Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

So, when I was in New York this past June, I finally broke down and bought the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. When it was initially launched last fall, I kept debating whether I even wanted to take a look at it because I tend to go for more "bling-y" highlighters. By the time I decided to go in-store to swatch it, it was sold out everywhere which, of course, only made me more interested to check it out (I needed to see why it was so coveted; it might've been the most hyped up make-up product of 2013). Now I can say that I like the Ambient Lighting Powder formula, but I refuse to shell out $52 here for a single one. So I told myself if the palette ever came back, I would pick it up. Hourglass finally decided to make it permanent this Spring; it was originally launched as an online exclusive at Sephora, but is now available in all locations where Hourglass is sold. Ambient Lighting Powder is described as a "high-tech, soft-focus finishing powder that recreates the most exquisitely flattering light source." These three shades "can be applied individually or layered to imbue skin with a multidimensional glow." They are packaged in a curved rectangular plummy brown reflective mirrored plastic compact. Each Ambient Lighting Palette contains a total of 9.9 grams of product, and retails for $58 USD or $67 CAD. 
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
Dim Light, Incandescent Light, and Radiant Light

Dim Light is a light-medium warm beige with very subtle shimmer-sheen in a satin finish that "blurs imperfections and highlights the complexion." This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly darker and less pink than MAC Medium Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, and lighter and less pink than MAC Medium Plus Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

Incandescent Light is a light neutral ivory-beige with a soft pearlescent finish that "brightens the complexion with a celestial glow." This is a palette-exclusive shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is softer and less shimmery than MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish, and more shimmery and less golden than MAC Light Plus Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

Radiant Light is a medium peachy golden-beige with very subtle shimmer-sheen in a satin finish that "enhances the complexion with believable, subtle warmth." This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more peach than MAC Medium Golden Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

In terms of texture and feel, these seem like a more refined, slightly more illuminating version of MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. The texture is very finely-milled, lightweight, smooth, and incredibly silky; they apply beautifully, and I can see where the "soft focus" effect comes into play with these. The powders have a subtle illumination to them but aren't sparkly or shiny, so it makes the skin appear smoother and more "blurred" while still looking like skin. I didn't really see it with the blushes, but I definitely see it with these. For those who, like me, have a combination-to-oily skin type, you'll like this more for adding a soft, natural dimension to the face, though for those who have drier skin types, you can definitely use these all over as finishing powders. They're especially great to use after foundation, when the face looks flatter and too uniform; these breathe life back into the skin. I've been loving Dim Light under my eyes and those upside-down-triangle cheek areas around the nose (where I want more subtle highlighting), Incandescent Light on my cheekbones and under my brows (where I want slightly brighter but not over-the-top highlighting), and Radiant Light around the outer edges of my face like around the hairline and jawline (where I would use bronzer). The effect is very lit-from-within glow with believable dimension, and I finally get where the inspiration for these powders came from. This is facial definition at it's most sophisticated.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta, Diffused Heat, and Luminous Flush

Earlier this year, the whole beauty world was abuzz over the release of Hourglass' new Ambient Lighting Blushes. Definitely one of the most hyped up releases this year given the surge of popularity of their Ambient Lighting Powders. Hourglass describes this blush formula as "a groundbreaking hybrid that combines the customized lighting effects of Ambient Lighting Powder with a spectrum of breathtakingly modern hues for seamless, soft-focus, and multi-dimensional colour." Hourglass claims that these blushes are "unique, contemporary, and revolutionary. Unlike traditional blush, which tends to be flat, Ambient Lighting Blush uses Photoluminescent Technology to exhibit depth and dimension. The airy, lightweight powders contain optically transparent particles that amplify the colours to a multidimensional level — effectively reinventing the way you view blush." 
Radiant Magenta
Diffused Heat
Luminous Flush
There are a total of six shades, "each hand-made… formulated using an advanced miscelare technique… creating the perfect balance of pigment and powder, and no two look alike." They are meant to "deliver a radiant, natural finish and offer buildable colour to imbue the entire complexion with an otherworldly glow." Now, there are some pretty big claims surrounding these blushes; describing your product as "revolutionary" and "otherworldly" is a pretty arrogant, after all. As far as I'm concerned, you can use whatever technology you please as long as it delivers. Which is why I had to find out for myself. I resisted for two months because of the high price point (like, who do you think you are? Chanel?) and then the damn Sephora VIB sale happened in April and I found myself getting not one, but three of them. What can I say? Blush fiends will be blush fiends. Each Ambient Lighting Blush contains 4.2 grams of product, is housed in a curved square golden gunmetal mirrored plastic compact, and retails for $41.

Radiant Magenta, Diffused Heat, and Luminous Flush

Radiant Magenta is a medium warm-toned strawberry pink in a satin-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more pink than Hourglass Diffused Heat, less shimmery than MAC Dollymix, warmer and less shimmery than MAC Gentle, warmer and more muted than Clinique Berry Pop, and more muted than Tarte Fearless.
Diffused Heat is a medium warm-toned pinked coral in a satin-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and more coral than Hourglass Luminous Flush, more muted and more pink than MAC Melba, more pinked than MAC Peaches, similar to Clinique Peach Pop, and less shimmery than NARS Deep Throat.
Luminous Flush is a light-medium soft warm-toned peachy pink in a satin-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is softer and more pink than Hourglass Diffused Heat, less shimmery than MAC Peachykeen, more peach and less shimmery than MAC Dainty, lighter and more pink than Clinique Peach Pop, and much less shimmery and less golden than NARS Orgasm.

The formula is gorgeous; lightweight and airy yet so soft and smooth and velvety, and beautifully pigmented to boot. It's easily layerable to achieve the intensity desired, but ultra-blendable so that it looks almost like apart of the skin rather than sitting on top of it. I would describe the finish of these to be somewhere between satin and velvet because it's not quite matte and there's not really a sheen, but I see where the "dimensional" and "soft-focus" aspects come in because they somehow mimic skin. Like, they're not quite illuminating or glowy, but they do make skin look smoother and softer. I think a major draw for these is that they work well for all skin types because they won't emphasize skin texture like lines and pores, nor will they make dry skin look drier or oily skin look oilier. But are these "revolutionary"? No. I feel like I can achieve a similar look with many other blushes on the market right now. I mean, it definitely doesn't look like you have your own personal lighting team with you at all times. And I think Hourglass would benefit from making brighter or darker shades to encompass a greater range of skintones. In the end, I don't think they're as life-changing as the hype makes them out to be... but they are beautiful, to be sure.