Hourglass recently came out with their highly talked about eyeshadow palettes. When I saw photos of these palettes on Instagram before they launched, I literally gasped because they are just so beautiful and unique in terms of appearance. So, you best believe when this became available to VIB Rouge members I quickly got on Sephora and purchased one; I ended up getting the Exposure palette, which is all plum shades. The palette costs a whopping $58, but Hourglass is a luxury brand so I thought that was pretty decent considering eyeshadow palettes are pretty expensive. I mean Urban Decay’s Naked Palette is now $54. Granted, you do get more shadows. Anyway, I digress. Time to review this gorgeous Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette!
The palette comes with five shades and each of the palettes are categorized by tones. So there is a palette focused on warm neutrals; one for rose shades; one for plum shades; one for earthy tones, and so on, which I like because it’s not just a random assortment of eyehadows. They all actually compliment eachother and you can choose a palette with the type of shades you like the most.
The Exposure palette, which is a plum toned palette, comes with champagne, aubergine, bronze, black violet and lilac shades. The first two from the left seem to be of a satin finish, the third and fourth shade are more shimmery and the last shade is a satin as well. There isn’t a matte shade in the palette, which is something I personally like because then I can use that as my transition shade in the crease. Personally, I do not like putting shimmery or satin finished eyeshadows in my crease.
The Good| The palette is absolutely gorgeous and all the shadows go together really well so you can come up with different makeup looks using similar tones. If you don’t know how to pair eyeshadows together, these palettes are great because they are created so that all the shades go together. The eyeshadows are extremely soft and pigmented, and I will touch more on that later. The packaging is sleek and small so it doesn’t take up much room in your makeup collection making it travel friendly.
The Bad| Now, unfortunately, because the shadows are so creamy they are powdery, crumble easily, and kind of clump up (as you can see in the swatches above, they apply a bit patchy) until you blend it out. It isn’t smooth on first swipe. It also makes using a brush with these really difficult so I use my finger, gently tap into the product, and press it onto my lids. You could use a flat shader brush, but I found I had to dip into the palette quite a few times to really get the pigment to transfer with a brush. When I did use this with a flat shader brush there was fallout so make sure you do not swipe this on to your lids with a brush because you will end up a hot mess. The longevity is decent on me, but it’s not the best and I have shadows that last longer so I would say a primer is definitely needed with these. Also, this palette is pretty small and that was a bit disheartening as well. I was expecting it to be the size of the Ambient Lighting palette, but it is smaller yet still the same price.
The Verdict| I am a little disappointed with this palette. Part of me really likes it, but the other part of me does not. However, I do really like the shades and they are unique for me because I don’t really own any plum shades like the ones in this palette, which is why I won’t be returning it and will continue to use it. Will I buy another palette? I don’t know. I am a makeup junkie and I do really like two other eyeshadow palettes they have so we will see. I have really high expectations when it comes to Hourglass makeup so I was kind of let down with this launch. If you are a beauty junkie and do not mind paying so much for a palette then I would buy it, but if you’re not that willing to fork out $58 for a small palette and rarely use eyeshadows then I suggest you skip this. There are good quality palettes out there that are less expensive and have more color options.
If Hourglass were to come out with their rendition of a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick like these with highlighting shades for your cheeks, I would be all about it! So, Hourglass, if you’re somehow reading this I think you should make those next because I would buy like seven..Don’t judge me.
Have you tried any Hourglass products? What do you think about this palette? Let me know in the comments below!
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