** HIDDEN GEM ALERT **
Sephora’s $21 MicroSmooth Sculpting Contour Trio in Sublime is a genius move if you’ve been lusting after the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders but can’t bear the thought of dropping 45 large on a single pan.
Sublime, one of six $21 Baked Sculpting Contour Trios in the newish Sephora Collection, consists of one pan with three shades — a luminizer for highlighting, a matte-satin bronzer for defining and contouring, and a matte-satin blush for cheek color.
At least, that’s how it’s designed, with those three functions in mind, and I’m sure lighter skinned lasses can probably use it that way, but I think of this trio as primarily a highlighting palette, which is where the Hourglass Ambients come into play.
Two of the three shades in Sublime are nearly identical twins of two amazing Hourglass Ambient shades. Specifically, Sublime’s lightest shade (the one designed for highlighting) is the spitting image of the champagne pearl Ambient Powder in Luminous Light, while Sublime’s darkest shade, the sun-kissed golden beige, could headline a show in Vegas as a Radiant Light impersonator.
And Sublime’s pink middle shade also reminds me of a warmer version of sheer lavender pink Hourglass Ambient Powder in Mood Light.
The special sauce is Sublime’s finish. All three of its powders impart the same soft candlelit glow (more of a soft glow than a frosty shimmer, so it plays well with my pores) that I love the Hourglass Ambients for, and it’s something I haven’t seen at many other brands.
I think this pan is a STEAL at $21, and worthy of jumping in your hot tub time machine and going back to yesterday to get, so that you could already have it on your cheeks right meow. 🙂
If Sublime sounds…sublime, it’s available now at Sephora stores and online.
I have the Sassy and Sweet versions, and I’ve been using Sweet on a daily basis. It’s a really great value and the baked formula is pretty foolproof.
Okay this is the second time I’ve heard about this being a good dupe for the Hourglass powders. Now I have to try it!
Nice! I have read that these are supposed to be really good. I will give it a try. I love my Hourglass powders!
i absolutely swear by sephora’s baked face powder; it’s similar to mac’s skinfinish naturals. i love their baked blush too, the one with two colors in each pan? perfect amount of glow without glitter or sparkles that show up on my face. basically i need to buy this contour trio cause i’m bound to love it!
Good to hear you love it so much. And that it’s pretty much an Hourglass dupe!
Nice job ferreting out the hidden gem! It’s definitely high praise since I love everything about the Ambients (except that they tend to break me out in the summer). At less than half the price, this Sephora trio is a definite bargain. 🙂
Can never pass a good Sephora collection product. I feel that the line is a hidden gem and if everybody would discover how great it is, Sephora would raise the price. Maybe we should keep it as our little secret?
Definitely need to go check this one out. Thanks for doing all the detective work!
Ooh, I might have to scoop this one up!
woo… what an amazing find Karen.. this Sublime palette is surely gonna hit my cheeks with a radiant shine.. loving the finish which isn’t too frosty or shimmery! 🙂
I will try to find it at my local sephora! 🙂