Ever since the first launch in the beginning of 2013 (or was it fall of 2012?), I’ve fallen in love with the Hourglass Ambient lineup. They’ve come a long way since their humble beginnings and I want to pay homage to one of my favourite makeup products by sharing my collection.

Ambient Lighting Powders

It started with six “universally flattering” shades for different lighting effects. I instantly fell in love with these soft, finely milled powders. While they're not an oil-control product, they make for gorgeous finishing powders (the bonus is that they still hold up well throughout the day).

Dim Light is my favourite of the bunch and it also happens to be one of the few makeup bits I've ever used up in my lifetime. Dim Light is a neutral soft beige powder, which gives a soft blurred effect to the complexion. Diffused Light is a pale yellow powder that works beautifully under the eyes. Luminous Light is soft champagne pearl that gives an incandescent glow.

Ambient Lighting Blush

I am a lush for blush, so it didn’t take much for these to get on my radar. Luckily, they did not disappoint. This seven-piece collection, created using the miscelare technique, is a combination of the Ambient Lighting Powders and rich pigments to create a soft, natural finish blush. I love that each of these blushes are handmade, so no two are alike. They offer buildable colour to give cheeks a beautiful glow.

Swatches below include (l-r): Radiant Magenta (a warm fuchsia fused with Radiant Light), Mood Exposure  (a soft plum fused with Mood Light) and Diffused Heat (a vibrant poppy fused with Diffused Light).

Ambient Bronzer

Just like with the blushes, the two-piece bronzer wardrobe is a combination of bronze pigments fused with Ambient Lighting Powders. The best part of these bronzers is how airy they apply. They’re light-weight and offer a beautiful, healthy glow.

Radiant Bronze Light is the deeper/warmer of the two shades available. I love the look of both bronzers on my skin tone, but Radiant Bronze offers more of a summer sun vibe on me. Don't be turned off by the heavy swatch below, it actually blends out seamlessly in to the skin. The heavy shimmer in the pan gives way to a beautiful luminescent glow.

Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder

Essentially a highlighter, the Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders offer a subtle, refined luminescence to the cheekbones. They don’t have the same strong effect as Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector, but they still give a beautiful glow without being too frosty.

Euphoric Strobe Light is a pearlescent beige powder. It is the darkest of the four shades, which works beautifully with my skin tone. I swatched Euphoric Strobe Light (left) below along with the Ambient Powder in Luminous Light—they're actually quite similar but Euphoric adds a more noticeable sheen to the skin.



The best part of these powders is that they look great on their own and even better layered together. Using them together creates a unique multidimensional luminescence. The powders are very finely milled and practically indiscernible on the skin. They’re one of the few powder products that can be layered without looking cake-y.

The only downside, I guess, would be the price. They range from $45 CAD (the blushes) to $70 CAD (the palette).

So tell me... what's in your #HourglassAmbientCollection? I have a feeling I'll be adding the other bronzer shade to my collection soon... I just cannot get enough of these!