Covering Your Bases// Hourglass Illusion Hyaluronic Skin Tint

Hello everyone, happy Tuesday & St Patricks Day for those who celebrate ( Erin Go Bragh)! I hope you are all having a great week so far. I just want to warn you all to be prepared for quite a tale leading up to this review. Have your tea ( or beverage of choice at the ready its probably gonna be a long one). That being said, I hope you enjoy. 

So its been a while since I last wrote a "Covering Your Bases" post. Ever since discovering the Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme I had not tried out any new foundations. I thought, "Yes I have found the perfect foundation for me! A foundation that gives full coverage, wears well on the skin etc.." 
However, when this winter hit New England my skin went through hell, and my beloved Becca foundation was looking dry and flaky and was not holding up well on my skin at all. 

As you will read in a future post this dry skin issue was throughout. I was trying hydrating primers, moisturizers, etc to keep my skin hydrated and to prevent my foundation from clinging to dry patches. They helped a little but by the end of the day I was still looking pretty rough. 
Next- I was really curious about the launch of the new NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. I had read some reviews, some of them were raving and others were not a fan. I took a sample pot home and gave it a shot. The first day of wear I liked it, the shade I picked was not quite right but I went with it. It seemed to wear alright, still was looking a teeny bit dry at the end of the day, but I was feeling optimistic. I picked up another sample pot of it in the correct shade for my skin and wore it the following day at work. 
Within the 5 hour duration of my shift, my foundation took a turn for the worse. This foundation clung to dryness like crazy and had disintegrated on large portions of my face leaving me looking like a hot mess. After my shift I strolled over to Sephora, ( still conveniently located right across from work). I was racking my brain of moisturizing bases that would still give me decent coverage. I was looking at my "hot mess" face in the mirror contemplating, when one of the employees that I know greeted me. I showed them my woe and pleaded for some guidance. They handed me into the care of another employee who also deals with similar skin to mine to help me out. Instead of being given another sample, I was invited to come and have my foundation redone. We took everything off and started from scratch. 
First we tried the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation which I knew had great coverage and only guessed that it might have more moisture. Halfway through application, it was looking just as bad as the NARS Foundation. We took it all off and started again, next trying out her suggestion which was the Hourglass Hyaluronic Skin Tint. 
The name of this base is pretty misleading I think "Skin Tint" and I assume : " tinted moisturizer/BB cream hybrid with barely there coverage"  
However, this foundation packs a lot more punch than its name would suggest and the kicker was that it made my skin look healthy and DEWY! ( aka: NOT A DRY FLAKY MESS! whoo hoo!) I couldn't stop looking at my skin, it had been so long since my skin had not looked dry. I picked this guy up right away and might have even clicked my heels in joy leaving the store. 
( And my skin and I lived happily ever after. The End.) 

Just kidding! Now I have to give you guys a proper review. 

Packaging// Design 

Hourglass is kinda known for its sleek packaging and design. Always going for eye catching metallic packaging ( also known for pesky fingerprint marks). For this product they went with a shiny cap but a smooth, wide, lightweight tube making this easy to travel with. The nozzle inside is narrow enough to distribute product but not squeeze out too much. The wide cap is also nice because it will stand up on its own. My only gripe with tube packaging like this is when it starts to get low, it can be difficult to get product out. 

Color Range//

The Illusion Hyaluronic Skin Tint comes in 12 shades. On the Sephora website they all look pretty pale but in person this product tends to be a tiny bit darker. I believe based on trying out two of the shades on my skin that this range tends to cater more towards yellow undertones despite the description of the shades catering to pink, yellow and neutral undertones. If you were thinking about this foundation I would definitely have it applied on your skin or take home a sample or two of what you think matches you because its deceiving. My match was the shade "Vanilla" which is described as a very fair pink undertone even though I have a yellow undertone. The shade "Shell" which has a yellow undertone which would have been my guess for a perfect match was a bit too warm on my skin. 

Application//

This foundation has a thick consistency when squeezed out onto the back of the hand. However, it smooths on very lightly. This foundation definitely applies better with either fingers or a damp Beauty Blender. I tend to choose the Beauty Blender, dot the product on each area of the face and then blend. 

Coverage//

As I mentioned above, this foundation has more coverage than a name like "skin tint" would suggest. I would call this a buildable medium coverage base. I usually go for one layer on areas like my forehead and the under-eye area and then add a second layer where I require a bit more coverage like my cheeks and chin. I like to go in afterwards with my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and spot conceal. I really like the finished result, it is very dewy looking so if you are not so much into that look I would just dust a bit of powder on.

Overall Thoughts//

This foundation was formulated with Hyaluronic Acid. An ingredient that has been quite popular in the beauty community. Hyaluronic Acid is an ingredient that delivers mega hydration and firming of the skin. Which is why this foundation gives a hydrated and dewy looking finish. Another plus, is that this foundation has an UVA/UVB SPF 15 which will be nice as the weather gets warmer. It feels very smooth on the skin and lasts pretty much all day. Especially when used with primer/setting spray. The price for Hourglass is pretty steep. Retailing for $55 at Sephora. However, even though I have probably said this before a dozen times during a foundation review: If the product is really really good I will gladly pay every dime for it. 

What foundations have you guys been enjoying? Let me know in the comments below! 
I hope you all enjoy the rest of your afternoon! 

See you all very soon! 
- A