Sunday, February 16, 2014

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow Review & Swatches

Press Sample (Affiliate Links)

When Hourglass creates new products the beauty world responds with eager anticipation, and it would be an understatement to suggest that this is precisely what happened when they launched their new Ambient Lighting Blushes. From the moment that I saw the press release I knew that Ethereal Glow was the one for me. My penchant for light blue-based pink blush coupled with my light to medium toned cool complexion made this beauty a natural fit.

According to Hourglass,

Discover a new way to blush: This groundbreaking hybrid combines the customized lighting effects of Ambient Lighting Powder with a spectrum of breathtakingly modern hues. The result is a natural radiant finish with seamless, soft-focus and buildable color.

•Unlike traditional blush, which tends to be flat, Ambient Lighting Blush uses Photoluminescent Technology to exhibit depth and dimension.

•The airy, lightweight powders contain optically transparent particles that amplify the colors to a multi-dimensional level—effectively reinventing the way you view blush.

•The hand-made powders are formulated using an advanced miscelare technique—which means “to mix” in Italian—creating the perfect balance of pigment and powder, and no two look alike.

•The cutting-edge formula means that its full potential is only displayed on application.
Ethereal Glow is a gorgeous light blue-based pink with a gorgeous luminosity and ethereal glow. That said, this particular color is quite light, in the same vein as Illamasqua Katie, and will work the best on people who have cooler fair skin. It will also work beautifully as a highlighter when used sparingly. If you have darker skin then one of the other 5 shades will likely be better suited to your skin tone because Ethereal Glow may not really show up on your skin the way that you would like.

Ethereal Glow is an exceptionally finely milled high quality blush that has an amazingly silky smooth texture. It has beautiful pigmentation, and while it is light it is not inherently sheer. Once applied it faithfully remains in place all day on me.
Paraben, talc, fragrance, nano-particle, gluten and cruelty free. 
How gorgeous is this?!
To contextualize scale I have compared Ethereal Glow to an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder.
Left to Right: The pink blush and Ethereal Light Ambient Lighting Powder mixed (an opalescent sheer, cool white powder that mimics a moonlit glow), Ethereal Light alone, and the pink blush alone.
You can customize your color by using more or less of the Ethereal Light Powder. In this picture I picked up a bit more of the Ethereal Light marbling in order to achieve a more radiant effect.
In this picture I picked up more of the pink pigment and less of the Ethereal Light in order to intensify the pink.
Dim Infusion: A subdued coral blush fused with Dim Light to add warmth.
Diffused Heat: A vibrant poppy blush combined with Diffused Light for a subtle halo effect.
Luminous Flush: A champagne rose blush fused with Luminous Light to evoke a candlelit glimmer.
Radiant Magenta: A golden fuchsia blush combined with Radiant Light for a summer glow.
Mood Exposure: A soft plum blush fused with Mood Light to brighten the complexion.
Ethereal Glow: A cool pink blush fused with Ethereal Light for a moonlit luminosity.
Overall assessment: I love the formula, the texture, the luminosity and the gorgeous pink shade. Luminous Flush is next on my list!

0.15 oz $35.00 Available from Hourglass Cosmetics, Barneys New York, SpaceNK, & Sephora. (Affiliate Links)

Press Sample provided by Hourglass Cosmetics. All views expressed are categorically my own
Copyright © 2014 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

22 comments:

  1. Moonlight luminosity! Ethereal Glow is seriously pretty :)

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  2. That's the one I've ordered yet not received it yet, even on my pale skin I am wondering if it will be too light, it does look very pretty though :)
    xx

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    1. Hi Clare, It is very pretty, but if you are already feeling that it is too light then you may prefer one of the other shades. It is definitely quite light, and if you favor a richer color with deeper saturation you might be happier with Luminous Flush. xoxo

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    2. Thanks, Its just arrived so if its too light I'll go for Luminous flush next :)
      xx

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    3. I hope that you like it either way!!!!!!! If it's too light for your liking you can always use it to tone down and alter other shades. Luminous Flush is definitely beckoning me as well! <3

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  3. The blush looks so lovely, although I've never even tried the Hourglass Ambiennt Lighting powder! So excited and I think I want to try the blushes in Dim Infusion and Mood Exposure :D

    x
    Phoebe
    Eat. Live. Love. Repeat.

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    1. Hi Phoebe, The formula is truly outstanding! Dim Infusion and Mood Exposure are GORGEOUS!! I can't wait to hear what you think about them! xo

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  4. Still not sure which one I'm going to get yet. I love the Ambient Lighting Powders, can't wait to try the blush :-)

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    1. Hi Lulubelle,

      If you have access to them nearby, I would recommend going and swatching them in person. If you love the Ambient Lighting Powders, I suspect that you will have the same love for these blushes! Can't wait to hear what you think! :-)

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  5. I agree I would love to try the Ethereal Glow and Luminous Flush! I got the ambient powder in dim light and I have to say I am not feeling it. If it wasn't too late I would return it and swap it for one of these blushes. I may just be using the dim light ambient powder the wrong way. thanks so much for the review.

    Beth
    bethandbeauty

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    1. Hi Beth, I think that these blushes are well worth trying! You might want to swatch those colors in person to see how you feel about them since you aren't thrilled with your Dim Light Ambient Lighting Powder. I don't have Dim Light, but it might be worth talking to one of the Hourglass SA or Reps to see if they have tricks to using Dim Light. I'd love to hear what you think about their blushes if you get any! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! :D

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  6. I would love to try Radiant magenta :)

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  7. I can't wait to swatch these myself. I'm glad for your review, as Ethereal Glow is slightly lighter than I was expecting! Great swatches and review! xo

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    1. Hi Amber, Ethereal Glow is definitely a pale light pink-- I love it, but many feel that it is far too light for them. Swatching in person is definitely a good idea-- I'm sure that you will find one (or more) that you want to take home with you! I'm glad that the swatches and review were useful to you! xoxo

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  8. I can't decide if Luminous Flush or Ethereal Glow would be better for me. I do have a cooler fair skin tone (I am pale) but I usually opt for a darker blush than this appears on your arm.

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    1. Check out my swatches of Luminous Flush here:

      http://www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com/2014/10/hourglass-ambient-lighting-blush.html

      Ethereal Glow is definitely a cool toned pale pink, and Luminous Flush is a much more intense hue that is less cool-toned. Another gorgeous one to con side is Radiant Magenta, and it isn't as intense as you might expect. Check out my review here:

      http://www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com/2015/01/hourglass-ambient-lighting-blush-in.html

      If you opt for darker blushes, then I would pick Luminous Flush or Radiant Magenta. I am cool tones as well, but I generally wear lighter cooler pink blushes, but I have all three of these and love them all!

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  9. I took myself out in the rain to test these at Sephora. I found that I need 'more' than the Ethereal Glow provided unless I really want a 'barely there' flush. I tried the Luminous Flush and the Radiant Magenta. I could not decide which I preferred.

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    1. I suspected as much. I think that either one of those two would work for you, it really comes down to picking the one that you think that you are more likely to wear and enjoy. I often swatch them on cotton so that I can look at them again at home in natural lighting and even try them on to see which one works best!

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  10. So now I have learned (too late for today) to bring along a small plastic bag when I shop so that I can return home with my cotton swatches of blush for further home review. Thanks! I am leaning towards the magenta....well, a little more than leaning. It's in my cart but I have to figure out the rest of the sale.....

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    1. Exactly! It is one of my best tricks to determine whether I will actually use something! It will help you avoid unnecessary purchases, and give you more time to "study" the colors against what you already have. If I was choosing from those two, I would lean toward the magenta one as well. Ah yes, how well I know about trying to figure out what else to buy!!!!!

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