Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

So, when I was in New York this past June, I finally broke down and bought the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. When it was initially launched last fall, I kept debating whether I even wanted to take a look at it because I tend to go for more "bling-y" highlighters. By the time I decided to go in-store to swatch it, it was sold out everywhere which, of course, only made me more interested to check it out (I needed to see why it was so coveted; it might've been the most hyped up make-up product of 2013). Now I can say that I like the Ambient Lighting Powder formula, but I refuse to shell out $52 here for a single one. So I told myself if the palette ever came back, I would pick it up. Hourglass finally decided to make it permanent this Spring; it was originally launched as an online exclusive at Sephora, but is now available in all locations where Hourglass is sold. Ambient Lighting Powder is described as a "high-tech, soft-focus finishing powder that recreates the most exquisitely flattering light source." These three shades "can be applied individually or layered to imbue skin with a multidimensional glow." They are packaged in a curved rectangular plummy brown reflective mirrored plastic compact. Each Ambient Lighting Palette contains a total of 9.9 grams of product, and retails for $58 USD or $67 CAD. 
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
Dim Light, Incandescent Light, and Radiant Light

Dim Light is a light-medium warm beige with very subtle shimmer-sheen in a satin finish that "blurs imperfections and highlights the complexion." 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 slightly darker and less pink than MAC Medium Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, and lighter and less pink than MAC Medium Plus Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

Incandescent Light is a light neutral ivory-beige with a soft pearlescent finish that "brightens the complexion with a celestial glow." This is a palette-exclusive 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 less shimmery than MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish, and more shimmery and less golden than MAC Light Plus Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

Radiant Light is a medium peachy golden-beige with very subtle shimmer-sheen in a satin finish that "enhances the complexion with believable, subtle warmth." 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 more peach than MAC Medium Golden Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

In terms of texture and feel, these seem like a more refined, slightly more illuminating version of MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. The texture is very finely-milled, lightweight, smooth, and incredibly silky; they apply beautifully, and I can see where the "soft focus" effect comes into play with these. The powders have a subtle illumination to them but aren't sparkly or shiny, so it makes the skin appear smoother and more "blurred" while still looking like skin. I didn't really see it with the blushes, but I definitely see it with these. For those who, like me, have a combination-to-oily skin type, you'll like this more for adding a soft, natural dimension to the face, though for those who have drier skin types, you can definitely use these all over as finishing powders. They're especially great to use after foundation, when the face looks flatter and too uniform; these breathe life back into the skin. I've been loving Dim Light under my eyes and those upside-down-triangle cheek areas around the nose (where I want more subtle highlighting), Incandescent Light on my cheekbones and under my brows (where I want slightly brighter but not over-the-top highlighting), and Radiant Light around the outer edges of my face like around the hairline and jawline (where I would use bronzer). The effect is very lit-from-within glow with believable dimension, and I finally get where the inspiration for these powders came from. This is facial definition at it's most sophisticated.