Review: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Hey guys, well I think it's been way overdue for me to review this new foundation I've recently added to my collection, if any of you didn't know already this little baby here is NARS Sheer Glow also known as my number one most favouritest favourite foundation ever in the history of my foundation collection. Personally I didn't think anything could beat MAC's pro-long wear foundation but NARS has blown MAC out of the water with this one. 

Now that the introduction is over, I shall get back to reviewing the foundation. I've been using it more or less everyday for the past couple of months so I feel like I can give you guys my honest opinion about it. This is the first ever NARS product I've used and after hearing everyone on YouTube and various other blogs rave about it, I thought I have to try it too. Besides anything that promises to give me flawless looking skin I'm a sucker for!

The lady that colour matched me said I was in the middle of the shade 'Barcelona' and 'Punjab' (snazzy names huh), in the end I went for the darker shade (Barcelona) just because I felt more comfortable with it on my face. Let me start of with the coverage, when I first heard about the name 'sheer glow' I assumed it was going to give me a really dewy finish and the coverage was going to be light.. To my surprise it was the complete opposite, the coverage is medium but very buildable, the finish is slightly dewy, but by no means glowing as the name suggests. The best thing about this particular foundation is, I don't find myself looking blotchy after applying it at 7am, which is another bonus for anyone that works during the day, speaking from experience this foundation won't let you down.   

When applying it to my face I find that the Real Techniques buffing brush works a treat, doesn't take a lot of effort to blend and leaves my skin looking radiant and some what natural. What I mean by natural is, it doesn't completely paint the face, if applied correcting and buffed in properly, you won't be left looking cakey in the slightest but more natural and evened out. If your like me and don't particular like looking dewy, I usually apply MAC blot powder over the top which gives me a matte look. As my skin type is a combination (oily T zone and normal everywhere else) I find I need to blot my face during the day but never have to apply more foundation. 

The only negatives I have about this foundation is the fact it doesn't come with a pump, after paying so much for the foundation alone, you'd think the pump would be thrown in. I think higher end brands should really consider making that rule mandatory (who's with me?) Also the price wasn't very impressive either, £30.50 for a foundation is pretty ridiculous but it does last quite a long time and is amazing so I guess I can let that one slide.    

With this foundation a little definitely goes a long way. Above are a few swatches to show you how nicely it blends and I hope you can see the coverage it gives too. I only have to use one pump for my whole face and for me that's suffice. In all honesty since buying this foundation, it's all I wear and would recommend it to everyone even if you have oily skin, like I mentioned earlier, it doesn't really give you a glow, I'd say it's more semi-matte so don't be put off by the name. I've never had more compliments on my skin since wearing this to be honest.. So purchasing it again is an absolute must!

Have you tried this foundation? If so what do you think of it..

I hope this review has helped (specially for those that asked me on Instagram).

Until my next post,

As-Salaamalaikum x

REVIEW: Conceal yoself

Hey guys, so I thought I'd do my first official post reviewing some concealers. I think it's safe to say I try out a lot so I thought you'll all benefit from my reviews on them. Please bear in mind my skin type is combination so my opinions may not be the same as yours and also I'm not much of a makeup person so my lingo probably isn't up to par but it's a learning curve, give me time! :)

(Left to right - Garnier Pure Active, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection, Maybelline The Eraser Eye, MAC Moisture Cover, MAC Pro-long wear, MAC Studio Fix)

These are the ones I have recently been switching between. I'll go through them individually..

Garnier Pure Active - This is actually a 2 in 1 anti-spot roll on but everyone I've come across uses it as a concealer so I got on that bandwagon. To be perfectly honest it's not very good at concealing at all, I use it more of a highlighter under my eyes to make that area appear more brighter which probably totally contradicts what I just said but you get my drift. I feel like this product is best used on top of another concealer but saying that if your someone that doesn't need a lot of coverage then you should try this out.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection - Well I'm pretty sure most of you will already have this or adleast heard about it but let me tell you it's amazinggg! It's my go to concealer whenever I'm in a rush and to say it's from a drugstore (in the UK that's places like Boots, Superdrug ect I just don't know what you'd call them other than drugstore lol) and only costs a couple of quid, it really does the job and I personally think it can give some the higher end brands a run for there money. I'm the shade 'Medium' and feel confident dabbing it here and there on my face and blending it in when I don't want to wear foundation. I think the coverage is medium but is definitely buildable. Like I said before if your a person that doesn't wear foundation on a daily basis and is looking for a good concealer without breaking the bank then this is perfect for you.

Maybelline The Eraser Eye - This concealer is a 'perfect and cover concealer' and is a anti-aging one, so it says. To be honest I remember purchasing this after I saw the advert for it and it was one of them adverts that really sells the product with the girl with the flawless face, all because she used this concealer.. Well let me tell you, it's all lies. It's supposed to be a 'micro-correcting eye concealer that instantly erases dark circles and fine lines and visibly diminishes under-eye puffiness'. Again all lies! For me this product doesn't really blend well under your eyes, if you have dark circles it doesn't erase them, it makes them stand out even more, the coverage is light and not really buildable and felt really dry under my eyes. Basically what I'm trying to say is, this concealer is not very good and yes I have learnt my lesson, the moral of this story is, don't be so gullible and fall for the adverts!

MAC Moisture Cover - This concealer is the most recent one I've purchased and have only used it a couple of times. I have it in the shade NC30 and really like it so far. It's exactly what it claims to be, 'moisturising' it goes on and blends perfectly weather your using a brush or your finger and the best thing for me about this concealer is that the application is a wand which I personally prefer. I'd say the coverage is medium but buildable. If your someone with dry skin then this is perfect for you, I have combination skin and this works wonders for me. Not my fave but it's up there. I would definitely recommend it if your wanting to try something new and refreshing.

MAC Pro-long Wear - Ok so this has got to me my fave of all the concealers I've tried in my time (and believe me that's a lot). I purchased this the same time I got the pro-long wear foundation and let me tell you I love that too but I'll stick to reviewing the concealer for now. I have this in the shade NW30 which I didn't think I was a NW shade but the very nice MAC lady colour matched me and said the NW will work better for and she wasn't wrong. The coverage is perfect, medium, maybe to some heavy but very buildable. Sometimes I use this as a foundation all over my face and you can't even tell. The consistency isn't runny at all and just glides on nicely. The only negative I have about this concealer is the bottle it comes in. It has a little pumpy thing which I don't really like as you can't control how much product will come out. As I only use it under my eyes and on a few blemishes, one whole pump is too much and I think whoever already has this will agree. But never the less as a whole this is amazing and I will forever be repurchasing.

MAC Studio Fix - This is the first ever MAC concealer I purchased (aww the memories). I got this is in NC30 and really like the fact that it comes in a little tub as I can control how much I use and in my opinion lasts a lot longer too. For me this concealer is too heavy for everyday and creases a lot under my eyes. Something I learnt with this concealer is to try avoid using a heavy hand when applying as it can result in cakeiness. The consistency is thick but has excellent coverage. I think it's perfect for a evening event, wedding ect. A day when your going to have makeup on all day and need something reliable, something you don't need to top up mid day. I don't think this concealer will work well for people with dry skin as the consistency isn't runny in the slightest but has more of a creamy texture which may not work well with dry skin. I think it's definitely one to have for occasions but like I said for me it is way too heavy for everyday.

I think I've said everything I wanted to say about the current concealers I'm trying and I hope I've helped you guys in some sort of way. The next concealer I really want to try is Benefit's Erase Paste, I've heard a lot of good things about it, comment below or email me on nazmak92@gmail.com and tell me what you think if you have it or tried it, and tell me about any other concealers that you guys love. I'm always one to try!

Until my next post..
As-Salaamualaikum x