Hourglass Opaque Rouge Icon - Swatch and Review

I hope everyone's having a good weekend so far. Wisconsinites are freaking out about tomorrow's plummeting temperature and by Monday we're expecting windchill down to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. All the public schools in the area have already decided to close. I worked a few hours this morning and stopped by Wal-Mart to get some food and it was packed! I hope my car starts on Monday because I still have to go to work. Packer game is on Sunday and apparently I heard my brother bought tickets and is planning to freeze his ass off on the bench watching the game, lol. Crazy!

Anyways...Let's move on to the review...

I was interested in the Hourglass Opaque Rouge because of the color and because I heard that it was long-wearing. There's some mixed reviews out there. Some rave about it and some are dissing it but here's my personal experience with the product.

Packaging

• I purchase the mini tube. Yes, thank goodness for a mini version but it's ridiculously small! It's 1/3 the size of the full size product and almost looks like a toy. It's got a cute curvy shape and comes with a doe foot applicator
• .03 oz. 

Product

• Icon is a blue tone raspberry red. The color is lovely and I love how it looks on me and it definitely makes my teeth look whiter. 
• So I had a few issues with this lip color. First, it's the application. What you'll need to do is apply it on the upper lip and spread the color even with the wand before it dries. Then you move on to the lower lip and do the same. The key is you need to make sure you spread the color evenly and working on one lip at a time is your best bet because the formula sets fairly quickly. 
• The formula is tacky. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT press your lips together for the first 5 minutes after application. If you do, it's going to be a hot mess because the color is going to stick and create uneven patches and it will look pretty ugly. Once you wait past 5 minutes and allow the color to set, you'll still feel some tackiness when you press your lips together but it won't be as much and the color won't budge.
• The formula is very pigmented and dries to a matte finish. I didn't find it drying or moisturizing but I would recommend you wear a lip balm first to keep your lips comfortable. 
• Also, you need to exfoliate and remove any dry patches prior to use because it will cling and clump if your lips aren't smooth. 
• They claim that the colors wears up to 14 hours and I guess that depends on what that means to you. It does wear well but if you are going to be drinking and eating the color is going to fade and look patchy, particularly at the center of your lips. If your food is a little greasy, the fading and patchiness will look more obvious. Whatever part that didn't come in contact with food or drinks will last up to 14 hours. 
• There is a light scent. I can't describe it but it certainly is not unpleasant and fades quickly.

Final Thought

The color is beautiful and what I would consider the perfect red for me but there are definitely flaws in the formula and application so you have to be especially careful when it's freshly applied. The tackiness of the product bothers me a bit. Yes, it wears quite long but while it does that it will also fade unevenly at the center of your lips as you consume drinks and food. Personally, for a lip product at this price point, I expect the formula to be nearly perfect, easy to use, and more comfortable. I'm not getting what I paid for here. 

Rating: 7/10

Price: $10.00 for the mini and $28.00 for the full size. 

Availability: Sephora