Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Foundation Primer Review

I decided to try the Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer in Luminous Light after reading ReallyRee's glowing review. Her skintone is close to mine, so I thought it might work well for my NW20 skin.

This primer is $44 and is supposed to "act as a filter to neutralize, brighten and soften light". It can be worn alone or under foundation. However, I didn't find it to offer enough coverage alone. So I tried wearing it with Urban Decay Naked Foundation in 2.0.

The product is somewhat thick, but squeezes easily out of the tube.

Here are swatches.

Inside, no flash:

Inside, with flash:

Outside, no flash:

It has a light moisturizer scent, but it's not offensive and dissipates quickly after application. I applied a pea sized amount with my fingers. The finish is more matte than I expected. I was worried that "luminous" might equal greasy. However, it's not shiny at all, but it's also not flat. It's a soft focus finish that makes the skin look blurred. 

Here's what my skin looks like without any primer or makeup.

And here's what my skin looks like with Luminous Light.

It feels lightweight and my foundation applied over it just the same as without the primer. Over time, I did notice that this primer was slightly drying. My skin is combination, so it is normal on the cheeks and oily in the t-zone. The dry feeling was mainly around my nose and cheeks. However, my chin looked as oily as it always does, so the primer didn't have any affect on that, not that it claims to control oil.

I have worn this primer on different days and looked at my skin in natural light, bathroom light, in the car, and in my living room. Sometimes it seems like my skin looks softer or more luminous and sometimes it just seems like it looks the same as always. The affect of this primer is so subtle that I almost can't tell the difference when I'm wearing it. But then I look at my face in another light source in another location and I wonder if there is a slight glow. It's exhausting.

So, to alleviate this decision making process of whether this primer makes a difference, my skin decided for me by breaking out. I had the same experience with the Hourglass Ambient Light powders. After a few days, I broke out on my cheek. 

I'm kind of bummed this didn't work out for me, but anything that irritates my skin gets the boot! So I'll be returning this one and continuing my search for a new primer!

If you want to check out my YouTube video of this primer, here it is!

Thanks for watching!