Never liked powders, because they age you. They emphasize lines and dryness. I reluctantly became interested in this product because of the HUGE hype. I should have known better. It ages me. It emphasizes lines and dryness. I tried all of them, and purchased it in luminous and mood. Going all the way back to the Mall of America to return them today. Wanted badly for this product to work and to love it. I applied them both many ways....before foundation, always with moisturizer, prepped skin, after foundation, etc....looked at them in bathroom light, natural light, soft light.....If I stood far from the mirror, then they looked good. But closing in for inspection in any mirror, any light, revealed enhancement of fine lines. Disappointed. What in the WORLD is with all they hype??? And, for what it's worth, I have very young skin for my age...due to years of staying out of the sun, conscientious use of sunscreen, and a clean lifestyle. Again, very disappointed.

I have two of em: Diffused Light & Mood Light. I've seen reviews online that say you should go and try out the powder in person to find the right shade, and I totally agree with them. In my case, it's not possible as Hourglass isn't available in my country. So I guessed which shades would suit me and I'm pretty satisfied. Both can be used as all-over FINISHING powders (not setting powders) and it is important to use the right brush to apply them. A brush with less dense bristles will be good to ensure that only a light dusting gets onto your face. I use a big face powder brush (Sigma F30) and it works with the ambient powders.

My first powder was Diffused Light. It is a light yellow powder. I give this 5 lipsticks as it gives my NC15 skin a radiant glow and it really helps to make pores less obvious. It blurs out imperfections and truly gives me a glowing look.

After that, I bought Mood Light. It is a pink/mauve powder. I give this 4 lipsticks as it doesn't really do much as an all-over powder. It is more muted and doesn't provide the radiant glow that Diffused gives me. I don't use this as a finishing powder anymore, but it's a pretty good blush for fair skins. I use a duo fibre blush to apply it and it looks great and lasts very long. It is extremely shimmery though. However, due to the high cost of this I wouldn't recommend anyone buying Mood Light for blush. I think that NARS Sin looks quite similar to this..same plummy colour with shimmers.

I won't be buying anymore ambient powders because Diffused works great on me. The other shades are Ethreal, Dim, Radiant and Luminous - I have a feeling that the latter 3 will be too dark for me based on online swatches. I will only repurchase Diffused.

I am reviewing the Ambient Light - Diffused Light version.

I have sensitive/dehydrated skin and a very light skin tone. I absolutely love this setting powder and currently it seems my favourite as I tend to grab this one most of the time.
It is not white, but a very very very light yellowish tone with some super finely milled shimmer particles that dont look like shimmer and are not visible, but instead give you a very flawless and "glowy/radiant" look. In fact on most days, I just add a little concealer with this powder on top and completely skin the foundation.
One tiny tiny minus is that there is (like with most brands) no brush in the compact so I need to carry a separate one.
I also like that this brand does NOT include parabens, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, GMOs, Triclosan, and nanoparticles.

I have to assume there is some kind of witchcraft going on here because I don't understand how this product can be this magical!

I am not one to spend a lot on powder because I feel like powder is powder - but this is not powder. It is like airbrushing your face - evening out the tone and texture and adding the perfect amount of colour and luminosity (I use it in place of a bronzer because I have fair skin).

As other reviewers mentioned, I definitely recommend using this IN ADDITION to a setting powder as it does little to control oil and your tzone will be shiny if you use this alone.

But man oh man, I've never seen anything like it.

This had been on my wishlist for quite some time so it wasn't exactly an impulse buy. I was really excited to finally get it. I got this in Diffused Light. I was underwhelmed as it did absolutely nothing for me. I quickly returned and felt like I had bought into the hype.

I was so excited for these! Sad, but definitely a no go. I tried dim and diffused light. I didn't notice anything spectacular when I put them on, and within an hour or 2 I was terribly greasy and my pores looked huge! Not a fan :(

I am not sure why - considering my overall dislike for powder highlighters on mature faces - but I bought this based on the you tube hype I was listening to ... big mistake. I paid $45 for this product in "diffused" light. The price, for the result you get, is almost obscene. (and, to boot, mine came through the mail from Sephora slightly cracked)

I had hoped that this might be a subtle enough highlighting powder for my more lined 58 year old face. No way. I have to say that initially I didn't see much of any effect. None. Then I worked with it a little bit more and could see some effect, but precious little.

It is my opinion that this is a case of a very high end brand coming out with a new product which generated a lot of hype for not a lot of quality product. I, frankly, have not purchased one Hourglass product that has worked for me. Considering the prices, I may not be experimenting with their line any longer.

I bought this in the shade diffused light. It does give a natural brightness and softness to your skin's appearance. unfortunately the effect only lasted for 2 hours, after that it was no longer noticeable and it settled into my pores. For the price this should be more long wearing.

I've gone through and read some of the negative reviews of this product and I feel as though some people are not using this product correctly. First and foremost, this is an AMAZING finishing powder that all have a slightly different effect. They work well on all skin tones, except for maybe Radiant which is a little too dark for my super pale skin. The product is meant to give a soft-focus effect with a touch of luminosity - a great change from the normal total-matte look I go for because of my oily skin.


The key to using this product correctly is to use it as a finishing powder (the last step after you have done your makeup as you normally would). I would not recommend using this as an actual powder to set your foundation, nor do I recommend using this as an oil control powder. It is talc-free and will do nothing for oil control. So if you have oily skin, like I have, use your normal oil control powder, or whatever you use to control oil, then use the Hourglass powder as the finishing touch.


Also, this product should be used with a light hand. A little goes a long way, and I feel as though some might be putting on too much which only adds to an unfair negative review. These powders do have some pigment to them (they are not translucent) so just a light sweep over the face is ideal. Hourglass came out with a brush designed for this product, but it's almost as expensive as the powder itself and I find it unnecessary. I use it with a fluffy powder brush and it works great. It REALLY does make my skin look so much better and not completely flat and fake. There is a glow-from-within feel to it and I have been getting compliments on how much healthier I look. Right now I only have the Diffused and Luminous colors, but I plan to own them all eventually (except for Radiant which I don't think would suit my skin color).

Uhh.. I don't get it about this product, why was everyone raving about these? I bought Dim Light, returned it, bought Diffused Light, it's a nice powder, but nothing magical.

EDIT: I ended up returning Diffused Light too, I bought the Cargo Blu-Ray powder and prefer that. This product is not worth the hype it gets, in my opinion. I have dry skin and was hoping this powder would work on my skin type, it doesn't, looks cakey even if I use a tiny amount.