Did I need it? No! What can I say? I'm weak when it comes to Hourglass palettes! Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette is the 4th palette of this type that Hourglass have released but confusingly, there is an Ambient Lighting Edit 4 coming in the next few weeks. The reason that I chose to buy the Unlocked Palette rather than wait for the Ambient Lighting Edit 4 is that all six shades in the Unlocked Palette are new.
I am a huge fan of the formula of Hourglass powders, blush and bronzers (Brand Focus Post here) because they are so finely milled that it would be impossible for them to be cakey or patchy on the skin. Also, they can be topped up without looking like there is a lot of product on the skin and even on my Sahara-like skin, they never accentuate the dryness. Hourglass are moving towards being 100% vegan by 2020 (they are currently 80% there) and the new bunny symbol shows when a product is 100% vegan (which this palettes is). 5% of the profits from this palette will go to the Nonhumans Rights Project.
The Hourglass Ambient Edit Unlocked Palette contains six powder products: two finishing powders, two blushes, one bronzer and one highlighter. Please be aware that the powders really are mini sizes, so if you have never owned one of these palettes or even seen them in store, you may be alarmed by just how small the pans are in comparison to the full size powders and blushes. The palette isn't cheap at £69 but if you have wanted to try some Hourglass products for a while, it is a good opportunity to try a number of them.
As I said earlier, all six products within this palette are new and I personally think they are more suited to medium-deep skin tones than fair. There are two finishing powders and a bronzer in the top row: Soft Light, Filtered Light and Golden Bronze Light. On the bottom row, there are two blushes and a highlighter: Nude Glow, Mood Flush and Champagne Strobe Light.
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| Swatched completely unedited. Left to Right: Soft Light, Filtered Light, Golden Bronze Light, Nude Glow, Mood Flush, Champagne Strobe Light |
Soft Light doesn't really show up on my skin but it is the perfect finishing powder to use all over the face. It gives my skin a very polished look - neither matte nor dewy, although slightly lit from within. Filtered Light is one that I am unsure how I will use because it's too dark to use as a setting powder on my skin yet it also won't work as a bronzer so if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear. Golden Bronze Light is a warm bronzer with some microshimmer, but no glitter. It's perfect for adding some warmth to my face and is also beautiful for a quick and easy eye look.
Nude Glow is a stunning peach shimmery blush but it is so finely milled that it doesn't highlight pores - it reminds me of a peachier version of Nars Orgasm. Mood Flush is a mauve-berry shade, which is perfect for Autumn/Winter. Finally, Champagne Strobe Light is a really beautiful highlighter in a pale gold/champagne shade.
The formula of all of the products is as I have come to expect from Hourglass - smooth and finely milled, easy to apply and the highlighter, in particular, is buttery soft. I really hope that Nude Glow is released as a single blush because it is my ideal blush shade!
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette is a limited edition palette and currently out of stock but Cult Beauty currently have a wait list that you can join if you are interested in buying it. It's currently available from Harvey Nichols.
Are you a fan of Hourglass powders and blushes?
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