Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXIII

2 1 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I To what extent does lighting affect the appearance of our skin? You knowwhat’s worse than a bad hair day? A bad light day! The experience of bad light is universally understood. From office light to candlelight, you look different. But what’s surprising, is how your skin interacts with light. There’s truth to the phrase ‘a youthful glow’. As we age, skin loses its luminescence. Younger skin simply glows more than older skin. In good light – or with the right products – light can help your skin appear more beautiful, healthier and younger. Hourglass’ Ambient Lighting Powders and Ambient Strobe Powders address this deficiency with photoluminescent technology. Unlike traditional powders that use opaque pigments to cloak the skin, Ambient uses micron- size photoluminescent spheres that neutralise the complexion without leaving a mask-like appearance. The optically transparent particles alter the appearance of the skin by manipulating and refracting favourable light. When illuminated by invisible UV light, the particles glow on the complexion, minimising the appearance of wrinkles and imperfections, and neutralising discoloration. In short, the particles emulate the light emission pattern of young, healthy skin. The result is skin that looks smooth, even, and enhanced – not masked. What made you focus on lighting and bringing radiance to the face? I have always been inspired by the power of light. I live in California, where the light is magical – warm and radiant. I notice a difference when I travel around the globe. Lighting varies city by city. It affects the way you look. But it was my mother who first introduced me to the concept of good lighting; she always had pink light bulbs around the house. Pink light is a soft, flattering light – this first taught me the idea of good light. When recreating flattering lighting on your skin are there specific areas we should focus on? There are a few. Our Ambient Powders are to be used as finishing powders and applied all over the face. The powders alter the perceived appearance of the complexion by manipulating and filtering out harsh light. They capture, diffuse and soften the way light is reflected on skin, brighten the appearance, and conceal skin imperfections, pores and wrinkles. I prefer to create depth and dimension with light instead of contouring with dark shades. Hourglass’ Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders can be used to create a refined, natural highlight around the highpoints of your face. This plays up where light naturally hits and is universally flattering. Do you have any tips for bringing radiance and light to the skin? Ambient Lighting Powder has become indispensable for so many women because it’s like having a personal lighting technician. I like to dust Dim Light all over but focus on the centre of my face to soften imperfections. I follow that by adding Radiant Light as a contour under the cheekbones and on the temples to add a bit of warmth. I then finish off with a light dusting of either Luminous Light or Incandescent Strobe Lighting Powder on the tops of the cheekbones, under the brow and the bridge of the nose to brighten my complexion. The result is the appearance of younger, softer and perfectly lit skin. When it comes to adding light, what makes your formulations so unique? It's important with light reflection that you pay attention to the texture of the lighting product, as well as to any soft focus particles or photoluminescence in it. The smaller the particles, the more subtle the light reflection and the softer and more sophisticated the glow. Anything too large or too textured will give you a finish that may read as dated and too grainy on the skin. Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powders have extremely fine, soft focus, photoluminescent particles that do not read on the skin like traditional powders. These powders diffuse light in a very subtle and sophisticated way and come in six shades that can be worn together to create a multi- dimensional luminescence. The proprietary state-of-the-art formula delivers a multi-dimensional luminescence to every skin tone, making it appear softer, younger and perfectly lit.