Oh, Hourglass: everything you touch, makeup-wise, seems to turn to gold. Or at least a very chic, subtly-skin-illuminating, non-glittery version of gold. Cosmetics brand Hourglass are becoming synonymous with the megawatt glow we all strive for in order to make ourselves look alive, but rather than the slimy snail-trail cheekbone-highlights you so often see on Instagram, the Hourglass megawatt glow is expensive-looking and almost undetectable, even when you peer in closely in an attempt to see what kind of wizardry is going on.

The heroes of this “Hourglass Glow” are undoubtedly the Ambient Lighting powders – they contain multidimensional pigments that add a sort of soft focus effect to the skin, blurring the surface and giving that “lit from within” effect. Within the Ambient Lighting collection there are subtle finishing powders that add radiance whilst blotting down oils, bronzers to give a deep, glowing warmth to summer skin and hi-vis illuminators that – quite literally – create spotlights on your face wherever you apply.

And now, into the mix, an edit of “strobe lighting” blushers; The Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush Palette. It’s tempting to call these powders a “highlighter/blush hybrid”, but actually they are far more blush than highlighter. You could use them on cheekbones, browbones, cupid’s bows, but they look much better – much more convincing – as the cheek colours they are intended to be.

These are blushers with bonus glow – they dramatically brighten the face, acting as a kind of powdered complexion enhancer, and they are brilliant on dull days when nothing seems to be perking up your skin. There’s enough of the colour pigment that you only need a light hand to apply the blush, which means that there’s no danger of overdoing the glow (ok, there’s always a danger of overdoing the glow, but you just need to be sensible and apply in good light!) and the three chosen shades work well together as well as being infinitely handy as solo performers.

The coral shade on the left of the palette is available singly, it’s called Incandescent Electra, but the other two shades, Brilliant Nude and Euphoric Fusion (centre and right in the line-up) are exclusive to the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush Palette. All are flattering and wearable – I was most surprised by the plummy Euphoric Fusion, worrying that it would be too dark for me, but applied with a light hand it’s just beautiful.

The Brilliant Nude is most likely the powder that I’ll end up finishing first – it adds an incredible radiance whilst subtly adding warmth to the areas of the face where the sun would naturally hit. I take it lightly to the temples, across the forehead and down the nose with a huge brush to make it look as though I’ve stepped outside in the last four months.

The Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush Palette launches today at Space NK – at £59 it’s most definitely a luxury purchase but makeup enthusiasts are going wild for all of these limited edition palettes! I must say that the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit I tested out pre-Christmas, which includes highlighters and blush and a bronzer, has been very well-used – it’s a staple in my makeup bag. Though I do suspect that you get less product for your money with these edits than if you buy standalone compacts, it’s a great way of trying out more shades without investing multiple times.

Find the new palette here – I have a free shipping code, should you be indulging, just type AMR2017 when you checkout.

The winner of the Instagram giveaway, if you’re here for the results, is @madamemooon. Well done – I will be in touch via DM for your address!