Happy Monday Everybody. Since I was almost running out of my favorite highlighters, including the sticks which are so practical to use for me especially when I’m on the go, I got these two new beautiful Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks (0.21 oz for $42) that I recently scored at a discounted price at Sephora during their last VIB Sale weeks ago. As a fanatic of Highlighters, I’ve always wanted to get my hands on these because I seem to always have positive experiences with Hourglass products.
You know how some Highlighters or Highlighter Sticks tend to be to too sheer or not blinding enough? well, this Hourglass one is the complete opposite. With just one swipe, you’ll get a ton of shimmers compared to some other facial strobing products. The shimmers of these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are soft focus, natural, non-sticky and non-oily, yet they reflect. I love that you can layer the intensity of the glow – from a slight subtle shimmer to a super-blinding one.
When it comes to its pigments, I find that the Gold Flash and Champagne Flash shades (seen below) can look quite similar to each other, although the Champagne Flash looks a bit more natural and more suited to my skintone because of its peachy undertone. The Gold Flash can be so blinding if you’re not careful with the application, but other than that, they’re both beautiful high-quality shimmers for fair, light, light/medium, and warm medium skintones, not to mention that they really highlight the high points of the face.
Gold Flash – A golden soft focus easy to layer shimmer that reflects light and highlights the face very well. It’s super packed with shimmer and overall super pigmented that it’s better to be light-handed when applying this, or else it can be too much.
Champagne Flash – A peachy shimmer that can look a bit like the Gold Flash above but with a more peachy undertone. It’s can also be very blinding, but its effects can be more subtle compared to the Gold Flash due to its peachy undertone being closer to most skintones. I love this as an everyday face illuminator with or without makeup.
I noticed that these Highlighters are really lightweight on the skin, given the fact that they’re the stick type of Highlighters. And most stick Highlighters can be oily or a bit sticky, and they tend to slide off the face after a few hours, not to mention that they can disrupt the foundation. These Hourglass Highlighters, on the other hand, don’t exhibit any of those potential issues. Aside from being lightweight and non-sticky, they’re also very long lasting. I’d use mine in the morning, and they’re still on at night. My face may get oily but these highlighters are still on point. I love that they’re so easy to use with just a swipe and go, and I could use them with any kind of foundation. I also like the fact that they’re so pigmented, so one swipe will do the job and if I want more drama, I’d just swipe a bit more then blend. Speaking of blending, the texture of these Highlighting sticks are soft and a bit creamy yet not overly so, and they set well on the face. I love its packaging and its twist-type release, which makes for an easy on-the-go use. There’s also no discernible scent and there’s enough product in its decent-sized chubby triangular container.
Overall, these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are true to what they’re described to be. They live up to Hourglass’s quality and sleek luxurious packaging of products. The Highlighting you’d get out of this is not only beautiful and breathtaking but also very customizable depending on your application. That is why I consider this as one of the best Highlighters I’ve ever tried, and for me, this has the best formula for a Highlighter Stick.
The Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter, SpaceNK, and Selfridges
