The NARS base.

You might have seen this one coming. Seeing as my recent purchase of the NARS Sheer Glow foundation and stick concealer impressed me so much, I went all-out and picked up the NARS Pro-prime oil-free pore refining primer and the NARS loose setting powder. I’ve never been an all-one-brand person, but recently I’ve been obsessing over NARS products. They just work so well. The packaging gets dirty in record time, hence the fingermarks, and now I’ve discovered you can buy the pumps for Sheer Glow, I’ll be picking up one of them next time I’m around a NARS counter/Space NK (great excuse for a visit!).

The Primer is excellent. A little bit goes a really long way and it feels very light, cooling and refreshing on the skin. It really does help create a great base for the foundation but without feeling sloppy, greasy or thick. I’ve really been surprised with how little product I actually need, and although it’s not the cheapest option, I definitely prefer it to the similar-priced Benefit Porefessional.

Sheer Glow foundation  is exactly that, sheer with a glow. But the thing is, it’s not actually that sheer. I’d call it light-medium coverage. Using your fingers and a small amount of product you can get a really natural ‘my skin but better’ finish, with a natural looking glow (not too sheeny, not too matte). You can also layer it again using fingers, or for stubborn redness or blemishes, I’ve been loving the Real Techniques expert face brush. Even when you layer it up, Sheer Glow still looks natural, and doesn’t give you that full coverage, caked-on look. The foundation itself feels really light on the skin, so if you don’t like feeling like you’re wearing makeup, this is one for you to try. I can’t rave enough. It also works well with the good ol’ Real Techniques Buffing brush.I’ve even ordered the Louise Young LY34 foundation brush on recommendation from Anna, which apparently gives a natural look in minutes, perfect for those ‘snooze’ mornings, aka. every morning, although I’ve found a great app which is helping with that (more on that soon.)

Concealer. I’ve heard many rave reviews of the new NARS creamy concealer, but haven’t heard much about this little stick concealer. It was used on me at the NARS counter, and I was so impressed with the coverage, it covers even the worst blemishes and under-eye circles, and doesn’t crease or move around. I can’t compare the two as I haven’t tried the Creamy concealer yet, but I’m really impressed with this.

The finishing touch is the NARS Light Reflecting setting loose powder. I’ve always used pressed powder in the past, but again this was used on me at the NARS counter, and after trying my usual Rimmel Stay Matte for a few days at home, I realised just how effective it was, so I ordered it (along with the primer). I use a small amount on a Real Techniques powder brush, or, for a more matte finish, on a cotton pad (sounds weird, but that’s how they roll at the NARS counter, and it really works!) I thought it would be really messy, but it’s actually really easy to use and doesn’t make much mess at all. It also comes in a pressed  version if you prefer that too.

So that’s my current base, you can see it in action in my latest tutorial video, and even though I’m still experimenting with application tools, I’m loving the results I get with this combination.

Hope you’re all having a lovely day! xx

 

p.s this post isn’t sponsored by NARS, just incase you were suspecting!!