'm trying to apply it which means it doesn't spread easily and I have to use a lot to cover my face. At $44 an ounce, that's not what I want to happen. Also, another thing I look for in a primer is the ability to fill in pores and fine lines and I didn't notice much of that with this because it's not a thicker, more "spackle-like" formula.
Overall, it did give my skin a nice glow that was still visible even through my foundation...but for me, the effect was so similar to Magic Lumi (which also has a similar, lightweight texture by the way) I just can't justify spending the $44 on it. Glowy primers are not really a "new" concept but now that they're becoming popular again, I guess companies assume that you've forgotten about the older formulas and will be on to the next best thing.
Unfortunately, it's going back to Sephora. It's not a bad product by any means...I just can't justify the cost for what it does (and doesn't do), especially when there are drugstore products out there that can give me the glowy base I'm looking for.
You can find the Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer at Sephora.com
Thanks for such an honest review! I forgot all about Magic Lumi! I'll be buying it tonight when I go to Target.
ReplyDeleteI re-discovered Magic Lumi back in the fall and I forgot how much I love it! It's funny how I forget about old products as new ones come out, even though I promised myself at the time I would use it forever! :)
DeleteTHANK YOU Jen for saving me $44. I definitely would have bit the bullet and bought it if you gave the thumbs up, but....oh well, plenty of other primers are available. $44 is a bit much for a little moisture and glow and not much else.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. :) My thoughts exactly! If it made my skin look flawless (filled in pores, texture, lines) it would have been more worth-it for me. But like you said, it's pretty much just moisture and a little bit of glow. :)
DeleteAs always, thanks for the honesty!! Do you have any opinion or idea on how this compares to the Becca Backlight Priming Filter primer? Thanks! <3
ReplyDeleteI wish I could help, but I'm not really sure since I haven't tried that one yet. I know that the Becca version also adds a glow, but I'm not sure if it has a different feel or if it does more when it comes to smoothing the texture of your skin. I noticed that YSL just came out with a glowy primer too...this trend is really starting to take off again! :)
DeleteI honestly have tried a couple of primed from high-end brands as well as drugstore, and I haven't found ONE that I really felt did much of anything. I'm still trying to figure out if I think they're all worthless or not, lol. I have semi-oily/shiny skin, so I recently bought the new Milani one for shine, and I felt like it really didn't do much of anything. I've also tried the high-end Smashbox one for oily skin, and I did see a Matte effect, but it lasted for like an hour. I wish I could stumble upon a primer that I actually liked!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I've been eyeing these and really want to try this one or the Luminous light but now I may reconsider based on your review. I am going to go in store and swatch first and see how I feel about them before shelling out the cash and here in Canada, they are $52...Yikes!!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.
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