NARS | Sheer Glow Foundation Vs. Radiant Cream Compact Foundation - Mariam

Hello beautiful people,

I've been lucky enough to experiment a little with foundations since late last year. I've since trialed and tested three everyday foundations, two of them being in the title of this post. Today, I'm going to compare and contrast the two products both by NARS and tell you which product has won my heart as my everyday foundation.

Nars Radiant Cream Compact Foundation

Price = £34
Refill - £28
Compact - £6

I was very reluctant to try this product for many reasons. It was my first ever NARS founation and my first ever cream foundation. The packaging is convenient and the product is sold with an application sponge, however, NARS sell the compact separate to the actual product, for an extra £6. The consistency is indeed very creamy, I applied the product with the sponge for full coverage or my Chanel foundation brush for lighter coverage. The product blended well but required a lot more time due to the nature of the foundation, I wasn't used to the creamy consistency or the sponge applicator and I was worried about a patchy/ un-even finish. Additionally, it had a very sheer finish, so a little didn't go a long way. I always applied this product in natural daylight to avoid the easy-to-obtain patchiness. This was the first thing I disliked about the product, mainly because it made my foundation routine harder after dark. Another thing I really didn't like about this product, was its performance. It genuinely did not last over 4/6 hours (at a push). Now, I'm not sure if this was because my application process was off, or because I didn't apply enough but my days are very long and this wasn't ideal for me as an everyday foundation. For the time, effort and money put into this foundation, I expected more. I have now resorted to using this as a base for a really heavy makeup look for a night out/concert, where I need the extra coverage.

The swatch is almost un-noticable due to the sheer consistency of the product

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

Price = £33.50

Foundation = £30.50

Liquid Foundation Pump = £3

 

 

 

 

Personally I felt this foundation had a medium but build-able coverage. It's generally for normal, normal-to-dry and dry skin types. The natural 'glow' would not work well with oily or combination skin. The product was great at leaving me with an even and healthy looking skin tone. I was reluctant to use this as my everyday foundation, because of the intense coverage, however, this foundation is recommended for everyday use on the NARS website. The best thing about this foundation for me, is the fact I can use it for different purposes, for instance, I can work with achieving sheer coverage (college/day-to-day wear) by blending little product. Yet, for more medium and full coverage I can build the product and again, achieve my desired look. Also, the product blends better than any foundation I have ever used. I was also amazed at the performance, the foundation withstands my long 12 hour days and even performs well on nights out- the foundation did not develop an oily finish.  Additionally, I've received a shed-load of compliments every since my first wear of this foundation!

Liquid consistency (left) - Medium coverage (right)

I'm sure you've all guessed by now, but my current everyday foundation is the Nars Sheer Glow, it has truly out-done all other foundations I have used. I think my motivation for this post was to show how two products can have such contrasting performances yet be from the same brand. The radiant cream foundation has not at all influenced my opinion on NARS as a makeup brand - I think it's fantastic. 

 Hope this comparison was helpful!

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