There are sometimes when I just have to give myself a quick pinch to make sure I’m actually on planet Earth and getting the opportunity to meet and have a natter with the Founder of Hourglass Cosmetics, Carisa Janes was most definitely one of those moments that required a quick jab to the arm. Along with Amelia, we chatted big brows, our current nail polish crushes (Carisa was sporting a Models Own polish that I’m guessing was Utopia) and Amelia’s beyond adorable puppy, Duke. It was a very cool hour of my life that I spent the majority of the time trying not to squeal through. So a bit about Carisa; she’s a California girl who after studying Marketing and Product Design went into the world of beauty beginning at Urban Decay, tinkering at a few cosmetic start-ups between and then in 2004 branching off and doing her own thing, building up Hourglass – a luxe, modern but chic brand where sell-outs are a regular thing (the Ambient Lighting Powders, hello are you out there, anywhere?). And you know what, I see more much-coveted products in the future. I’ve had a look into the Hourglass crystal ball and my lips are sealed, but trust me it’s goooood.
We quizzed her on everything and when the query as to where her product inspiration comes from interesting Carisa said she picks apart her own makeup bag and identifies what it’s lacking then heads to the labs from there. Veil Fluid Makeup was the starting point of the line for her, who struggling to find the perfect foundation said she wanted something with coverage, but looked natural on the skin without breaking her out and created from scratch her new favourite base. Other Hourglass products that reside in her makeup bag include the Arch Sculpting Brow Pencil (which I thanked her for making), and the Opaque Rouge in Riviera. A shade that Jessica Alba wore to the Golden Globes and one that when Carisa herself wore to a wedding had a guy come over to say how amazing she looked in that shade and how more women should wear it more often. She told us how he got the details so he could buy it for his wife. What a cutie!
The reason for her UK-stop off was to see in the launch of their No.28 Lip Treatment Oil. A blend of 28 essential oils, plant oils and vitamins not a petroleum derivative in sight, paired with three actives to keep your lips in shape, all housed in one 24-karat gold-plated tipped tube. Carisa mentioned how she, like everyone, suffers from dry and chapped lips from time to time so wanted to add a lipcare product to the line, but one that had a bit of a luxe to it – none of that finger-dipping tub business. A contender to my much-loved By Terry Baume de Rose? I’ll keep you posted.
Not to miss out on an opportunity, I thought I’d add in a personal request for more shades of the Illume Creme-to-Powder Bronzer Duo, which Carisa dutifully noted down adding in that some of her best-selling products come from customer recommendations. One plucky Hourglass lover enquired as to why there wasn’t a lip liner to match their cult classic Icon shade they do. Carisa made it, and it sold out in the US. I’ll be waiting for my request to be processed with crossed fingers. Another one I added in was cream eyeshadows, but it doesn’t look like that’ll be in the pipeline anytime soon. ‘I only make products that I think are better, and more innovative than what’s already out there’, Carisa explained and continued on to say how she couldn’t get enough of the By Terry Ombre Blackstar Colour-Fix Cream Eyeshadows and doesn’t think there’s a way to improve on those. Just yet.
Cool, calm and achingly creative – a new girlcrush for sure.
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