I Tested Every Hourglass Cosmetics Product—These 10 Are Hands-Down the Best In the Collection

I won’t bury the lede: The Ambient Lighting Powders are one of Hourglass’s most raved-about products. It’s for good reason, too—they are incredible. Each powder has what the brand calls “photo-luminescent technology,” which is essentially a mix of dyed mica and diamond powder, both of which offer the traditional mattifying properties of a powder, but with the most gorgeously radiant, blurring finish. It’s important to note that these are finishing powders, which means that they should be the very last step of your makeup routine.

In that same vein, the Ambient Lighting blushes are also next-level beautiful. I used them the same way I use the ambient powders, as a finishing step to my existing blush combination. While they can be built up to reveal a soft flush on the skin (particularly for fair skin tones), I like to think of them as influencing my blush color, rather than being the star of the show. My favorite shades are Sublime Flush and At Night, but I will be trying the others as well.

One of this brand's more underrated powders is its bronzers. The shade Radiant Bronze Light, in particular, is my absolute favorite because it gives my matte bronzers the most beautiful glow known to man. Plus, when I use a setting spray after application, my skin shines like glass.

I have come to realize that I basically only use these powders to set my under-eye area. I use a reverse baking method: I set my concealer with a setting powder, then bake for a few seconds with a loose formula. The shades medium and tan in particular are my go-tos, and it is shocking to say, but I am almost hitting pan on them both—that’s how you know my obsession is real.

A few years ago, Beyoncé's makeup artist, Sir John, shared a tip on finding truly lightweight powders. Grab a fluffy brush, dip it into the powder, and if the particles float in the air, then you know you have a winner. The Veil Translucent Setting Powder is one of the only powders in my collection to do this, and I am obsessed with it. Don’t let the lightweight formula fool you, though—this product will keep your face in place for hours. It’s the perfect balance between being lightweight and truly long-wearing. I feel like a professional makeup artist every time I use it in my routine.

Shifting to the cream products in the range, I'd like to spotlight the Airbrush Concealer. My favorite thing about this product is that it’s full coverage, but it doesn’t feel heavy or cakey under the eye or on the skin. It’s one of the most elegantly-made full coverage concealer formulas that I have ever tried, and for that alone, I will never stop singing its praises.

This skin tint has slowly crept onto my list of favorites, and honestly? I’m not mad at it. It’s lighter coverage, perfect for everyday use, and it’s rather dewy, so I typically pair it with my Yummy Skin primer from Danessa Myricks to keep oil in check. However, my favorite thing about this tint is that it has hydrating, skin-loving ingredients like squalane and hyaluronic acid, making this formula particularly well-suited for normal to dry skin types, as well as more mature skin.

Want to make your face look smooth and practically pore-free? Add this Vanish Airbrush Primer to your routine and thank me later. Everything from the glass packaging to the lightweight feel of the formula makes this product feel luxurious and expensive. Use it prior to foundation, and your skin will look just like that, too.

I don’t know what it is about this product that screams summer to me, but that is typically the season that I wear it. Maybe it’s because my bags get smaller, so I need to be able to achieve a full lip look in two to three steps at most. These glossy balms do just that—they offer the shine of a gloss, the pigment of a lipstick, and a feeling of a lip balm, all in one very chic stick.

Another incredibly underrated offering from the brand is the Unlocked Satin lipsticks. With a soft-matte finish and 12 extremely wearable shades to choose from, this lip color is vying to become your new everyday go-to. There are so many gorgeous neutrals to choose from in this collection that it just might become your newest beauty obsession as well.