Review: Hourglass Phantom Blur Balm

Happy Monday, my little kittens! Or perhaps it's especially happy for me, given that I'm currently in a different country, living my best life and eating everything I can get my hands on? Either way, I hope you're all having a stunning start to your day! I'm grateful for every moment that I have with people I love, and I need to remind myself of this regularly, because family can drive me a little crazy! Especially when people ask me silly things like, why do you need so much skincare when you're travelling? Wow, you sure do have a lot of make up! Now, remember, it doesn't matter what people say - you know your own packing system best, and if you want 6 different lippies for a week away, then you do you, boo! It could be a range of colours, textures, finishes... I mean, it's a very specific thing, isn't it? 

 

It just depends on your needs, and I always throw one in there for whimsy alone. And in my case, the latest thing to join my travel cosmetic bag is the Hourglass Phantom Blur Balm, which I was practically bewitched by at a Sephora event recently, and it jumped into my basket before walking itself over to the counter to be bought - isn't that weird? Tall tales aside, I was seduced by promises of having lips that look smooth, coloured by a shade that is complementary to my skin tone, and all without feeling like they're weighed down by very much at all. Really, all I want some days is a quick slick of colour with the properties of a lip balm, and this does that, but in matte, and it's honestly just beautiful on the lips.

 

So, why should this be on your must buy list this year? The Hourglass Phantom Blur Balm currently only comes in five different shades, and they all look a little dark in the tubes, but don't be fooled by this at all - they are actually a range of nude colours, going from a light pinky nude to a darker brown shade, that just about all work for most people. Think of it as a capsule wardrobe for your lips. It's selling point is that this is supposed to give the lips a smooth, soft focus appearance, helping to enhance your own skin tone, all while keeping the lips moisturised and not drying them out. 

 

This has a gel-based formula that just glides onto the lips with one swipe, and I find that the colour payoff is immediate, but also buildable. This means that one swipe on the lips may be all you need, but if you're hoping for a little more colour, you can work this across the lips a little bit more, as well as further define them with a lip liner. I love that no matter how many layers I have on, this doesn't actually feel heavy or overly creamy or sticky on the lips. It's really like lip balm, and barely noticeable in terms of feel when you have it on. 

 

This has a vegan and cruelty free formulation, and it's meant to help provide up to 12 hours of wear. To help keep the lips feeling soft and conditioner, this uses a blend of emollients and oils to nourish the lips. I love that this has a matte finish, and you can always apply some lip oil over it to give your lips a beautiful sheen, using this as your base. For $66, this is very much a luxe purchase, but it's also one that I feel like my makeup kit really could use, particularly when I'm travelling. I bought this in Whisper, which is a pinky nude shade, and you can find them all over here. Which would you pick?