Hourglass Ambient Lighting edit – Surreal Light | Holiday 2016 collection

Hourglass powders are known for creating softest, most flattering and lit from within kind of looks. I have always been debating on the Hourglass powders whether they are just for pale and fair skin people or do they actually show up on medium skin as well. Shelling out eye watering £69 on a palette was never easy but the palette was going to release in my birthday month. I knew I wanted something really special specially I missed on the original Ambient lighting edit palette that had 6 pans. So, I finally bought this one but is this palette worth the money? Let’s see 🙂

These powders are formulated with Photoluminescent Technology to capture, diffuse and soften surrounding light to refine the appearance of the skin. These are designed to deliver a multidimensional luminescence to every skin tone, making it appear softer, younger and lit-from-within.

Packaging: The palette comes in gold cardboard packaging and the case is matte plastic with marble effect. It looks super pretty in pictures but not too great in real life (atleast not to me). I really like the original classic Hourglass packaging.

Contents: The palette comes with 5 powders and a good quality mirror. The setting powder is the largest pan which I like about this palette because we need setting powder more than any other powders. Along with setting powder, it comes with a bronzer, two blushes and a strobe powder.

Shades: This limited edition palette contains 5 exclusive shades:

• Surreal Light: a sheer nude powder evoking the magic hour of perfect lighting

• Surreal Bronze Light: a neutral tan shade fused with Surreal Light, for a subtle, natural warmth

• Surreal Glow: a pale peony pink blush mixed with Surreal Light for a delicate flush

• Surreal Effect: a cool, pink rose fused with a soft, warm peach for a pop of flattering color

• Surreal Strobe Light: a glimmering peach powder imparting an alluring highlight

When the palette arrived, I was not too sure whether these light shades will show up on my skin or not. I posted swatches and my first impressions on my Instastory(Follow me here). I also showed how these looked on my medium complexion.

Test on Medium skin: The surreal light setting powder gave me a soft focus lit from within look without looking cakey. I used this all over my face and I quite like it. The bronzer didnot show up well on my skin tone even with heavy hand. The peachy blush Surreal Glow) gave a natural delicate flush and i had to go on twice or thrice with my blush brush to make it noticeable on my skin. The rosy pink blush (Surreal Effect) is nicely pigmented in terms of bronzer and blushes. This showed up in just one swatch and looked flattering on my skin. So, if you’re medium skin and stay away from pink blushes, this blush might work for you. Surreal Strobe Light highlighter looked so pretty on my skin. It is not BAM in you eyes kind of highlighter but still looks very sophisticated and glowy.

Longevity: I have tested these powders for longevity and these stay on my skin all day and looks fresh even after 6 – 7 hours of wear which I expect from high end makeup.

Overall, I think bronzer (surreal bronze light) could have been better in this palette but it still works for lighter skin tones. The lighter blush (surreal glow) and bronzer (surreal bronze light) may look ashy on darker skin tones.

Rating 3.9/5

This palette can be purchased for £69 from John Lewis or SpaceNK in the UK.

So, is it worth it? You decide 🙂

Thank you for reading. What are your thoughts on this palette? Do you own any of the Hourglass products?  I appreciate each  feedback/comment and will get back as soon as possible.

Until next time..

Ash

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