Hourglass Just Revealed Its 2026 Holiday Palettes—and They Might Be the Prettiest Yet
This year's collection feels extra special.
You know how Mariah Carey pops out of Christmas decor the day after Thanksgiving with absolute glee on her face? That’s how I feel when the holiday Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palettes launch every year. I’ve said it before, but it always bears repeating: Hourglass has perfected the baked powder formula. Though they may try, no other brand has come close to the finish, color selection, sensorial experience, or aesthetic elegance Hourglass has mastered. They’ve catapulted to yet another stratosphere with the launch of the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked collection.
As with past iterations, each palette's packaging features integrated art. Still, this year’s lineup is particularly special because the brand collaborated with a jewelry designer. “We're proud to continue our tradition of celebrating female creatives through a collaboration with French jewelry designer Lauren Rubinski,” Carisa Janes, Founder and President of Hourglass Cosmetics, tells me. “Known for uniting French elegance with Italian craftsmanship, Lauren’s work reflects the same balance of heritage and modernity that defines Hourglass. Her creations celebrate individuality, passion, and authenticity—a shared belief that beauty is a form of personal expression.”
The result? Four Ambient Lighting Edit palettes for the 2026 holiday season (with one exclusive to Sephora), each with its own special motif and meaning behind each hero charm. “The Love palette is adorned with a heart charm celebrating connection and affection,” Rubinski says. Hope, which features a heart-shaped key, symbolizes “confidence, new beginnings, and infinite possibility,” she adds. The upside-down horseshoe on the Luck palette symbolizes pouring luck onto others, transforming the piece into a true good luck charm, and Wish, with the four-leaf clover design, symbolizes luck, happiness, and protection.
I’ve had a chance to play with the palettes for the last few weeks. TL; DR? I love them all. If you can’t decide which one is best for you, keep reading for a breakdown of the formula, shades, and skin tones each palette best complements.
What’s In the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Powder Formulas?
If you’ve read any of my past reviews on this brand, you likely know that half of the reason why I’m so obsessed with it is that the powders feel silky smooth on the skin. This is thanks to ingredients like boron nitride, a synthetic mineral powder with a light-scattering quality that hides fine lines, wrinkles, and pores while letting the powder glide over the face with ease. Add synthetic micas, diamond powder, and more, and you're left with these little baked tiles of pure goodness and a glow that just won't quit. That's why so many professional makeup artists swear by these powders.
Which Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Is Best for My Skin Tone?
So, there’s technically no “right” palette for each skin tone (makeup has no rules, after all); however, each palette is intended to complement certain skin tones. Let’s get into it.
- Deep Skin
Ariel Wilson testing the Ambient Lighting Edit palette in Luck.
Luck is the best match for deep skin tones. Eternal Light, the finishing powder, is one of my favorites in the permanent line, especially when I want a tanned, sun-kissed finish. The blushes, highlighters, and bronzer (all brand new and limited to this palette, by the way) come in an array of purple-toned hues that look absolutely delicious on deep skin, especially if you use them as I do and layer them over a more matte formula.
- Medium Skin
Ariel Wilson testing the Ambient Lighting Edit palette in Hope.
Hope would work beautifully on medium skin tones. The finishing powder, Soft Light, is fantastic for setting all over the face or highlighting specific areas; plus, the warm, mauve-toned hues create an easy but cohesive blush-and-bronze moment.
- Light Skin
Ariel Wilson testing the Ambient Lighting Edit palette in Wish.
The Wish palette has the lightest shades of the entire lineup. One of my favorite finishing powder shades, Diffused Light, is featured in this palette, along with slightly cooler shades like the highlighter in Moonstone Glow and the Ethereal Bronze bronzer.
Ariel Wilson testing the Ambient Lighting Edit palette in Love.
The Love palette, available exclusively at Sephora, is another palette you might think is for lighter skin tones, but I implore you to go into stores and play before you decide. The blush colors in this palette are fantastic, especially if you love a more pink-toned cheek, and the finishing powder, Dim Light, is one of the most universally flattering shades in the brand’s entire lineup. I constantly switch back and forth between this one and the Luck palette, and I have to admit: they’re neck and neck for the title of my favorite 2026 Ambient Lighting Edit palette.
Are the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palettes Worth It?
Yes. A thousand times yes, these palettes are more than worth the money. $98 is steep, and I'm not disputing that. However, these palettes are one of the few makeup launches I look forward to every year without fail, and I believe they can work for everyone. I personally prefer to use all the Ambient powders to “finish” my makeup, so I use them as the last step before setting spray (and sometimes even after). What I will say is that I would love to see more nuance in the bronzers selected for each palette. It’s a common critique, and I find bronzers a particular pain point for deeper-toned consumers who may not want to use two separate products to get the look they want.
In short, I truly believe that you can’t go wrong with picking up at least one of these palettes. They make a fantastic addition to any makeup collection, and this year’s versions in particular also feel well-suited to make one of the chicest beauty gifts of the season thanks to Rubinski's special touch. Need a few more Hourglass recommendations? Keep scrolling for my favorite products from the brand.
More Hourglass Products That I Love
These blurring lipsticks deliver a gorgeous wash of color, and the finish makes them look perfectly lived-in.
I adore these little trios to finish my everyday makeup.
Want your pores to vanish (pun intended)? Add this primer to your makeup routine.
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Meet the Expert
Carisa Janes is the Founder and President of Hourglass Cosmetics.
Lauren Rubinski is a Jewelry Designer based in Paris.
