Reviewing some more Hourglass Cosmetic holiday launches today with swatches and thoughts on their limited-edition Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Volume 4 ($80 for 1.3 g x 6) + Confession Lipstick Duo ($34 for 2 lipsticks). Everything is limited-edition and comes in metallic lavender pink packaging.
I already reviewed the Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Unlocked Edition earlier in the month but received so many requests to compare it to the Volume 4 Palette. The two have a similar luminous feel, Unlocked has all new shades while Volume 4 has mostly repeats. The shades are easy to wear and have a range of setting powder, highlight, bronzer and blush.
Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4 Colors include:
- Dim Light – nude pale pink with a satin finish
- Diffused Light – pale yellow with a satin matte finish
- Euphoric Strobe Light – shimmering champagne
- Filtered Bronze Light – new, neutral soft light bronze shimmer
- Luminous Glow Blush – new, shimmery peach with champagne (similar to Incandescent Electra, but this one is deeper)
- Euphoric Fusion – swirled champagne highlight with mauve plum shimmer
Because the reflection of the packaging plays tricks on my eyes depending on light, I have two close ups. In indoor lighting below:
In direct sunlight:
The palette performs really well. Part of me wishes it had all new shades. Even the new ones have a similar vibe to existing colors. I do really love this one, I think I prefer it to Unlocked. I find it works better for my skintone and has more of what I’m looking for in an entire look. Unlocked is still very pretty, it just runs darker on my skin. Everything has smooth application. The texture is the same quality as individual products. Skin is left luminous and glowing. Shimmers don’t emphasize pores. Lasting power is excellent.
A look at Unlocked (reviewed here) vs Volume 4:
There are a few lip set options this holiday, I ordered the Confession Lipstick Duo with My One Desire and At Night. I neglected to check my stash and didn’t realize I already had these from previous launches until I swatched them. These come with one case (the pink tube) and the black case is the refill. You can definitely use the lipstick without the metallic case. My One Desire is a neutral cool mauve pink, At Night is a deep brick red. Both perform true to the Confession Lipstick formula – ultra creamy, opaque, smooth and long lasting. I still think these are among the most overpriced lipsticks on the market, but the quality, color selection and finish are truly excellent. A look at the Hourglass Confession Lipstick Duo My One Desire and At Night vs original Gold Packaging. All the existing Confession Ultra Slim Lipsticks swatched here.
Beauty look below with new hair! Also wearing Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5 + 7 mixed. Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Volume 4 Dim Light + Diffused applied all over as a setting powder, a mix of Filtered Bronze Light and Euphoric Fusion on the cheeks, Euphoric Strobe Light on the eyes. My One Desire worn on the lips.
Quality-wise everything is excellent. I’m really happy with the palette even though I have repeats. I always find them convenient for on-the-go or travel. All this said if you already own some Hourglass powders or palettes I’d recommend that you shop your stash. If you’ve never splurged on an Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder the palettes are a great way to dive into the line. Quality is great and even though the price of palettes is steep it’s a nice way to try multiple colors and finishes rather than buying individual colors which add up to more. Yes, value-wise price per ounce or gram the palettes are not the smartest buy. I also feel this way about the lipsticks but have mentioned numerous times the quality is excellent.
I bought my holiday picks from Sephora. The limited-edition pink packaging is also available at Hourglass Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Beautylish and Barneys New York. Don’t forget that tomorrow is the start of the Sephora VIB Sale so if you have this on your wishlist you might want to save it for the event! Recs and roundup to go live soon 🙂
Have you checked out any of the Hourglass holiday launches this year yet? What did you think?
This looks stunning, I need to get them!
http://www.artistakay.com
Thanks Kamilla! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you splurge 🙂 Wallet might not be happy, but the product quality is really good.
thanks for this detailed review and swatch/comparison! I think this palette might just be the one I have been waiting for. What a gorgeous collection!
It’s a really pretty one!
Your hair looks great!!
Thank you so much Jane 🙂 Was a huge step for me!
I love the idea of the Hourglass palettes but I can’t get over how terrible the value is compared to buying the full size. Other brands usually give better value when things come in a palette like this, but Hourglass’s value is significantly worse. Of course value is not a great measurement when buying something like this because Hourglass is a luxury brand haha.
I totally get it! I passed on the holiday palettes for years because of the pricing.
Love Hourglass powders. They are always gorgeous and perform like a dream. Great photos. I so appreciate them especially when I need to order online.
Thank you Petunia! Glad the photos and swatches help 🙂 and yes quality is always there with Hourglass!
I love this palette but I really can’t justify paying this price. I already have quite a few of the singles.
Definitely shop your stash! I only bought the palette because I received over a dozen review requests!
I love the lip colors! My only issue with the Hourglass 6-pan palettes (aside from their price per volume which is waaay higher than their other sizes) is that you can only fit small cheek brushes in an individual pan and not larger ones, so you always end up picking up more than one shade. I may just hope I can get down to their LA store where you can customize trios as the trio palettes are the perfect size.
Hey Sabrina.. the lip colors look really nice and creamy! My issue with this brand is that it’s ridiculously expensive for powders that doesn’t really seem to do anything..
I adore the 6 color face palette.
DLori27
I’m really interested in this new hourglass palette. The colors seem more suitable than past sets for my fair skin tone. Your review is super helpful!
Hourglass makes the most gorgeous highlighters! I really want both palettes! Wow are they pretty!
I bought the palette and I’m really enjoying it! Super subtle, but beautiful.
Love the hair! Very flattering on you! I really want the pallet but the lipsticks just don’t work for me. I’ve tried several times and just don’t like them on me.
I love this palette, it looks so beautiful. But I just know I wouldn’t use it up!
The hourglass products are always so beautiful and chic. The packaging itself makes me want to buy everything and the holiday collection doesn’t disappoint ♥
So so pretty. I really need to add some hourglass products to my collection.
Beautiful palette. I never tried their lipsticks, will check at Sephora.
I love the Hourglass powders! I have bought their holiday palettes for the past three years and am really torn between these two! I want to purchase the Edit 4 just to have continuity with the previous ones but the warm and somewhat deeper tones of the Unlocked one are really calling out to me!
I want the hourglass unlocked palette so much! It looks like they finally did a palette for my skin tone (but I do wish it had the gorgeous rose gold packaging!)
Thank you for a great post! The palete looks beautiful. My favorite highlighter is the too faced highlighter that came out in the Kandee Johnson collection. it smells like cotton candy!
Because I saw this, I am going to get it at the S.sale. I don’t see how you can go wrong, plus, it will last forever.
By the way, your hair looks SO GOOD. The highlights are pretty!
I need this palette!!💜
Gorgeous powders. I think I will pick up the unlocked palette during the sale.
My favorite highlighter is Incandescent by Hourglass. It’s the only one I’ve ever owned and it’s from their first ever trio palette that was released a few years ago. I just purchased the Unlocked palette but haven’t used it yet. I hope to get a lot of use out of it this season. The new Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4 looks beautiful but will wait to see if I want it after using the Unlocked palette a few times.
🙂
I love the lipsticks but yeah, the price/oz is cringe-worthy. At Night is SOOOOO gorgeous though!
The palette is pretty but I wouldn’t use half of what’s in it, so easy skip for me. My favourite highlight is Becca prismatic amethyst (lovely on fair skin) and even though I try to use it frequently I’ll still probably never hit pan.
I love the palette. The lipsticks look good on you, but I don’t think that they will work for me.
The palette is beautiful, but I am terrible about remembering to highlight. That said, I have a Nabla cool gold highlighter that gets more use than anything else. It’s a warm color, but a cool tone and is just perfect. It’s a little bit like one of the colors in the Tillsbury gold bar trio.
Wow your makeup looks amazing here. The lipsticks look amazing and wearable so those are a must pick up for me.
Gorgeous palette! <3
I love Hourglass products bc I know I will be getting a beautiful, high quality product no matter what! The euphoric strobe light highlight is my favorite 🙂 Thanks for the post!
It’s nice, but a bit much for me personally.
Always lusted over their palettes, this one is stunning!
The hourglass collections always blow me away, then I remember the price of one of the palettes!
I have the first 2 they came out with, and I’m not even near hitting pan!
I don’t have any hourglass palettes yet, but I love their lipstick!
i think this year will finally be the year i get one of these palettes! my favorite highlighter is the RMS living luminizer followed VERY closely by the Bobbi Brown pink glow highlighter. both are very different but bring me equal amounts of joy!
The palettes are beautiful but not different enough for me to keep buying a new one each holiday season. I”ve yet to try the confession lipsticks but am attracted to the color selection and the chic packaging.
I love the look of the Luminous Glow blush- I’m into all things peachy!
I think these are great value but I never know how to use the finishing powders. They look to shiny for all over the face and too light to be a highlighter.
i love hourglass, especially the ambient powders, but i’ve gotten a little bored with the repeat releases; I’d be ALL about volume IV, but i already have a few of the shades, so it seems too much to spend to have doubles, even if it would be convenient… i love anything with their take on the mauve mood exposure lineage, though!!
What a stunning collection!
I love hourglass!! I was debating between the unlocked and holiday palette… thank you for the comparison swatches… helped me make my decision. 💋
hourglass’s packaging is so beautiful… it’s tempting to buy for aesthetic value alone
I bought the Edit 4. It’s my first Hourglass palette purchase. I absolutely love it!!! Thanks for the recommendations!! (and fabulous pictures)
I am trying out Hourglass for the first time during the sale.
Both of those lipstick shades look fantastic on you! I literally never wear lipstick but seeing beautiful shades on other people always gives me the urge to try again…
I love the hourglass palettes but I find so many of cater to lighter skin tones. I love the Unlocked one because it actually works for my medium skin tone.
I think the hourglass palettes look beautiful, but i dislike that they’re so small and hard to dip my big brushes in -especially the bronzer. my favourite highlighter is the hourglass stick highlighters
I’m really in love the unlocked palette, I feel like it suits my skintone better. All the previous holiday palettes were too light for my skintone. I’m loving the unlocked!
This palette is beautiful but I already own several hourglass single blushes/highlighters and still mostly reach for my Charlotte Tilbury beauty glow palette.
Such a nice in depth review!
Wow, Sabrina…I don’t know how many red lipsticks you wear IRL, but that “At Night” shade is gorgeous on you!!! I always buy them and then never have the guts to wear them, lol.
How do you think the palette compares to the Surreal Light one from 2016? I had that one and ended up giving it away because I’m extremely pale and the bronzer and finishing powders were just too dark for me. 🙁
The Filtered Bronze light looks so pretty!
Gorgeous palette
Thanks for the thorough review! After looking at the swatches, I’m thinking the Unlock Palette will suit my skin tone.
Love the thorough review! Very helpful! I think the unlocked palette will work better on my mature skin.
I love how “At Night” looks on you!
I like the Volume 4 palette! I already have my Hourglass favorites as singles and trio palettes so I don’t need this one, but this would be great for someone new to the brand. I really want to try their translucent powder but I have 2 jars from other brands (Koh Gen Do and Becca) I still need to finish first lol.
Volume 4 will probably work best for me too. I love how subtle and soft the Hourglass blushes and bronzers are. The lip colors look great on you!
The Volume 4 palette + My One Desire lipstick combo looks wonderful on you! I pre-ordered the palette a little while ago and love it, and now after seeing your photos, might need to try out the Confession lipstick duo. Thanks for the review and photos!
Thanks for the thorough review. Love the colors from the Volume 4 palette.
I think I’ll skip this, I don’t like it when palettes aren’t all new shades!
This one is really tempting – the shades would probably be all winners for me! But current long-time fav is the Laura Mercier baked highlighter.
Beautiful swatches! I purchased the Unlock palette so will pass on this, especially since some of the shades aren’t new. Loved that the Unlock palette came with new shades!
Great posts and photos! I had Dim Light before but it didn’t do much for me (except make my face look a little darker). I have not tried any other Hourglass highlighter or bronzer and it might be a while before I go and buy one. I have a CoverFX highlighter palette that I bought the previous holiday that I have not touched yet.
P.S. I really enjoy your blog especially the posts about tinted lip balms. I ditched my lipsticks and I’m on the hunt for my holy grail tinted balm. Love your reviews and swatches. You have helped me narrow down my choices for the more expensive lip balms. Lol!
Love that Lip Stylo color on you! Very flattering. Don’t often see you in that color range!
That mauve lipstick tho!!!
That mauve lipstick tho!!!
These palettes look so similar to previous releases. I think I’ll pass.
I have used their highlighters in the past- so pretty!
I have dry skin so I never need powder. I just use their vanish stick on its own and it’s beautiful 🙂
I need this palette, it’s so pretty!
I might get the lipstick duo. My One Desire looks good on you!
I still have the 2016 one with the white marble case. It’s still the best for my light complexion.
I am getting the one with the gold packaging- it’s darker.
Love My One Desire on you. Also, your new hair color is goals. So lovely!!!
Looks great, I love the colours in Vol. 4, it’s just so expensive I find it hard to justify, although I’m very tempted! I love My One Desire but the other colour is too bold for me, I’ve never done a red lip before. The size has always put me off these before as they are so small but the colours do look beautiful. I’m sure I’ll cave and get some eventually!
I just hauled this palette! I can’t wait to use.
Diffused light
As always, your reviews are intelligent, thorough, and insightful. If I didn’t already have a few other highlighter palettes I might try this one!
Perhaps it’s only me, but I don’t love Hourglass. I have a bronzer and that’s enough.
I’ve purchased the Hourglass 6 pan set but I gave it away. It is just too glowy on me (and others too).
Luminous Glow looks like such a pretty blush – I have Mood Exposure in full-size which I find myself reaching for so often as it’s the perfect natural plum shade on my warm light-medium skin tone. I see what you mean by the Unlocked palette coming off darker (although that highlighter shade looks divine). I admit I have yet to cave and purchase these, they look lovely but the pan-sizes are pretty small.
I think this palette is so beautiful, but it’s hard to justify when I have two of the colours in full size already. I really like My One Desire on you!
Aww the colors look so cute.
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I appreciate the swatches and the different photos of the palette. It’s really helpful to see the varying shades! Thank you!
This palette is so gorgeous! And I love how you provide us with the indoor and outdoor lighting to see the real beauty of the palette. Also, My One Desire suits you very nicely!
I have and love Diffused Light in full size so even though I adore the metallic pink casing, I think I’m going to pass on this – my diffused light barely has a dent in it!
It looks pretty basic for Hourglass to me. It’s insanely pretty, of course, and I wouldn’t give it back if someone was to gift it to me, but I’m not necessarily dying for it, you know? It’s kind of how I feel for most of the new stuff in the industry.
My fave highlighter currently is the Wet’n’Wild liquid MegaGlo in guilded gold!
xx
http://www.thedecemberdame.com
I bought the lipstick duo during the sale, however, the palette doesn’t catch my eyes. I don’t like shimmering bronzers and my Armani Neo Nude powder has suitable undertones than the setting powder in this palette. Though the blushes look pretty, this palette is still a pass for me.
I didn’t love the lipsticks, but the pallets look amazing!
I still don’t have any of those Hourglass lipsticks – but you speak so highly about them all the time I really want to just give them a try!
I really doubt that I can find Hourglass lipstics in Australian stores, but I really like My One Desire. I looks great on you
Love Hourglass, they make such beautiful products!
This palette is stunning!❤️
Arianna | Southernbf.blogspot.com
The lipstick set is beautiful. I love their powder palettes but I wish they would include new shades!
Really like their holiday lip sets. I don’t really use highlighters.
The sexy case of the lipsticks alone could me make me purchase them! It’s beautiful! I’m not interested in their palettes but I’ve had Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder, as well as their foundation brush, in my wishlist for a while…
These look absolutely lovely, but I have to say my favorite highlighters ever are by Becca and Laura Mercier!
I would love to get the ambient edit palette!! The packaging is to die for and it has my favourite dim light which I have hit pan on!
haven’t tried the hourglass highlighters yet but I like RMS and becca so far
My current favourite highlighter is the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle! I’ve been using it for years & it is still one of the best out there for sure! 🙂
I don’t know if I need another one of their confession lipsticks but the metallic pink packaging makes it really tempting
Omg I need this palette in my life xx
http://www.anacelinelabod.com
I’m still loving last year’s Holiday palette, so these are a pass for me.
I have not yet tried Hourglass colors, but this palette is gorgeous! When you use your brush, do you kinda pick up a combination of colors or do you tried to hit just one?