One thing about me: I’m a massive Gracie Abrams fan (photographic evidence in this carousel of me sobbing when I watched her perform “us.” for the first time at the Eras Tour in Miami). When I found out she was a Cosmopolitan digital cover and inside of our recent Love Issue, I screeched, then immediately asked our team if her longtime makeup artist Emily Cheng would be doing her makeup. Cheng’s go-to glam on Gracie is nothing short of flawless, yet always natural and simple. She never really even looks like she has makeup on—rather, just her skin, slightly elevated. Finally, I can share the reason: Hourglass's complexion range.
Gracie has been a huge fan of Hourglass for years, so it was a seamless fit to name her a global brand partner ahead of the expansion of their complexion range (more on this below, dw). She literally told me, via an exclusive video for Cosmo that these products have "turned her world upside down... for the better"—that's a glowing endorsement if I've ever heard one.
“When I’m writing a song, I don’t think about performing it—I try to shut out the noise and focus on being truthful,” Gracie says in the press release. “When I’m wearing makeup, it’s the same; I don’t want products that cover up who I am.” Hence, her choice to work with Hourglass—“Hourglass products let me stay true to myself no matter the time or place,” she adds.
The new campaign—Any Time, Any Place, Any Wear—features Gracie in her Hourglass at all different times of the day, highlighting just how long-wearing the formulas are and how they perform in different light conditions. You’ll see her go from morning to afternoon to evening, all in the same skin tint, concealer, and powder (and maybe a lil wing for nighttime, ofc). I got the details straight from Cheng about Gracie’s go-to routine, whether she’s getting her makeup done for a Cosmo cover shoot (!) or doing it herself before heading on stage. But will it last as long on my oily skin through a day of meetings and writing and running around NYC, all the way to—surprise!—a Gracie show at night? Let’s see.
Introducing: Gracie Abrams's full complexion routine:
According to Cheng, Gracie likes a soft look with minimal products, which is why she reaches for the Hourglass Skin Tint. A Cosmo 2024 Holy Grail Award winner, this formula is super lightweight and dewy with buildable coverage—so I totally get why Gracie's obsessed. To help hide dark circles and anything else that requires some more coverage, Gracie layers on the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer—a 16-hour-wear formula that's also totally weightless on the skin.
To prolong wear even further, Gracie layers it all on top of the new Illusion Priming Moisturizer, a smoothing and hydrating base with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. It helps plump up your skin before adding any coverage while providing a velvety canvas for makeup to stick to. Then, to top everything off, she sets her face with the Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder, a finely milled talc-free powder that still keeps your glow.
The Wear Test:
While Gracie is up and ready with her face done at 8 a.m., I cannot say the same for myself. But I did have my full makeup routine complete for my commute to the office by 9, and that was good for me. I followed Gracie's routine exactly—primer, skin tint, concealer, liquid blush (Cheng told me Gracie's obsessed with the Unreal Liquid Blush, so that's what I used too), liquid eyeliner, mascara, brow gel (Gracie's go-to makeup product, according to an interview with Cosmo), and powder throughout my T-zone. FYI: The Vanish Airbrush Concealer also got a mini face-lift, now available in 10 new shades to match even more skin tones. So I was able to use a brightening shade under my eyes, plus opt for a shade exactly the same as my skin tone for hiding acne and dark spots.
My skin, like Gracie's, is sooooo glowy and fresh-looking—and even better it doesn't feel heavy or like I'm wearing a ton of makeup. I have noticeably more acne than Gracie, sure, but my skin still looks good and healthy. And I could easily take down any shine with more setting powder if I needed.
'Twas a sunny lovely day at the office, filled with meetings with brands, brainstorms with our beauty team, and lots of writing at my desk. Very different from a day in the studio with GA. But my makeup was as glowy as hers, if not more. The Hourglass powder is great for keeping shine at bay, but it definitely doesn't cancel out any dewiness you get from the skin tint or concealer.
TBF, you don't really need to touch up too much with this concealer, but it's now available in a teensy bb travel size that would make it extremely easy to pop in your bag and conceal on the go (or, ya know, to save a little space in your makeup bag, like if you're on tour á la Gracie Abrams).
At this point, my skin is looking just a bit more dull as my blush has faded and my lashes need a curl. But my skin? All good, considering my acne's still covered and my T-zone isn't shiny. You also can now purchase travel sizes for the Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder and Veil Soft Focus Setting Spray too if you want to redo those steps throughout the day (both of these immediately went into my travel bag, btw).
So while Gracie heads out for drinks, I go to see Gracie at Brooklyn Paramount where she held an acoustic show with American Express. Before the show, I put on a bit more makeup: some gray eyeshadow, eyeliner, more blush, and extra powder to make up for all the potential sweating I was about to do dancing and crying to "That's So True."
During the concert, Gracie performed "Amelie," my favorite song by her, and I shed a few tears hearing it live for the first time in my life. But as I was leaving the venue, my makeup didn't look like I'd just bawled my eyes out. Honestly, my makeup was still fairly flawless, even though I stood in the rain waiting for my Uber home.
I didn't take a photo, because very few people deserve to see my face that late at night, but I'll say that I didn't look bad—something I can't always say after 12 hours in virtually the exact same makeup.
Final verdict:
I’ve tried each of these products individually many times, but shockingly, never together. But I heard it's Gracie Abrams's go-to and needed to see for myself. And I see why—my makeup lasted through a full day of commuting, working, commuting home, going to a concert, and heading home. All the while, my skin looked pretty damn good without looking cakey or feeling heavy on my face. Dare I say, Gracie's converted me.
Gracie's Hourglass favorites, including all 10 new shades of Vanish Airbrush Concealer, the new Illusion Priming Moisturizer, and travel sizes, are available now at HourglassCosmetics.com.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
