News feed
Most beauty brands have one product that’s more iconic than the rest. Chanel has its No.5 fragrance. Mario Badescu has its Drying Lotion. Hourglass Cosmetics has its Ambient Lighting Powder. Designed to mimic the way great lighting makes your skin look, it’s a collection of softly tinted powder compacts that colour correct, conceal, and add an ethereal glow. Hourglass brand founder Carisa Janes was recently in Sydney where we had the opportunity to pick her brain about the thought process that goes into dreaming up such game-changing product. The truth is that her mum used to fill their home with soft pink light globes because she liked the way it made her look. Aside from being very Cher Horowitz of her, it was also quite genius.
Janes grew up in a family where makeup was celebrated and the cosmetics floor in a department store was sacred ground, so it’s no surprise she went in to the business of beauty herself. The idea for Hourglass (now in its 15th year) was for a luxurious but modern makeup brand, and while it looks exceedingly different now to how James originally envisioned it, it certainly marries new technology and coveted formulas with the beautiful, experiential element typical of luxury brands. The Ambient Lighting Powder is certainly a stand out, but almost every launch from the brand is met with great aplomb (like the Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara that’s garnered over 300 five-star reviews on Mecca since its launch).
The Ambient Lighting Powder in particular comes in six shades, ranging from soft lavender to iridescent beige and works as either a targeted highlight on cheekbones, under eyes, and between the brows to an all-over setting powder. The result is a blurred-but-still-radiant complexion – the kind that comes from the soft glow of candlelight in a warm, cosy restaurant on date night (or, a pink light globe). Even the most powder-averse will be converted. To emulate Janes’ mum’s baby pink lighting scheme, go for Mood Light – a sheer, pinky-lilac.
Shop Ambient Lighting and other Hourglass treasure below.
Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light, $73. SHOP NOW 
Hourglass Cosmetics Caution Extreme Lash Mascara, $44. SHOP NOW
Hourglass Cosmetics Arch Brow Micro Pencil, $43. SHOP NOW
