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Key Takeaways
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The Launch: Hourglass’s highly anticipated 2026 Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palettes officially launched on Friday, September 11.
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The Designer: This year, the brand collaborated with French fine jewelry designer Lauren Rubinski to embellish the tin compacts with 3D metal charm artwork.
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The Customization: You can purchase pre-curated color stories or customize your own compact cover and shade combination online.
There are so many holiday traditions to cherish. One of them, which, luckily for the impatient, starts well before ‘tis the season, is the release of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palettes.
While past drops centered around whimsical wildlife illustrations, this year’s collection offers a touch of luck to potential buyers, quite literally. Each of the four palettes in the 2026 Holiday Collection features a 3D charm designed by French jewelry artist Lauren Rubinski, who collaborated with the brand to bring Parisian fine-jewelry elegance to the iconic gold tin packaging.
Keep reading to discover everything there is to know about the new September 11 launch.
Dubbed Wish, Hope, Luck, and Love, this year’s four palettes were inspired by “symbols of possibility.” Whether you keep yours as a vanity keepsake or offer it up as a thoughtful gift, each application delivers a soft-focus glow paired with a touch of meaningful imagery.
To make things even sweeter, 5% of net profits from the collection, which also features a limited-edition double-ended brush, will be donated to the Nonhuman Rights Project to support its work advancing fundamental rights for animals.
Designed to be a “timeless keepsake you’ll want to carry, display, and treasure long after the product is finished,” the consciously crafted tin palettes were inspired by the elegant gold evening clutches popular in the ‘50s. Each features a smooth, polished metal finish accented by a charm motif:
Per usual, each palette features six powders powered by Hourglass’s signature Photoluminescent Technology—which filters out harsh surrounding light to blur skin texture and create an ethereal flush. This year’s lineup introduces 15 brand-new hand-blended shades alongside returning fan-favorite finishing powders:
Wish Palette
- Diffused Light Finishing Powder: Warm pale yellow
Moonstone Glow Strobe Highlighter (NEW): Soft pink and light champagne pearl mélange
Ethereal Bronze Bronzer (NEW): Soft warm bronze mélange
Mauve Flush Blush (NEW): Muted neutral mauve
Pink Aura Blush (NEW): Rose-apricot
Desert Rose Blush (NEW): Soft desert rose
Hope Palette
Soft Light Finishing Powder: Soft pale peach
Brilliant Pink Blush (NEW): Vibrant rose and soft pink mélange
Soft Rosewood Blush (NEW): Dusty rose
Luminous Opal Strobe Highlighter (NEW): Soft lilac and muted champagne pearl mélange
Rose Quartz Blush (NEW): Muted neutral plum
Sunlit Bronze Bronzer (NEW): Muted neutral bronze
Luck Palette
Eternal Light Finishing Powder: Cool translucent golden light
Radiant Mauve Blush (NEW): Rich plum
Topaz Glow Strobe Highlighter (NEW): Shimmer bronzed-apricot
Orchid Flush Blush (NEW): Terracotta peach and raspberry pink mélange
Soft Dahlia Blush (NEW): Cool rosy mauve
Velvet Bronze Bronzer (NEW): Matte cool rich bronze
Love Palette
Dim Light Finishing Powder: Neutral peach-beige
Vivid Coral Blush (NEW): Bright coral
Rose Gold Glow Strobe Highlighter (NEW): Petal pink and soft gold pearl mélange
Natural Bronze Bronzer: Matte warm bronze
Electric Pink Blush (NEW): Bright cool pink
Rose Heat Blush: Deep berry satin
(Note: The pre-curated Love shade story is sold as a full set at Sephora, but the Love jeweled-heart cover design can also be purchased directly on hourglasscosmetics.com using their custom palette builder).
Hourglass offers two ways to shop the online launch at $98:
Curated Palettes: You buy the set as-is (e.g., the Wish clover cover paired directly with Color Palette 1 inside).
Custom Palette (Online Exclusive): If you love the Love heart cover but prefer the shades inside Palette 1 (Wish) or Palette 3 (Luck), you can mix and match any cover design with any of the shade stories directly on hourglasscosmetics.com.
If you’re eager to build your own charm-adorned compact online, there’s a catch. The Ambient Lighting Edit: Charms experience is officially the brand’s most exclusive offering to date, hosted exclusively in-person at two global flagships:
New York City Flagship: 14 Prince St, SoHo, NYC
Selfridges London: 400 Oxford St, London
At both locations, Hourglass beauty artists walk visitors through the Charms Bar, guiding charm combinations, placement, and palette pairings before assembling the finished compact on site.
While beauty lovers worldwide can still shop the standard Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked online, the Charms Bar turns a beauty haul into a memory. If you find yourself in SoHo or London this season, consider this your official cue to book a stop.
You can shop the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palettes ($98) on Friday, September 11 at hourglasscosmetics.com and sephora.com.