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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Checked Off My Wishlist: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

There's been a profusion of palette posts on here lately; what can I say, one thing I love about the Holiday Limited Edition make-up are the fantastic value for money sets and palettes. Now, I usually test products for quite a while before putting them on here for the whole world to see, but I couldn't resist showing off my new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette ($58 for 3 x 0.116 oz/ 3.3g), and given the upcoming beauty sales, I wanted to post this review with swatches as soon as possible to help anyone who may still be on the fence.
Isn't it gorgeous? It's hard to beat the visual impact of three marbleized blushes all in one compact. While the antique gold mirrored packaging is a finger print magnet, I like how sturdy it feels, and the palette shuts with a very satisfying click; in fact I need to wrestle it a bit to get it open. The compact also comes with a large mirror. The size of the blushes within is obviously smaller than the individually sold Ambient Lighting Blushes, but definitely large enough to swirl in a number of different blush brushes with ease.
The three blush shades within are Luminous Flush (a warm rosy pink, permanent), Incandescent Electra (a light peach, Limited Edition & exclusive to this palette) and Mood Exposure (a rusty neutral, permanent). Overall, I would say this palette leans warm but all three shades suit my cool-toned complexion, and I'd describe the finish of these blushes as glowy satin/ low-shimmer (meaning, my favorite). Mood Exposure is the least shimmery of the three and has a satin matte finish on the skin, while Incandescent Electra is the most shimmery but still on the lit-from-within rather than reflective end of the shimmer spectrum.
L-R: Luminous Flush swatched heavily and blended out, Incandescent Electra, Mood Exposure
While Limited Edition palettes from some brands often suffer from lower quality than permanent products, it is definitely NOT the case for the Ambient Lighting Blush Palette. All three shades are smooth, very pigmented (I recommend applying with a stippling/ duo-fiber blush brush) and last well on the skin. The formula of these kicks up a bit of powder due to its softness but it's nothing I can't deal with.
Luminous Flush, Incadescent Electra and Mood Exposure in full sunlight to show the level of shimmer.
One thing to remember, however, is that due to the Ambient Blushes' marbleized nature, the ratio of Ambient Lighting Powder to the blush pigment is going to vary slightly from palette to palette, so you may get less pigmented/ lighter in depth blushes in yours (case in point: my Incandescent Electra is quite deep and opaque, but Gaia's pan turned out to be more of a highlighter shade for her skintone).
L-R: Luminous Flush, Inglot blush no.86, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Diva, bareMinerals READY blush in The One
Now for individual shades comparisons and swatches. As you can see, Luminous Flush is the most similar to my bareMinerals READY Blush in The One, and swatched next to cooler pink blushes, leans quite warm and rosy. While for my personal tastes, I wouldn't mind a blue pink shade in the Hourglass palette, Luminous Flush is definitely a more universally flattering choice.
L-R: Incandescent Electra, Laura Mercier Second Skin Blush in Lush Nectarine, The Face Shop Pastel Cushion in Coral Cushion, NYX Powder Blush in Peach

If you already own both Luminous Flush and Mood Exposure, Incandescent Electra is definitely not unique enough to buy the whole palette just to get that Limited Edition shade. While it's beautifully smooth and a true peach, neither too warm or too cool, it seems pretty straighforward to me - but I'm still very happy to see it included in this palette because I love peach blushes. Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine is warmer, mostly due to the gold shimmer, and a lot less pigmented.
L-R: Mood Exposure, NARS Douceur, NYX Raisin, NYX Mauve
Mood Exposure is the chameleon shade of this palette: while in the pan it looks like a cool plum, as soon as you touch the powder it turns into a rusty red neutral, the warmest shade in the palette (you can see that warmer ring in the photo above after I have swatched the blush with my finger). It's the most similar to NARS Douceur but more orange than brown, and a lot warmer than both NYX Raisin and NYX Mauve.
Here's a little Face Of The Day using Hourglass Mood Exposure, just to show you than even this very warm shade works well on a fair, cool complexion. Hopefully you can see that on the cheeks, the blush does not have any visible shimmer, and blends beautifully without sitting on top of the skin. I'm also wearing theBalm Nude' Tude on my eyes and Lancome's Color Design lipstick in Wine Party on the lips.
So, do I recommend the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette? Yes, yes I do. I find the quality to be stellar, the shade selection suits a variety of looks and skintones, and the value of the palette is great as well. I now know which blushes are going to accompany me on my Holiday travels. Have you tried the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes before? What are your favorite shades? Are you tempted to snag this palette?

17 comments:

  1. Tempting indeed! I didn't try the Hourglass blushes, but I do love my Ambient Powder.. so this is a bit calling my name. I'm in a blush-rush lately, haha.

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    1. I haven't tried the Ambient Blushes when they were first released either but like you, had their powder and really liked it. Now I'm glad that I've waited because this palette is such a good deal!

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    2. Indeed! I love Christmas because brands come up with sets that have amazing value - I recently got the Benefit Sweet Cheek Spot and it was an amazing deal as well. My bank account doesn't appreciate it so much though... but it should be used to it already!

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  2. So pretty on you! I caved and got this a couple of weeks ago too, and while I like it, I don't love it for some reason. I don't know why? I do like Mood Exposure though! I kind of wish I'd have just gotten a full size of that one now. I have to keep playing with it I guess, but when it comes time to wear blush, I don't reach for this. I need a blush psychologist to help me understand why lol. :P

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    1. I think it just happens with some things - there's nothing wrong about them, you just don't really feel drawn enough to use them. Hahah, and then they usually end up in the 'to purge' pile! ;)

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  3. Incandescent Electra ...Wow. It's does seem like a great deal since I already like the first two. Third one is intimidating but you pulled it well!

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    1. I know, right? So pretty! I think once you blend Mood Exposure out, it's a great neutral sculpting blush shade. I really like how these look on the skin :)

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  4. Hey Monika, thanks for the review! I've been thinking long and hard about this, but for the moment I'm going to hold off purchasing it. My issue is that with the different powder/pigment ratio, the middle shade might also be more of a highlighter for my skin tone. I can see how nicely the powders melt into your skin in the swatches though, that makes it very tempting!

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  5. hi Monika! What do you think of the staying power of these blushes. I bought the Luminous Flush a few months ago and I swear it lasted less than 3 hours on my face. I'm not one to re-apply blush during the day, so to have it disappear before my morning snack was very disappointing. However, despite that disappointment, the product junkie-lemming inside of me still wants this palette. I could have possibly just gotten a bad one/dud right????

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    1. Hi Neo! :) I haven't noticed any problems with these blushes fading throughout the day, but I have to say I rarely have issues with the longevity of my cheek products. If you still have your Luminous Flush, maybe try to test it out with different foundations/ primers? I find these can really affect the finish and staying power of other make-up products you layer on top. And yes, maybe you just got a bad one!

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  6. I'm heading to the US for the very first time next week and if I find this, I am definitely going to buy it. I have Radiant Magenta from this line and adore the way it gives my skin a 'lit from within' glow, and these shades seem like they would really work for me. I also want to check out Nars Douceur now...

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    1. These Hourglass blushes look so beautiful on the skin, right? I really like the shade of NARS Douceur but I'm not a huge fan of the formula; while most NARS blushes are super pigmented and smooth, Douceur is a bit sheer and dry :( But I still continue to reach for it because I like how it compliments bolder lips!

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  7. Oh Monika, so pretty on you! This is a great review by the way! I've swatched the shades several times since it's come out and for some reason they don't really call my name. Could be because I have the other palette and barely ever use it. :(

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  8. Ohh. I still haven't gotten this because I'm still undecided on which blush palette I want(between this one, the Tarte and Benefit one) but I already have soo much blush! I have dim Infusion and when I got it I spent over a week wearing it nonstop so I think I'll at least get this one or I'll be beating myself up forever.

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  9. I'm definitely tempted by this and the powder palette... but not tempted enough to buy it yet haha! Might be adding this to my Christmas wishlist because for some reason, I can't bring myself to buy it! Anyway, great review! Loved the way they looked on you!

    www.lilting-grace.blogspot.com

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  10. Thank you for such a great, and in-depth review. It looks beautiful on you!

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  11. Thanks for the comparison to Douceur!

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