When Hourglass came out with the Ambient Lighting Powder, it caused quite a frenzy in the beauty blogosphere. Almost every blogger and her mother wanted one of those. Including this one (excluding mother, who wasn’t at all interested). I was also one of “those” *insert emphasis* who deemed the Ambient Lighting Powder a must-have because, ah heck, it was! Apparently I enabled quite a number of you to buy it. Ahem. Just doing my job, folks. Just doing my job. 😉

So when they launched the Ambient Lighting Blush, guess who got even more excited? Yeah, sorry folks, no prizes for guessing right because I’m just that obvious. The pictures were so beautiful and downright tempting that I knew I had to get at least one to try out. When this finally launched at Mecca Cosmetica, I went to my local store to check it out. They didn’t have the full range and to be honest, I was disappointed at the darker ones. They looked so dull and not anything like blushes. The darker marbled blushes were similar to the Ambient Lighting Powder, only more pigmented. Sigh.

Still, I was game on at least getting one so I got the brightest shade of the lot that was available at the time, and that’s the Luminous Flush. I needed something that gave me a pop of colour blushes do, not contouring powder. Luminous Flush did just that.

Description:
Discover a new way to blush. This groundbreaking hybrid combines the customised lighting effects of Ambient Lighting Powder with a spectrum of breathtakingly modern hues. The result is a natural radiant finish with seamless, soft-focus and buildable colour, reinventing the way you view blush forever. Unlike traditional blush, which tends to be flat, Ambient Lighting Blush uses Photo-luminescent Technology to exhibit depth and dimension.

The hand-made powders are formulated using an advanced Miscelare technique—which means “to mix” in Italian—creating the perfect balance of pigment and powder, set in a unique marble finish that no two look alike. The cutting-edge formula means that its full potential is only displayed on application.

What the Ambient Lighting Blush is a marbled combination of blush pigments and the Ambient Lighting Powder. There’s no doubt about it; the marbled design on the pressed powder is stunning. It looked like fabric on a compact. I chose the compact with the highest blush-to-powder ratio (the sales assistant was very kind to allow me to choose the compact I wanted by opening up every box of Luminous Flush she had for me to see).

Size comparison to the Ambient Lighting Powder

The Luminous Flush is a sheer pink-tinged coral blush. It looks more pink on my cheeks but in certain lighting, it shows up almost warm on my skin. I expected it to be a lot more pigmented but you have to work your brush around the pressed powder in order to get proper colour on the cheeks (I thought it was more of a quick touch of the brush). It gives a beautiful satin-like glow on the cheeks, thanks to the Ambient Lighting Powder.

I’ve not tried the other more pigmented blushes and have only swatched the duller colours. I didn’t like those at all but this one, this one I really like.

Is this a must-have? Nah, not really. The Ambient Lighting Powder is a yes for me but as pretty as the blush is, you can achieve the satin-like glow with other blushes and a light sweep of the Ambient Lighting Powder over it. I’m good with the Luminous Flush and will not be getting any more in the range.

So, erm, please remind me of this post and what I said about not getting any more if I were to mention anything about wanting another Ambient Lighting Blush on Twitter or Facebook, okay? 😛

Now that there’s the Ambient Lighting Powder and the Ambient Lighting blush, I hope Hourglass doesn’t pull an Urban Decay NAKED and start a new line that ranges to, say, Ambient Lighting lipsticks as well. Still, who knows, eh?

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush retails at AU$50.00 and is available in 6 shades at Mecca Cosmetica.

What I like about it: Beautiful marbled effect, leaves a lovely glowing flush on the cheeks.

What I do not like about it: Outer shell packaging attracts fingerprints, didn’t expect the blush to be sheer.

Have you tried any of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes? What do you think about them? Yay or nay?