Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta, Diffused Heat, and Luminous Flush

Earlier this year, the whole beauty world was abuzz over the release of Hourglass' new Ambient Lighting Blushes. Definitely one of the most hyped up releases this year given the surge of popularity of their Ambient Lighting Powders. Hourglass describes this blush formula as "a groundbreaking hybrid that combines the customized lighting effects of Ambient Lighting Powder with a spectrum of breathtakingly modern hues for seamless, soft-focus, and multi-dimensional colour." Hourglass claims that these blushes are "unique, contemporary, and revolutionary. Unlike traditional blush, which tends to be flat, Ambient Lighting Blush uses Photoluminescent Technology to exhibit depth and dimension. The airy, lightweight powders contain optically transparent particles that amplify the colours to a multidimensional level — effectively reinventing the way you view blush." 
Radiant Magenta
Diffused Heat
Luminous Flush
There are a total of six shades, "each hand-made… formulated using an advanced miscelare technique… creating the perfect balance of pigment and powder, and no two look alike." They are meant to "deliver a radiant, natural finish and offer buildable colour to imbue the entire complexion with an otherworldly glow." Now, there are some pretty big claims surrounding these blushes; describing your product as "revolutionary" and "otherworldly" is a pretty arrogant, after all. As far as I'm concerned, you can use whatever technology you please as long as it delivers. Which is why I had to find out for myself. I resisted for two months because of the high price point (like, who do you think you are? Chanel?) and then the damn Sephora VIB sale happened in April and I found myself getting not one, but three of them. What can I say? Blush fiends will be blush fiends. Each Ambient Lighting Blush contains 4.2 grams of product, is housed in a curved square golden gunmetal mirrored plastic compact, and retails for $41.

Radiant Magenta, Diffused Heat, and Luminous Flush

Radiant Magenta is a medium warm-toned strawberry pink in a satin-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is darker and more pink than Hourglass Diffused Heat, less shimmery than MAC Dollymix, warmer and less shimmery than MAC Gentle, warmer and more muted than Clinique Berry Pop, and more muted than Tarte Fearless.
Diffused Heat is a medium warm-toned pinked coral in a satin-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and more coral than Hourglass Luminous Flush, more muted and more pink than MAC Melba, more pinked than MAC Peaches, similar to Clinique Peach Pop, and less shimmery than NARS Deep Throat.
Luminous Flush is a light-medium soft warm-toned peachy pink in a satin-velvet finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is softer and more pink than Hourglass Diffused Heat, less shimmery than MAC Peachykeen, more peach and less shimmery than MAC Dainty, lighter and more pink than Clinique Peach Pop, and much less shimmery and less golden than NARS Orgasm.

The formula is gorgeous; lightweight and airy yet so soft and smooth and velvety, and beautifully pigmented to boot. It's easily layerable to achieve the intensity desired, but ultra-blendable so that it looks almost like apart of the skin rather than sitting on top of it. I would describe the finish of these to be somewhere between satin and velvet because it's not quite matte and there's not really a sheen, but I see where the "dimensional" and "soft-focus" aspects come in because they somehow mimic skin. Like, they're not quite illuminating or glowy, but they do make skin look smoother and softer. I think a major draw for these is that they work well for all skin types because they won't emphasize skin texture like lines and pores, nor will they make dry skin look drier or oily skin look oilier. But are these "revolutionary"? No. I feel like I can achieve a similar look with many other blushes on the market right now. I mean, it definitely doesn't look like you have your own personal lighting team with you at all times. And I think Hourglass would benefit from making brighter or darker shades to encompass a greater range of skintones. In the end, I don't think they're as life-changing as the hype makes them out to be... but they are beautiful, to be sure.