Hourglass Cosmetics’ New Blurring Balm Changed My Mind About Matte Lips

There’s a specific look all the London It girls have on their lips. Blurred, lived-in, and effortlessly undone, it radiates a Kate Moss-esque chicness that’s equal parts cool and carefree. Think: that one girl you encounter in the smoking area of a club who somehow makes a little black dress look casually elevated. Her lips are the same story—low-effort, high-impact, and impossibly cool.

For the longest time, I’ve tried to emulate this look with no success. I’ve been on Accutane twice, which means my lips, no matter how much lip balm I slather on, don’t play nicely with matte formulas. So Hourglass’s newest launch, the Phantom Blur Lip Balm, intrigued me. It’s meant to be a hybrid lip balm that cushions lips with lasting hydration while also delivering a soft-matte veil of color—so naturally, I had no choice but to put those claims to the test. Ahead, more on Hourglass’s Phantom Blur Balm, and my honest review.

The Product

You may already know Hourglass’s cult-favorite Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm—consider the Phantom Smoothing Blur Lip Balm its sultry, soft-matte younger sister. Unlike the Volumizing Glossy Balm, the brand’s latest launch, which retails for $38, features a silky, gel-based formula designed to smooth lip lines and enhance natural lip tone. It comes in five shades and is infused with a conditioning complex and hyaluronic acid to soften and hydrate lips, while delivering a cloudlike, soft-matte wash of color.

My Review

A blurring lip product that doesn’t flake on my post-Accutane lips is breaking news in my book. I’ve been testing the Phantom Blur Balm over the course of a week, and every time I apply it, I’m surprised by how non-drying it feels. It really does wear like a lip balm: lightweight, cushiony, and completely undetectable on the lips. The formula isn’t necessarily bulletproof, but it does have staying power—I will say it lasted through a long night at Ronnie Scott’s with Olivia Dean. The music was flowing, the girls were dancing, and my blurred lip remained intact through it all.

As of late, I’ve been loving a Nina Park-style blurred lip, so I’ve been overlining ever so slightly with the Phantom Blur Balm in shade Whisper for that diffused, London It girl lip. And I’m happy to report that it really is foolproof—I’m not the most precise when it comes to lip application, but I find this formula to be incredibly forgiving and easy to work with.

As for the shade range, each shade feels thoughtfully calibrated to enhance and flatter a wide spectrum of natural lip tones without straying too far from them. The shades are relatively neutral-toned, which means that they amplify your natural lip shade without overpowering it. If you’re looking for a happy medium between a lip balm and a matte lip color, you’ll love this one.