Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette

This is the second year that I've treated myself to one of the Hourglass holiday palettes and although I was initially torn between the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Volume 4 and the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette, I ended up opting for the latter. There is a few reasons why and that's because as a fan of Hourglass, I actually already own a few of the shades in the former palette already and therefore it made sense to go for one with completely new hues in. 

I've got to mention to packaging first of all because once again Hourglass have hit in the nail on the head. The gold casing looks perfect in my collection and although it's obviously a bigger compact than just a face powder as it has six different products inside it, it does save space in my makeup bag too. 

I was worried that the shades would be too dark for me after seeing lots of swatches online, but as it's Hourglass, the finely filled powders can be built up or blended out to get your desired effect super easy. This palette has your whole face covered from finishing powders, bronzer, blushers and a highlighter too. The finishing powder comes in both a Soft Light and Filtered Light shade, the former being more suited to my skin tone as it's much lighter and creates a subtle glow to the complexion. The darker shade is just a little bit too dark to work as a setting powder for me personally at this time of the year as I like something with a brightening effect, but I can see myself making this work in the warmer months. 

Not that this is particularly logical, but one of the reasons I was tempted by the palette was because of the bronze shade. Hourglass powder formulas are so dreamy to work with and I've had such a great result from using them in the past that I had my eye on this from the get go. Although it looks very dark in the pan when used on the cheeks in gives a natural warmth to the skin and although there's quite a lot of shimmer in it, I actually quite like it for once as it makes my complexion look a little healthier especially at this time of the year. 

The two blushers were the stand out products for me initially as they're so gorgeous to just look at! Nude Glow, a peachy, golden shade which would work to give the face a glow if you're on the go. My favourite has to be Mood Flush which is more on the matte side which is a nice contrast to the other powders in this palette and the rosy pink hue is great for everyday wear. 

The highlighter, a champagne hue is fairly deceptive as I thought it would be a little more on the "very subtle, nothing to write home about" shade, but I was wrong. In the inner corners this really brightens up the whole area and when used on the tops of the cheekbones it gives a dreamy sheen. 

Of course the pan sizes aren't great in terms of actually getting a brush into them, but I only tend to have a problem if I'm using a very, very fluffy brush otherwise I hardly notice. If you're worrying about using these up to quickly, I can assure you that you won't as you barely make a dent in them (I have a blusher I've used for years and it looks barely touched to this day!). 

Hourglass are of course a very luxe brand so there's the high price point to take into consideration, but if you're looking to try a few products from the brand and you're after an easy to use travel palette, then I'd definitely recommend this if you can still get your hands on it. The overall look it gives in undeniably gorgeous and can easily be transitioned from day to night. I've even had success creating an everyday eye look out of it, so I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this throughout the next couple of months and then into the next season. 

Have you tried the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette? 

Here are a few places to keep your eyes peeled if you're looking to snap up this palette as it's sold out pretty much everywhere + the other palette if you fancy treating yourself too. 

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