I wrote this post quite some time ago - around when the powders first came out - but I forgot about it. Since there is now a really nice looking 3-pan Ambient Lighting Palette available for the Holidays, I thought I may as well share my thoughts on the powder that I tried. I tested out "Dim Light," which is among the powders included in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. So, without further ado, here is my original post about the Ambient Lighting Powder in "Dim Light."
There has been a lot of hype about the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders recently. They are finishing powders that are supposed to help blur and soften imperfections by altering the way light hits your face. They are intended to mimic a variety of different lighting effects so that your skin always looks its best. Always trying to camouflage my pores, I was really interested in these powders. They come in six different “lights,” each with a different outcome. After reading a bunch of reviews, I decided to try “Dim Light,” which is a neutral peach beige powder. Keep reading to see my thoughts!
First, I have to say that Hourglass always has amazing packaging. It is a pretty large compact, so you get quite a bit of product (0.35oz to be exact). It has a pretty nice sized mirror that flips open easily enough, but still has a secure closure that doesn’t seem likely to open too easily in a makeup bag, although these powders are quite fragile and may not be the best for traveling. The compact feels nice in your hand. It’s not too light or too heavy and fits quite nicely in the palm. It does attract fingerprints, but they also wipe off pretty easily. But packaging is useless if the product inside is crap, so let’s get to the heart of the matter!
This powder looks beautiful. It looks similar to a baked blush where there are multiple colors swirled together in the compact, except the colors are quite neutral (the colors differ depending on which “shade” you choose). As described, “Dim Light” mixes peachy tones with beige tones. It does not really seem to add any color to the face. If it does anything, it may help even out my skin tone a tiny bit, but not as much as a powder foundation or a correcting powder. I think this could work on most skin tones, though extremely pale or extremely dark tones may show the color a bit, but I haven’t tested that. In addition to the shade, there is a subtle shimmer to the powder. The amount of shimmer varies with each “shade” and “Dim Light” is relatively mild on the reflective particles. I think it should be fine for everyday wear, whereas some of the powders look more suited to nights where you want a real glow.
The powder has a beautiful texture. It is a fine powder that is incredibly soft, but not so soft that it flakes all over when a brush hits it. It feels like silky velvet and leaves your skin feeling pretty much the same! Who wouldn’t want soft, silky, velvety skin? J So far, so good, but how does it look?
I hate to say it, but I was actually really disappointed by this powder. Maybe it is simply because there was so much buzz about it, so I expected way too much from it. Perhaps the problem is that I wanted to disguise my pores and that is not its purpose. Maybe I should have tried a different shade? I dunno. All I know is that it did not make my skin look nice – at all! It seemed to settle into my pores and almost draw attention to them. It also seemed to cling to any minor dryness that I hadn’t previously noticed on my face. In the end, my skin looked like my skin, but slightly less appealing. It did feel great on my skin because it was very lightweight and, as I said, it has a velvety, silk-like finish that remains when applied to the skin. Unfortunately, it just seemed to highlight everything I wanted to disguise. That being said, it would probably make a great, albeit expensive, highlighting powder. It is marketed to be so much more though! I may try the more yellow shade, “Diffused Light,” because it didn’t seem as reflective and I think it should help with redness, but I cannot say that I expect it to yield a drastically different result.
Sadly, I found Hourglass’ Dim Light Ambient Lighting Powder to be a letdown because it seemed to highlight my flaws, and did not disguise them. L I think this would create a lovely glowing finish to the face, but I’m not sure that it is really a great all-over effect. Perhaps this works beautifully for people with different skin than mine, but it definitely did not help diffuse and blur the appearance of my pores. If you are looking for a high-end highlighting powder, then definitely check these powders out. They may help disguise fine lines as well, but I don’t really have enough to test that out. If you’re hoping to achieve a flawless effect that blurs visible pores, I would not recommend trying the “Dim Light.” Sorry Hourglass! I really, really wanted to love this, but I just can’t. L
Hourglass’ Ambient Lighting Powders are available in six shades that retail for $45.00 each, and can be found at Sephora and some high-end department stores.
The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette retails for $58 and includes two pre-existing shades of powder (Dim Light & Radiant Light), plus a shade exclusive to the palette (Incandescent Light). It also includes a sample size of the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (stock photo)
