Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Surreal Light

I couldn't help myself when I saw the latest Hourglass palette, which has the new surreal light shade running through it. I was desperate to get the previous Hourglass palette they brought out but unfortunately I wasn't quick enough for that one, so when this got released I knew I just had to have it. I mean how beautiful does this look?!

The Hourglass ambient lighting powders are formulated with photo-luminescent technology to leave your skin with a natural looking glow and a soft focus effect. Unlike other finishing powders, the Hourglass powders are all universal and you choose your shade depending on the type of light/mood you want to create, these range from Diffused Light to Radiant Light. Personally I love the concept but I think this makes choosing the one that you're after quite tricky, especially if you don't have a counter nearby. This is actually my first ever product by Hourglass, I have always wanted to try their powders because of all the rave reviews they get but they're so pricey and I was always undecided on which one to go for. So when I saw this palette, I was like why not, I thought if I didn't get on with the finishing powder, then I'd still have a bronzer, blushers and highlighter to try out. Yippee.

Verdict 

For starters I think the marble effect packaging looks super cool and really on trend, when I looked at the pictures online I was a bit unsure, but seeing it for real I reaaally love it. It doesn't look cheap at all, although it is plastic it feels really solid and looks quite high end.

The sizes of the powders weren't actually as small as I was expecting, I've read a lot of complaints about them being so small, so I had it in my head they were going to be really really tiny so that was a relief. In terms of value for money I'm pretty sure the full size powders are by far the better option, but I went for this because I thought having the variety of powders to try out would be a great starter option for me.

The setting powder Surreal Light, which is the largest in the palette, feels really lightweight on the skin and leaves a subtle glow. It applies really nicely, it doesn't sink into pores or imperfections or look cakey in any way. I was worried it would look a bit sparkly but it doesn't at all, the finish still looks very natural. In a bit of a dream world I think I had very high expectations for this and was somehow expecting instantly amazing glowing skin (keep dreaming Grace). Although I love the soft focus finish and subtle glow this powder leaves on the skin, I'm still quite keen to try another finishing powder in their range which perhaps gives a more intense glow.

The two blushers in this palette, Surreal Glow and Surreal Effect, are gorgeous. Surreal glow is great if you're after just a natural hint of colour to your cheeks, and surreal effect is a lovely pink/peachy blush. These are both winners for me, the colours are beautiful and leave a healthy glow to the skin. And if they didn't look amazing enough by themselves you could also layer them for more amazingness. I definitely need more of these blushers in my life now.

I've never tried a baked bronzer before so I was very excited to try Surreal Bronze Light. This bronzer gives a lovely sun-kissed look to the skin which instantly adds warmth. This is a tad warmer than the bronzers I normally go for so I have to be careful not to get carried away when applying it. But it's so blendable that you can easily apply as little or as much as you want to create your desired look.

Surreal Strobe Light is the highlighter included in the palette. This highlighting powder has very warm undertones to it, its almost like a peachy/champagne colour. Normally this wouldn't be my highlighter shade of choice, BUT when wearing the other products from this palette, I think it goes perfectly. If you want to create a full on glowy look from this palette then this highlighter would totally complete the look.

My final impressions are that I LOVE this palette. It's so beautiful, and it has made me want to purchase so many other Hourglass products *apologises to bank card in advance*. As much as I love the products individually, one of my favourite things about the palette is how well the products all work together seamlessly.

Do you own any Hourglass products or have any recommendations?

G 

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