Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Review & Swatches

This product has been a long time coming, as it has been on my waiting list for months! I saw all the US promotion and ordered it the second it was available in Australia. I've used a lot of the Hourglass Ambient Powders before but hated that I wanted all of them and they were only sold individually! I used the previous palette, the Ambient Lighting Palette and loved it, but again, I wanted more variety. So when I saw this product I knew I just had to try it!

So essentially, the ambient powders are very finely milled powders designed to make your skin look as though you are in your perfect lighting. They can be used all over the face as setting powders, as highlighters, you name it! They also have blushes and bronzers with a baked marble effect designed to mix tones of colours that give a natural glow to the skin. It leaves your complexion softer and is left with a  lit-from-within appearance, who wouldn't want that?!

This palette includes 6 shades, 3 ambient powders, 2 blushes and a bronzer, all of which are approximately half the size of the original. This palette was designed to be a wardrobe of powders to create a multitude of looks, from a natural dewy glow using bronzer* and first powder* to a soft flush of pink light using the 2 blushes and the second powder *, to a flawless airbrushed filter like effect utilising any combination of the 6. Essentially, the handmade powders use Photoluminescence Technology to filter out harsh light and enhance the look of skin in flash photography. All the colours are very buildable and have perfect balance of pigment, making them the perfect powders.

Top Row
 Natural Light - No Flash

Top Row:

First - Dim Light: Its described as a "neutral peach beige powder" with fairly warm undertones and a super fine shimmer that doesn't look glittery or sparkly. If you are very fair, it will warm up the skin, but generally matches most skin colours. When dusted all over the skin it just makes skin look airbrushed and smoothed without looking chalky.

Second - Iridescent Light: this "sheer illuminating highlighter" is a pink based highlighter with a stronger shimmer than dim light, making it perfect for highlighting on top of the cheek bones to give a subtle sheen of light. I feel this product works best on paler skin tones as a highlight, or applied over a blush on any skin tone to add a bit of glow and shimmer.

Top Row with Flash

Third - Diffused light: this is my favourite for highlighting/strobing, its a very soft pale whitish yellow. Whilst I use it to highlight, it can also be used to reduce redness and therefore can be used as a finishing powder, especially on paler skin tones like mine, but also works to give a really subtle highlight and glow.

Bottom Row
Natural Light - No Flash

    Bottom Row

First - Luminous Flush: This "soft plum" is a muted deep pink blush with a subtle shine. Its a great deeper blush, especially for winter, and would look great on all skin tones, especially deeper ones. What I love about this is that its a deep blush but isn't too red or chalky so you can start with a subtle warm flush or build it up for a deeper blush. It still has a soft sheen to it so it gives a great glow to the cheeks and just lifts your whole complexion


Second - Mood Exposure: This is my favourite blush, super blendable and very buildable. Described as a "champagne rose" it has a gold marbled through the pale pinky peach colour and is the perfect flush of colour for all complexions. I've used this blush on many clients and it looks great on everyone and looks even better in flash photographs, a must have for any event.

Bottom Row with Flash

Third - Luminous Bronze Light: So this bronzer is a tan shade infused with their Luminous light powder. It has warm, yellow based undertones with a subtle shimmer so great for giving a bronzed glow to the skin without looking muddy. Because of its shimmer and its warmer golden tone, I wouldn't recommend this for contouring but it is perfect for giving that perfect, sun kissed, airbrushed glow.

Overall, I really love this product and use it practically every day no matter what makeup look I'm using. Its fantastic for travel because of its size and the deep bronze packaging eels really luxurious. The large mirror on the inside is a great bonus that I really appreciate.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of this product!

Until next time
Anya xx

NYX Products & Swatches Part 4 - Lips

Hot Pink Mega Shine Lipgloss

Nothing is more fun than a bright pink lip, and this mega shine lipgloss makes the lips look bright, full and shiny! Usually lip glosses aren't very pigmented, but this is so vibrant and colourful! Its a fairly blue based pink so would probably suit lighter skin tones more, but I can see so many people being able to pull off this lovely colour.



Nude Mega Shine Lipgloss
Im a sucker for nude glosses and this is the perfect, muted peachy pink nude. Like the pink, its so pigmented and shiny and is the perfect lipgloss to throw in your bag and take anywhere as it just works with every look. Most lip glosses are really thick and sticky, whilst you can definitely feel this on your lips, my lips don't stick together nearly as much as with other glosses which is a great bonus.
Its so pigmented it can be worn on its own or over the top of a lipstick.



Nude Butter Gloss

I've heard so much hype over this gloss formula and it definitely lived up to its fame! Its super creamy and butter and just glides on the lips without feeling thick or sticky. Its pigmented and just the loveliest colour that suits absolutely everyone! Its definitely not shiny like the Mega Shines, but makes the lips look full, soft and velvety. Im going to say it, this is my favourite lipgloss formula ever! Its super affordable too which is an added bonus.

Pale Pink Lipstick
I love NYX lipstick formulas, they are soft, opaque, not too sheer, great colour payoff and just an overall great affordable lipstick. This pale pink colour is super feminine and would suit so many people, especially people with fair skin.


Pink Lipstick
I can definitely see this lipstick suiting someone with lovely olive undertones to the skin as the coral tone brings out a tan brilliantly. I love this lipstick in the summer because its so vibrant and fun. If I'm ever having a bag day, putting on this lipstick seriously cheers me up as it just brightens up my whole complexion.

Red Lipstick
Who doesn't love a good red lipstick?! This is the perfect blue based candy apple red that is a necessity in any ones collection. It works great on all skin tones, especially pale skin like me because of the undertone. Personally i prefer something a little more orange based when I'm a bit more tan. But this lipstick looks fantastic on me all year round and is the perfect finishing touch to any outfit for any event

Matte Red Lipstick
Matte lipstick has been super popular lately and I love the NYX formulation as it is still matte without being too drying. Its a very neutral based red so is super universal! The matte black packaging is super chic and just makes this product even better. If you want to give this trend a go, this is a great way to do so as its such high quality at a reasonable affordable price point.

                 Butter Pink Lipstick
Pink lipstick is my go to when I want a bright lip that isn't as strong as a red or a berry as its just very wearable especially during the day. I have very dry lips so this butter lipstick formula is so fantastic! Its super creamy and hydrating and buttery whilst still being vibrant and pigmented. Either apply straight from the tube or with a brush for a strong opaque colour or just dab on the lips with your finger for a soft flush of colour.

Pink Lip Liner

Pink Lip Liner x HotPink Mega Shine Gloss

If you're using the Pink mega shine lipgloss and want a base to match and line the lips, this lip liner matches perfectly! Its soft and creamy and doesn't tug on the lips which is nice as it makes it really easy to line the lips.


Purple Soft Matte Lip Cream
the formula of this liquid lipstick is fantastic, very soft and easy to apply and dries matte. The dark red based purple is really cool and great for a bold dark lip. I don't ware these colours too often but when I do, this is a great one! I only wish the formula was a tad thicker because if you don't apply i properly it can look streaky, it would be interesting to see if you used a lighter colour.

So this concludes my NYX series! I am incredibly grateful to the whole NYX team for creating such fantastic affordable products and to Scott Friedman for sending me so many goodies. I hope they make more of them available soon! If you're just starting out in makeup or if you want to grow your collection, NYX is very well priced and super high quality, I can't wait to try more of their products.. I hope you enjoyed this series, comment below your favourite NYX products or any that you think I should try!

Until next time,

Anya xx

NYX Products & Swatches Part 3 - Eyes

Wonder Pencil
This product is fantastic for opening up the eyes to make them look so much bigger! Often, applying a black liner to the water line closes up the eye and makes it look smaller, but this product is a pale cream colour that is lighter than most of the very delicate skin on the water line so it works perfectly to conceal any redness that occurs either naturally or from lack of sleep. As it is not white, it is not as stark or obvious so it gives a very natural wide eye, well rested effect. Another great part of this product, is that its very creamy, so it doesn't tug on the delicate eye area.


Grey Eye Liner
If you want a more subtle or less intense look around the eyes, then this is the perfect product for you,  its very pigmented and soft, so super blendable, allowing for either a clean line, or a blended out smokey look. I also love that this is a wind up retractable product, as it makes it easier to travel with and use as you don't need to constantly keep sharpening it, which is very convenient.



Gold Eye Liner

I love this product so much! Gold eyeliner is a fantastic alternative to black liner and I've been using it on days where i want a glowy golden goddess look. This liner can be used in so many ways, you can rim your entire eye, just do a pop of gold on the lash liner or the inner corner, or even smudge it over the whole eye for a wash of golden colour. Its super creamy, very pigmented and highly blendable. This is definitely a necessity in anyones collection!


Black Chubby Liner
I firmly believe that everyone should have a black eyeliner in their collection, but this product is even more versatile! Because its so thick, it can be used to either line the water or lash line like a regular linger, but its also big enough to smudge all over the eye for a smokey eye. Every time i create a black smokey eye, i smudge this over my lid and blend it out as a base. It makes every other eyeshadow stronger, more pigmented and more vibrant. Its very soft so easy to blend but once dried doesn't budge which is fantastic.

White Chubby Liner
Not many people would think to include this in their collection, but its very useful. Like the black liner is it super pigmented, creamy and blendable. I use this primarily for 2 things; first for lining the water line to open up the eyes, when i need something a little stronger than the wonder pencil, this is perfect. I also use this all over the lid when I'm making a cut crease look or I'm about to apply glitter all over the lid, its the perfect base for these kinds of looks!


Black Two Timer Liner
For anyone who frequents the winged liner look, or loves black liner, this product will be your savour. On one end there is a kohl pencil liner, which everyone needs in their collection and on the other side there is a felt tip liquid liner. The thin tapered tip, which is identical to the tip of a felt tip pen, makes creating the perfect wing simple and quick. Because its tapered it allows for both thin and thick lines allowing to create a graduating thickness and the perfect pointed wing! The formula is great but requires a few goes before it gets to its actual darkness so i recommend brushing it over your hand or a cotton pad a few times to allow the product to soak into the tip properly.

The Curve Liner

This product is super unique and I've never seen anything like it. Its essentially a felt tip liquid liner , but the genius is in the packaging which makes it super easy to create a perfect wing. if you hold the base, the bend in the packaging gives a much more precise and more controlled placement, which makes it perfect for beginners or anyone who needs more control over their product. The only thing i don't like about this product is the length of the felt tip. The shape is great and tapered, but the length is too long which results in a loss of the control you gain from the bent packaging.

Doll Eye Volume Mascara
I love voluminous mascaras, so i was very excited to try this one out. The curved wand is very similar to the wand of the "Better Than Sex" Mascara from Too Faced, which allows you to achieve very thick voluminous lashes. Whilst the formula is quite thick and a touch clumpy, if you like thick lashes then this is the mascara for you.

Adorable Eyeshadow Palette

This palette is all matte eyeshadows in neutral tones, which makes it great for beginners as well as anyone else needing a small, versatile matte palette. The colours in this palette are almost all brown based so are great for every day looks, as well as a few brown smokey eyes. The pink is a great addition as its very soft and feminine and great for a wash of colour on the lid, and the white is a very useful brow bone highlight. Overall, the shadows are well pigmented and very blendable, allowing for many great looks.

Individual Shadow - Gumdrop

I think so many people overlook pink eyeshadows as they don't see them as being wearable, but the right shade can transform your makeup. This super affordable and pigmented shadow is the perfect shade of pastel baby pink. This is great for either a wash of colour over the eye or a transition colour for either burgundy or even purple looks to blend them out and make them look seamless. I would avoid using this under the eye around the lash line as too much can make you look a little sickly.


Love in Paris Purple Eyeshadow Palette
If you are a fan of purple eyeshadows, this palette is definitely the one for you! A great range of light and dark purples, in both shimmers and mattes, as well as complementing copper, dusty taupe and black shades to round out a large array of looks. These kinds of colours are great on green or brown eyes as they will make them pop! You can either utilise the lighter colours for a simpler,
day time look, or go all out for a vibrant pop of colour perfect for many events.






Love in Paris Green Eyeshadow Palette
I have a serious love affair with green and rose gold colour combinations, so i was super excited to see this palette! I have hazel eyes and these colours bring out the green and make them look really vibrant and bright. The inclusion of browns and coppery shadows allows for an infinite number of looks to take you from day to night! You can either use it to make a coppery brown
smokey eye, a green smokey eye or a combination of the two. It also has a mixture of mattes and shimmers making it even more versatile. With the pale bone colour, this is a great all over lid colour to allow ffor better blend ability and a brow bone highlight. Essentially this palette is perfect for heaps of looks and even better for travelling!


Up Next - Lips

Anya xx