Hourglass beauty company opens first flagship store

Hourglass, the Venice-based beauty company best known for its foundations, primers and facial powders formulated to create flawless, glowing skin, refers to its products as “luxury performance makeup.”

The brand has won over some high-profile fans since it launched at Barneys New York in 2004 — Jennifer Aniston, Emily Blunt, Jessica Alba, Madonna, Sofía Vergara and Jennifer Garner have all used the products.

Now Hourglass is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the opening of its first flagship store, at 1351 Abbot Kinney Blvd., on Monday.

The 1920s-era space, stripped down to expose original brick walls and wooden ceiling beams, is modernized with a row of glass rods that extend into the window, mirroring the luminosity of signature Hourglass products, and a sculptural quartz and marble display that bears the brand’s complete makeup and brush line ($28-$68).

Hourglass founder and Chief Executive Officer Carisa Janes, 40, studied at Parsons the New School For Design in New York and worked briefly for California-based Urban Decay cosmetics and as a beauty consultant before launching Hourglass, driven in part by a personal need for a foundation with coverage that could improve, rather than aggravate, her acne-prone skin.

“I spent years working on Veil Fluid Makeup and that’s where the brand started,” says Janes. “It is fragrance-free, oil-free and looks natural, with nice coverage. It also contains an anti-aging ingredient at an active level…I’m coming from a different perspective than a makeup artist. I’m a consumer. I want my skin to look great, and I want every product to be simple and effective.”

The No. 1 seller is Veil Mineral Primer ($52) with SPF, designed to conceal redness and minimize pores and wrinkles when applied under foundation or powder. It turned Madonna on to the brand, after her makeup artists discovered it at Sephora when they needed something to keep the star’s makeup in place during performances.

Debuting at the flagship are a new custom version of the popular Ambient Lighting Powder palette ($65), containing any three of six light-refracting powders that mimic flattering shades of light, and the first Hourglass skin care product, Equilibrium Biomimetic Skin Active Serum ($350), an anti-aging nighttime treatment that targets cellular regeneration. In December, a new daytime skin care product with SPF and a limited-edition Ambient Lighting Blush Palette ($58) are slated to join the line.

The Venice store will offer an array of makeup application services, from a complimentary 15-minute session called the Beauty Flash to a 40-minute makeup tutorial ($125, redeemable in products) in which the makeup artist will tape a step-by-step video of the session for later reference.

The line’s innovative packaging is demonstrated by one of the latest launches, the waterproof 1.55 Mechanical Gel Eye Liner ($45), housed in a mechanical pencil-style dispenser.

“Plans for growth of the brand are all about where the innovation leads us,” says Janes. “I want it to be an entire sensory experience, from the way the product feels in your hand and how it looks on your counter to the texture and finish on your skin. I don’t want to compromise.”
image@latimes.com

Hourglass
Where: 1351 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
When: (310) 392-3409