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Hourglass review: "I tried £400 worth of makeup from the brand – here's what I rate"
I put the vegan Hailey Bieber-approved brand to the test

Few makeup brands we used in the peak YouTube makeup tutorial era are still in our makeup bags today, but one is Hourglass. They may have got us hooked on the Ambient Lighting Powder but more recent launches like the Veil Hydrating Skin Tint or the Hailey Bieber-approved Vanish Airbrush Concealer only confirm the brand is getting better with age.
Hourglass is proof that having vegan and cruelty-free formulas doesn't mean you have to compromise on textures or pigments. The brand has even created a vegan alternative to carmine (a red pigment extracted from insect scales traditionally used in cosmetic formulations), which is no easy feat.
Their lightweight formulas and rich pigments have earned Hourglass a rightful place in our makeup bags, but the brand isn't exactly budget-friendly. With foundations starting at £49 upwards, we thought it was worth putting £400 worth of Hourglass cosmetics to the test to determine which products are worth investing in.
Here are the Hourglass products we really rate. Plus, the ones we don't...
My Hourglass review
Charlotte Bitmead (she/her) is the Senior Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. She has over six years experience writing about beauty and has previously written for ELLE and The Sunday Times Style, covering everything from politics to sustainability to inclusivity within the beauty industry. When she’s not writing in-depth features, testing out the newest skincare fad or trying to decide what nail art to get, you can find her overspending in bookshops or shouting at Arsenal matches. Find her on LinkedIn

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