Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick I Woke Up, No One Knows Review

February 16, 2018
Hourglass Cosmetics, Lips, Lipstick, Makeup
by Kulpreet Kaur

Hey lovely ladies,

Got a couple more Hourglass reviews for you today. I’ve been trying and testing so many of the shades from this range that one would think I’d be immune to the lure of the packaging by now. And yet, it gets me each time. The packaging is just so stunning!

Product Description:
What it is:
An ultra-slim, refillable luxury lipstick that delivers saturated, long-wearing color with a satin finish.

What it does:
Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick delivers creamy, saturated, long-wearing color with a satin finish without smudging or feathering. Each lipstick is encapsulated in a sleek gold applicator to provide the ultimate control to precisely accentuate, contour, and define the lips. Featuring the ultimate luxury lip accessory, the gold applicator can be used interchangeably with the full collection of Confession Ultra Slim Lipstick Refills (sold separately).

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens
– Sulfates
– Phthalates
• Gluten
• Silicone D5
• Talc
• Triclosan
• Mineral Oil
• Not tested on animal

What else you need to know:
Confession Ultra Slim Lipstick blurs the line between beauty and accessory. It’s the ultimate luxury lipstick that discreetly fits in your pocket or clutch. The sleek gold applicator can be used interchangeably with the full collection of Confession Ultra Slim Lipstick Refills.

Hourglass products are 100 percent cruelty-free.

Suggested Usage:
-Twist the ultra slim lipstick to reveal product and apply. Retract product down before recapping.
-Hold pointed end of the gold applicator, remove gold cap and pull out lipstick barrel.
-Remove black cap of refill shade, firmly pull lipstick barrel out from the cylindrical black base.
-Reconnect refill black cap and base with remaining lipstick.
-Hold pointed end of the gold applicator and insert new refill shade into opening until it clicks into place.
-Secure gold applicator cap after each use.

Price:
Refillable Lipstick US $34 for 0.9gm
Refill $22 for 0.9gm

Yes, you read that right – 0.9gm of product. That’s actually less than some lip pencils or even deluxe size sample of lipsticks! 😉

My Experience with Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick I Woke Up, No One Knows:

Packaging:
Refer to the pictures and I will try to explain the packaging here. I am sharing pictures of both – the refillable lipsticks and the individual refills.

The Refillable Lipstick:
The refillable lipstick is this elegant and extremely questionable (coming to that in a minute) golden applicator. The applicator has a lot of heft and screams luxury. You separate the cap from the pointed end of the applicator to reveal a twist up lipstick. The lipstick is a thinner version of a regular lipstick with a slanted tip. Normally, I have issues with application – especially on the cupid’s bow – with a rounder slanted tip lipstick.

However, in this case, it isn’t an issue because the lipstick itself has a smaller diameter and hugs the cupid’s bow nicely. The shade name is written on the side of the lipstick barrel. So, if you have more than one of these you will need to open it each time and check the shade. The shade name is thoughtfully put on the side of the lipstick barrel and not on the golden applicator since the same applicator can be used to fit in another shade of the refill lipstick. The mechanism to change is extremely easy – the refill detaches easily and can be replaced quickly.

Coming to the questionable part – the golden applicator is reminiscent of the cigarette holders used by Western world – mostly women – from the 1910s to 1970s. They were made iconic by Audrey Hepburn (in Breakfast at Tiffany’s) and Lucille Ball (in I Love Lucy). Having said that, I personally wonder how ethical it is for a brand to glamourize smoking! Anyway.

Refills:
The refill consists of a black plastic lipstick case with a proper fitting cap. You pull out the cap to reveal the lipstick barrel. The lipstick shade is written on the side of the barrel as well as at the bottom. This bottom plug will actually need to be pulled out of the barrel to fix the lipstick into the golden applicator. While the golden applicator adds to the luxe feeling and the whole charm of the collection, you do not NEED the golden applicator. The refill can easily work on its own. The case is no way cheap plastic and is quite secure to use on its own.

A quick brief about the collection: This is like the naughty collection from Hourglass. All shade names reflect a “confession statement.” Like “I Desire” “If Only”, “I’m Addicted”, etc.

I Woke Up:

Described by the company as a “Dusty Rose.” I Woke Up is a medium dusty rose shade with a creamy finish. This range really has a plethora of rosy shades to choose from. This one did not make into my favourites because it is more like an MLBB shade. Also, I felt there were other, more flattering rose shades available in the range, which beat this one to be among my top 12. Having said that, it is a pretty MLBB shade, which would work beautifully across a range of skin tones. It would be easy to carry off, borderline neutral and yet kind of flattering.

No One Knows:

Described by the brand as a “Peachy Pink.” I think the description is a bit of a stretch. To me, it is a light to medium, pastel peachy coral shade, which is a bit too milky for my taste to look flattering or natural. Yeah, I know, there is nothing natural about say a red or a purple but I had no qualms recommending them. However, I do not really get along with most milky shades. I find that they flatter only fair to light skin tones and actually look unbecoming and jarring on medium to darker skin tones. The shade does look more milky when freshly applied and tends to settle down in about half hour. But, I do not think that it still looks “flattering”!

Texture:
The shade ‘I Woke Up’ had formula consistent with the line – satin finish, creamy, lightweight texture which glides smoothly over the lips without being too slippery. Once applied, it does not slide around and adheres well to the lips. However, the shade ‘No One Knows’ seemed to have more slip – not during application but once it was on the lips.

During the course of the wear, it did sink slightly into the lip lines and also collected into corners of the mouth. The shade might benefit from the use of a lip liner. Both shades are comfortable to wear and mildly hydrating. Being a satin finish, it transfers easily to any surface it touches – cups, spoons, etc. It does not smudge outside the lip lines or feather or bleed.

Pigmentation:
The lipsticks are almost opaque in a single swipe – a second swipe ensures completely opaqueness and covers all lip pigmentation. The arm swatch consists of 2 swipes drawn parallel to create a broader swatch than the lipstick bullet. However, there was no need for me to build up the colour. That should tell you how good the pigmentation is.

Lasting Power:
Both shades gave about 4-4.5 hours of wear. However, in case of the shade No One Knows, the wear wasn’t too becoming due to the texture. When the shade I Woke Up starts to wear off, it does so evenly, without getting or looking patchy.

Fragrance:
There is a slight fragrance, which seems like an added perfume but it isn’t unpleasant to the nose. Having said that, do note that I could smell it only when I actually sniffed the product. I did not register it during application.

To sum this up for you:

Pros of Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick I Woke Up, No One Knows:

• I Woke up is a pretty MLBB shade – very easy to carry off.
• Lightweight texture.
• Excellent pigmentation.
• Very comfortable to wear – no feeling of dryness or clinginess.
• Easy to apply and get clean lines.
• It applies smoothly and evenly – no tugging or pulling.
• The pigment of I Woke Up does not sink into the fine lines of the lips.
• Does not flake or bleed.
• Luxurious packaging (though I have shared my contra opinion on this too).
• Decent wear time.
• Cruelty-free.
• Free of Parabens, Sulfates, Phthalates, Gluten, Silicone D5, Talc, Triclosan, Mineral Oil.

Cons of Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Refillable Lipstick I Woke Up, No One Knows:

• The amount of lipstick is distinctly lower than what any other slim lipstick offers.
• The shade No One Knows did not perform as well as the other shades in this line.

IMBB Rating:
I Woke Up – 4.25/5
No One Knows – 3/5

The range has some amazing shades which are easy to carry off and flattering – with different shades and undertones. I Woke Up is one of them. I am comfortable recommending the shade. However, I would suggest to you to check some of the other rose shades (in the line) before picking this one. As far as the shade No One Knows is concerned, I cannot write it off totally, because I know some people with very pale, fair skin tone actually like such shades. Hourglass has obviously taken that into account when creating the range. However, I wish the texture of this shade were better, though it can be remedied to an extent by the use of a lip liner as a base.