Hourglass dropped three limited-edition palettes and I literally cannot believe it’s already that time of year. There are three palette combinations in the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette for this year ($90 each). This year they finally launched palettes with mostly new shades and I could not be more thrilled. You can find them now online at Hourglass Cosmetics for the early access. They will be launching globally at other retailers from 9/20.
The three palette options this year include:
Dragon Palette (lightest)
Evil Eye Palette (medium tone)
Lotus Flower Palette (deeper tones)
You can order a customized palette online at Hourglass, but I ordered these as the pre-made options. For skintone reference I am wearing the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5. I wear the Hourglass Veil Skin Tint in Shade 9 (reviewed here).
Dragon Palette
The Dragon Palette has the lightest tones and variations but I think it’s a versatile one and can be worn on light/fair to tan skin tones. I love this one – it really surprised me because it looks very ordinary in the pan but the shimmers and diffused quality of the powders are really flattering. It’s warmer than last year’s Jellyfish palette.
- Dream Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – a soft light pearl with a soft opal sheen
- Peach Fusion Ambient Lighting Blush – soft shimmery peach
- Divine Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – pale transcluent powder with a pink tone
- Mauve Haze Ambient Lighting Blush – soft mauve pink
- Soft Bronze Ambient Lighting Bronzer – mid-tone neutral warm bronze
- Sunlit Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – metallic champagne
Look below wearing the Dragon Palette on the cheeks, Dragon Bronze on the eyes topped with the Hourglass Voyeur Eyeshadow Stick in Phoenix and Urban Decay Moondust in Cosmic Craze + Phantom Glossy Balm in Crave
Evil Eye Palette
The Evil Eye Palette is the medium tone palette of the three. At first glance I thought it would be nearly identical to last year’s Leopard. Side by side swatches show the tones are indeed different with a cooler pink highlight, more neutral/pink tones vs warmer shades. They are similar but I think there are noticeable differences.
- Soft Light Finishing Powder – sheer soft peach beige
- Rose Gold Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – metallic rose pink champagne
- Pink Fusion Ambient Lighting Blush – soft cool pink glow
- Oasis Glow Ambient Lighting Blush – shimmery light apricot/peach/tan
- Vibrant Coral Ambient Lighting Blush – pink coral
- Natural Bronze Ambient Lighting Bronzer – medium neutral bronze
Look below wearing the Evil Eye Palette on the cheeks, Hourglass Scattered Light Eyeshadow in Reflect, Phantom Gloss Balm in Lucid + Pat McGrath LUST Gloss in Peach Perversion.
Lotus Flower
The Lotus Flower Palette is the darkest variation this year. It’s more neutral in undertone compared to last year’s Snake palette. On my medium tan skin tone the new Lotus Flower pulls warmer than what I see in the pan, but it will probably be more neutral on darker skin tones. I love the colors in this palette, but not so much on my skin tone. The shades are stunning for sure, but since the tones are darker they do require an ultra light hand for my skin tone.
- Gilded Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – a stunning warm golden shimmer
- Desert Flush Ambient Lighting Blush – burnt peach
- Eternal Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – warm amber tan
- Radiant Rose Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – metallic copper rose shimmer
- Red 0 Ambient Lighting Blush – deep berry pink
- Bronze Heat Ambient Lighting Bronzer – deep bronze
Look below wearing the Lotus Flower Palette on the eyes and cheeks + Phantom Glossy Balm in Slip
My two favorites are the Dragon and Evil Eye. These arrived at the perfect time as I’ll be traveling soon and will most likely bring one of these with me. Are they worth the price or the splurge? I think they are. I love every single color and each palette has enough shades for a full face look – I often use at least 1 or 2 of the shades on the eyes too.
By popular request, here are side by side swatches of the 2023 palettes vs this year’s 2024 launch:
In case you want a closer look at previous palette launches, here are the blog posts (there are lots more, but here are the more recent ones):
Holiday Palettes 2023: Jellyfish, Leopard and Snake
Holiday Palettes 2022: Butterfly, Elephant and Tiger
Holiday Palettes 2021: Face Universe, Face Universe Unlocked, Edit Vol III
Holiday Palettes 2020: Sculpture Palette, Sculpture Unlocked (quad)
I ordered these palettes the second they launched at the Hourglass website. Since then they’ve added a few more holiday items including a Holiday Brush ($52, 2 variations), new Glossy Balm Duo ($55, Trace and Mystic), Brush Set ($150), Full Face Set + Bag ($270) and a few other sets you can check out here.
Available now at Hourglass Cosmetics. Holiday Launches arriving on 9/20 to Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty and all other Hourglass retailers.