The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4

If I had to pick one brand to try, for the longest time I would have picked Hourglass. At first it wasn’t easy to find in my country and it’s not the cheapest. So I’ve taken a long time to decide which product I should pick first. Mostly because I seem to want them all. Their products have always been hyped up, I’ve rarely heard a bad review. Their powders have rave reviews, so it seemed like an obvious choice. I know the brand comes out with a face palette every year. So it made sense to wait for this year’s. They actually came out with two, one was the Unlocked, but that sold out way too fast. And sadly, I didn’t have the chance to get my hands on that.

So here we have the Volume 4. This would have been my first choice of the two anyway since the shades in this look like they would compliment my skin tone better. This palette is composed by (from left to right, top to bottom) two finishing powders one strobe powder, one bronzer, a blush and a strobe blush.

None of these powders are matte, not even the finishing powders. So each of them has a gorgeous glowing finish.

My thoughts

Let’s talk about the finishing powders first. I don’t like setting my makeup with powders, ever. But with these, I really enjoy doing so. On really close inspection, I notice little specs of glitter but overall the finish is really subtle and the glitter is not noticeable. This formula gives an overall glow to the skin without having it look powdery or dry, which is what I don’t enjoy about setting powders in general. They do a fine job on actually setting the creams underneath as well, as a little over the concealer prevents it from creasing, unlike it usually does.

The strobe powder is a beautiful highlight, not the blinding kind. But a more diffused and everyday friendly (at least for me, you do you boo), still stunning nonetheless.

The bronzer and the blushes were what really surprised me. The pans have this beautiful marbled effect, a mix between a strong pigment and a light neutral shade. I always thought, looking at them, that the mix between light and dark would result in a sheerer application. But the pigmentation that comes with just a light tap is incredible. They do blend seamlessly still and they look natural on the skin. Not overly pigmented or anything like that. But I expected to have to build up a little more when I actually don’t need to. Which is awesome because expensive!! 

I believe the pan has the same size as the travel size and not the full-size powders, but the price is still convenient because you get 6 different shades for the price of 80€ instead of 144€. They are a little harder to get into since they’re so small, I just have to admit.

There are only two limited edition shades in this (the bronzer Filtered Bronze Light and peach blush Luminous Glow). So, the other four of these shades are in the permanent line so as I can still use them for looks and posts without feeling bad that I’m recommending something that isn’t available anymore!

Honestly, this was such a good investment. I love each shade and formula and I know I will get maximum use out of them. If you get the chance, I highly suggest trying this out or maybe gifting it to someone. Especially if you’ve never tried Hourglass before, like me, I think this is a great introduction to the brand and a chance to try different shades and formulas for a smaller price.