The Hourglass Ghost Holiday Collection is finally out and it is gorgeous! Every year I’m looking forward to the Hourglass holiday release. This year, I think the collection is bigger compared to previous years. We usually get one palette, but this year, we have lip sets and also a beautiful eyeshadow set and their first ever four pan blush palette.
The Ghost Holiday Collection is packaged in minimalistic silver and clear packaging. The packaging feels the same quality as Hourglass’s usual packaging.
In the Collection we have: Ambient Lighting Edit Ghost Palette, Ambient Lighting Blush Quad, Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow Collection and two sets of the Confession Refillable Lipstick Duo.
The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Ghost Palette comes with six powders. Two of the powders are Ambient Lighting Powders which are finishing powders and part of the permanent line. One is an Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder which is a good subtle highlighter. There is also a bronzer shade and two blushes. The shades that come in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Ghost Palette are:
- Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder in Dim Light: neutral beige with a satin finish
- Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder in Diffused Light: warm pale yellow with a satin finish
- Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Iridescent Strobe Light: peach beige with a luminous finish
- Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Eternal Bronze Light (new): warm caramel with a luminous finish
- Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Iridescent Rose (new): warm rich rose with a luminous finish
- Ambient Lighting Blush in Sublime Flush (new): soft natural pink with a satin finish
Swatches of the Ambient Lighting Edit Ghost Palette L to R: Dim Light, Diffused Light, Iridescent Strobe Light, Eternal Bronze Light, Iridescent Rose, Sublime Flush
I really like Hourglass’s holiday palettes. The formula is always the same quality as their powders that are part of the permanent line. If you are not familiar with the Hourglass powders, they are one of the most natural looking powders that you will ever try. Both the blushes and the bronzers are buildable and give a subtle glow on the skin without any visible shimmer. The Ambient Lighting Powders are finishing powders that give life to the skin. For me, I use these to set my makeup and add extra glow on the skin.
I would say that the new Ambient Lighting Edit Ghost Palette will work for anyone from fair up to medium skin tone. If you are darker, the bronzer shade would be too light for your skin.
When I first saw a preview of the Holiday Collection, I was so excited for the Ambient Lighting Blush Quad. This is Hourglass’s first blush quad palette and it is stunning! It comes with one shade that is part of the permanent line (Brilliant Nude) and three brand new shades. The shades that come in the palette are:
- Ambient Lighting Blush in Surreal Effect (new): cool pink with a luminous finish
- Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Brilliant Nude: deep amber with a luminous finish
- Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Lucid Glow (new): peachy coral with a luminous finish
- Ambient Lighting Blush in Infinite Flush (new): warm rose with a luminous finish
Swatches of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Quad L to R: Surreal Effect, Brilliant Nude, Lucid Glow, Infinite Flush
The formula of all of the blushes is soft and buildable. They all give a beautiful flush of color and a glowy finish. I also like the shade variety in the palette. It leans on the warm side but you still get the pop of cool toned pink that is great for the winer.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much I love the Scattered Light formula (swatches and review of the formula here). These are some of my favorite shimmery shadows. They give a beautiful sparkle on the lids without looking chunky and work well on hooded eyes. I love the shimmery, almost wet look that I get with the Scattered Lights. I use these as one eyeshadow looks and just pop a matte color in the crease.
The Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow Collection comes with three shades. Two of them are part of the permanent line and one is a brand new shade. The size of the eyeshadows is smaller compared to the singles but you still get enough product to use for years to come.
The shades that come in the Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow Collection are:
- Scattered Light™ Glitter Eyeshadow in Foil: gold with a glitter finish
- Scattered Light™ Glitter Eyeshadow in Molten (new): plum violet with a glitter finish
- Scattered Light™ Glitter Eyeshadow in Ray: deep champagne with a glitter finish
Swatches L to R: Ray, Foil, Molten
I like the Scattered Light formula because they give the sparkle but also have a good base color so you don’t have to use other shades. It is not a shimmery top coat but a good shimmer eyeshadow. They also don’t crease on me or flake even when I don’t use a primer (to be honest I don’t use eye primer that often).
There are two lipstick duos in the Hourglass Ghost Holiday Collection. The first Confession Refillable Lipstick Duo – Ghost comes with:
- Confession™ Ultra Slim Lipstick in I Cherish (new): cool pink nude with a satin finish
- Confession™ Ultra Slim Lipstick in You Inspire (new): deep mulberry with a satin finish
- Limited edition silver applicator
The second set comes with:
- Confession™ Ultra Slim Lipstick in I Wonder (new): bright rose
- Confession™ Ultra Slim Lipstick in I’ll Forever (new): orange red
- Limited edition silver applicator
Swatches L to R: I Cherish, You Inspire, I Wonder, I’ll Forever
I Cherish
You Inspire
I Wonder
I’ll Forever
I really like the shades in both sets and can’t really pick a favorite. The Confession Refillable Lipsticks have a beautiful creamy one swipe formula. I’m a big fan of the original gold packaging which gives vintage diva vibes. The silver packaging is nice but I am not a fan of the clear cap. I find that it gets dirty pretty fast so I have to use a q-tip to clean it up. Otherwise all four shades are right up my alley (especially the nude and the red orange shade).
And now as promised, I’m including swatches of previous palettes so you can compare them with the new release. I know a lot of you were interested if the Ghost Palette is similar with previous releases.
Swatches of the Ambient Lighting Edit Ghost Palette
Swatches of the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette
Swatches of the Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4 Palette
Swatches of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Volume 3
Swatches of the Hourglass Surreal Light Ambient Lighting Edit
Swatches of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette
As you can see by the swatches, this year’s palette is quite different from previous years. The Ambient Lighting powders are similar and some are the same shades but I find the bronzer and the blushes pretty different than the usual rosy tones.
All in all, I’m a big fan of the Hourglass Ghost Holiday Collection. My favorite piece is definitely the Blush Quad but I think everything else is worth a look especially if you don’t have a lot of the brand’s makeup.
*Many thanks to the Beautylish team for sending me a preview of the collection