Is it worth the money?
So I was in the market for a new face powder since I finally ran out of my bareSkin powder by bareMinerals, so I thought I would give this palette a whirl because it's shininess caught my eye... Totally kidding, but the packaging is insanely shiny and reflective and might actually blind you if you are not careful (again, kidding). I've heard quite the buzz over the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in the shade Diffused Light which happens to be included in this palette, so I thought I'd give it a whirl...
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| Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette |
Product Background
What is it and what does it do?
This palette consists of 6 types of powders; 2 face powders, 1 highlighter, 2 blushes, and 1 bronzer. This is basically Hourglass's version of a highlighting/contour palette. It claims to be universally flattering and is supposed to give you a "soft lit-from-within" look. You can purchase this at Sephora and it retails for $80.00 USD. Needless to say, it's very pricey, so let's see if it's worth the pretty penny.
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| Ambient Lighting Edit Palette |
What do I think?
Okay, so I've been using this palette for about 2 weeks now, and I have to say.. when I first used it, I was definitely not impressed. Although it is a really luxurious product and the texture of it is really velvety and smooth, the colors just didn't seem to work for my complexion. But because of the price, I was determined to make it work for me and despite my first impression of it, it did grow on me. They definitely are more pigmented than they appear, so a little product goes a long way. If you're not careful, you'll look like an Oompa Loompa real quick (remember it's easier to build up than it is to take away). Here are some swatches of each individual powder so you can see for yourself...
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| (L to R: Luminous Bronze, Luminous Flush, Mood Expisure, Diffused Light, Iridescent Light, Dim Light) |
Dim Light: This shade has a neutral peachy tone and like the others, has a luminous finish. This one is supposed to blur imperfections and highlight the complexion. However, personally, it just doesn't work for me for that specific purpose because it's a little too peachy for me to use directly all over the face and it's quite noticeable on my skin. I'd use it as an eyeshadow or layer it over a blush to add luminosity. With that being said, this would look amazing on people with a medium to deep complexion.
Iridescent Light: This is marketed as a "strobing" powder.. AKA, a highlighter. The shade is on the cooler pink toned side with a pearl finish. In the pan it does look quite pink, but when it's blended onto the skin, it gives a really beautiful soft glow. I use this everywhere; browbone, tear duct, tops of the cheekbone, bridge of the nose, tip of the nose, cupid's bow... you get it. It makes me feel like a glowy ice princess.
Diffused Light: This is a very yellow powder, so it's really good for concealing redness. When it's actually on the skin, it doesn't appear heavily yellow and it blends seamlessly. I use this in my t-zone to minimize the shine and to set my undereye concealer. I do have dry skin, so that's why it works so well for me on my t-zone, but if you are more on the oily side, I'd stick to a more mattifying powder to keep your shine and oils at bay. Side note: this is the best powder I've ever used to set my concealer under the eyes. Every other powder I've used makes me look dry and flaky and this one makes me look like Beyonce... flawless.
Mood Exposure: It's described as a soft plum blush, and it looks that way in the pan, but on my skin it's the strangest thing. On my actual face, it blends out as an intense corally red color (and not the cute kind); there's nothing soft about it. However on my arm, as you can see, it's more true to the plum color described. It's probably my least favorite shade in the palette, but I'm still trying to play around with it and work with it to see how it'll work with my complexion best.
Luminous Flush: This one is a super rosy blush and it's so beautiful. This is the second most used shade of the six in the palette. I also used this one on my sister on her wedding day. It's a really flattering luminous rosy shade (I can see why they named it that way) and it'll compliment most skin tones pretty well. You can't really go wrong with this one.
Luminous Bronze: I would not use this is a bronzer. It is basically straight up an orange camel color. It's just not flattering on lighter complexions whatsoever. I did, however, find a purpose for this: eyeshadow. And that's pretty much it. If you have a deeper skin tone, this would be a lovely subtle highlighter.
Pros:
blendable- multi-use
- travel friendly
Cons:
- expensive
- not universally flattering
The Verdict
Is it worth the $80.00? It is a good palette, but it's not greatest thing you'll ever purchase. Like I mentioned previously, it is a luminous palette, none of the shades are matte, so if you're oilier and prefer a matte finish all around, you should save the money and invest on something more suited for your skin type. However, if you are oily and don't mind being on the more luminous glowy side, I'd say, why not? It is a good palette for people with drier skin, such as myself, and it serves as a multi-use product if you want to go for a more minimal look. I'd definitely say this palette is more for light to dark skin tones, however if you are very fair, you won't get too much use out of it and there are better palettes for your complexion.
Each powder retails for $45.00 USD and each blush retails for $35.00. If you're really set on getting this palette, I'd say go ahead just because it makes sense economically. Personally, since I only use 2 of the 6 on a daily basis, I'd just go ahead and purchase the ones I use individually.
And that is it for today. If you stuck around until the very end, *applauds* thank you very much. Hopefully this was useful to you and you gained some juicy insight (see what I did there?) on this palette. Until we get juicy again...
XOXO,
Tanya
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