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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Wonderful review! The bronzer also hardly shows on my NC25 skin tone but I guess it’s good for a natural daytime look. To my surprise, I really like the setting powder. It manages to give me a healthy and glowy result.
Ps: love love your blog! X
I ordered this for my sister (sshhhh! its a surprise!) but its a shame that the bronzer is such a let down. Otherwise so gorgeous xxx
Sal | UmmBaby Beauty
Yayy i think your sister will like it. even though the bronzer is not that great, we can mix up the powders and use it as blush for day time. Thanks for checking Sal.
Thank you for this review Ash! I really needed this1 But now I’m in two minds of whether to get it or give it a miss 🙁
i know what you mean Khadijah. I have always had this issue with hourglass launches as they are very pricey and what if the powders don’t show up on my skin but thankfully this does look beautiful when I apply.
I just can’t decide whether this would be worth it for me or not – might be one for the Christmas list haha
Jasmine xx
Jasmine Talks Beauty
I love this palette! I do still prefer the Ambient Edit palette because I think the shades are a bit more diverse since they don’t all have the Surreal Light powder in there, but still love it! I guess it just comes down to what someone wants from a palette!
xx
Nida | Caked To The Nines
This palette looks absolutely gorgeous.
http://www.themakeupaficionado.com
Its super pretty on the skin too. Highly recommend 🙂
100 % hoping my boyfriend picked this up for me for Christmas ! xx
You’ll love this. It will look amazing on you!