How come I always take the longest time to review my favorite products? I simply seem to enjoy using them so much that I forget. That is definitely the case with these two products: one of these is an ultimate favorite product. The other product took some getting used to, but now that I have, I have come to love that too. 
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Light Powder Iridescent Strobe Light
Or perhaps once of the reasons why I held off reviewing these was their price tag. Hourglass products do not come cheap and that always makes me hesitant to talk about them and it’s also the reason why I don’t own too many of their products. At $38 a piece these powders have one hefty price tag. So the question to ask is of course: is it worth it?
The Packaging
Hourglass packaging looks stunning, but it is about as far as it goes. The outer boxes and compacts themselves look chic, but feel cheaply made. Where you might expect a hefty metal case, especially considering the price, these are in fact made out of plastic. Bummer, but it’s true. These come with a nice mirror though.
Mood Exposure
Let’s start with blush first. Mood Exposure is perhaps their best selling shade and just looking at it, you may wonder: why? The funny thing about Hourglass products is that you cannot truly see the worth until you start applying them. In the pan this looks looks like a boring shade, but to me it is one of the most perfect blush shades I own. It is that barely there blush shade that I love to wear in the winter.
Mood Exposure is a blush that combines a colorful pigment with the Ambient Lighting Powder Mood Light. That’s the concept behind the Ambient Lighting blushes: it’s a combination of a shade with one of their face powders. The result: the easiest to blend, most wearable blush shades you will ever find.
Iridescent Strobe Light
Is it a highlight? No! Is it a face powder? No! This is a strobing powder as the name suggests. This powder is supposed to draw light to the face, but in a subtle way. At first I found this looked quite glittery, but it’s almost as if the glitters have gotten less over time and I really enjoy the final result I get now: a glowy, natural look.
Iridescent Strobe Light has a cool pink, almost lilac undertone. It blends in perfectly with my skin and is easy to apply. Where I have to be careful with most of my highlighting products that I don’t go overboard, this nicely lights up the face without looking crazy or over done. I own many highlighters that are cheaper than this, but I don’t have a single one that does what this does: create the most natural and healthy looking highlight.
The Swatches
Also swatched these products may look a bit meh. Like I said, the magic of Hourglass products doesn’t come to light until you apply them. These are some of the softest, yet non-powdery products I have ever come across. They blend seemlessly into the skin and make the skin always look a million times better than it actually is. It is like applying an Instagram filter to your face.
The Application
Before | Blush | Highlight
And when I say natural, I mean natural. Hourglass products are great if you work or go to school where wearing lots of makeup isn’t tolerated. Also if you have more mature skin, these products can help to brighten up the face. That is why I love them: they transform my otherwise dull looking skin into a healthy, natural look. It almost looks airbrushed! A great find for those no makeup, makeup days.
The Conclusion
They may not seem that much in the swatch or in the pan, but the Hourglass formula is quite superior when it comes to blendability and naturalness. So to answer the question: are these worth it? The blush gets a fullhearted yes. The strobing powder takes some getting used to and may not give the effect most people are looking for. This is why I can see why people won’t rate it as highly. However, after using it consistently, I have found no better foolproof highlighter that I can slap on no matter the occasion.
Have you tried Hourglass?
29 responses to “Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush & Strobe Lighting powder”
Nice review 🙂 These sound really love, just so pricey!
They are lovely. Why does some of the best makeup have to be so darn expensive?
I have and they are really good!
Ah another Hourglass lover?
Yap! I’m really loving them!
Looks worthy. Will try them.
I’ll love if you’ll pay a visit to my blog and show some love 😘
http://www.voguishlegacy.wordpress.com
Let me know what you think if you try them.
Lovely brand and stunning 😉
Xoxo
Thanks!
These are so pretty! Always loved this brand, but so pricey! One day I will own something from them though!
It takes a splurge but it’s worth it!
I got one of their ambient light palettes that came with blush, bronzer, and highlighter and I HATED it. It was so chalky and hardly any pigment…maybe it was just because it was in a palette? I see people post about their single blushes and highlights and they look so pretty. I may have to give Hourglass another try.
I have heard that luxury brands often put less quality product in their palette. MAC does too. So I wouldn’t be surprised. I started my collection with Radiant Light Ambient Lighting Powder and now own two of those, one of the highlighters and two blushes. I’m really lemming the bronzers too. #toomanyprettyproducts
[…] Hourglass Ambient Lighting Strobing powder Iridescent Strobe Light […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder Iridescent Strobe Light – While many people do not like the Hourglass Highlighters, I personally love the one I own. Most people dislike these as they have visible shimmer particles in the product. I find however, that those shimmery bits disappear on the cheek and instead, this is one of the prettiest, most subtle highlights. If you like barely there highlights then I highly recommend this one. […]
[…] pricy brand, but one that I do love for their face products especially. I have tried some of their blushes and highlighters before and they are a brand I like to purchase from every once in a while. My latest purchase? […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] Hourglass Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] They are one of my favorite makeup brands. I have been loving their blushes, bronzers, powders and highlighters for some time, but I hadn’t tried any of their other products yet. For a while the brand was […]
[…] Hourglass Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] and when you look at these shades more closely, you’ll find they are very similar to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes. I own several of those, so I wanted to try these. The Zoeva product is marketed as a highlighter […]
[…] Ambient Lighting blushes for sure! I already own two shades by the brand (Diffused Heat and Mood Exposure) and I was ready for some more. So when I was in the US last fall I was umming and arring about the […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] Most Expensive (review) […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure (review) […]
[…] Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting powder Iridescent Strobe Light (review) […]