Review: NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be (finally) talking about NARS Sheer Glow in the shade Siberia! I've had this for quite some time, and it is one of the biggest first world struggles for me. It's the perfect colour, but the formula is A PAIN IN THE BEHIND. I'm halfway through the bottle and I STILL can't apply it correctly every time. How very frustrating.

"A glowing, natural radiant 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 smoother. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves the skin's brightness and texture.
 
For normal, normal-to-dry and dry skin types
Hydrates for softer and smoother skin
Contains powerful anti-oxidants to protect against damaging free radicals and turmeric extract to improve skin's radiance and tone
Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Fragrance free.

Siberia
Light 1 - Light with neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones"(1)

This foundation comes packaged in an elegant glass bottle and does not come with a pump, though you can purchase the pump separately. I really recommend grabbing the pump because it's so much more convenient!

I have the shade Siberia and even though NARS says it is a neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones, I find it very yellow which is great for my skin! It does oxidise a tiny amount, but I don't find it bothersome. It has a thin, runny texture and is quite easy to spread out on the skin. I find that this does oxidise a tiny amount on my skin, but not enough for it to be a big deal for me.

I prefer not to use a primer with this foundation because I found that it just kinda messes with the application and longevity of the foundation, I especially don't use silicone based primers because since this is a water based foundation they won't mix well. I like to apply this foundation with a damp beauty blender, or my Etude House Air Puff rather than fingers or brushes. I found that using my fingers literally just took me forever to blend out evenly, and brushes left my skin looking really streaky.

This foundation has light to medium coverage and is supposed to be buildable, but I can never build the foundation to a nice finish (it always looks so cakey) so I choose to use a separate concealer if I want more coverage instead. At the moment it covers all of my scarring quite well, but if you have proper acne this will only give you light coverage.

This foundation does not last well on oily skin at all. Generally my skin is oily through the T-Zone, though since I am taking Orotane my skin produces much less oil, making this foundation last quite well.

 However when I had oily skin the foundation got super oily after about 4 hours and started to break up around my nose and chin which was really frustrating. 

I've had this foundation a while now, and tried a bunch of primers, setting powders and finishing sprays with this foundation because it is quite pricey in New Zealand, I just wanted to make it work! But at the moment with my now non oily skin I'm trying to use it as much as possible so that I get my moneys worth out of it if I can't really use it with oily skin. 

What I Love

- Siberia is the perfect colour for my skin
- Really elegant packaging, works great with the pump
- Works well with non-oily skin
- Easy to apply with sponges
- Light to medium coverage   

What I Don't Love

- You have to buy the pump separately
- Awful on oily skin
- Can just be a pain in the behind

Final Thoughts

Although I previously hated this foundation because of how much I spent on it and how awfully it worked with my oily skin, I have really been enjoying it so much for the past 8 months because it works really well with my skin currently so I am quite pleased! It's the perfect colour for my skin, though I find that it's quite yellow and warm toned rather than being neutral, I'm not sure how this is a neutral shade! It is a pain in the butt to apply sometimes, so I always need to make sure my brushes are super duper clean to get the best finish for the foundation, but when it works it works well, and when it doesn't, well ... I am not a happy camper!

I would recommend this foundation for any Princesses with neither super dry nor super oily skin, and the shade for any Princesses who are very fair with yellow undertones!