The Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm is one of my fave lip formulas ever. I’m addicted to the comfortable balmy texture, strong pigmentation, gorgeous shades, and juicy shine.
But at £36 each, these lip glosses are expensive. And let’s be honest, the drugstore has been killing it with high-quality products at a fraction of the price of luxury brands.
e.l.f. Cosmetics recently launched the Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen. As soon as I saw it I immediately thought of how similar it looked to my beloved Hourglass formula.
Is the new £8 e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen a dupe for the £36 Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm? This in-depth comparison post covers everything you need to know, with side-by-side swatches, a discussion around texture and application, and what they look like on the lips.
Get 15% off Hourglass products at Sephora with my exclusive code SARAHSSPH. Shop here.
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About the Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
The Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm is a 3-in-1 lip formula that hydrates like a lip balm, plumps for fuller-looking lips, and delivers the high-shine finish of a lip gloss. It’s nourishing, non-sticky, and smooths over the lips effortlessly. Hourglass is cruelty-free.
About the e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen
The e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen is a tinted, moisturising lip-plumping gloss with a cooling sensation that delivers a smooth, glossy, and pumped-up pout. It’s non-sticky and offers sheer colour with a glossy shine. e.l.f. Cosmetics is vegan and cruelty-free.
The comparison
Price
e.l.f. obviously wins on price. Its glossy lip formula costs £8 for 2g, which is pretty budget-friendly.
Hourglass, on the other hand, is almost 5 times more expensive for slightly less product. It costs £36 for 1.7g.
Packaging
On the right: Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
Unsurprisingly, Hourglass wins on the packaging in front, both in terms of aesthetics and functionality. Hourglass has a reflective gold, sturdy outer case. It feels weighty and expensive. This glossy balm offers a twist-up mechanism for effortless application.
e.l.f. feels cheaper, with light plastic packaging. It looks much more basic. This product offers a click-up mechanism for easy application.
I find that I have more control over how much product comes out with Hourglass’ twist-up mechanism over the e.l.f. clicking mechanism. With both of these lip products, once you have twisted or clicked the product up, you can’t get it back down. But neither dispenses too much product in one go, so this shouldn’t cause an issue. Both pens are sleek and tall.
Ingredients
The ingredients in both products vary depending on which shade you pick.
e.l.f. Cosmetics features maracuja oil for nourishment alongside the antioxidant blueberry, watermelon and pomegranate extracts. Hourglass is enriched with menthyl lactate for an instant cooling sensation and a blend of emollients and oils that nourish, condition, and hydrate lips.
Texture
The textures of these 2 products are fairly similar. Both feel hydrating, smooth, comfortable, and non-sticky on the lips.
Hourglass has a balmier consistency and is a little bit more nourishing. e.l.f. Cosmetics is a bit thicker and not quite as smooth or conditioning as Hourglass. I find that e.l.f. takes a bit more spreading to prevent the product from gathering in one place on the lips.
Ultimately, these consistencies are both enjoyable to wear. I think Hourglass is just more unique and special.
Pigmentation
e.l.f. and Hourglass offer rich and seamless colour payoff. They both provide medium pigmentation that can be easily built up for a more intense, vivid look. The deeper and bolder shades in both formulas are more pigmented than the nude shades.
Shade range
Hourglass wins on shade range. It offers 16 beautiful shades, ranging from cool beige, warm peach, bright red, deep berry, and burnt rosewood.
e.l.f. offers half the number of shades. Its 8 pretty shades include clear (Hourglass doesn’t have a transparent shade), black cherry, sheer red, mauve, and neutral beige.
Swatches
To show you how these glossy lip products compare to one another, I swatched them. These were done on my bare arm, without primer. I tried to get similar shades in both lines for the swatches to be as close as possible.
In Hourglass, I have the shades Crave (warm pink) and Lure (deep berry). In e.l.f., I own the shades Pinky Out (light nude pink) and Plum on Over (berry).
On the bottom: e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen in Pinky Out
On the bottom: e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen in Plum on Over
The lip gloss shades aren’t as similar as I was hoping, but you can see that the formulas are quite similar. Hourglass is noticeably shinier and balmier, whereas e.l.f. is thicker and less glossy. Both are sleek, non-tacky, and offer similar pigmentation.
Lure is deeper and less purple than Plum on Over. Lure has more red in it and is less vibrant. Crave is a little deeper and more pink than Pinky Out. Pinky Out is quite pale and has more peach undertones.
On the lips
And now for the real test: how does e.l.f. compare to Hourglass on the lips? I took some pictures of me wearing each shade in both formulas below.
In terms of the finish, the e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen and Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm look super similar.
The Hourglass formula is shinier in person. I also prefer the Hourglass shades, as I think they’re more flattering on my complexion. But I still really like the e.l.f. shades.
In terms of the feeling, both have a minty, cooling sensation on the lips, which I love. Hourglass is balmier, a bit more hydrating, and applies more seamlessly. However, the formulas are overall alike.
Longevity
As expected with a balmy formula, these lip products don’t wear particularly well. Glossy products are notorious for transferring, and these are no exception. Both last for around 3 hours, including eating and drinking, but you’ll need to top up after this, as the product will be almost completely gone.
Hourglass wears a little more flatteringly. I found that the e.l.f. formula wore off completely in the centre of my lips but left a bit of a stain around the outside. Whereas Hourglass wore off evenly, so it didn’t look patchy.
Honest thoughts on whether e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen is a worthy dupe for the Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
Overall, I think the the e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen is a pretty good dupe for the Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm.
Hourglass is still my fave. It’s balmier, shinier, more comfortable, easier to apply, the packaging is prettier, and I prefer the shades. It just has that extra oomph. However, e.l.f. is a great and way more affordable alternative that delivers a similar glossy, hydrating finish.
If you want to achieve a hydrating glossy lip at a fraction of the price of the Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm, the e.l.f. Cosmetics Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen is a good choice.
Get 15% off Hourglass products at Sephora with my exclusive code SARAHSSPH. Shop here.
Check out some of my other makeup dupes to bag yourself some high-quality bargains.
Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 5 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has oily skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.