Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palettes - 2024 Limited Edition Palettes

Comparing all of the latest Hourglass Cosmetics Limited Edition Ambient Lighting Edits

It’s that time of year again…Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked time! Every year, right before the holidays, Hourglass Cosmetics releases a set of 3 limited edition Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palettes. These are quite possibly the most anticipated product launch of the year in the beauty world. But this year we got something extra! In addition to the 3 Limited Edition palettes they also released 3 Limited Edition Palettes in collaboration with Barneys NYC…that gives us a total of 6 limited edition palettes this year. And..because I’m Hourglass’ number 1 fan..I had to get them all. I was lucky enough to have 3 of the 6 palettes gifted to me by Hourglass and then I purchased the remaining three myself. So let’s get into the palettes and talk about each one. Each palette retails for $90. Also, make sure you visit my TikTok page where I have done try-ons of all 6 of this year’s palettes.

We’re going to start with the 3 main palettes..the Dragon, the Evil Eye and the Lotus. Each palette includes five brand-new shades of blush, bronzer, and highlighter to diffuse, enhance, and add glow to the complexion. Utilizing their groundbreaking Photoluminescent Technology, the powders filter out harsh light and enhance skin in any type of light. The shades can be used individually or layered together for a multidimensional, soft-glow finish.  Also..I have to mention that 5% of net profits from these palettes go towards the Nonhuman Rights Project (animal rights organization).

The Dragon

• Symbolic of supernatural power, wisdom, and strength, this Dragon face palette includes one bestselling shade of finishing powder and five brand-new shades of finishing powder, blush, bronzer, and highlighter to diffuse, enhance, and add glow to the complexion.

  

INCLUDES 6 SHADES:  

• AMBIENT LIGHTING FINISHING POWDER: Dream Light (Cool Pearl With Soft Lavender Sheen) 

• AMBIENT LIGHTING BLUSH (NEW): Peach Fusion (Soft Peach Pink) 

• AMBIENT LIGHTING FINISHING POWDER (NEW): Divine Light (Translucent With Sheer Pink Sheen) 

• AMBIENT LIGHTING BLUSH (NEW): Mauve Haze (Soft Plum)  

• AMBIENT LIGHTING BRONZER (NEW): Soft Bronze (Matte Natural Bronze) 

• AMBIENT STROBE LIGHTING POWDER (NEW): Sunlit Strobe Light (Pale Pink Champagne) 

My Thoughts - This ended up being my least favorite palette this year..which surprised me because going into this I had guessed that this one would be my favorite. While it is still a stunning palette, it just isn’t the one I reach for. I was also disappointed in the Peach Fusion blush..maybe I just got a bad batch but my blush is not the typical Hourglass quality..it was a bit hard in the pan and didn’t have the typical smooth consistency.

The Evil Eye

• A universal symbol of protection and intuition, this Evil Eye face palette includes five brand-new shades of blush, bronzer, and highlighter to diffuse, enhance, and add glow to the complexion.

  

INCLUDES 6 SHADES:

• Ambient Lighting Powder: Soft Light (Pale Peach)

• Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder (New): Rose Gold Strobe Light (Soft Rose Gold)

• Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Pink Fusion (Cool Pink)

• Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Oasis Glow (Shimmering Warm Apricot)

• Ambient Lighting Blush (New): Vibrant Coral (True Coral)

• Ambient Lighting Bronzer (New): Natural Bronze (Matte Medium Bronze)

My thoughts…This one is my 2nd favorite palette this year. It is perfect for skin tones ranging from fair to medium. The bronzer is a perfect neutral tone that works well as both bronzer and contour. The highlighter (strobe lighting powder) is stunning, I like to layer it underneath my blush.

The Lotus

• Symbolic of personal growth and resilience, this Lotus Flower face palette includes one best-selling finishing powder and five brand-new shades of blush, bronzer, and highlighter to diffuse, enhance, and add glow to the complexion.

  

INCLUDES 6 SHADES:

• AMBIENT STROBE LIGHTING POWDER (NEW): Gilded Strobe Light (Warm Bronze Gold)

• AMBIENT LIGHTING BLUSH (NEW): Desert Flush (Deep Beige Peach)

• AMBIENT LIGHTING FINISHING POWDER: Eternal Light (Golden Amber)

• AMBIENT STROBE LIGHTING POWDER (NEW): Radiant Rose Strobe Light (Shimmering Copper Rose)

• AMBIENT LIGHTING BLUSH (NEW): Red 0 (True Red)

• AMBIENT LIGHTING BRONZER (NEW): Bronze Heat (Matte Deep Bronze)

My thoughts…This palette is STUNNING though it is best suited for medium to deep skin tones. The finishing powder is too dark for my skin tone though it does make a very pretty bronzer…just because it says finishing powder doesn’t mean you can’t use it for other purposes. However, the blushes in this palette are probably my favorite blushes this year.

Custom Palette

Like the color story of one palette but the case of another? No problem! You can customize your palette (only available when purchasing directly from Hourglass’ website). Pick your case and pick your color story! Plus you will get a free deluxe sample when you purchase from Hourglass directly.

Now..onto the Barney’s Collaboration Palettes!!

Hourglass Cosmetics was launched in 2004 by beauty industry veteran Carisa Janes. And the very first place that Hourglass was available was at Barneys NYC. This collaboration pays homage to their iconic beginning. The Barney’s collaboration includes three different edits (or volumes).

Volume I

This was the first palette to drop in the collaboration..as a matter of fact, we didn’t even know that there were going to be additional volumes. This particular edit is the same exact color story as the Elephant palette from a couple years ago. So, while the packaging is new..if you already own the elephant palette then you already own all of these shades. Link to palette here.

My thoughts…I love this palette. The elephant palette was my favorite from 2022 so it’s no surprise that I love this one as well. The blushes are the real standouts in this palette. This palette will work best for light to medium skin tones.

Volume II

Originally only available in store at the Barneys NY popup event, Hourglass has now made this available on their website. They do sell out frequently so if they are sold out, just join the waitlist and you will be notified when it’s back in stock. Link to palette here.

My thoughts…this is my favorite palette of the year! Ethereal light is the perfect finishing powder, I love the highlight and blush shades…everything is perfect. This is a great palette for fair to medium skin tones.

Volume III

Another palette that was originally only supposed to be available at the NYC popup event but is now available on Hourglass’ website. This one also sells out frequently so join the waitlist if you find it is not available. Link to product here.

My thoughts..This palette is perfect for deeper skintones. The finishing powder was too dark for my light-medium skin tone however, I love love love the blushes in here.

In conclusion - Hourglass knocked it out of the park this year with these palettes. But don’t wait too long to pick one up if you plan on buying them, they sell out almost every year and once they are gone. There is a reason why Hourglass powders have a cult like following..they are a baked formula that is almost like a powder to cream formula..they don’t dry out the skin and never look powdery. And their powder products provide such a beautiful glow to the skin..a lit from within glow that is not glittery, just luminous. While these palettes are spendy, they really provide pretty good bang for your buck when you consider that you are getting 6 different powders and also the fact that one palette has everything you need to do a full face.

Thank you for reading my first substack…stay tuned for more! And don’t forget to visit my website for all the latest in beauty and skincare discount codes that I have collected for you!