My skin type is normal/dry, NC25 in MAC
foundation shade.
 |
| NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Fiji. |
Surprisingly, I have never owned a product
from NARS cosmetics before, probably because I’m such a big MAC junkie.
Whenever I feel like having a splurge on makeup I’ll usually head straight to
MAC, however since running out of my Pro Longwear foundation I decided I wanted
to try something new. Obviously I had
done a lot of research beforehand, almost re-purchasing my trusty L’Oreal True
Match because it was a fraction of the price I’d usually pay. However something
about the NARS Sheer Glow foundation really drew me in. I had a consultation
and little test in Space NK with an artist there, and fell in love straight
away.
Packaging
This wouldn’t be a makeup blog post without
giving some mention to the packaging of any product. I really like the look of
the sleek black lid, corresponding logo and luxury-feeling glass bottle. It’s a
weighty item, so could be a bit troublesome in transit, and I am very scared to
drop it in my bathroom! However I feel like it is a beautiful product to have
in my makeup collection and kit as it is a simple cubed shape and a practical
size. I feel like the lid is definitely compensating for something, as the
opening of the glass bottle is about 1cm wide! (I’m thinking
Lord Farquaad in Shrek!) Obviously the major downfall of the packaging here is
the lack of pump. For a makeup artist this isn’t too big of a problem as I can
easily pour the product out onto a palette to work from, however I do worry
about how sanitary the bottle would be as it doesn’t have the pump to disperse
product without any contact to the bottle/product inside. On day-to-day use, I’d really like
to have the pump, just to make the process quicker and easier. I’ve also found
I’ve been tipping way too much out because I don’t have the pump – and issue I
had before with a MAC Studio Fix Foundation bottle which I managed to use up
way too quickly!
Prep
As I have slightly dry skin – mainly where
I have bouts of acne and scarring – I added a tiny bit of moisturiser just to
those areas. This is a very dewy and luminous foundation, so even on my dry
skin I did not need to add a layer of moisture beforehand as it’s consistency
meant that it did not cling to my dry patches. I’ve read otherwise about this,
so it’s probably pretty dependent on your skin type. I did not wear a primer here either, just
because I have run out, but if I were to wear this on a night out or for a
prolonged period of time then I would be much keener to, as with any other
foundation.
Application
I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to
apply this, although the lovely lady in the shop used a flat foundation brush
and too had a beautiful finish to the skin. I was matched to Fiji which has
yellow-undertones and is a medium-toned colour. I applied a blob of the product
to the back of my hand and begun to apply it on the lower of my face, as usual,
with circular motions. I would say that this product is definitely a medium-to-full
coverage foundation, as I was able to create an almost ‘flawless’ finish very
easily and quickly. As the product began to dry on my skin, I used the flat of
the brush to stipple over the foundation. This really enhanced the finish and
removed any unsightly lines from the circular motions.
After-Care
As always, I applied a lighter concealer
under my eyes and around my mouth where I suffer from dark pigmentation. Here,
I used the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Light 1 to somewhat
recreate that Kardashian-esque highlight and contour. I then set my whole face with
a large fluffy Real Techniques brush and MAC Translucent Loose Powder. This did
slightly mattify the foundation, but without the powder it did feel too dewy
and moist on the skin – so I would definitely recommend doing so. I found that after a few hours of wear the
foundation did become slightly shinier around my T-zone and nose and therefore
did find myself reapplying some more powder to reduce the shine.
Final Thoughts
This foundation is a beautiful product. I
cannot sing it’s praises enough, as it is so perfect for my skin and desired
makeup look. I will mention here that I like to wear a full-face of makeup. If
I am going to the effort of wearing a full-coverage foundation, I will also
take the time to ‘finish’ my face with corresponding lips and eyes etc. The
colour match was perfect to my skin as it is quite yellow-based which helps
reduce the darkness and scarring on my face. It applied really easily, giving a
really flawless looking base once fully buffed into the skin. It definitely
made my skin look really vibrant and healthy, something that I hadn’t found
before with other foundations, and found myself getting lots of compliments
when I wore it! There are two downfalls to this product, number one is the lack
of a pump, however lots of places sell them (Space NK was out of stock when I
bought this) and I’m sure I’ll find myself purchasing one soon. The second is
the ‘wetness’ of the product, as after a few hours I did have to add some
powder to the middle of my face. I personally really like luminous and dewy foundations,
as my skin is really dull and dry, so I liked that it had a ‘sheer glow’ to it
but still had really good coverage.
(Left: A photo taken in the evening wearing the foundation, here I had used MAC Prep & Prime underneath and MAC Loose Translucent Powder over the top.)
I hope this review was helpful; I was
looking for a post like this before I purchased the foundation so thought I
would add mine to the line-up! I would definitely recommend going to a NARS
counter and testing out colours before purchasing, as I nearly ordered Punjab
online and was matched two shades lighter in store!
Thank you again for reading, and have a
beautiful day!
Best wishes, Zoë xxx
Best wishes, Zoë xxx
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