Now this was a super early Christmas present from my boyfriend, which was supposed to sit under the tree, but I just couldn’t wait to stick my fingers in it. It isn’t out yet in Canada but I heard it would be available by mid-late October, so hopefully we’ll see it in stores soon.

On to the pictures!

So pretty….

We already know the packaging is gorge and that you’ve seen it 50 million times. But it still makes me want to use it every single day and take it with me on vacations. It’s definitely a product that stands out on a vanity.

I can already hear the hesitation. It looks chalky, it looks powdery and it looks light as f*ck. Now I don’t know if you’ll be able to tell but Incandescent Electra does have more of a coral tone than the pinky Luminous Flush. Mood Exposure on the far right being irrelevant colour-wise.

Now let’s get onto those face swatches because arm swatches can be extremely deceiving.

LUMINOUS FLUSH

I think it’s a little bit brighter in person (similar to the IPhone pic) but still subtle. I have to say I’m really loving it! I already own Radiant Magenta and what I love about these blushes (when they’re bright enough) is that I’m never at risk with being too heavy handed (guilty as hell). They also mesh so well with your skin and never look like more than a beautiful flush of colour, which is perfect for everyday.

INCANDESCENT ELECTRA

Now I think we can immediate see a problem with this one. It’s way too light and it’s way too silver. And I doubt this would be flattering on my fairer friends, it’s simply too silver for warm toned yellow skin. But I do think this would look lovely on black women as a highlight or to pair with their brighter blushes.

The only way I’ll be using this one is as a highlight, eyeshadow (unlikely cause lazy), or on the apples of my cheeks to transition loud colours such as NARS Coeur Battant.

MOOD EXPOSURE

Now I don’t know if you can tell but this is a ton of product packed onto my cheek, where it was barely visible yet extremely powdery. After rejecting using it on the cheek as an option I lightly dusted it all over my face and was surprised by the results. I’ve always heard people commend the Guerlain Meteorites. I have tried them previously and thought they did diddly-squat for my makeup. I think this one gave a lovely glow without looking oily, shiny or any other unattractive adjective.

If you’re darker than me it might work all over or as a highlight. If you’re lighter than me it’ll probably work as a very natural blush. I’m considering pairing it with my 2 dimensional blushes such as MAC Blunt/Coppertone to give them more life.

[APPLICATION]

One of the problems I heard people were having was getting the product to show up on their skin. In these photos I’m wearing a basic Covergirl Whipped Foundation which helps the product cling to the skin without looking powdery (usually). I used a Real Techniques Multitask Brush (pink handle) to pick up the product. I rub the brush bristles in the blush the same way a little kid might brush their teeth, two or three times back and forth really hard and fast. And then I drag the brush from the bottom of my cheekbone to the top, not a light sweeping motion or tapping. Using this method + tool I’ve never had a problem getting this product to transfer.

[WHY DO YOU NEED IT?]

You need this product if you’ve been wanting to try out Hourglass’ products and haven’t had a chance yet. You may also like this more if you don’t already have the Ambient Lighting Palette.

I’m keeping mine as it was a gift but if I had to purchase it on my own I would only do it for collector’s value (read: I like pretty things). The more practical thing as a dark skinned woman would be to simply buy Luminous Flush on it’s own and consider getting the Ambient Lighting Palette. But I guess it all depends on your priorities and what you need (read: want) for your collection!

Also keep in mind that everyone’s composition of colours will be different. I thought I got a good amount of colour vs. highlight in mine but when I look at makeupandbeautyblog.com I’m shocked by how much brighter her swatches were.

Hope you enjoyed this post and it helped you with your choices!

xo.