dazzle 'n' sparkle

HOURGLASS Vanish™ Flash Highlighting Stick - Champagne Flash

A highlighter in a smooth, weightless texture designed to give you an instant flash of light for unparalleled glow and the most seamless highlight. This long-wearing, innovative formula adjusts to your body temperature to blend effortlessly into the skin. Soft-focus technology creates a flash of light on the skin. It’s also formulated with hollow microspheres for a weightless feel on the skin.The unique, innovative microspheres in this formula are designed to create a smooth texture with increased payoff and enhanced slip for ultimate blendability.

It is formulated without Paraben, Sulfates and Phthalates. Cruelty Free.

I was desperate to get my hands on this deluxe sample of the Hourglass highlighter for multitude of reasons! Apart from being a product from an amazing brand, it was free and a great way to try the product before buying full size. Also the color they offered was probably the most wearable one for my skin tone and not to mention the tiny travel friendly size. So easy to throw in the tiniest purse for touch up on the go.

Color, Texture, Consistency and Scent

The color I have is Champagne Flash, a champagne color with pearl shimmer. It is not glittery or sparkly. The shimmers are finely milled and totally incorporated in the product. It is a very creamy, light weight, non -sticky highlighter.

Application 

I dab a few dots on the high points of my face or wherever needed and blend it quickly with my fingers, basically using tapping and patting motion. It is good to avoid rubbing in the product. It does not dry down immediately, thus giving enough time to blend easily and seamlessly. It went on smoothly without getting patchy. Currently it is very cold in Chicago, so I find using fingers make the whole process easy because the warmth of the fingers provide enough heat to melt the cream product giving it enough slip to move around. The product is pigmented and is buildable. Light layer is the key. I have used it on bare skin as well as above foundation. A good way to blend everything together is to use a stippling brush or a foundation brush that already had leftover foundation and soften the edges where the highlighter meets the blush (makeup artist Lisa Eldridge trick)

Effect on the Skin

The highlighter did not mess with my foundation nor did it emphasize any pores and dry patches. I don't have too many dry patches lately, all thanks to a very good skincare routine that I follow. The highlighter imparts a nice sheen and glow to the skin without being frosty. It can get frosty though if not applied properly or piled on heavily. This is not a wet looking highlighter. 

It did not slip or slide on me. Stayed well for 7 hours or so, then started to fade. I didn't really get chance to wear it any longer. In colder months there is hardly any sweating. So everything stays put. The real test would be in summer, when the weather gets hot and little humid.

Packaging

Mine is a trial size product, so it is just a plastic twist up tube like lipstick. The original full size product is fancy with triangular shaped tube, just like the Hourglass Vanishing Foundation stick.

This is a beautiful highlighter, but not a unique one. I love cream products and have tried a lot of cream and liquid highlighters. It reminds me of BENEFIT COSMETICS Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter, though it has a slightly different finish at the end. The NUDESTIX Nudies All Over Face Color Bronze + Glow is a little more glossy and sticky. I have few swatches here.

If you are someone who loves that wet looking, glossy bling bling, high shine, this won't work for you. It is subtle, but not totally invisible and has enough punch to it. It is not too frosty, but can tend to get frosty if not applied properly or piled on heavily. These come in multiple shades and there is something for everyone. Gold Flash would look wonderful on my medium skintone in the summers. I am glad I got to try the sample size. This would last for a while. I mean who ever finishes a highlighter?

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