Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta Review and Swatches

I am not a blush person. I mean, I wear it every day, because otherwise I look like a sickly ghost, but it doesn't excite me like lippies do. Still, every once in awhile, something comes along to catch my eye. The Hourglass Ambient Lights Blush line was one such thing. Upon swatching, I liked Diffused Heat and Radiant Magenta, but decided that the latter was more unique in my stash and picked it up during the Sephora spring sale (since $35 for a blush is, like, a lot).

It is pretty, though.

The pans are all unique, and the one I got seems to be heavy on the pink (compare to Café Makeup and Temptalia, where it actually looks like a completely different blush, though mine looks similar to the Hourglass promo image and the one Sabrina got), which is fine by me.

this is what it looks like on Sephora.
WHAT.

It's described as "golden fuchsia blush combined with Radiant Light for a summer glow", which is relatively accurate, though on me, it's less warm than that description would suggest.

left to right: MAC Subtle Breeze, CARGO Montebello, Hourglass Radiant Magenta (all single finger swipe on bare skin),  Hourglass Radiant Magenta (applied heavily with blush brush)

The texture is soft and finely milled, and I find that tapping my blush brush against the surface gets sufficient color for one cheek. The finish is a glowy satin, though probably applying more would give it a more shimmery, luminescent finish, but I can't wear that much unless I want to look like a literal clown. It's nicely buildable and blendable, and even though I'm lacking in the pigment department, I don't find that Radiant Magenta requires any special care when applying. Like pretty much every blush, it lasts all day on me.

Radiant Magenta on cheeks, don't ask me what else I'm wearing.

So, y'know, it's pretty and all, but it still doesn't convert me to a blushaholic. I dislike the packaging, for one thing––it's lightweight plastic, a burnished gold color, and attracts fingerprints like mad. For $35, I'd like something a bit weightier, and it seems unnecessarily large. Still, the contents are really gorgeous to look at, and it's pretty on, so I'm keeping it. I just don't feel the need to go out and buy any more!

Overview
$35 for 0.15 oz, available from Sephora, Space NK, and Barneys

Quality: 8.5
Effectiveness: 3 (it's supposed to "deliver a radiant, natural flush" and "reinvent the way you view blush", which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard [okay, that's a bald-faced lie, but still, come on]. Had they just stuck to reasonable claims, I would give higher points here, but absurd marketing-speak pisses me off.)
Ease of Use: 4.75
Senses: 5
Pigmentation: 5
Duration: 5
Consistency: 4.75
Price: 1
Value: 3.5
Packaging: -1 (it feels cheap. there, I said it.)
Grade: C+/B-

Usually, something so expensive with such a lackluster grade would be returned, but I don't have any blushes the same color as Radiant Magenta, and besides, it's gorgeous in the pan. Had I not gotten it on sale, I'd probably've already returned it, but as it is, whatever. It's pretty. I'll keep it.

Have you tried any of the Ambient Lighting blushes? What did you think? What products do you find yourself gravitating towards?