Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation Review: What Happened to Full Coverage?

Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation by Hourglass: Smooth and even, but let’s talk coverage.

When I’m sweating these balmy summer days, I might reach for a lightweight tinted moisturizer. If I need coverage for scars, face redness, or pimples, I switch to high pigment foundation. Thankfully, there’s a product (or 20) for my skin’s changing needs in my kit. For instance, when it comes to makeup for a special event or that looks good on camera, something with buildable full coverage can be the way to go.

I recently tried Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation to see if belongs in my arsenal of clutch face bases. I found it to be an overall beautiful complexion formula. It gave me an even finish and the shade Alabaster was a great match for my fair skin. But the lightness of the coverage was a little surprising. While I’m a big fan of the Hourglass brand, a key claim about Seamless Finish didn’t quite match my experience. Let’s dive into Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation Review.

Promises vs. Performance: “Instant full coverage?”

The Hourglass website kicks off a super list of Seamless Finish benefits by boasting a concentrated formula that gives “instant full coverage.” They note that no primer is needed, although I tested this makeup over their Veil Mineral Primer on half of my face. I applied the thin liquid foundation, starting with just half a pump, as Hourglass recommends. I used a brush and my fingers, because the very runny product would be easily absorbed by a sponge. As I blended this base onto my skin, it instantly gave me the look of a smooth complexion and even skin tone. But in areas that needed more attention, I noticed that the buildability wasn’t there. It struggled to cover my blemishes. At best, I was able to work up a nice medium coverage. (The primer didn’t help in that regard.)

Review Thoughts: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation

This product didn’t cover quite as well as I’d expected, but it held up beautifully to several benefit claims. It’s said to contain innovative pigments and light refracting microspheres that blur. And I got that. I really enjoyed the way these soft focus effects played on the skin. Also, it lasted! I had aura for hours, as my look stayed nearly flawless all day, proving Vanish Seamless Finish’s power for resisting sweat, water, and transfer.

Quick RATING Rundown

This Product

(3.8)

:Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation

Price: $56.00

0.84 oz

Value

(3.8)

Application

(3.5)

Coverage

(3)

Texture

(4)

Longevity

(4.4)

Shade Range

(4.3)

Extra benefits

(3.5)

Luxury Standard

(4.4)

:Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

Price: $69.00

1.0 oz

Value

(3.7)

Application

(4.6)

Coverage

(4.3)

Texture

(4.5)

Longevity

(4.5)

Shade Range

(4.5)

Extra Benefits

(2)

Prograde Standard

(4.6)

:Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Price: $48.00

1.0 oz

Value

(3.9)

Application

(4.8)

Coverage

(5)

Texture

(4)

Longevity

(4.8)

Shade Range

(5)

Extra Benefits

(3.5)

MILABU PICKS

(4.5+)

:12 Best Foundations You Need To Try

Price: $15 – $70

various Sizes

Value

(4.5+)

Application

(4.5+)

Coverage

(4.5+)

Texture

(4.5+)

Longevity

(4.5+)

Shade Range

(4.5+)

Extra Benefits

(4.5+)

^{Our Rating Criteria}

How It Compares: On coverage and texture, how does this face base rank among others?

Luxe and refined in finish, this Hourglass foundation has its advantages. It’s a solid performer, especially if you’re satisfied with medium coverage. In comparison, Giorgio Armani Beauty’s Luminous Silk Foundation (rated ****4.4) is an important product at a similar price point. This foundation is advertised to have medium coverage with a natural finish, and that seems to be the case for the Hourglass makeup as well (even though it promises to fully cover). Luminous Silk simply layers up more easily, and it has a slightly more inclusive shade range.

Luminous Silk works for all types of skin, whereas Hourglass doesn’t explicitly recommend Seamless Finish for dry types. The exquisite satiny texture of Luminous Silk is hard to beat, even though both products are smoothing, apply evenly, and are long wearing.

Milabu Beauty Method: Applying this liquid foundation for a smooth finish.

In my experience, Vanish Seamless Finish wears best on bare skin. If you can get by without primer, feel free to skip it!

1. Dispense half a pump of foundation onto your foundation brush. I like the Hourglass Foundation/Blush Brush No. 2 ($62), but use anything similar.
2. Apply the product to your skin, beginning with areas where you want the most coverage.
3. Swirl and buff to blend the foundation across the largest area possible with the amount of product on your brush.
4. Continue to dispense half pumps of foundation, working it into the skin, until you’ve blended the product across your whole face.
5. For added coverage, pump a small amount of foundation onto the back of your hand.
6. Dot the product onto areas where more coverage is desired.
7. Blend, using the foundation brush.

Tip: Blending in small amounts of foundation at a time will ensure the lightest, most even coverage with minimal foundation.