Amazing Cosmetic Line – and that is saying something!!! HourGlass Cosmetics, try it!

HOURGLASS COSMETICS

Hourglass Cosmetics is synonymous with cutting-edge formulations, advanced ingredients and luminous makeup products that help defy gravity. The prestige cosmetics collection doesn’t merely pamper—it performs to minimize the visible signs of aging and maximize each woman’s individual beauty. The Venice, CA-based makeup brand was founded in 2004 by Carisa Janes, one of the earliest pioneers of fusing skincare technology with high-quality makeup. Janes, hailed as “the world’s youngest beauty-biz veteran” by Glamour magazine, is also resolute that Hourglass products are developed without the use of parabens, overpowering fragrances or animal-testing.

“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty,” fashion icon Coco Chanel once declared. “It is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.” The same principle informs Hourglass, which is celebrated for its superlative complexion products, including Veil Fluid Makeup and Illusion Tinted Moisturizer, that utilize clinical levels of anti-aging and sun-filtering ingredients. The brand’s Veil Mineral Primer, which creates a seamless canvas for makeup and foundation, has earned a spectacular five-star rating on Sephora.com, as awarded by the retailer’s discerning reviewers. Solar Tan Self-Tanning Primer is another decidedly innovative product, a primer and self-tanner in one that produces a natural-looking glow after five days of continued use.

The line also boasts sumptuous colors for eyes, cheeks and lips, lash-lengthening mascaras, PETA-friendly brushes made from Takelon bristles, and sleek bronze-colored components that feel substantial to the touch. Eye and cheek products are equipped with swiveling mirrors for ease of application. New for spring 2011 are the water-based Aura Lip and Cheek Stains. The former has wrinkle-filling ingredients for pouts, while the latter boasts an innovative click pen component with a sponge applicator. Everything in the Hourglass line is streamlined, sensual and extremely sophisticated. “We’re constantly searching for the latest, the newest and the best,” says Janes.

If an hourglass measures the passage of time, then wearing Hourglass Cosmetics helps mitigate its effects. Recently, Hourglass anointed Gina Brooke as its artistic director. The well-known makeup artist is known for her way with dewy, youthful-looking skin, and for her bold-face clients, including Madonna, Anne Hathaway and Naomi Campbell. Hourglass has grown from one door in 2004 to its current distribution of 205 U.S. specialty stores, including Barneys New York, Sephora and Sephora.com, which the line entered in 2007. The brand has also expanded to 50 international doors, including Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore and Australia. For more information on Hourglass Cosmetics, please visit hourglasscosmetics.com.

CARISA JANES

FOUNDER & CEO

As the visionary founder of Hourglass Cosmetics, the luxurious Venice, CA-based beauty brand, Carisa Janes understands the female psyche. Janes knows what thoughts pass through a woman’s mind as she locks eyes with her reflection each morning. The beauty entrepreneur can relate to the anxiety occasioned by dark circles, crows feet, uneven skin tone and an aging visage. It’s this empathy that inspired her to launch Hourglass, a prestige cosmetics collection that bridges style and substance, and helps turn back the clock. Founded in 2004, Hourglass was of the earliest exponents of fusing skincare technology with high-quality makeup. Its cult products are devoted to creating a flawless and luminous complexion. “I’m essentially creating products for myself,” says Janes, “products that have lasting results.”

Janes is a true beauty innovator with a discerning approach to research and development, an extensive knowledge of beneficial ingredients and an eye for luxurious packaging. All Hourglass products exemplify her uncompromising point of view. “We’re constantly looking for the latest, the newest and the best,” she says. The sleek bronze-colored collection feels substantial to the touch, and uses only the finest constituents, including clinical levels of rejuvenating ingredients. “I also aim to create products that are free of dubious elements like parabens, phthalates, fragrances and oils,” she adds. Although just 37, Janes is a seasoned industry player. Hailed as “the world’s youngest beauty-biz veteran” by Glamour magazine in 1999, Janes moved into the makeup realm soon after attending the Parsons School of Design. As an original member of Urban Decay’s creative team, Janes helped cultivate the now iconic Gen-X line.

The entrepreneur soon found herself hooked on developing beauty products from concept to market. In 1997, the Body & Soul boutique chain approached Janes to design a range of cosmetics that was exclusive to their stores. The whimsical collection, inspired by the classic sophistication of the forties and fifties, soon expanded into a major market presence, and was taken on by Barneys New York and numerous international retailers. Janes next formed ISA Design LLC, a beauty consulting firm, with clients that included several well-known global beauty brands. When Sugar, a teen-oriented apparel and shoe brand, enlisted her to launch a cosmetics line, Janes designed one that was witty, modern and adorably user-friendly. It began with a sugar-flavored lip gloss and blossomed into a full-fledged collection. Sugar was launched in August 2000 and enjoyed enormous popularity at major retailers including Sephora.

A few years later, Janes noticed a gap in the market for a new type of homegrown luxury cosmetics line. “I really wanted to launch a modern line fortified with beneficial ingredients for women of all ages,” she says. Hourglass was launched at Barneys New York in 2004, with a complete and compelling collection of foundations, color cosmetics and brushes, and expanded to Sephora in 2007. “Over the years my look has remained pretty natural,” says Janes, of her own beauty aesthetic which continues to shape and inform the line. “I just want to look like me—only better.” Something the entrepreneur never loses sight of is the unmatched pleasures of maquillage, which is evident in every product she creates. “Makeup is creative, artistic and can help you explore different sides of your personality. That’s why I love it.”

GINA BROOKE

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

As an architect of glamour, Gina Brooke has reached the starry heights of her profession. Brooke’s work exudes an appreciation for art, color and the rejuvenating power of light. Her signature look, customized for every complexion she works on, includes radiant skin, sultry eyes and statement lips. Trends are not important to her. Each individual face requires its own approach. Central to her makeup philosophy is the idea of illumination. Like an artist who works on gilt-edged masterpieces, Brooke delivers a luminous glow and flawless finish every time. Little wonder she has worked with some of the world’s most beautiful faces, including Madonna, Anne Hathaway, Naomi Campbell and Gisele Bündchen.

Brooke’s career as a makeup artist began after attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After her first test shoot, she immediately found her calling. Brooke has collaborated with Madonna on three worldwide concert tours: Reinvention in 2003; Confessions on a Dance Floor in 2006; and Hard Candy in 2008. She has also worked on numerous music videos, including Hung Up, directed by Johan Ranks, for which she was awarded an MVPA award for best makeup. Additionally, Brooke has worked alongside photographers such as Mert and Marcus in advertising campaign shoots for Dolce and Gabbana, D&G, Lanvin, Giorgio Armani, Akris, Pinko and H&M.

As Artistic Director for Hourglass Cosmetics, Brooke collaborates with founder Carisa Janes on product development, leads photo shoots and makes appearances on behalf of the brand. Brooke discovered Hourglass of her own accord. Pressed by her famous clients to ensure their makeup has longevity, Brooke scoured the market for the most advanced products and zeroed in on Veil Mineral Primer by Hourglass. Recently, the primer also came to the rescue at an Italian Vogue shoot, where photographer Steven Klein insisted on splashing the male models’ bodies with water. In a stroke of genius, Brooke artfully applied Veil to ensure the body makeup did not move. For additional information on Brooke, please visit ginabrooke.com, and for Hourglass Cosmetics, hourglasscosmetics.com.