So recently I graduated from university (so far) and I started earning some real money. That gives me absolutelly no reason to purchase Hourglass products but here we are now, I got and Hourglass pallete. It somehow feels less expensive when you can actualyl afford it without looking at your bank account and thinking and somebody wiped it clean.
Was I just a little curious if this pallete really is worth it? Maybe. But I was deep into some research before I actually went and bought it. The thing is that the Ambient powders individually are so expensive that the pallete is actually a pretty good deal. The pans are huge so I think that it's going to last me a very long time for sure. Did I justify this ridiculous purchase enough? Good, let's get into it.
The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Pallete comes in many different versions and variations where each one has slightly different properties. I went for the Diffused Edit, which has a finishing powder, blush and a bronzer. I wanted a multitasking pallete not just another highlighter pallete and I have so many highlighters that I really don't need another. There's roughly 3g of each product, but since it's a baked formula it looks like there's a lot more.
The packaging feels super luxe, it's brown-bronze chrome just like most of their packaging and you get a mirror inside. In the box it says that the powders are very fragile and you should handle them with care. So I suppose this is not going to be my go-to for travelling. One this that really bothers me is the opening of the box. I am left handed and it's impossible to open it like a normal person. I just have to rotate it or do like a weird flip with my hands...I hate that. Maybe I'll figure it out soon. It feels super expensive though, which is great because it is. This bad boy was actually 1630 Crowns. Quite overpriced if you ask me but Hourglass is very high-end brand and these are really supposed to be something special.
In the Diffused Edit Pallete we have
Diffused Light
Euphoric Fusion
Luminous Bronze Light
I really wanted a pallete with a bronzer in it, because I've heard such good things about the Hourglass bronzers that I just had to get one with it.
When you look at the powders swatched, they look pretty sheer and glowy, but it's hard to capture the sheen and texture of these in a photo.
The Diffused Light is a finishing powder that is very yellow toned which works great for my skin. It's very soft to the touch. According to the website, the pale yellow shade should conceal redness and add clarity, like a soft ray of morning light. Nice description. It's not a setting powder so it really won't hold your makeup in place, just have that in mind if you want to purchase these. However, even though this powder won't set your makeup, there's a certain something to all finishing powders as they really can transform the looks and make everything look way more natural and less powdery.
The Euphoric Fusion is a blush shade which looks just stunning. It looks to me like the base is peach-beige and there's purple baked into it. You wouldn't really be able to guess the outcome of it. According to the website it's a soft lilac blush blended with the Euphoric Strobe Light shade to add the glow. So basically you get a bunch of highlight from this blush as well as the blush effect. I like that. If you don't like glowy blush, it probably won't be for you though, because it's very glowy.
The Luminous Bronze Light looks like a really unique formula for a bronzer. According to the website description it's a hybrid that combines the Ambient Lighting Powder and bronzer pigments to create a glowy bronzer. This shade is the lightest one, it's a tan infused with champagne pearl and it's great for pale and light complexions.
All three of these look just gorgeous in the pan. I cannot stop looking at these powders, they are so pretty. I've never been into luminous bronzers and glowy blushes but recently I'm really not about the matte anymore and I don't like looking flat and lifeless and also cakey in a couple hours of wearing anything. My skin has been more dry and I can get down with a more glowy and baked radiant formula so I'm very excited about these.
There's a thing though, I'm looking at the bronzer swatches and those are just not really for deeper skintones than medium. The bronzers are all very pale and I think they would all work for me based on the swatches I saw. The blushes probably would work since they don't really have a light base and it's just the blush pigment that creates the color effect. The powders, I'm not sure again, because I didn't really see an Ambient Powder that would work on a very deep skin. The shade selection is great but I don't think it's really versatile enough and especially since it's a very luxury item and you're paying a lot, there should be a lot to choose from for everyone who wants to spend this much money on powders like this. Just my opinion.
Demo
So far, I really enjoy these. They feel a little unnecessary though to be quite honest with you. Finishing powder is something that not many people really use or see a difference with. The blush and bronzer are very nice, but again it's not really for everybody.
I saw people say this a lot online when I did my little research and I love the pallete so far but I'm really hesitant to recommend it. It's very pricey and I don't really think and an average person is really going to think that the money was well spent. But I might be wrong and this might be the best thing ever.
The application of these is dreamy, they go on quite sheer because they are quite sheer formula but they have a beautiful sheen. It's a very unique light-reflecting formula but it's not a full-on pigment. I can imagine wearing the bronzer by itself, but I really like putting it on top of another powder or cream bronzer to add that glow.
The finishing powder really makes a great difference in my opinion, it just kind of elevates the look of your complexion. Again, more if you're into glowy looks. This powder is not matte and it's not going to make you perfect and poreless and matte. But it gives the skin life and that's something I really like.
The blush applies very sheer as well, it would be a great topper but if you're not into a very pigmented blush formula, this is a great one to try out. It's very glowy, very buildable without looking like a crazy highlighter and it looks very pretty and flattering. I would say it's one of the blush shades that's just going to work no matter what look I do.
In these photos, I'm wearing just the powders with nothing below them. I used the finishing powder as a highlighter pretty much and I also applied it on high points of the face and where sun hits the skin. It looks like I didn't set my face at all. I'm quite a lot into that look. You can see the bronzer, it just takes a while to build up and the blush is very sheer, almost undetectable in the photos. In person, you can see it a little bit, but it's very subtle.
Final thoughts
So, is this pallete worth the money? I am very torn to be quite honest, but there's nothing quite like it that I ever saw. It's beautiful, it makes a difference in your look quite a lot but I would say it's mostly in person.
I probably wouldn't spend a fortune on a single Hourglass powder, but getting three for this quite fair price seems more reasonable, at least to me. It's still a very expensive pallete, but if you want to treat yourself or someone else, I would say it's a beautiful pallete that's unlike anything else.
The finishing powder is great, it looks so beautiful and gives you the "no setting powder" makeup look. It makes your skin look like skin again. It brightens up the complexion and you can even use it as a very subtle highlight.
The bronzer is beautiful, I love glowy bronzers. I like that it applies sheer and you can build it up. It doesn't go on patchy, it's very smooth and flawless looking and I really like the effect it gives me.
The blush is very sheer, I wonder if different shades of the Hourglass blush powders look any more pigmented. It's a little too sheer for me but maybe I'll use it more like a glowy topper. It's also nice when you're not really into wearing much blush but you like a little something on the cheeks.
That's kind of the theme with all of these. They are shee,r buidable, beautiful, stunning, one of a kind and very expensive. For me personally, totally worth the money. For you, it might not be the case if your not into these fine and small finishing touches and glowy formulas.
Have you tried any of the Hourglass powders? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and thanks for reading!