I just had to share my excitement! A few weeks ago, I was buzzing with anticipation over my first order from Hourglass: The Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked – Color Palette 2 (the “Leopard” palette), customized with the owl artwork.
Well, she’s here, and I’m in love!
Honestly, part of the excitement is just the long, long time I’ve spent hearing all about how awesome the Hourglass blushes and finishing powders are, but never having tried them. I’ve also been watching beauty gurus for well over a decade (hi Emily Noel!), but I don’t think I’ve ever really embraced the hype and joined the party for a new launch. My philosophy is usually to get it on sale next year, which sometimes pays off (hello My Dream Palette), and sometimes backfires (goodbye Ethereal Eyes).
That’s enough to make this palette a special addition to my collection, but beyond that, here are the highlights!
The Highlights
Literally the highlighter, on the basis that I’ve only ever had one to my name. (Benefit’s High Beam Liquid Highlighter, which did the job, but I remember it being too intense for me and difficult to apply without streaking; of course, I was not proficient in liquid makeup application ten years ago when I owned it.) I’m mostly at the office or at home, so I don’t get a lot of opportunity to use a highlighter (at least for my personal preference), and I feel a bit better about owning one as part of a palette rather than outright for some reason. Compared to the liquid one, I’m also happy about the longevity of the product itself, and the ease of diffusing the glow on application. Finally, I was pleasantly surprised that the shade comes off as more of a cooler or neutral gold. Very excited to pull this out for my next special occasion! (By the way, what have I been using for highlight for all these years since my High Beam days? Eyeshadow toppers.)
The format and composition in general – the palette is compact enough to fit into a makeup bag, but I’m finding the cubes of colour to be just large enough to accommodate my brushes. I love the composition of one finishing powder, one bronzer and one highlighter, with three blushes. The combination means I’m only pulling out one palette to cover all of my powdery needs (except my setting powder), and I’m really appreciating the efficiency in the morning. Also, I love blush in general, so it’s a real treat to have three different shades with different finishes to choose from; however I must say, Iridescent Rose and Ethereal Flush look very similar on application. Technically, one is a warm pink mixed with Strobe Lighting Powder, and the other is a satiny coral, so they should be fairly different. If we wanted some real variation in the blushes, Iridescent Rose might have been exchanged for a cooler pink or Ethereal Flush could have leaned more peachy than coral!
The glow. This is Hourglass’s claim to fame, right? In some cases subtle as a hint of sheen, and in others really catching the light for reflective radiance. I really do find that compared to my regular routine, I’ve got a lovely consistent subtle glow going.
The Shades
Honestly, I thought Color Palette 1 (“Jellyfish”) would have been the best match for my fair complexion, but as I mentioned in my last post about the palette, I had a deal about the Mood Exposure blush, so here we are. The Jellyfish palette may indeed have been a better match, but the olive in my skin tone and a light hand on application make Color Palette 2 (“Leopard”) work really well, and I have no regrets!
In Color Palette 2 (“Leopard”) you’ll find (left to right, top to bottom):
Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light (Natural Beige) – I was worried this finishing powder would come off as being too deep, and honestly, I think it does if I use a heavier hand. Hourglass describes this shade as “a neutral peach beige powder that blurs imperfections and highlights a radiant complexion with the perfect balance of warm and cool tones.” The neutral tone must save it for me, because applied lightly, it just adds a hint of glowing dimension to the face.
Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Powder in Celestial Strobe Light (Pale Gold) – Story above aside, I love it. On my complexion I’m really curious to try the Opal Strobe Light (Pale Rose Gold) that came in the Jellyfish palette because I think it would just stun on fair olive skin, but the pale gold is also lovely! I’m not a highlight connoisseur, so “a highlight is a highlight” and I really can’t compare it to anything, but I’ve also tried it on the eyes (I know, I know, it shouldn’t go on the eyes) and I just loved it – it came off exactly as it should, a glowing, light-catching enhancement to a natural-leaning eye look. The gold read cooler to me (or at least neutral), which is my favourite gold to wear (as opposed to a yellow-gold).
Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure (Soft Plum) – The Queen of fair olive blushes did not disappoint! It is indeed a soft plum as described, and not “obviously purple” on the skin. Hourglass notes that it’s fused with the Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light, which is a “soft, sheer lavender pink powder that mimics the softest, most forgiving light and brightens the complexion”. That makes sense – for someone who doesn’t use highlighter often, I feel like this blush does the trick on its own in that I can catch a lovely soft cool-looking gleam across the high point of the cheek when I’m wearing it.
Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Iridescent Rose (Warm Rose) – While Mood Exposure contains Ambient Lighting Powder, Iridescent Rose contains Strobe Lighting Powder which is supposed to give a lit-from-within sort of look. I’m not sure if the effect I get is “lit-from-within,” to my eye it was a bit less subtle – sort of the effect I imagine getting from mixed blush with a hint of highlighter. Of course this is technically what Strobe Lighting Blush is, so I can’t complain! As I mentioned above, the difference between this blush and Ethereal Flush (below) is subtle and not obvious when applied in my opinion. In addition to the glow from the Strobe Lighting Powder, the shade offers a warm pink (more vibrant than the dusty roses that I’m used to).
Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Flush (Soft Peach) – This one is a pure blush, not marbled with another powder. On the cheeks it looks similar to the blush above, but without the highlight effect. I think that absent a Lighting Powder, the colour is able to come off more impactful, but certainly not flat – there is still some dimensionality there, giving what I’d call a satin finish. Technically, if you are scrutinizing the colour, this one is much more coral than peach (but in my opinion, not “soft” enough to read “peach”).
Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Lustrous Bronze Light (Bronze Heat) – I was worried about this shade because I tend to like my bronzers relatively subtle and neutral, and this one looks a bit deeper and much warmer than I’m used to. I was pleasantly surprised! With a light hand it works to bring warmth and luminosity to my complexion. I’m happy to have a different bronzer in my collection, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like when I’m more tan.
Overall, I’m thrilled to welcome this little treasure into my collection! What a fabulous introduction to Hourglass powders.
On to lipstick – yes, I did acquire a celebratory lipstick with the palette: Unlocked Satin Creme Lipstick in Tide 302 (Rosy Beige). I can’t wait to try it! Except I can, and I’m going to… While I don’t have many face powders in my collection and jumped at the opportunity to use this one, I do have quite a few lipsticks and I didn’t want to rock the boat yet on my current rotation. My Owl palette will be around for quite some time though and I suspect it may outlive my lipstick, so I’m going to go ahead and take my time on that one.
While We Wait – Lipsticks From My Collection
Some lipstick pairings of the moment:
I’ve been keeping busy with lots of events and activities lately, and on those really hectic days when I don’t want to stop for a touch-up, I love reaching for the Maybelline Super Stay line, especially the Super Stay Vinyl Ink Longwear Liquid Lip Colour! The Matte Inks are great as well, but I’m more comfortable in the Vinyl version, especially if my lips have been on the dryer side.
Mood Exposure paired with the Vinyl Ink in Cheeky was absolutely fabulous, those mauve tones complemented each other so well for what I thought was a very cohesive sophisticated vibe (if I do say so myself)! Of course, I have a lot of mauves and mauve-leaning pinks that would work famously with this blush. Must be my favourite shared to wear!
Following that, I paired Ethereal Flush with the Vinyl Ink in Peachy on a warm sunny day – again, the complementary tones and the subtle sheen from the Vinyl Ink just pulled everything together for a lovely fresh look!
Iridescent Rose can easily pair with Peachy as well thanks to its similarity with Ethereal Flush on the cheek, but let’s play fair. Since this is really a warm glistening pink I’d actually love to pair with something warmer and matte such as MAC Matte Lipstick in Velvet Teddy or Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk. On the other hand, I could go totally cohesive with MAC Frost Lipstick in Bombshell, which is a bright rosy pink with shimmer and totally reminds me of this blush! OH – and NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien, another shimmery rose! (I believe these are en-route to discontinuation but they’re still kicking on the NARS USA website.)
Do you have one of these palettes in your collection? Have you tried the Hourglass Unlocked Satin Creme Lipsticks? I’d love to know!
