Hourglass's makeup palettes that would make a perfect Christmas gift are flying off shelves
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Hourglass has teamed up with jewellery designer Lauren Rubinski for its 2026 Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked collection, featuring four limited-edition designs. I tried the Hope palette to see whether the makeup lives up to its gorgeous packaging.
The beautiful Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked range by Hourglass are flying off the shelves.
Beauty lovers are snapping up these luxurious palettes which, for some reason, remind me of the glittering treasures you'd see in Smaug's mountain lair in The Hobbit!
Created in collaboration with French jewellery designer Lauren Rubinski, the collection features four limited-edition designs called Wish, Hope, Luck and Love, each with its own unique charm and selection of colours.
Keen to see what all the fuss is about I've been trying Hope, with its rosy pinks, soft plum shades and neutral bronze. And I'm completely smitten.
Each palette contains six powders for bronzing, blushing, highlighting and finishing your makeup, making them ultra-versatile. Whether you prefer a subtle daytime glow or something more glamorous for an evening out, there's a lovely combination of shades to experiment with.
The four Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked designs
- Wish: Lighter, warmer shades featuring soft peach, rose and bronze tones.
- Hope: A combination of rosy pinks, dusty rose, soft plum and neutral bronze shades.
- Luck: Richer shades including mauve, terracotta, raspberry and deeper bronze tones.
- Love: A Sephora-exclusive palette with its own selection of shades and a romantic, jewellery-inspired design.
At £94, they're certainly not an impulse buy but I can’t imagine a single beauty lover who wouldn’t be thrilled to unwrap one.
What I love about the Hourglass palette
First, the packaging. It's stunning. The palette has a lovely weight to it and feels reassuringly substantial in your hand, adding to that sense of luxury. There's nothing flimsy about it, and the gold detailing makes it feel more like a piece of jewellery than a makeup compact.
But the real beauty is what's inside. The six powders are absolutely gorgeous, with a silky, finely milled texture that blends beautifully into the skin.
What I particularly love is the versatility. You've got a bronzer to add warmth and definition, blushes to bring colour to your cheeks, a highlighter for a touch of radiance and a finishing powder to pull everything together.
You can sweep bronzer around your temples and cheekbones for a healthy, sun-kissed look, add a little blush for freshness and finish with highlighter on the high points of your face.
The powders can also be layered, so you can keep things subtle for daytime or build up the colour for a more glamorous evening look.
And the finish is gorgeous. Hourglass uses something called Photoluminescent Technology, which is designed to filter out harsh light and give skin a softer, more flattering appearance in different lighting conditions.
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The result is a soft-focus glow without looking overly shimmery or glittery.
At 55, I particularly appreciate makeup that doesn't emphasise fine lines or make my skin look dry. These powders feel wonderfully lightweight, and I love how smoothly they blend.
Another lovely touch is that Hourglass donates 5% of the collection's net profits to the Nonhuman Rights Project, which campaigns for animal rights.
What I didn't love about the Hourglass palette
This is a difficult one, because I love everything about it. The obvious drawback is the £94 price tag. It's a considerable amount to spend on makeup, although you're getting six different powders rather than just one product.
The palette is also fairly large, so it might not fit into smaller makeup bags. But there's even a flip side to that drawback. Those generously sized pans mean plenty of product, and with customers reporting that previous Hourglass palettes have lasted them ages, there's every reason to hope this one will too.
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My verdict
Hourglass has created something really appealing. The packaging is exquisite and the powders are gorgeously versatility which make it so much more than a pretty palette.
Yes, they're expensive, but they're also the sort of luxury makeup purchase you can enjoy using for months and months.
Would I recommend one? Absolutely. The only challenge will be deciding which of the four gorgeous designs and colour combinations you, or the lucky person you're buying for, will love the most.