Around this time of year is when beauty gifting is at its very best. Whether you’re looking for beauty gift sets or a new fragrance, you can bet there are plenty of chic gifts to choose from (whether you’re gifting for a friend, or yourself—I won’t judge). But in the world of beauty, there is one product that beauty insiders highly anticipated each and every year, and that is the limited edition Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palettes. And year after year, they sell out pretty fast because they are just that good.
Every year, the Hourglass reimagines its iconic Ambient Lighting Powders (arguably, the best Hourglass makeup product the luxury makeup brand offers) in to three covetably designed makeup palettes, which each housing different shades of Hourglass’s iconic finishing powders, bronzers, highlighters and blushes that all give the skin a lit-from-within glow. These silky baked powders use photoluminescent technology to deliver light-reflecting powders (without glitter) that really do make your skin look flawless in any light. There is truly nothing else like these powders around, trust me.
This year, there are three new palettes to choose from: Dragon, Lotus Flower and Evil Eye, which are beautifully designed in collaboration with artist Katie Scott. Each palette includes one of Hourglass’s iconic finishing powders and five brand new limited edition shades of the finishing powders, blushers, bronzers and highlighters. Curious to know which palette to go for? I’ve tried them all and have swatched all the powders and shades so you can land on which one is best for you.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palettes Review
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Beauty editor Eleanor Vousden wearing the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Dragon Palette.
The Lotus Flower Palette
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
The Lotus Flower Palette Colours
The Shades (from left to right):
Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder (New) : Gilded Strobe Light (Warm Bronze Gold)
Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Desert Flush (Deep Beige Peach)
Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder: Eternal Light (Golden Amber)
Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder (New): Radiant Rose Strobe Light (Shimmering Copper Rose)
Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Red 0 (True Red)
Ambient Lighting Bronzer (New): Bronze Heat (Matte Deep Bronze)
The Lotus Flower Palette Swatches
The Lotus Flower palette features rich tones that would beautifully suit those with dark-to-deep complexions, or those with medium skin tones who want more pigment and shimmer from their palette. Out of the three palettes, these offer the most pigment payoff on the skin, while the other two are more sheer in their application. With two highlighters, two blushers and one finishing powder and one bronzer, this is a great palette if you’re wanting more blushers and highlighters in the mix. Plus, this one is currently on sale with a generous discount right now.
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Hourglass
Ambient Lighting Edit – Unlocked Lotus Flower
The Evil Eye Palette
The Evil Eye Palette Colours
The Shades (from left to right):
Ambient Lighting Powder: Soft Light (Pale Peach)
Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder (New): Rose Gold Strobe Light (Soft Rose Gold)
Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Pink Fusion (Cool Pink)
Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Oasis Glow (Shimmering Warm Apricot)
Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Vibrant Coral (True Coral)
Ambient Lighting Bronzer (New): Natural Bronze (Matte Medium Bronze)
The Evil Eye Palette Swatches
The Evil Eye palette is great is you want plenty of blushers (it contains three pretty ones to try, one of which has a marbled effect, the other two offer more matte—yet radiant—finishes) while also containing a finishing powder, bronzer and a highlighter. The pigments of these powders are sheerer than the Lotus palette, which make them ideal for those with medium or tan skin tones, but the blushers also work nicely on lighter complexions.
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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Unlocked Evil Eye
The Dragon Palette
The Dragon Palette Colours
The Shades (from left to right):
Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder: Dream Light (Cool Pearl With Soft Lavender Sheen)
Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Peach Fusion (Soft Peach Pink)
Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder (New): Divine Light (Translucent With Sheer Pink Sheen)
Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Mauve Haze (Soft Plum)
Ambient Lighting Bronzer (New): Soft Bronze (Matte Natural Bronze)
Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder (New): Sunlit Strobe Light (Pale Pink Champagne)
The Dragon Palette Swatches
The Dragon palette is perhaps my favourite of all the designs, and includes two finishing powders, two blushers, a bronzer and a highlighter. The Dragon palette definitively features the lightest and sheerest finishes out of the three palettes this year, so if you have fair or light skin you will like how seamlessly these blend into the skin.
Hourglass Cosmetics
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Unlocked Dragon
The Verdict: Are The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palettes Worth It?
While these palettes are steep at £90, you do get six powders in finishing powder, blusher, highlighter and bronzer form, so it’s a great way to try a range of Hourglass’s iconic ambient lighting powders in one versus buying them separately. If you’re struggling on which to go for, I’d recommend the Lotus palette for those with dark and deep skin tones, the Evil Eye palette for medium to tan complexions and the Dragon palette for the lightest tones that will best compliment light and fair skin tones.
I’ve already gotten so much use out of these handy palettes (which are not only handy for travelling, but are a beautiful keepsake too), and a little goes a long way, so they will last a long time. Plus, they make a great gift if you’re still looking for something for the beauty lover in your life. However, they are limited edition, so if you’ve missed out by the time you’re reading this, you can also try some of the Ambient Lighting palettes that are permanent in Hourglass’s collection.
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Ambient Lighting Palette Diffused Edit
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