My dad has always told me to stop shopping after purchasing something...
I should have listened.
I came across several reviews that said this foundation, while recommended for dry skin, is not good for dry skin.
I have dry skin! I panicked. I was worried that I was going to hate it.
These people said that Sheer Glow would cling to any dry patch on your face.
NOOOO! My whole face is a dry patch! I'm ruined!
So, how did NARS Sheer Glow pan out for my first try?
First, let's talk about how I applied it.
I washed my face, and did my normal skin care routine. I then spritzed my face with my new Smashbox Primer Water (more notes on this primer are below).
Nars Sheer Glow does NOT come with a pump, which is a bit disappointing, but I did know this before purchasing. You can purchase a pump separately, for I think $5.
I poured some Sheer Glow onto the back of my hand, and I mixed what I call a "foundation cocktail" using about a dime sized amount of foundation and one drop of Tarte Maracuja oil. After mixing that around, I dabbed it on my nose, forehead, cheeks and chin. I used a damp Beauty Blender and blended the foundation into my skin.
I have before and after pictures, but unfortunately, the lighting changes between my No Makeup picture and my Foundation Only picture, so it's hard to tell the differences.
None of these pictures are edited in any way.
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| Before, no foundation. Hair not up for discussion. ;) |
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| After, one layer of foundation. |
After one layer of foundation, the redness on my cheeks was greatly diminished, and the redness on my nose was slightly neutralized. You could still see my freckles. I would definitely describe it as sheer coverage. The finish was what I would call "natural." It had a glow about it that looked like natural skin. I thought it was beautiful! It did cling to the dry patches on my nose, but it was so minimal that it wasn't picked up by the camera.
I added another layer of foundation, to see how buildable it was.
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| After two layers of foundation. |
I really liked the look of two layers! It's very subtle, but my nose is less red and my freckles are more covered. The finish was still natural looking. The dry patch on my nose showed up a little more, but again, it wasn't bad at all.
I finished the rest of my makeup, and took pictures throughout the day, seeing how the foundation looked in different lighting.
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| Outdoors, 1 hour after application. |
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| Indoors, about 1 hour after application. |
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| Two hours after application. |
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| Three hours after application. This was my favorite lighting - the bathroom at Sam's Club! (Hahaha!) |
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| Indoors, about four hours after application. |
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| I think this was 5-6 hour after application, and this was the last photo I took. |
I think the lasting power was pretty good considering it lasted throughout talking the dogs for a walk outside in the Florida heat, a toddler climbing on me during lunch time, and shopping at Sam's Club.
I like the coverage, I love the finish. Everything is going for this foundation!
My problem was with the primer. The Smashbox Primer Water was GREAT for moisturizing my skin, and giving it a great look. However, it did NOTHING for my huge pores. I shouldn't hold that against the Smashbox Primer, because it doesn't claim to help with pores. But seriously:
This was one hour after application. The camera could focus on my pores. That is disgusting. After seeing this picture, I felt self conscious for the rest of the day. Granted, no one will look this close at my face except me, but when my regular primer fills in my pores so they NEVER look like this, this was shocking to me.
So the Smashbox Primer Water got a big FAIL from my first impression, but the NARS Sheer Glow is great!
I will continue to play with this foundation with different primers. I'm betting I can get it to cover the pores with a different primer. If not, I am returning it, even though everything else about it is perfect.
I'm going to try using the Smashbox Primer Water in different ways. I'll try using it before my normal primer, and I'll try using it as a setting spray, but I will never again use it alone under foundation.
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