Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3

They say that you should never give up on your dreams…but I don’t think they were referring to me and my dream of becoming M.C. Makeup, because I’m a sh*tty rapper! I might know all the words to most of Lil’ Kim’s songs, but that doesn’t mean they come out in the right order, haha.

This palette, though? — the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3? It IS coming out in the right order, because this is the third year in a row that Hourglass has done a palm-sized travel kit o’ powders for the holidays, and it’s numero three.

I love the first one, Vol. 1, and still use it all the time. The second one, however, I bought but soon returned because, even though I thought it was beautiful, it wasn’t right for my skin tone. It was too light.

Like the first one, Vol. 3 has six pans of face powder that I think will suit more skin tones than ever. It also looks pretty chic in that gorgeous rose gold packaging, but it should…because it’s $80.

Of the six pans, three are re-promotes — Dim Light, Diffused Light and Luminous Bronze Light — and three are NEW! — Surreal Halo and Surreal Halo (which are blushes), and Hypnotic Strobe (a highlighter).

Both Surreal Halo and Pure Effect are darker and more intense than the colors in last year’s palette, which is potentially fantastic news for marvelous medium-toned mavens and darker damsels.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3: the six shades

• Dim Light — This subtly luminous peachy beige can set your makeup, and it doubles as a highlighter. It creates that trademark Hourglass Ambient Powder sheen.

  I dig this one. I’ve been using it as an all-over face powder and to set concealer.

• Diffused Light — This warm pale yellow can set, highlight and conceal redness, but I can’t really work it now because I still have a tan from summer. For now at least, it’s borderline chalky on me.

  Lighter lovelies are in luck, and I suspect that it’ll also work better for me as we get closer to winter.

• Luminous Bronze Light — This medium tan has golden undertones and creates a subtle golden sheen. I think it works better as a bronzer than a contouring powder, but watch out — if I apply too much of it over large areas on my face, it looks muddy and kinda dirty (especially on my cheeks).

  I much prefer Hourglass Radiant Bronze Light, which is warmer and more golden, but this one’s also very pretty if you get the amount right.

• Surreal Halo Blush (NEW, exclusive to this palette) — This bright berry is absolutely GORGEOUS and creates a very natural flush. I don’t have anything else quite like it in my Hourglass collection.

  I like applying it by doing big sweeps with a large fluffy brush because, for some reason, it looks REALLY good when you cover a lot of skin with it.

• Pure Effect Blush (NEW, exclusive to palette) — This bright petal pink is brighter and more intense than the other pink Hourglass blushes out there.

  I like layering it on top of Surreal Halo, where I’ll do a small pop of color on the apples of my cheeks. 🙂

• Hypnotic Strobe Highlighter (NEW, exclusive to palette) — This shimmering champagne gold is great for subtle highlights.

What pores, bruh?

In true Hourglass fashion, these powders are supposed to look good in whatever kind of light you happen to find yourself in. They even say that your skin is supposed to look like you just ran it through a filter, so smoother, softer and more radiant (but not greasy). They call it “Photoluminescent technology,” which is marketing speak, but in this case I don’t think it’s making these powders sound fancier than they are. These finishes are uncommonly kind to my 40+ skin, regardless of the lighting situation.

I took these pics in natural light, and I think my skin looks luminous. It also stayed this way all day long, so huzzah! I love it.

$80 is MAD CRAY, though

If you’re a lady of a certain age, you might fall head-over-heels in love with this palette, but if you’re a teenager or a 20-something with porcelain skin, and you’ve never seen a pore up close in your life, sh*t girl! — enjoy it while you can, ’cause it doesn’t last forever. Save those pennies for a day when you’ll actually need something with skin-smoothing power like these.

Basically, if you’re >30 and all about high-end products that don’t look heavy and won’t highlight your pores, that $80 might be worth it.

Also highly recommended if you’re new to Hourglass

Unlike many brands, Hourglass consistently releases LE products that are just as well made as their permanent products, and Vol. 3 is no exception.

This is pure speculation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they added the two blushes and highlighter to the permanent line someday. They’ve done it before, so I’m just sayin’… If you’re already rocking a robust Hourglass collection and own singles of the re-promotes in Vol. 3, you may want to wait.

Otherwise, yeah, if you’re new to the line, are OK with the price, and are — ugh, I don’t want to say “mature,” because it’s so played out — but let’s just say that if you’ve been kicking @ss and taking names for several decades, then Vol. 3 is pretty splurge-worthy.

If you’re interested, it’s available now online and at Hourglass counters.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. So…poop. I touch it now. Like every day.

Not my poop! I mean the baby’s poop. She’s going through a “Let me reach into my diaper and see what’s up” phase.

Seriously, it’s all fun and games until there’s poop all over the place. LOL.

Anyway, that’s why I haven’t been around much today. The Coywolf has been extra needy.

She’s over her cold, though, so that’s a BIG PLUS. Right now I’m trying to figure out if I want to have French fries or Chinese food for dinner. Or both. Hmm… Maybe some Tom Ford Lipstick will help me decide.

Hope you had a good day. 🙂