Wednesday 23 January 2013

Project Swatch: Hourglass Illume Bronzer Duo in Sunset

I'd wanted to buy the Hourglass Illume Bronzer Duo in Sunset for a long time but held off because I was concerned that the bronzer would be too dark on my fair, NC20-ish skin. I won't lie, the bronzer is a little tricky for me to work with and it takes a lot of buffing in to look natural. It can also look a wee bit orange on me if I'm too heavy handed. You can see how the duo looks applied on my face here.

Hourglass+Illume+Sunset1

Despite the effort required with the bronzer, I don't consider this a bad purchase because I particularly wanted it for the blusher. In an ideal world, I would make up my own palette with the bronzer from the Illume Duo in Bronze Light and the blusher from Sunset. When I've had my makeup done at the Hourglass counter in Liberty, that is the combination they have used.

I find the texture of these creams very pleasing to work with. They are described as a cream to powder formula but I don't find the finish to be especially powdery, instead, for me this just means the product melds with my skin without leaving a shiny finish. I apply both the bronzer and blusher with my Illamasqua blusher brush but would love to invest in one of the Hourglass brushes to use with it one day.

Hourglass+Illume+Sunset2

Hourglass+Illume+Sunset4

I have wondered how the texture and colour of these Hourglass Duo Bronzers compares to the popular Chanel Bronze Universel. Unfortunately, I don't own the Chanel to make the comparison but if anyone has seen side by side swatches let me know. I will update this post with any appropriate links as I find them. UPDATE: You can see a comparison of Bronze Light and Chanel Soleil de Tan/Bronze Universel here on Cafe Makeup.

The Hourglass Illume Duo in Sunset costs £40 and I purchased mine palette from Zuneta. Hourglass products are also available from Liberty and SpaceNK.

13 comments:

  1. I am so rubbish with bronzers, I make myself look mucky :( But I do like the blusher colour...it looks lovely!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I go through phases with bronzers. I have a couple that I get on OK with but I've never used any extensively enough to hit pan. The Sunset blusher is definitely a winner though. Hopefully I will fight the urge to start depotting!

      Delete
  2. I've been slowly purging my bronzers because I have a hard time choosing the shade and depth I need without looking ruddy or orange. So far, I've kept RBR's liquid bronzer because I like the effect of the slight shimmer when my skin is so sad and sallow in the winter time. I'm quite liking the looks of the blush in sunset. That looks like a wonderful peach-leaning pink.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, I have a small sample pot of the RBR Liquid Bronzer that I got with a Zuneta order. You've reminded me that I ought to have a play with it! Because of course, January is the perfect moment to be mucking about with bronzers ;)

      Delete
  3. These are gorgeous! Love the blush in particular and hope you can find a way to make the bronzer work for you. Is it creamy enough to blend with a little foundation or highlighter on the back of your hand and just stipple on?

    Nic x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nic! I'm not sure if I would be able to mix this one but I find as long as spend a while buffing it in to my skin, it looks fine. It's just not one I could sweep on quickly in a rush iyswim? I will have a go at applying it with a stippling brush. I think the Real Tecniques face brushes would be really good at applying this texture too x

      Delete
  4. I used to own the other HG palette with the cream bronzer and highlighter. It was a bit of a challenge for me to work with a cream bronzer vs. a powder one and the color was a bit orange for me. I like the blush color in this palette.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's extremely useful to know that the bronzer in the 'light' palette is also a bit orange too. I discovered when googling for swatches that the HG light palette is identical to one by Sienna X, I would be intrigued to know if the colours are identical too!

      Delete
  5. I have yet to try anything from this brand. I think I need to change this. Very soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely give it a try Michelle. Do they have counters in Canada? I would love to hear your thoughts on their lipsticks, they have some really stunning colours.

      Delete
  6. While I think this bronzer would be to orange on me, the blush is lovely!!! I have never tried this brand before. I must scope it out! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. This looks lovely, but I have so much trouble with bronzers oxidizing on me. I am such a fan of Hourglass though.

    ReplyDelete

I love receiving comments and read each and every one. I always do my best to reply too. If you have a question and need a quick response, please feel free to email me.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails