Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush Review, Photos, Swatches
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush ($35.00 for 0.15 oz.) is described as a “vibrant poppy.” It’s a soft, light-medium pink with warm, peach undertones and a subtle sparkle and luminosity. Tarina Tarantino Feather (P, $25.00) is a touch pinker and has a stronger sheen. Dior Corail Bagatelle (763) (LE, $43.00) is darker. bareMinerals Swoon (LE, $19.00) is warmer, less pink. MAC Lured to Love (LE, $25.00) is less pink, more shimmery. NARS Day Dream (LE, $29.00) is darker. Physicians Formula Warm (P, $11.99) is a bit darker. MAC Supercontinental (LE, $21.00) is slightly darker. MAC Legendary (LE, $21.00) is more shimmery. See comparison swatches.
The new formula, which is available now through Hourglass directly for all and on Sephora for VIBs as a preview until February 1st (with full release on February 21st), is supposed to have “depth and dimension” unlike traditional blush, be “lightweight and airy,” and have the “perfect balance of pigment and powder.” Hourglass says it uses “an advanced ‘miscelare’ technique,” which means to mix in Italian (per Sephora) and is how the marbled effect is achieved. The blush is also supposed to have “buildable color.” It does bring to mind the concept of a lot of baked formulas on the market, but I think the texture is softer and more finely-milled than most.
The texture is very soft and delicate; it feels exactly like the Ambient Lighting Powders. In an all-over powder, I don’t mind what can sometimes veer on powderiness, but in a blush, it can be easy to overload color onto the blush and then onto the skin. I wish it was slightly firmer or less powdery, which would minimize waste and make it more foolproof to apply. If you are really fair, I highly recommend using a light hand, perhaps a stippling brush, and feel out the process–a regular blush brush might prove dense and pack on too much color. I used Tom Ford’s Cheek Blush Brush to apply, which worked well, because I’m of a medium complexion, but I also used a lighter hand initially and found it applied a good amount of color from the get-go.
Diffused Heat has good color payoff, and the color was buildable, blendable, and could be sheered out to whatever intensity desired. It’s not a blush that needs to be packed on (though this is a lighter color, period, so it may not show up on all skin tones) to get true-to-pan color. The powder had such a soft, silky feel to it that made blending out the edges of the blush easy and left the blush looking natural on the skin. I wore this yesterday, and it lasted well for eight hours before starting to fade.
Diffused Heat
PPermanent. $40.00.
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Ambient Lighting Powder vs. Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush (for size)
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
Hourglass Diffused Heat Ambient Lighting Blush
OMG such a gorgeous and elegant packaging 😀 you looks pretty <3 Christine
Thank you, Radha!
I love how this looks on you but waiting for the Magenta one to be reviewed as well!!
Love whats on your lips by the way
Here you go:
THE MAKEUP LOOK
On lips: YSL Peach Passion Rouge Volupte Lipstick.
Mine mine mine mine mine!!! I’m currently waiting for sephora to ship mine but I can’t wait! Thank forgetting this up so quickly!
I think my order is supposed to be here on Tuesday! Fingers crossed!
Omg I love this!!!!! It looks so pretty on you Christine! Do you know if it will be released in the uk in February too?
I don’t! 🙁
Oh holy smokes, what a beauty! It blends in so seamlessy with your skin, lovely!
It does blend really well!
Yeah, this is pretty much a ‘just take my money!’ scenario. I love Diffused Light powder (it’s become something I use everyday) and I think this would be a nice summery blush. I’m a bit surprised that Hourglass has changed their logo on these. Are you going to review all six or just these two?
Hi Zainab!
As I mentioned in the sneak peek, I purchased all six and two product samples arrived on Saturday, so yes, I bought and intend to review the rest! Thanks!
UUGHHHH WAAAAAAAAANT
🙂
Gorgeous on you dear 🙂 plus the color is wow on you
do you still love YSL rouge volupte ?
Christine 🙂 this is the only product I wanted to pick without any discount , it was an instant reaction however I would love to know your thoughts on the same .
You think any of the shade would look “nice” on me ?
I am eagerly waiting for all the reviews but still waiting for your suggestions .. shall I wait or grab now or just chuck it ?
I’ve only seen these two, and I don’t know if they’re going to show up that well on your skin tone. Maybe Radiant Magenta.
$35 for a blush is certainly a lot, but every time I see photos of these I keep thinking that while they only cost a little bit more than a NARS blush, they have a much more luxurious presentation. It actually doesn’t seem like a terrible price point to me. Am I crazy? I’ll probably end up trying one of these, they just seem so beautiful and fun.
LOL! Considering Tom Ford’s blushes are $55, $35 isn’t so bad! For Hourglass, it’s not too bad (they’re fairly pricey).
What lip color are you wearing? It is very pretty.
Here you go:
THE MAKEUP LOOK
On lips: YSL Peach Passion Rouge Volupte Lipstick.
What a gorgeous finish. This is too warm/peach for me in terms of colour but the beautiful glow it imparts – I just hope similar results come with the shades that might work for me.
I’m curious how the rest will look like, because they’re not really true to description, lol! Poppy? eh!
It’s very pretty, but not quite what I was expecting from the description. And I’m a little disappointed that the two shades you reviewed look so similar to one another. I suppose it means that I won’t ultimately have to purchase all of them, so I should be thankful!
They look more different swatched, but applied… they look about the same. On someone with lighter skin, it might be more apparent that they’re different.
How do you think these would work on NC40/42 skin? (PS you look amazing)
I think this one might be too light! It might end up more as a highlighter/warmer but not a real blusher.
I want this so badly. This is so gorgeous.
It is!
I am really not sure which one to go for. I like both this and Radiant Magenta but I’m leaning towards this more. I feel they might be too similar to justify both. In the same time I’m much lighter skin toned so not sure if they would actually pick up different on me. My blushes wishlist keeps growing sigh.
I haven’t seen the others, but in general, the way I feel is if say you can only get two, you’d want two different shades rather than two that are similar, because they are quite similar applied!
These look so gorgeous and this shade looks particularly nice on you. Do you know when they’re out in the uk at all? x
I don’t know 🙁
Very gorgeous! So far I think I’m going with the Magenta shade!
Good pick!
diffused heat and radiant magenta look a lot similar than i thought they would 🙂
I know – surprisingly similar on!
Sooooooo pretty– I’m addicted to blush colors like this. Glad these are permanent as I can’t really splurge right at the moment. I have a feeling I will want them all!
Phew! 😀
Thanks for the great review!
How does this one compare to MAC’s Cream Soda once applied?
Cream Soda is more orange and a lot more matte!
I love the way they look in the pan, like a histological slide or a storm on Jupiter 🙂
Color wise, it think this one’s a little too peachy for me, but I am trying to get around the ‘I am cool toned, must wear pink’ thing I’ve picked up somewhere…
These baked/swirled products always look so cool in the pan!
The blush is very pretty, and I love the look of the product, but WHAT IS EVEN that product description. “Advanced ‘miscelare’ technique.” C’mon, Hourglass. That means you liquified the original product, swirled it around in a pan to give it a marbled appearance, and then let it dry. It’s like they sat their PR unit down with a book of Whitman poetry for a week and told them to come up with something. 😛
LOL! Yeah, it can be fun to read the marketing spiel they use. These are really nice blushes, so don’t get me wrong, but they didn’t feel like something I haven’t tried before!
This one also looks good on you, I can’t tell which I like more.
Thank you, Erin!
Definitely on must buy list for my next trip to the states! As far as I know, we only have one official supplier of Hourglass in Australia and their markups are ridiculous! Sephora have already sold out of 3 shades for us VIBS!
Wow! Three for six now!
I guess this was the weekend for blushes, because with these and the clinique pop flower ones I went a little crazy. I ordered the Hourglass diffused heat and dim infusion and all 4 of the clinique ones! my poor wallet!
I’m rethinking the hourglass ones though, just because the colors thus far seem lighter and look more similar than I expected from the descriptions. My skin is about the same shade as yours and from the pictures it seems the clinique ones pack more punch. I’m waiting for the rest of the reviews to decide, but so far do you think the hourglass formula is as impressive as the clinique pop ones?
Also I’m loving the peachy natural look with the sometimes teal pop of color! so pretty! which of the lip colors do you prefer – the YSL peach passion or the MJB flirt matte lip gel ?
Right? Normally, I wouldn’t have posted *three* blushes in a single day (I try to do a variety – lips, cheeks, eyes, etc. each day!), but I knew readers wanted to see the Hourglass ones… and I couldn’t NOT post Clinique’s!
I think Clinique’s formula is more different than other blushes on the market. Hourglass’ new blushes, while very lovely as evidenced by the grade, don’t feel ground-breaking. Pretty and lovely on, wear nicely, etc. etc. but the Clinique blushes have this texture that’s just difference – and that impresses me more. The Clinique shades are brighter/deeper/richer, whereas Hourglass deliberately went for softer/more buildable/natural colors.
YSL’s Rouge Volupte formula is more comfortable/easier to wear as it is glossy, where as Flirt is matte.
Wow; that is just gorgeous on you. As a pale girl, I had hedged and thought that that one might come up a bit too bright on my skin but now I’m reconsidering!
I already ordered the Dim Infusion and Ethereal Glow, which seemed better suited to my fair complexion, but now I’m thinking I might have to snatch one of those up too!
Hopefully those two work beautifully on you, Robin! 😀
These remind me so much of Laura Gellers’ Balance & Brighten blush which are so beautiful also. I need at least one of these though knowing how reputable & gorgeous the formula of these powders usually are.
The question is just which one!
I was really excited about this colour until the glitters and as much as I would love to be able to pull of this colour, I think it may not be meant for me! Maybe I’ll check out the other shades!
Aww, too bad! 🙁
Just ordered it! I’m very excited as it looks beautiful on you Christine!
Thank you, Katie! xo
Hope you love yours!
Honestly, by what definition is this “vibrant poppy” though? It’s pretty, but I’m so disappointed because their press release photo showed a very red blush that apparently doesn’t exist. 🙁
I hear ya, Andi! I was confused by the description, too.
These look stunning & think this one is possibly my favourite from looking at your swatches
Now, the question is if it’s nice enough to buy!
I’m a VIB member but I didn’t get a notification about the blushes early release to VIB. Is there a way I can still purchase them through sephora
You just have to search for them or go to Hourglass, etc. They show up for everyone – you just can’t buy it unless you are a VIB.
I am a VIB member and have purchased the blush. It is absolutely stunning! It just melts on your skin, with a slight shimmer. If you are hesitating on buying this blush, don’t! It is worth the money. I am a blush girl, so I am thrilled that such a great product is out in the market.
Happy to hear you’re enjoying yours! 🙂
Idk? :/ im just not sure which color wont make me look like a hooker?!lol i dont want that “LOOK IM WEARING BLUSH look”..NC35. I would def like to try sumtin from this Line tho.
I think Diffused Heat would look nice!
Got this today and it’s very pretty! I’m about the same complexion as Beyonce and it a warm peachy color on me. I’ve been wearing it all day and it still looks fresh! I also brought the Magenta one it didn’t look too similar to this one when I swatched it. Can’t wait to try that one out .So far I’m impressed.
Oh, that’s great news, Denise! YAY!
Hi Christine, I m a loyal fan to your blog for the longest and I would like to ask you if you can please do and update on you care routine of you skinon your you tube channel, since your face always looks flawless. Please 🙂
Hi Pamela!
My skin care routine is still all over the place – I change a product every couple of weeks and don’t use anything again after I’ve used it for six weeks for the most part! What helped me was prescription products – so they’re not ones you can just buy!
Girlfriend, your skin is killer. Please share what you are wearing! It looks FLAWLESS.
Guerlain Parure de Lumiere + Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Liquid Highlighter!
I loved the texture, but clearly these were not made for dark skin. Even the brightest one (diffused heat I think) was pretty ashy on me.
🙁 Another reader recently mentioned Radiant Magenta working better for dark skin!