Getting Glow: Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders

When I first saw the launch for the Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders I was instantly skeptical, thinking they would be glittery or sparkly. Knowing Hourglass, I should have known better, but with the strobing trend still taking the beauty world by storm I have seen some pretty outrageous highlighting jobs as of late… Much to my delight these are incredibly finely milled, silky smooth and pigmented but in a way that lets your skin shine through. Rather than looking metallic, or worse: downright frosty, these have such a soft glimmer to them when used dry that I don’t worry about texture issues or emphasising pores. If you’re wanting that Tin Man-esque vibe you can in fact use this wet for the ultimate glossy looking skin; The nature of a baked product allows you to use a damp sponge directly on the product (Hourglass even marketed their own called the Ambient Strobe Light Sculptor) without worry of a film or hard surface. 

For my own personal taste, I prefer a soft tapered brush to sweep along cheekbones, the bridge of the nose and the brow bone to apply these. After testing several of my brushes, my favourites for a subtle application are the Surratt Artistique Highlight Brush (this might be the SOFTEST brush you will ever touch) and Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt Brush; For a stronger glow, something denser like the MAC 109 can really buff on the shine. Either way, the glowing highlight left behind is stunning! No patchy frost, visible glitter or metallic foil look here folks, these are truly luxurious in formula and application. 

The Strobe Lighting Powders are housed in the tell tale Hourglass compacts with mirrored silver compacts, and come in four shades:

Brilliant – A pale yellow

Iridescent – A warm beige-pink

Euphoric – A warm golden peach

Incandescent – A cool shell pink