Hourglass has achieved a new level of brand exposure and adoration with the release of their Ambient Lighting Powders followed by the Ambient Lighting Blushes. Both are product lines that I, along with many other beauty lovers, am in love with. When they announced their newest release, the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes ($58 US/$67 CAD), the beauty world was abuzz. Eyeshadows with possibly the same incredible formulation and quality of the Ambient Lighting products? Heaven. Since their release these palettes have been getting very mixed reviews and now it is my turn to chime in.
I have been testing out the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Exposure. This palette is a mix of plum tones with a touch of bronze. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the one palette out of the selection of 7 colour combinations that I was most excited to try.
The 5 shades are:
- Champagne (satin)
- Aubergine (matte)
- Bronze (shimmer)
- Black violet (subtle shimmer)
- Lilac (satin)
Here is the palette in bright sunlight to better show the level of shimmer in each of the shades.
The packaging is a smaller version of the Ambient Lighting Powder Palette. I had expected the eyeshadow palettes to maybe be a bit larger. They only contain a total weight of 1.0g of product. For comparison I pulled out a Dior quint (7.2g), YSL quad (3g), and Chanel quad (6.8g). The Hourglass palette is certainly very small in terms of weight. This could have to do with the ultra-light, airy, and finely milled texture of the powder. It could very well get as much mileage as heavier palettes. Only time will tell.
So what are my thoughts on the palette? I love it. The best way I can describe my experience is to say that sometimes the sum of something is greater than it’s parts. The eyeshadows are incredibly soft and silky. So soft that they are indeed very powdery. They are in no way chalky though. They are just very delicate to the touch and when you dip you brush into the shadows you are going to kick up a lot of product. The champagne shade wasn’t too bad but the other shades were very powdery. The centre, and most shimmery shade, bronze also has a bit of a chunky texture.
Now here comes the important part. How do these shadows perform on the eye? Well they happen to perform exquisitely. As long as I gave my brush a gentle tap to dispense any excess product these shadows applied with absolutely no fallout. Even the bronze shade that I was most worried about did not transfer below my eyes. They all applied with great pigmentation and they blend so nicely together. Sometimes shadows blend so well they blend themselves away or disappear into each other but these seem to do all the work for you barely requiring any blending at all. The fact of the matter is that while it may be a bit messy to use, the shades in Exposure performed for me and the look the palette creates is gorgeous. I am so taken with it. Even though I have many products I should be testing out I still ended up wearing this palette 3 days in a row.
Here is my favourite way to wear Exposure. Champagne on inner corner and brow bone, lilac in crease, bronze on the lid, aubergine deep into the crease and outer corner, black violet to intensify lashline and very outer corner:
Given the mixed reviews and the investment price of these palettes I probably won’t explore any of the other shades available but I am very happy with Exposure.
Have you tried any of the Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes? How did you find Exposure compared to some of the other shade offerings?
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Product provided for my consideration. All reviews are always my own honest and unbiased opinions.
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