Hourglass Cosmetics “Notorious Nudes” Collection — Nude Lip Stylos So Sinfully Good, They’re Notorious!
I have a terrible time finding a nude lip color that doesn’t make me look ghoulish — most shades just neutralize my natural lip color and leave me looking sickly, washing me out instead of creating this sultry, sensual effect. Luckily, my luck seems to be changing thanks to the insanely fabulous “Notorious Nudes” collection of Femme Nude Lip Stylos from Hourglass Cosmetics.
Each Hourglass Cosmetics Femme Nude Lip Stylo ($30 each at Sephora.com) offers full coverage and has a deliciously creamy texture and a sultry satin finish but what makes each lip color so exquisite is that it isn’t a nude shade in the strictest sense of the word. The idea behind the collection is simple: that the most alluring nude lip isn’t a completely neutral beige hue but, instead, is enhanced via the use of subtle pink, mauve, honey, peach, and golden undertones. Each of the six shades in the collection, then, boasts a slightly different tonality, amplifying your natural lip color in the most demure way, thereby retaining the near-naked allure of a nude lip but doing so in a way that will prove more flattering and won’t wash you out.
The Femme Nude Lip Stylo collection incorporates the following six shades:
No. 1: Pale Pink Nude
No. 2: Honey Beige Nude with a Warm Tint
No. 3: Medium Rose Nude with a Hint of Pink
No. 4: Pink Beige Nude with a Hint of Deep Rose
No. 5: Golden Peach Nude with Luminosity
No. 6: Deep Mauve Nude
As with all Hourglass products, the Lip Stylos’ packaging epitomizes minimalist elegance: a deep bronze tube with an elegant metallic sheen, the brand’s logo printed in slightly gothic golden letters along the side, and a pull-off cap that reveals a golden tip that encases the creamy color inside the stylo.
Its elegant countenance aside, the packaging is genius on a functional level: each stylo features a jumbo-sized, crayon-like point with an angled tip that allows you to “color” lips with greater precision than you’d get using a wider lipstick tip but without the process being as time-consuming as when you attempt to fill in your pout with a lip pencil. And, since the Lip Stylos are retractable, you don’t need to bother yourself with sharpening their tips. The tips have a melt-on-your-lips quality that would make any M&M jealous. Best of all, the creamy color doesn’t clump nor does it run, crease, or feather. Win!
And, since each nude shade has different undertones, you can literally buy all six colors and wear whatever shade best matches your mood — whether you want to go for a sex kitten look, embrace a free-spirited Bohemian vibe, or adopt a minimalist and classic motif.
I’ve been wearing the Femme Nude Lip Stylo in No. 5 and it’s my new favorite nude lip color — quite literally the most flattering nude lip color in my collection. It even blew some of my previous favorites out of the water — among them MAC’s Myth lipstick, NARS’ Cruising and Honolulu Honey lipstick shades, and Smashbox’s Nylon Nude lipstick.
The No. 5 shade is a rather warm nude shade, with hints of honey-dipped peach and an all-over golden luster that’s sophisticated and gives lips a dewy sheen without them being sparkly or glittery. Check out swatches of the shade:
Next, check out some photos of me wearing the No. 5 Femme Nude Lip Stylo. As you’ll hopefully be able to tell, it gives your complexion life, instead of washing you out — which is, of course, what a nude lip color should do!
If you’ve ever had a hard time finding a nude lipstick, do try these immediately! And, even if you think you’ve found your go-to shade, I’d advise you to try these — you may just reconsider!
