Nars Sheer Glow Foundation Review

About two years ago I purchased this foundation and I hated it with a passion. It clung on for dear life to dry patches, looked cakey and just generally crappy. BUT the other day I ran out of my MAC Prolongwear Foundation and I had this sitting at the back of my makeup drawer. Since I had basically nothing else to use I decided to give this a go, and boy was I surprised. It sat on my skin so nicely and blended so well that I had no idea what the hell I was thinking two years ago.

The product goes on as more of a medium coverage, so don't be fooled by it's name. (What a stupid name... it is definitely not 'sheer'!). It can be built up to full coverage too if that's what you're looking for. As far as I'm aware it doesn't contain SPF so it won't flash back in photos. Cost is $71 AUD. Also, it doesn't come with a pump! Wasn't happy paying extra for that. (Tut-tut Nars...)

Seeing as I had such different experiences with it I had to work out what was happening for it to apply so badly before. And I now know exactly what caused it. Number one: I was not taking care of my skin at all and I was a notorious pimple popper. This caused my skin to be constantly flaky and always trying to heal, creating a generally uneven skin texture. And number two: I was using a completely different foundation brush to what I should have been using.

Luckily, these are two things that are easily fixable!

Lately I've been taking care of my skin a lot more (I have spent a lot on skincare in the last month... shh) and it's actually taken my skin back to it's normal state which is combination. I get a little oily in my T-zone but my skin can get somewhat dehydrated on my cheeks and the outer portions of my face if I don't moisturise properly.

The best way to apply this (for myself, anyway) is definitely with the Beauty Blender. It blends the product on to the face extremely well and really is the way to go. It gives it such a natural flawless finish and takes away any trace of the terrifying cake face.

Here's a photo below to give you an idea. My left side has foundation, right has nothing, taken in natural daylight. As you can see, it has covered up most redness except for on my chin, and has also left a couple of pimples on my head peeking through. Pairing this with a concealer is a must. BUT the texture of my skin looks heaps better! (Excuse the tired eyes!)

I use the shade Gobi (Light 3) which is described as being light with yellow undertones.

As I mentioned above, the previous time that I used this foundation I had very flakey skin because of poor skin care, and the foundation clung to the dry patches that I had. Because of this I wouldn't recommend it for people with very dry skin, although I think you could probably get away with it if you moisturised well. I also think that people with very oily skin might have a hard time in warmer weather with oil control. What has helped me is spraying my face after completing my makeup with a finishing spray. That seems to hold it in place a lot longer than any other method. If you have normal skin you will love this foundation!

So, heres a short breakdown of this foundation:

• Very natural flawless finish
• Covers up flaws nicely, is buildable, evens out skin texture
• Should be used with a Beauty Blender
• Will cling to dry patches - moisturise well before hand
• Very oily people should take extra precautions and prime with an oil-controlling primer - set with a finishing spray if you can!
• People with normal skin will love this!

Overall I love it, and its VERY close to becoming a holy grail product. I'm still in the process of comparing foundations but I'll be very surprised if anything surpasses this. 

What do you think of this foundation? I'm actually interested to see how different skin types work with this product, so leave me a comment down below and let me know!

March Favourites!

Hello everyone and welcome back! Today I'd love to share with you some of the products I've been adoring this month. And yes, the Lindt gold bunny is there because it was Easter... and I can 100% guarantee that it will be completely gone by the time this post is finished. (Let's be real, chocolate is my favourite of the month every month mmk.)

Left: Patina
Right: Bellissima

So to kick off the list, we have the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks ($36 AUD). The two shades that I picked up are Patina and Bellissima and they are amazing. I have officially fallen in love with them. So pigmented and beautiful, and not drying on my lips at all. Can't wait to pick up more shades.

There is a swatch for you to the left. I find that Bellissima is slightly too light for me, but using a lip liner underneath really makes all the difference. I've just been using MAC's Lip Pencil in Whirl.

The next new favourite is the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick ($30 AUD) in Bachelorette. Sephora only had this and a few other shades and I was actually a little disappointed because I was looking for a bold red colour like Outlaw, but I actually ended up really liking this one. It's very close to red, but has a slightly more pink undertone. Really adds a pop of colour to every look. (Swatched to the right)

I've noticed that Kat Von D tends to make much bolder, long lasting  colours than other brands so I'll definitely be picking up some more risky colours from this line... exciting!

Left: Topaz Twinkle
Right: Burnished Bling

Next favourite... is... ugh. So good. It's just sparkles and happiness and rainbows. I picked up the Revlon Photoready Eye Art ($15 AUD from Chemist Warehouse) in Topaz Twinkle and Burnished Bling. So the idea with these is that one end has the eye shadow creme, and the other side has the sparkle eye liner. They both dry down pretty quickly so once they're on, they're not going anywhere. I tried this look a couple of weeks ago with the eyeliner from Burnished Bling and it adds this amazing sparkle to your lid.

I did also try the liner all over my whole lid, and while it stepped up the sparkle game, I also couldn't open/shut my eyes properly, I'm assuming because of the glue in the product and how quickly it dries. So thats a bit of a bummer. But as an eyeliner its incredible. (The swatch doesn't do it justice, it looks amazing IRL.)


The RCMA No-Color Powder ($24 AUD) is truly a wonderful invention. It's basically a translucent powder, but it contains absolutely no pigment whatsoever, and doesn't leave a white cast on your face. Officially my new holy grail powder. Best past is that it's only $24. Only con is that if you're not careful, this stuff will go absolutely everywhere. Trust me.

After researching online a lot of people have said that it's a dupe for the Laura Mercier Loose Translucent Powder, which retails at $62 AUD. Dafuq. That is all.

Next is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water ($12.99 AUD). This stuff is great because you could get away with using just this without needing follow up with cleansing, moisturising, etc. Which means its great for those totally sober nights out where you just cannot be bothered doing more than one step when taking off your makeup.

I've recently been using this more than makeup wipes just because I feel like I don't have to tug at my skin as much. This is definitely a dupe for the Bioderma Sensible H2O Micelle Solution ($33.99 AUD).

Last but not least is the Vera Wang Princess ($39.99 AUD) perfume which I've had for a while but recently rediscovered. It has this lovely touch of vanilla scent to it, along with a bunch of others that I'm not sure about. I dunno. It just smells nice, ok.

Also, any perfumes that you want, just get them from Chemist Warehouse. Whenever I buy perfumes I always buy from them. The discounts are insane.



So those were my most favourite products from this month! What were yours? I'm obsessed with finding new products to love so leave me a comment down below.

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My Favourite Self Tanners: Say NO to orange!

I was lucky that I didn't discover tanning when I was 13 and didn't know what I was doing; there are so many cheaply formulated tans that will turn you that awful orange colour that we all love to hate. I was 19 when I discovered it and I did a lot of research before I decided on one that was for me.

At the moment, there are two tans that I would definitely recommend, depending on how much you're willing to spend. You can't really go wrong with either of them, there are just a few pros and cons for both of them that I'll list below. I don't bother with the light/medium version of these tans as you need to apply two coats to get a decent colour.

Also, I know a lot of tans will claim that they have a lovely 'coconut' fragrance or something along those lines, but realistically it's all bullsh*t. No matter what, I can always smell the tan on my skin. It's just something that goes along with self tanning. Some aren't as bad as others, but just keep that in mind.

Loving Tan 2 Hour Express Dark Self Tanning Mousse 

Price: $39.95 AUD (120mL) / $65.95 AUD (200mL)

This exploded all over the internet a while ago, quite a few beauty gurus on YouTube were raving about it, so I decided to grab it and have a go. Long story short: It's fantastic. It will turn you a lovely natural golden brown colour. The best bit? You only have to leave it on for two hours! Whaaa-? What is this madness! I HATE sleeping in fake tan. I can never get a good sleep in it, so naturally this was the main selling point for me. Praise the tanning Gods! Just remember that the colour won't fully develop until 12 hours has passed.

They also make a regular mousse in Dark and Ultra Dark with the regular 6-8 hour wait before washing, although ultra dark sounds scary to me!

If you're not in Australia, I know that this can add up to be quite expensive with shipping included, so just keep that in mind. (Now you know how we feel!) I also thought that this was only available online but I did actually see it in my local Amcal, so you can get it in Aus in some drugstores without the price of shipping.

Pros:

• Darkest self-tanner on the market (that I'm aware of, if I'm wrong about this let me know)
• Natural golden brown after developing time
• Only need to leave on for two hours
• Lasts for 7-10 days with regular body moisturising

Cons:

• Harder to blend, beginners might find this tricky to work with
• Dries quickly so you need to work fast
• Expensive

Bondi Sands Self Tanning Mousse in Dark

Price: $13.99 AUD (110mL) / $19.99 AUD (200mL)

'Holy crap! Look at that bloody price difference!' - you might be saying. Yes, it is less than half the price of the Loving Tan mousse. Now, if price is your main concern here, then you've probably already made up your mind. If you're keen to hear the main differences between the two, keep on reading.

This was the first tan I ever used, and I loved it. It was fairly affordable, readily available and pretty easy to use. Still is. The main difference between this and Loving Tan is that you have to leave it on for at least 8 hours in order to get any sort of colour, which for me means probably sleeping in it. Ew. It is also not as dark, and usually won't last past 7 days. It is also a lot more green based, so it will give you more of a natural olive tan instead of golden brown. It still looks hella good though.

Just quietly, if Bondi Sands made a 2 hour express version of their tan that was decent I would definitely get on that. You'd definitely get the best of both worlds!

Pros:

• Very easy to blend, more beginner-friendly
• Natural olive-brown tan after developing time
• Very affordable

Cons:

• Isn't as dark as Loving Tan
• Needs to be on for eight hours before washing off

So really, you can't go wrong with either of these. It just comes down to how much you're willing to spend and/or how long you want to leave the guide colour on for.

I will also post a tanning routine at some point, although it's all pretty straight forward. Be sure to look out for that post if you'd like some tips! Also let me know in the comments what self tanner you use, I'd love to know!

MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande Lipstick: Review and Swatch

Being a girl who loves her dark lipstick, I was super excited to get my hands on this. MAC and Ariana Grande have created a love-child: this super dark, vampy plum lip colour. I don't have many dark colours in my collection, but I get the feeling this might become a staple. My mother almost had a heart attack when she saw the colour in the tube (she thought it was black... haha), but calmed down a little when I showed her a swatch.

As for the formulation, it's not exactly the best, but I found it to be far less drying than some of the other matte lipsticks from MAC. In fact I hardly noticed it drying out my lips at all. This might be due to the fact that the lipstick actually has a slight sheen to it, instead of being a pure matte. After a while of wear it did become a little patchy and flaky, but honestly it didn't really bother me (I only noticed when I got close to the mirror when I got home, prior to that I received many compliments from friends!)

Below is a swatch in natural daylight:

It's actually very similar to a Nars matte lipstick I received a couple of years ago as a birthday gift... and I actually forgot that I had it.. whoops. The colour is Volga Pure Matte ($44 AUD). I've done a swatch of the two below so you can see the difference (or lack-there-of):

Left: MAC, Right: Nars.

As you can see they're pretty much identical, but the Nars Volga is slightly lighter and has a more matte finish. They wear very similarly as well. I'd probably just go for MAC if I had to choose, as it's slightly cheaper at $36 AUD. Gotta save the $$$ where you can, right?

So the verdict is: 

• Fantastic dark plum colour 
• Not too drying
• A little flaky after a few hours of wear but not too noticeable  

Overall I like it. Just in time for Autumn as well! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it too, so post a little comment down below if you'd like!