Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure Review

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure Review

Hey guys,

Today, I will be reviewing a blush from Hourglass. The brand is super popular for their “lighting” powders, which are basically illuminating/highlighting powders. Pretty recently Ida reviewed one of the blushes, Diffused Heat, from this line and today, I will be talking about Mood Exposure. These blushes are an innovative mix of colored blush and highlighting powders. To see how this particular one performs, read on!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

Product Background and Description:

This blush is described 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 multidimensional color.”  It “uses Photoluminescent Technology to exhibit depth and dimension. The airy, lightweight powders contain optically transparent particles that amplify the colors to a multidimensional level—effectively reinventing the way you view blush.”  Each blush is handmade “using an advanced miscelare technique—which means “to mix” in Italian—creating the perfect balance of pigment and powder, and no two look alike. The six shades ranging from soft coral to cool pink are a wardrobe of captivating accent lights for cheeks. They deliver a radiant, natural finish and offer buildable color to imbue the entire complexion with an otherworldly glow.”  The shade Mood Exposure is described a “soft plum blush fused with Mood Light to brighten the complexion.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

Price:

$35 for 0.15 oz.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

My Take on Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure:

So, I’m one to favor bright blushes and frankly, Mood Exposure is very different from what I’d usually pick up. But with a vanity full of bright shades, I wanted to try out something new. This blush contains a cool-toned faint pink highlighter (the lighter swirls you see) and a neutral-toned soft plum blush mixed together. I wasn’t sure if the shade would show up on my tan, NC40 skin tone, but it does beautifully. I also like that it completely eliminates the need to add a highlighter on top of your blush.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

When I bought this blush, it initially led to a lot of frustration. I liked the soft polished look it gave me, but as someone who usually likes to play up my cheeks, I felt like it was missing the “wow” factor. On a recent Sephora trip, I brought this issue up with an SA and she was really cool about it and showed me how to make the most of this lovely color. She applied some bronzer on the hollow of my cheeks and then followed up with this on my cheekbones. I loved how it brought out my cheekbones and overall it was a very sophisticated look. This undoubtedly is my favorite way to wear the blush. It takes more effort, but it’s so worth it!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

The best part about this blush is the high-quality powder. Both the highlighter and blush are very finely milled and feel absolutely luxurious on the skin. This, without a doubt, is one of the smoothest blushes I’ve ever used and the formula is my favorite right next to Tarte’s blushes. It’s easy to blend and applies well with both a fan brush and a denser flat-top powder blush. I’ve used it over liquid and mineral powder foundation and it sits well on both of them. It doesn’t make pores appear larger and, overall, gives skin a natural and healthy look. The blush is super pigmented; even though the plum shade is pretty light, it’s very pigmented and has great color pay-off. The color is buildable and you can customize it by applying with a light hand when you just want a soft glow or pat it on with a denser brush when you want more color.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

This blush won’t last all day, but does a pretty good job of staying put on my skin up to 6 hours before I need a touch up. On days I have spent time outdoors, the touch ups have had to be more frequent. Overall, this is an A+ product, because of the high-quality and perfect blend of highlighter with blush. Speaking of high quality, even though the packaging looks very high end, I have to point out to y’all that in person, it’s not too impressive. The package is made out of plastic, which is fine since it makes it light and portable, but it feels a little flimsy to me. I would have preferred metal packaging.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

The blush is definitely worth the price and takes a lot of guess work out of layering highlighter on top of your blush. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to create a sophisticated, grown-up look with plenty of glow and luminosity to their skin. I don’t think I’ll run out of this anytime soon (a little bit goes a long way), but I know I’ll definitely be picking up more shades from this line!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

Pros of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure:

  • Finely milled, high quality powder.
  • Beautiful, highly pigmented shade; buildable color.
  • Good lasting power.
  • A little bit goes a long way.
  • Two in one product – blush and highlighter in one.
  • Contains no parabens.
  • Makes skin look healthy and luminous.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

Cons of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure:

  • Packaging is flimsy, even though it doesn’t look like it.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

Swatch blended

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

IMBB Rating:

4.85/5

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26 thoughts on “Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure Review

  1. You Girls are killing me here!! First IDA, now you!!! i want this too!! Why didn’t i pick this up when i had the chance!! Ok, next time. Im picking up Magenta!!

    Great Review Devie! I am surprised at the choice of colour, but you make it work!!

    1. Hehehe…don’t be fooled by my pick, I’m definitely going and getting Diffused Heat and Radiant Magenta. I am in *love* with Diffused Heat! Wanted to shake things up and try is softer color for a change…thankfully this turned out to be a great pick : ))

  2. Grt review dear….. Its so so pretty. *woot* *woot* .. I agree with kk… First ida… Then u…… U are pushing us towards the point of frustration….. *waaa* *waaa* *waaa*

    1. *thankyou* Sorry about the frustration; I’ve feel it soooo many times to. Guess it’s the downside of being a beauty junkie 😛

    1. *thankyou* Don’t be fooled by the packaging, though. It’s plastic 😛 But looks pretty nonetheless (kind of like a Bollywood starlet :P).

  3. I would have never imagine that the swatch looked like this. it looks really pretty. i thought the packaging was metal. *shock* good review devie. HAVE to get atleast one of these:)

    1. Yesssss!!!! You have to! They’re absolute gorgeousness…and go on so buttery smooth…and the fun part is that each blush is handmade and has a different pattern. Makes you feel special and unique!

  4. woowiiieeeee *woot* *woot* i would have loved my cheeks in that colour *hihi* *hihi* it looks amazing on your hand and in the case too *happy dance* *happy dance* *happy dance* *happy dance*

  5. Great, concise review Devie. 🙂 I love natural-looking, sorta nude blush colors like this. Mood Exposure and Radiant Magenta were my second choices, after Diffused Heat. DO you find this one shimmery?

    1. I don’t find this shimmery at all; it’s more of a “luminous” “glowy” finish. Because the highlighting powder is sooooo fine, it looks like you’re glowing from the inside. It’s different from other swirled and baked blushes I’ve tried, where you actually look like you’re wearing shimmery highlighter. This is far more natural : ))

      I’m getting Diffused Heat on my next trip to Sephora fo sho… Thanks to you 😛

    1. The Ambient Palette is HOT! The only issue I have with it is that it isn’t the most travel friendly! But hands down the best powder highlighter on the market. Yup, you should try their blushes out soon : ))

  6. I have been lusting after this for so long…. uffff *hifive*

    even I thought that it wont show on me…. i’ll definitely try the bronzer ke sath wala method :d

    1. It’ll look hawt on you!!!
      By the way, it’s good I asked Sephora peeps for help. I love Sephora SA’s. They’re always helpful and never judgmental. Will get more tips from them next time 😛

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