My Holy Grail Foundation | NARS Sheer Glow

Considering the fact I've been using this foundation for the past 3 years, I can't believe I haven't reviewed it yet. It's no secret that I like my high end makeup products and NARS was one of the first high end brands I bought anything from. Their Sheer Glow Foundation was the second product of theirs that I tried and in all honesty, the first time I used it I was quite disappointed.

To start with I was matched to the wrong shade which was actually 2 shades too dark, and I was so comfortable with my current foundation that I didn't think I could get used to a new formula. But does anyone actually feel comfortable with just hiding a £30+ foundation at the back of their makeup drawer and never using it again? I tried using it mixed with other foundations, over different moisturisers, before or after concealer and with different brushes and eventually I fell in love with it. Fast forward 3 years and I'm still using and loving it everyday.

The NARS website says;

"A glowing, natural finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage that immaculately evens skin tone. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, it leaves skin hydrated, more luminous, softer and smooth. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves the skin's brightness and texture. For normal, normal-to-dry and dry skin types."

Unlike the name 'sheer glow' and what the description says, I don't find this to be a sheer coverage, yes it is buildable but it is much closer to a medium coverage foundation. Sheer glow also isn't particularity glowy, it's definitely not matte but also it's not a dewy finish, it's more of a happy medium. Okay, I'm not one to believe that foundation can do wonders for your skin because it's makeup not skincare, so I wouldn't say that this has improved the brightness or texture of my skin. However, I would say that it has a very hydrating texture. Surely any foundation that isn't hydrating will suck all the moisture out of your skin and make it feel more like a desert right?

NARS Sheer Glow has a creamy texture which is very hydrating and lightweight and it doesn't make my skin feel like it's suffocating underneath a layer or 2 of foundation. It's recommended for normal-dry skin types but as someone with combination skin, I still love it and with the right powder it will last you all day; a primer will help even further with any oiliness. I'm typing this having had it on my skin for 11 hours and yes my skin is a little shiny but it hasn't worn off at all. I have noticed that if I've been a bit lazy with my skincare and my skin isn't as smooth as normal before applying this, it does show up the drier areas and can start to look a little cakey.

I know there are a lot of bloggers who hate the bottle of NARS Sheer Glow because it doesn't have a pump and if you want one you need to buy it separately. The first time I bought Sheer Glow I did buy a pump but it didn't reach all of the product so the closer I got to finishing the bottle, I ended up getting more product from pouring it out anyway.

It's not the cheapest foundation at £33 but a little goes a long way so in my books, it's worth every penny. What is your holy grail foundation?

Bye for now xxx

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Current Favourites

In all honesty, my favourites haven't really changed that much over the last few months since I uploaded my March & April Favourites post. I've been using pretty much all the same products and doing the same makeup look everyday since then (even with a whole drawer of makeup sitting next to me). Anyway, I have still managed to find a few other products that I have been loving recently.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I've still been loving my MAC eyeshadows and they have been my go-to almost everyday. Although on the days where I haven't had as much time to get ready, I've been reaching for my Naked palette. Sidecar is an old favourite shade of mine so I immediately gravitated towards that shade and washing it over my eyelids. Sidecar is a very subtle shade so I've been using Buck to add some more depth into the crease. Virgin is a gorgeous shimmery pearl shade which I actually use everyday to highlight the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them up slightly.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush - Mood Exposure
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush - Brilliant Nude

Oh Hourglass, what can I say. Hourglass blushes are without a doubt my favourite and I can't remember the last time I did my makeup without using one. Mood Exposure I fell in love with from their original blush palette and that didn't change after buying the full size. This is actually much more pigmented than it was in the palette; trust me and be careful or you'll end up looking like a clown! I've been reaching for Mood Exposure a lot more recently when I've been using my Naked palette as it's still a very natural shade but adds a bit more colour to my face.

Brilliant Nude is my new favourite blush shade. I can't believe how quickly I used this up in the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush Palette. I haven't used the full size of this yet so I'm not sure how it compares to the palette but if the pigmentation is just as good then perfect! I've been reaching for this when using my MAC eyeshadows to give my cheeks some life without my makeup looking like I've gone too overboard with colour.

Both shades are incredibly soft, a dream to blend and the pigmentation is amazing; Brilliant Nude lasted in the blush palette for about 4 months even though I was using it almost everyday. I'm already so excited for their new holiday palettes!

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

I had heard about this highlighter so many times and knew that it was very popular but for ages it wasn't a product I was all that bothered about. I couldn't have been more wrong! I've been using this pretty much everyday for the past 4 months and I've hardly made a dent in it. It is a very soft and pigmented champagne powder and for ages I almost forgot about all the other highlighters in my collection (including Champagne Pop!) I've mainly been using this with Brilliant Nude as it compliments the golden highlighter running through the blush. I actually have 2 of these as the first one arrived broken but the pigmentation is so spot on I think it'll take me a couple of years to get through them both!

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick - Valentine

I did actually mention this in my March & April Favourites but I haven't stopped using it since. It is described as a petal-rose pink which in my opinion the perfect spring/summer shade. I love the creamy formula of this lipstick, it goes on smoothly and it doesn't dry out your lips but if your lips are very dry then it will show through. I noticed that unlike the Kim K.W shade, as this wears off it leaves a stain of colour on your lips, one of my friends thought I had just re-applied it when in fact it was actually a few hours before. This is a limited edition shade and I've already bought one backup but at this rate, I think I'll need to get a second!

L'Oreal Pure Clay Glow Scrub

It's very rare for me to fall in love with a product after the first time I've used it. Sometimes I think oh I love it and then after a while it doesn't seem as amazing as it first did. However, the first time I used this I knew it was going to be a favourite. In all honesty, I have been seriously slacking with my skincare routine for the past few months so I hadn't been using this everyday until more recently. I'm not a fan of scrubs and can't stand the feeling of them but this just feels like a slightly gritty cleanser, so I was surprised how well it worked and how soft my skin was afterwards. If I go just one day without using this, I really notice in the texture of my skin but I haven't been using it long enough to know if it has brightened my skin just yet. My makeup has also been going on so much better and looking a lot better after using this.

TIGI S-Factor Silky Smooth Moisture Serum

Last but not least, another product that very quickly managed to find a way into my favourites. I was about to order another bottle of the TIGI S-Factor Smoothing Lusterizer when I saw this mentioned on someones blog. Unlike the lusterizer, this doesn't make my hair feel like it's covered with product, even after styling. I use this when my hair is wet before blow-drying and considering how frizzy my hair goes (think of a lion's mane), I was very surprised to see just how much this smoothed down the frizziness. It has been leaving my hair silky smooth just as it says on the bottle and I'm so glad I decided to try this one. I can't for the life of me remember who's blog I saw this on but thank you! Plus it smells like strawberries and cream, what more could you want?

(Top to Bottom) Brilliant Nude, Mood Exposure, Mary Lou Manizer, Valentine

The weather has been so temperamental recently and we haven't exactly had much of a summer in the UK this year so I'm already getting excited for Autumn. What have been your staple products throughout the summer?

Bye for now xxx

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It's Okay To Take A Break

Anyone who's been reading my blog for a while now will know that me and my blog seem to have a very on-off relationship (if only I had a pound for every time I've said that). My last post was at the end of May and it honestly doesn't seem like it was 3 months ago. Life went very hectic very quickly and I couldn't find any time to sit down to even think about any blog posts let alone take photos for my blog or Instagram.

As someone who really doesn't like the heat, I spent the few weeks of summery weather that we did have, feeling ill and really appreciating the air con at work. Unfortunately in the UK, if we are lucky enough to get any summery weather, it doesn't last long enough for me to get climatized to it. It was my 21st birthday in June during the hottest days of the year and for multiple reasons including the heat, it wasn't anywhere near the 21st I had planned.

Oh July, the month where work makes my life go crazy. Summer sales in retail can be quite intense; weeks of planning, shopfloor prep the night before which doesn't always go to plan (as an anxious person, that's a part I always hope doesn't happen). Then there's the 5am start on the sale day and all you want is the shop to go back to normal. All I want to do around the sale is come home, watch Netflix and eat chocolate - as much as I love my blog, it was my last thought.

The longer I leave my blog, sadly the more motivation I lose but the more I miss it. To start with, the sun disappeared meaning I had no lighting for photos then I couldn't think of any post ideas and I became so bored of my template that I just completely lost my love of blogging. I was still reading other people's blog posts and looking through Instagram feeds but started feeling really low about my own that I just had no idea what to do. I tried my best to think of post ideas to get back into that blogging mindset and I've kept both my wishlist and shop pages up to date for you. Although I wasn't able to get any current content ready, I have been working on one post for the future which is very personal for me meaning it has been very difficult to write. I had become so focused on trying to get that post perfect even though I knew I wouldn't be uploading it until I'm 100% ready that I just ignored the drafts that I had waiting for me. Eventually, I decided to take a break altogether. I left that post alone after starting it again from scratch for the third time, I left Instagram for a while and I completely pushed my blog to the side.

I have really missed blogging over the last few months and now I've got a week off work, I'm ready to try and create some new content for you! New template and new posts. What do you do when life gets in the way of your blog?

Bye for now xxx