As you can see from this website, I love products! I’m a sucker for any new product that comes onto the market and can’t wait to try them out. I never really was a girly girl. I was the quintessential tomboy but in later years, I’ve tried to embrace my inner womanliness (if that’s a word) and, apart from when I’m walking the dog, I always try to make a bit of an effort in the make-up department.
I was delighted when I got my hands on the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit (mini sculpture palette). I love a bit of glam, so the look of the palette ticked a box for me straight away. It’s striking gold compact with architectural facets made it look expensive, classy, and sophisticated.
I also loved its dinkyness. It was big enough to complete your complexion look but also small enough to fit into your gym bag, handbag, or clutch.
Shades
The company released a bigger palette a few years ago but this limited-edition palette has the perfect mix of shades to get the job done. The shades suit and flatter medium to tanned complexions. Here are my thoughts on the four shades from left to right.
Soft Light
This light warm beige shade with a subtle yellow tone is ideal for setting the skin for a medium to deep skin tone. It evens out and brightens medium to deep skin tones. For fairer skin tones, it will warm up the skin tone, almost like a light bronzer.
Golden Bronze
This shade is a soft warm golden bronze shade with a very subtle gold shimmer that adds a beautiful warmth to many skin tones. This is a lovely bronzer for fair to tan skin tones, but deeper skin tones can use it as a brightening complexion powder.
Mood Flush
This shade is a warm mauve shade with a bit of a pink undertone. This shade has no shimmers and offers a very natural flush to many skin tones. This shade is universally flattering because it doesn’t lean too cool or too warm, suiting most skin tones.
Champagne Strobe
This shade is a true champagne beige shade with a subtle golden undertone. This shade has a much stronger shine than the other powders and it even has some tiny flecks of silvery pearl within it.
Swatches from left to right: Soft Light, Golden Bronze, Mood Flush, Champagne Strobe
About
All the shades and powders are of exceptional quality. Some powders of poorer quality don’t hug the face like this one does and can look quite cakey and obvious. I found these to blend well with each other and could either be quite subtle in their finish or, if you added more, then could be more noticeable. I don’t favour the Kim K look, so I went quite subtle on my application. Each to his own though.
Given my comments above, I would imagine that this compact would suit both mature skins (like mine!) and the more youthful users out there. According to the website, each powder contains a soft blurring technology which makes them unique and universally flattering.
The powders contain Photoluminescent Technology; the optically transparent particles alter the appearance of the skin by manipulating and refracting favourable light. The result is skin that looks smooth, even, and enhanced —not masked. The soft-focus technology helps to minimize the look of wrinkles and imperfections, neutralize discoloration, and emulate the appearance of young, healthy skin.
It didn’t much effort to get to grips with the palette, so I would imagine that even the most inexperienced person would find it easy to get the finished look they desired.
What I loved
I found the compact easy to use. The powders were of exceptional quality and were easy to use. I loved the fact that it was compact enough for even the smallest of clutches and could take you from day to night easily with a little touch up. If you have a medium to deep skin tone, then this is definitely the palette for you. Given that I’m now 58, the result was definitely a younger looking me. It seemed to blur my wrinkles and imperfections perfectly. I’m lucky that I don’t have age spots yet, but I imagine that if you did, it would do a good job in making them less obvious too. I’m so glad I know have it in my make-up arsenal.
I would suggest that when you buy the palette, you also invest in their double-ended Ambient Lighting Edit Brush for easier application.
I also loved the fact that the product is vegan and cruelty free and is part of Unlocked, a collection supporting our mission to unlock the cages of wild animals in captivity. The company donates 5% of profits from Unlocked to the Nonhuman Rights Project, the only organization in the US working to secure civil rights for nonhuman animals.
How much does it cost?
£57
Where can you buy it?
www.hourglasscosmetics.co.uk
www.johnlewis.com
www.spacenk.com
www.feelunique.com
The science bit
Palette contains 4 exclusive shades:
Ambient Lighting Powder – Soft Light
Ambient Lighting Bronzer – Golden Bronze Light
Ambient Lighting Blush – Mood Flush
Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Powder – Champagne Strobe Light
Directions
Finish: Apply Soft Light finishing powder all over the face
Bronze: Contour along the temples, hollows of the cheeks, and jawline with Golden Bronze Light
Blush: Apply Mood Flush to the apples of the cheeks
Highlight: Apply Champagne Strobe Light to the high points of the face –tops of cheeks, bridge of nose, brow bone and cupid’s bow. Can be used wet for a more intense highlight
Pair with the Ambient Lighting Edit Brush for the most flawless finish.
Ingredients
Soft Light Ingredients: Mica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Boron Nitride, Hdi/trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Octyldodecanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone, Sorbic Acid, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Tin Oxide, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Silica, Laureth-7, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Diamond Powder, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Yellow 5 Lake (ci 19140), Bismuth Oxychloride (ci 77163), Iron Oxides (ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Titanium Dioxide (ci 77891).
Golden Bronze Light Ingredients: Mica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Boron Nitride, Hdi/trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Octyldodecanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone, Sorbic Acid, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Tin Oxide, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Laureth-7, Potassium Sorbate, Silica, Ethylhexylglycer-in, Diamond Powder, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Bismuth Oxychloride (ci 77163), Iron Oxides (ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Titanium Dioxide (ci 77891).
Mood Flush Ingredients: Mica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Boron Nitride, Hdi/trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Octyldodecanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone, Sorbic Acid, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Laureth-7, Silica, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Diamond Powder, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide (ci 77891), Bismuth Oxychloride (ci 77163), Red 7 Lake (ci 15850), Ultramarines (ci 77007), Iron Oxides (ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499).
Champagne Strobe Light Ingredients: Mica, Octyldodecanol, Triisostearin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Boron Nitride, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyacrylamide, Tin Oxide, Benzoic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sorbic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide (ci 77891), Iron Oxides (ci 77491).
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What’s your favourite make-up?
Share you favourites with me. I’d love to hear what you use.