Product Review: Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick

Like the Return of Sexy palette by Too Faced (which I reviewed here), the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks are by no means new. It was released in 2012 -- which doesn't seem that long ago, does it? -- so it's definitely been around for a while, but that hasn't stopped me from lusting over it as if it were the shiniest toy on display!

First impressions are made on looks, so it's no wonder that the gorgeous packaging of these lipsticks captured my eye the first time I saw it in Mecca. It's sleek, streamlined casing exudes an air of money and class -- and it would want to, costing $42 a piece.

I'd been eyeing these off for a while, and I finally caved a couple of weeks ago and bought two of them, in "Icon" and "Raven". It was the swatches that did it for me -- the pigmentation with one swipe is incredible; I'm sure that my jaw dropped a little.

 L to R: "Icon" and "Raven" (from the Hourglass website)

See!? A one-swipe wonder!
(Top: "Icon". Bottom: "Raven")

I would describe "Icon" as a blue-toned deep red, because I feel like it looks a little like MAC's Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick and we all know that practically makes me a professional. "Raven" is an orange-based bright red -- it makes me curious about how it got its name.

The lipsticks are described on the Hourglass website as "a richly pigmented, silky smooth, and velvety matte lip color that delivers extended wear without flaking or dryness". Is it richly pigmented? Richie Rich rich. Is it velvety matte? Delightfully so! Is it silky smooth? I don't really think so, and that's likely where the problem is with this product (but more on that in a sec).

You have to be careful with putting this on -- so much so that I'm not sure I'd recommend this for a freshly sworn-in Beauty Padawan. Describing the applicator is something beyond my own Padawan capabilities, but I think that if you imagine your standard lip gloss applicator, but flat, you'll get a relatively good idea of what it looks like. I think that this is what makes it somewhat tricky to apply -- a gloss can be put on and cleaned up with ease and, in my very limited experience, lipstick not so much.

This product is definitely true to its name, as you only really need one swipe for a fully opaque coverage. You can swipe the applicator over your lips if you feel that you need to even it out, but you need to work quickly. If you keep applying after it starts to set, you run the risk of having blotchy, uneven coverage. It's another reason why this isn't exactly Padawan-friendly.

Once applied, the formula for the Opaque Rouge lipsticks need time to set, however I was not told this when I bought them at Mecca. It does say so on the packaging, but I'm not sure how many people pay attention to the packaging. I know I didn't. Basically, if you rub or touch your lips together, the product will move and it will look uneven. You'll try to reapply it and... it just won't work. Or maybe it will, if you're a Beauty Yoda. For me, it doesn't work -- I learned the hard way.

Just let the lipstick set, and you'll look like Helen of Troy in no time.

Although I haven't worn either lipstick for the 10 to 14 hours that Hourglass says it lasts, it certainly does have a heck of a lot of staying power. Touch it to your fingers and they come away clean. Try to clean the swatches on your hands with a gentle makeup remover and you'll quickly realise you need some elbow power.

After quite a few rubs with a soaked cotton pad!

The cleansing water I used has no problem taking off lipstick and gloss before, so I might need to use a more astringent toner next time.

Wearing "Icon". Yep, I'm providing quality phone camera quality pics.

Icon -- this is my favourite colour to wear, but it's also the most irritating. I am constantly bothered by how it feels on my lips -- that is to say, I can feel it on my lips all the time. It feels like there's a coating of sorts on my lips and it's just... It's really weird. It feels slightly tacky as well, but not overly so -- think of sticky-tape that you've put on and pulled off your skin a couple of times. The first time I had it on, I kept touching my lips together because of the weird tackiness and the colour wore away a little. I consciously try to stop my lips from touching when I wear this, and then it tends to last a good while. I would say that, generally, if you're careful, it's safe for drinking and eating to a point. It is an absolutely gorgeous colour with a velvety look, and it's my favourite of every lip product that I own.

Let me just say, it turns heads.

However. I feel like this is heavy and drying on my lips. There's no silky smooth texture as promised by Hourglass, and it doesn't feel like other matte lipsticks that I've worn. I always exfoliate my lips beforehand, because otherwise it attaches to already dry patches that become glaringly obvious as it wears away.

Check it out.

Pucker up!

This is a sort of "before" shot that I took before going out, to show just how much I apply on my lips. (You can see that I missed a tiny bit, but that's the Padawan curse). I went out for a few hours, ate and drank, and after a few hours, this happened:



Ew, am I right?

You can see, even with this really dodgy quality, how it's worn off the smoother part of my bottom lip, worn off in patches and then kind of feathered into my lip creases (if that's the right way of describing it). I can kind of pull my lower lip in so that this doesn't show, but it's insanely obvious that I need a touch-up when I'm talking. The trickiness with this formula means it's not just as simple as pulling out a mirror and running it over your lips. I either need to wipe it off and put on something else, or apply a lipstick in a close-ish shade over the top (the closest one I have is a deep purple-red colour by Rimmel).

Wearing "Raven" -- in my jim-jams.

Raven -- you probably won't be able to tell with the 5-star quality of my Samsung camera, but this orange-red colour actually makes my skin look a little darker! I'm not sure why that is exactly (but I plan to find out!) but it's still a really cute colour that I really like.

I'm not sure what it is with this formula, but it sits differently only my lips compared to "Icon". I don't feel like I have anything coating it, even after I let it set. That being said, I think that it wears off a little bit quicker. I was getting ready for work and had something to drink before I changed into my work clothes, and I noticed that it had already worn off, whereas "Icon" did not. (I ended up taking it off and applying something else.) This makes "Raven" somewhat more friendly for Beauty Padawans, as I think it gives you a little more time to apply it carefully. It has the matte finish that it promises, but not the velvety look.

I think that the Opaque Rouge lipsticks have been the hardest thing I've had to rate (because, y'know, I've rated sooo many things). One the one hand, I absolutely adore them to pieces, faults and all. On the other, they're not exactly perfect and that's slightly disappointing given its expensive price tag.

Padawan Product Rating: B+

Do you own any of the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks? Do you have any dupes?

Sarah xo