Now here are some blushes which were sought-after and hyped when they came out. The Ambient Lighting powders are popular finishing powders and when Hourglass came up with these blushes everyone went wild!

I've actually had them for a really long time but haven't been excited to write about them: that's a bad sign. I fell really hard for all the hype around them, I wanted to get a whole load of them but after reading Temptalia's roundup post I realized most were quite similar so I settled for two: Diffused Heat and Mood Exposure. 

Firstly: don't they look absolutely stunning? Swirled combinations of gorgeous colours, almost like a water painting, they are a true work of art!

Packaging

Well, not too much to say about packaging: Hourglass does a really great job at looking expensive and sleek and these blushes are no exception. 

Although the cases look like shiny metallic they're actually light plastic and have a large mirror inside, they usually look a little messy as the powder kicks up a lot of dust. 

Formulation and Finish

The first thing one notices about these blushes is that they kick up a LOT of dust! They're very chalky and when you swirl the brush in the pan the colours meld for a few seconds, but then it goes back to normal. 

I was worried it would look dry and powdery on the skin but amazingly enough they blend easily and look smooth and soft on the skin. 

The finish looks very natural on the skin, although they're easy to build up too. They don't look patchy and don't enhance dry skin thankfully. 

As they're a mix of a blush and lightning powder I expected more of a highlighted finish on the skin. Instead of that you get more of a natural glowy finish as you will see in the pictures. 

Pigmentation and Lasting Power

On my light skin they're very pigmented at first, but they blend out easily and quickly tone down and look natural. 

The two shades I chose are the some of the most different ones but several of the different shades can look quite similar once on the skin so make sure you compare if you decide to get more than one blush. 

As for lasting power, I have to say I am a little disappointed in that aspect, especially with Diffused Heat. They fade on my skin quite quickly, I find I need to touch my blush up often as they almost completely disappear. 

This may not be the case for everyone though, perhaps it's my oily skin!

Mood Exposure

Let me start by saying that although it isn't the prettiest of the two in the pan it's my favourite of the two. 

It's a combination of a mauvey blush and one of the darker lighting powders. I thought it would look more mauve on my skin but in fact it pulls quite warm. 

It looks lovely with a lot of different eye looks and I haven't got many blushes similar to this one. 

What a stunner! The combination of poppy red and a pale yellow lighting powder really makes a beautiful sight in the pan. 

It's also very beautiful on the skin, the combination of both colours looks a little softer, I only wish it lasted a little longer on me!

Overall

They are stunningly beautiful blushes in the pan but I have to say that they're pricey and although they give a natural glowy finish I can't help but feel a little disappointed with their lasting power. 

They cost £32 for 0.15 oz and I truly believe you can achieve a similar effect with other blushes that will last longer on the skin. If you really want to try them out perhaps you should try one of the palettes which include several of them or combined with the bronzers and lighting powders. 

The palettes are also really pricey but at least you get to try several different powders. 

Did you fall for the Hourglass blush hype?