NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

As most will know due to my constant moaning (god I am such a nag) I have fairly sallow and dull skin which in the last few weeks perhaps due to the rubbish weather who knows has become worse. I know there is much more severe skin problems to contend with but let me tell you it gets old quick when every second person asks if you are ill due to your dull skin. With that in mind I finally gave in to temptation and purchased NARS Sheer Glow Foundation.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Now not everyone is going to love the scent of NARS foundations, in my opinion they are a little like Bobbi Brown foundations in that they take a little getting used to. In my opinion the NARS foundation scent is a little like burning plastic (please don't ask how I know that) but once applied to the skin the fragrance does disappear fairly quickly. I must admit I am not a fan of the packaging - the rubber cap becomes grubby rather quickly which is only heightened by the fact that it comes with no pump. To dispense the foundation you do have to pour it out which is both impractical and a dicey procedure especially first thing in the morning when you are a little bleary eyed, one wrong move and goodbye contents. I have heard that MAC foundation pumps can be trimmed to fit the NARS bottles but I have yet to try that out.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation is available in a fairly varied shade range - 20 shades to be exact from light to dark. I wear Barcelona which is listed as medium 4 and described as a "Medium hue with golden, peachy undertone." which is pretty accurate. For reference I wear MAC NC35/37 foundation and would say that this is closer to MAC NC37 perhaps a little darker to be truthful - being blonde has really washed out my complexion and I have found this to add a little colour without obvious tide marks or turning me orange. I should point out that I do find this oxidises and deepens a little when set with translucent powder so maybe bear that in mind if purchasing.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Sheer Glow is a light to medium coverage foundation that offers enough coverage to hide light scarring, disguise redness and generally even out the skin tone for a flawless base. One thing to keep in mind is that NARS Sheer Glow does not mean sheer as in transparent but rather sheer in the sense of ultimate, I know a good few have been put off by the title alone. It is fairly hydrating and not typically recommended for my skin type (oily) but I don't find it to slip when primed then set and I consider myself to overly oily in terms of skin type. Rather I find the luminous quality this foundation features to disguise signs of excess sebum rather naturally, as this gives a soft dewy and somewhat radiate glow to the skin any signs of oil tend to be less noticeable than say with a full coverage matte foundation. Also do not fret if like myself you have enlarged pores or fine lines this formulation will not settle into such faults and it contains no shimmer element to highlight such problems. Rather it glides over the skin providing a lit from within glow and a picture perfect canvas. In terms of wear when primed and set I typically get close to 9 hours of faultless wear.

I do adore NARS Sheer Glow foundation but those on a budget may want to consider L'Oreal's Lumi Magique foundation which is pretty similar. The main difference in my opinion is the wear time which isn't quite as long lasting with the L'Oreal version but I do have oily skin to contend with.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation 30ml/£30.50 via House of Fraser - link