| Review | Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture

 Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

| Review | Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture

Every year, the Hourglass Ambient Holiday Palettes are highly anticipated and coveted. While they are often not the best value for the amount for product, they often contain limited edition Ambient Powders, which have fans swooning over them. I am not an exception when it comes to the swooning over the Hourglass Holiday 2020 palettes. I had to pick these up as soon as they popped up online. 

This larger palette was particularly appealing to me this year because the shades seem to versatile enough to suit a medium skin tone. This is always the issue with face palettes, they are often not designed for a wide range of skin tones so, these palettes year to year can be hit or miss for your particular skin tone. I feel like when the shades are in your favor, you have to scoop these up. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture retails for $80.00 USD and is available at Hourglass and Sephora, other retailers. This large palette packaged in a reflective golden compact with a 3D geometric design on top of the compact. It definitely speaks to the "sculpture" theme of the holiday collection. This palette is an excellent travel companion because it is sleek and compact enough to pack in any makeup bag. It also contains everything you need to complete your complexion. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

SHADES 

This palette houses six different powders designed to create a complete complexion look. Three of the shades are brand new and exclusive to this holiday palette, as is tradition with the limited edition palettes. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

Dim Light Powder (top left) - Permanent shade. This powder is a soft light beige with a subtle pink undertone. This shade has a more luminous finish than other ambient powders. This shade will work for most skin tones from fair to tan skin tones. 

Diffused Light Powder (top center) - Permanent shade. This powder is a very light beige shade with a subtle yellow undertone. This shade is very light and brightening. It is a sheer shade but it can look ashy on a very deep skin tone. I prefer using this shade to set and brighten my under eye area. 

Glistening Strobe Highlighter (top right) - Exclusive to this palette. This shade is a soft glistening golden bronze shimmer. The shimmer in this highlighter is very soft compared to other strobe powders in the range, it literally is glistening. The shimmer throughout the highlighter is mostly gold with some silvery and pink flecks. 

Natural Bronze Bronzer (bottom left) - Exclusive to this palette. This bronzer shade leans more neutral but it still has a touch of warmth. It is a very rich bronze shade with very minimal gold shimmer that are barely detectable on the skin. 

Vibrant Flush Blush (bottom center) - Exclusive to this palette. This shade appears very coral in the pan but it is actually a bit more of a warm peachy pink with a very subtle yellow undertone. It has some very sparse silver flecks in it. On the skin, the color is more peachy than coral. 

Mood Exposure Blush (bottom right) - Permanent shade. This shade really has no visible shimmer. This shade is a lovely very cool mauve with a cool purple undertone but also a touch of pink. It's a very complex shade that will suit a wide variety of skin tones. 

*Keep in mind the swatches will not be 100% accurate because the marbling of each powder will vary from palette to palette. I did notice that my bronzer has more bronze marbling than the light shimmer marbling and my blush has more coral marbling. Your palette may be different. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches
Swatches from left to right: Dim Light Powder, Diffused Light Powder, Glistening Strobe Highlighter, Natural Bronze Bronzer, Vibrant Flush Blush, Mood Exposure Blush

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches
Swatches from top to bottom: Mood Exposure Blush, Vibrant Flush Blush, Natural Bronze Bronzer

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches
Swatches from top to bottom: Glistening Strobe Highlighter, Diffused Light Powder, Dim Light Powder 


FORMULA 

All the Ambient Powders are silky smooth with a soft luminous finish. The face powders are quite sheer, while the other accent powders have soft and buildable pigment. These powders glide onto the skin effortlessly and become seamlessly part of the skin. The soft luminosity doesn't emphasize pores or texture on the skin. It actually helps blur and perfects any imperfections and texture on the skin. These powders are also excellent for dry skin types, which is why I am such a huge fan of this formula. These powders don't make your skin look dry, heavy, or cakey. They are the few powders I still use in my routine. They also work exceptionally on oily skin types because these powders set the skin really well and only add a soft luminosity without emphasizing oil on the skin. What I will also say about these powders is they photograph beautifully because they have such a soft luminosity and look so natural on the skin. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

This particular palette isn't incredibly unique if you own any of the previous palettes. Half of the shades in this palette are permanent and have shown up in numerous other palettes. The other three shades, while pretty, are also not incredibly different from existing shades in the range. However. they all perform beautifully and consistent with the reputation of the Hourglass Ambient Powder range. I think if you're a fan of the brand and you don't own too many of these palettes or powders already, this is a great one to own. Also, if you're a traveler and need a good face palette, this palette is excellent for that purpose. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

THE LOOK 

You can see the soft and blurring luminosity of these powders on the skin. They really perfect the skin and offer a natural glow. I used Diffused Light under my eyes and Dim Light all over the rest of the face. I applied Natural Bronze Bronzer on the cheeks, jawline, temples, sides of the nose, and the crease of my eyes. Then, I applied Vibrant Blush on the cheeks and Glistening Strobe Highlighter on the top of the cheeks and on the eyelids. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Sculpture Review and Swatches

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Since these palettes are released every holiday and this one doesn't include particularly unique shades, I don't think this one is a must-have. It's a nice palette to have because the quality is phenomenal and its performance is excellent. Between the Mini Sculpture Unlocked (full review here) and this palette, I think the Unlocked palette is much more unique and more worthwhile than this one if you don't already own it. I think the most unique part of this Sculpture palette is the Glistening Strobe Highlighter because it has the softest glistening glow that doesn't emphasize texture. There's something very special and different about the finish of this highlighter. I hope they will consider releasing it as an individual highlighter sometime soon. I can always honestly and happily recommend the Hourglass palettes and this one is no exception. You will not be disappointed in this palette and it will become a well-loved essential in your collection. 

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