Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Unlocked

Hey loves,
Today I want to talk about the Hourglass Holiday collection. They’ve brought out a new limited edition Ambient Lighting Edit that has received the name ‘Unlocked’. Keep on reading if you want to know why they named it so and what I think of this palette!

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit in Unlocked is a limited edition product for the holiday collection of 2018. This palette celebrates the brand’s cruelty-free beliefs and the ambition to be fully vegan by 2020. They have ‘unlocked’ their new future and goals, hence the name of the palette. The unlocking is represented by the logo on the palette which has been transformed to create the silhouette of a bunny. So cute and it’s also their first 100% vegan product. I’ve been trying to make my makeup collection more vegan since I don’t see any reason or difficulties not to. I’m already on the path to become a vegetarian but unfortunately becoming vegan is not possible due to my health. I feel like my makeup collection is a good alternative.

Packaging:
The packaging is insanely pretty. The palette has a gold colour with a hint of rose through it and is made of very reflective material which makes it hard to photograph, haha. There’s information on the back of the palette and a large mirror inside. The palette is lightweight and easy to travel with. Inside the palette, we can find six new Ambient Lighting powders that can be used for various steps of your makeup routine. According to Hourglass, they’re formulated with pure photoluminescent technology to capture and soften the surrounding skin area. It’s should make you younger and lit from within. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette is available on the Hourglass website and other retailers such as Sephora. The palette retails for €75, which is very pricey. I bought this palette with a -20% discount from Sephora.fr. The good news is that 5% of your purchase goes to a non-human rights project.

Formulation
First of all, I want to mention something about the formula in general. It’s the bomb. These are some of the softest powder products I have ever used. As you might already know, I have dry skin and I prefer to minimalise the use of powder in my routine because it emphasises fine lines, texture and dryness. However, this formula doesn’t do that at all. Every shade blends seamlessly and they fuse beautifully into one another, creating a really nice blend on the skin. Meanwhile, they also give a soft and glowy finish to the face without it being glittery or too shimmery. There are no chunky glitter particles. There’s no chance of looking like a disco ball. The tiny shimmers in the powders don’t translate as particles but as a sheen onto the face. These powders make the skin still look like skin. Finally, all the shades last until you remove them at the end of the day. They do fade a bit but they’re still very much visible after a long period of wear.

Finishing Powder in Soft Light
A subtle, light peachy-beige to set the under eyes and the rest of the face. This shade is slightly too dark for my under eyes but perfect for the rest of my face. It sets the face beautifully whilst giving a subtle luminosity. Most setting powders make my face very matte but this powder still gives it a bit of a sheen to make it look more natural. The formula doesn’t put emphasis on texture or fine lines and never looks cakey. I am thinking about buying a lighter version because it’s so good.

Finishing Powder in Filtered Light
This is the second powder in the palette to set the face with. A neutral bronze with a light cool undertone. Evidently, this shade is too dark for me but apparently, it is the darkest setting powder they now have. I do hope they make an individual out of this shade for people with a deeper complexion. Since the shade is too dark, I use it as a contour or bronzer in combination with Golden Bronze. Again, the formula is very soft and blends like a dream. There’s no emphasis on texture or dryness because the shade is so finely milled. Filtered Light has shimmer in it and gives a subtle natural glow to the hollows of the face, which I love.

Bronzer in Golden Bronze Light
This shade is the bronzer in the palette It’s a neutral golden bronze colour and is surprisingly not too dark for my complexion and very buildable in pigmentation. I often mix this with Filtered Light and those two shades have become my favourite bronzer as of late. Yet again, there’s a subtle glow when applied to the skin, making the bronze look natural and sunkissed. No emphasis on texture or dryness. Be careful because it’s more pigmentated then you would expect.

Blush in Nude Glow
This is the first blush in the palette and the name ‘Nude Glow’ was well chosen. It’s a peachy-pink with tiny gold shimmers and looks very muted but beautiful on the skin. It gives the perfect luminous flush to the cheeks without adding too much colour. I’m very pale and I tend to not use blush but this is so subtle in colour and pigment that I use it often. The pigmentation is very easy to build up, so you don’t have to be afraid of overdoing it.

Blush in Mood Flush
Mood Flush is the second blush in Unlocked and is a pinky-mauve colour without any shimmer particles. However, it doesn’t look fully matte on the skin. There’s still a bit of dewiness which I like and makes it look natural. This blush is very pigmented and has more depth colourwise than Nude Glow. Therefore, I haven’t been using it as much, because I’m usually in a rush and I don’t want to make mistakes but it is very stunning when I do get it right.

Metallic Strobe Powder in Champagne Strobe Light
This is the only (true) highlighter in the palette. It’s a champagne colour that doesn’t lean warm nor cool. It’s slightly too dark but I can make it work when I blend it in very well. This has a metallic, glossy finish and doesn’t look like a stripe on the face. You truly look lit from within. It’s like the natural oils have decided to step out of your pores but without it looking greasy. You just get the luminosity of it. There are no glitter particles in this shade and it can be build up to be very intense.

Swatches
So now I want to show you some swatches and full face pictures. Note that I swatched them quite heavily so you can see the colours correctly. Also, I’m not the biggest fan of using a lot of bronzers because it can quickly look too much with my pale complexion, therefore the application is a bit more subtle.

Can you see how it’s not laying on top of my face and it just looks like skin? I’m amazed. Nothing cakey about this.

So that guys concludes my review of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit in Unlocked palette. I think it’s a well-rounded palette that has everything that you need to sculpt the face. It has a setting powder, bronzer, blushes and highlighters. The formula is very finely milled and gives the most beautiful, natural finish to the skin. It’s also very good for dry skin, so if you’re experiencing cakiness and emphasised texture or fine lines, I would recommend trying these powders in your life. It’s also very compact which is excellent for travelling. The price tag is a bit high but well worth it if you’re able to lay down the coin. I would wait till there is a sale or a discount code to reduce the price a bit. It’s what I did 🙂 Last but not least, I hope they make every shade an individual.

What do you think about this palette? Have you tried something by Hourglass?
Lots of love and see you next time!