Review | NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Hi Ladies! I hope you’re all well and had a lovely Mothers Day yesterday. I went out with the family for a three course lunch which was absolutely lovely and I of course spoilt my mum. I bought her some MAC goodies as she keeps pinching mine and a personalised mug from Getting Personal so she was very happy with those. I’m not happy its Monday again though, don’t the weekends just fly by? Roll of Easter and six days off work.

Today I’d like to review one of the new additions to my foundation collection. Yes you heard that right, a foundation collection. Once upon a time I was never really interested in trying new foundations and always stuck to my trusty ‘Studio Fix Fluid’ from MAC. However, fast forward a couple of years and I’m a woman obsessed. I can’t get enough of testing and trying new foundations that promise to make my skin look better than it does naturally. So after doing a bit of research I decided NARS Sheer Glow would be the next foundation on my hit list. After hearing various You Tube superstars (mainly you Tanya Burr!) rave about how much they love this stuff, I knew I had to try it out for myself. I’m also a huge fan of other NARS products so I came to the conclusion their foundation would be just as fabulous.

I was a bit lazy when it came to picking my shade in this foundation and ended up looking at swatches online instead of going in store. I have a slight phobia of getting colour matched in store these days after my disastrous experience with Estee Lauder. They matched me with Double Wear and it made me look like a grey and pink patchwork quilt – gross! With this being said I decided to read fellow bloggers reviews, have a look at some swatches and decide myself. I decided ‘Fiji’ was my shade after reading Kate from gh0st parties review here as like me, she’s a pale skinned gal. The foundation looks beautiful on her too, so I was even more excited to give it a go. Thankfully I was right and after swatching in store (just to make sure), I walked away with my Fiji Sheer Glow. I must admit, the price seriously unimpressed me (£30.50 – ouch) but hey, I can’t resist a product when there’s so much love and hype surrounding it. Another thing that unimpressed me (lets get the negatives out of the way first) was the fact that it doesn't have a pump. Don't get me wrong, the packaging itself is very luxurious, I love the glass bottle with the NARS logo down the side but the fact it doesn't come with a pump for the high price is quite annoying. It means you have to pour the foundation out of the bottle which results in a lot of mess and waste. The lid on my bottle broke a few days after buying this too so I had to transfer the Sheer Glow into another empty foundation bottle that did have a pump (what a faff!). I've since realised you can actually buy a pump separately but again, its annoying having to part with even more money for something that should already be provided in a high-end product.

So moving on from the things I don't like about this product, let me tell you what I do like. Firstly, I love the coverage. When I first heard about this foundation, the name 'Sheer Glow' gave me the impression it would have a light coverage and a dewy finish. However, after reading reviews and trying this foundation for myself, its actually the complete opposite. I'd class it as a medium-full coverage foundation and definitely buildable. I also find that it applies flawlessly, takes no effort at all to buff in and leaves my skin with a flawless 'semi-matte' finish. What I mean by semi-matte is that its not completely matte but definitely not 'glowy' as the name would suggest either, lets say somewhere in between. It definitely doesn't look cakey or too heavy, more like my natural skin but more flawless and radiant. This is a massive plus for me as I find I can wear it on a day to day basis or a night out without it looking caked in makeup. I've also found a little goes a long way so although its a pricey, it will last a long time. I tend to pop 1-2 pumps on the back of my hand and apply it with my Real Techniques buffing brush. I then lightly sweep Rimmel Stay Matte powder over the top to keep it in place. I've found it last well on the skin and doesn't separate or melt off your skin like MAC Studio Fix can.

Since buying this foundation, I've worn it every single day. I think its one of those that grows on you as when I first tried it, I wasn't blown away. I think for the price you expect miracles but its just a really nice and easy to use foundation. Like I said earlier, it looks like my skin but better when I'm wearing it and since wearing it on a regular basis, I've never had more compliments on my skin. So after all of this blabbering your probably wondering whether I'd buy this foundation again and my answer is 100% YES but with a pump next time. As much as I don't want to part with more money, a pump is a must-have! I'd also like to finish by saying, don't be put off this foundation if you have oily skin. My skin is combination (more on the oily side) and judging by the name 'Sheer Glow', it sounds like it would emphasise oiliness but trust me, it doesn't. Yay!

Have you ever tried this foundation? What do you think?

Lots of Love,