NARS Sheer Glow in Barcelona

My first post back is a review of a much loved product - NARS Sheer Glow foundation. This initially came onto my radar years ago when Lollipop26 (now Buy Now Blog Later) raved about it on her blog/youtube channel.

I have been using this for a while now (I've just finished my bottle) and have to say that for me this foundation has definitely lived up to the hype.

I had this applied on counter - Sheer Glow on one side and Sheer Matte on other and went away to see how they both looked later on that day. At first I preferred how Sheer Matte looked, but it was actually the Sheer Glow that wore better as the day progressed so a while later I purchased this in Barcelona.

I find Barcelona to be a perfect shade as it's got a good yellow tone that's really great for evening out the skin and toning down any redness (which I have from old acne marks).

The texture is a runny liquid, so for a me a foundation brush is the best method of applying; my favourite brushes to use with this are Lancome's foundation brush, Ruby and Millie foundation brush, Louise Young LY34 and the MAC 159 (a fab brush for a more airbrushed look).

Application is smooth, and blends into a natural finish that's not matte but has a very tiny amount of radiance. The coverage is medium (not sheer as the name may suggest) and buildable which I like as I prefer better coverage. Even though it's not quite full coverage (as some of my darker marks show through a little), it's one of those bases where I don't feel the need to use a concealer afterwards, so often I skip it, and sometimes I skip the powder too.

Another thing I like is that the better coverage doesn't make the finish look flat; if you've used something like Makeup Forever HD or Laura Mercier Silk Creme (both of which I quite liked), they do not enliven the skin as much so I compensate by using more radiance powders and bronzers to lift the finish.

Bare-faced on the left (just moisturiser), Sheer Glow applied on the right.

This definitely is my go-to when I want a more flawless look that doesn't oxidise (I hate it when bases turn orange) and I've worn it day-to-day, going out and is my default base for special occasions.

Overall a great, fail-safe option, which I'm now missing since finishing about a week ago.

narscosmetics.co.uk

Back to Blogging

I have been absent from blogging for almost a year (how time flies!), a small break turning into a much longer absence. I had not intended to neglect my blog for so long and I have certainly missed posting so am attempting to restart things and have had a little layout refresh (which I don't think I'm done tweaking with just yet).

In my blog silence I've used up quite a few products that I will be reviewing in the weeks to come and have plenty of newness to share so I'm hoping to get those posts up as well.

Imedeen Derma One Review

Back at the beginning of February, British Beauty Blogger did a post on starting a trial of Imedeen skin supplements and it piqued my interest as I take quite a few supplements but not anything of this nature for my skin.

Something I was not aware of is that Imedeen do Derma Scan skin scanning so you can see at a deeper level how good your skin is. The scan is free and open to anyone, and at the end of the assessment, you get a 15 day trial pack.

I find these sorts of things fascinating and I like seeing exactly what condition my skin is in rather then guessing so I booked in for a Derma Scan back in February which was carried out by Emma. She scanned the skin (it's done on the forearm, not on the face) and I was surprised to hear that my skin was a little better than average. For reference I am 29 and my skin is acne-prone (this has calmed down somewhat over the past year), combination/dehydrated, acne scarred (my main issue) so I wasn't expecting much!

Emma recommended the Derma One which helps to 'combat loss of radiance and moisture associated with the first signs of ageing' and contains an 'exclusive Marine Complex™, vitamin C and zinc, the formula contributing to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, supports normal collagen formation and helping to maintain healthy skin'.

I went away with my trial pack and started taking the supplements straight away that same day. You take 2 a day and they are small so easy to swallow.  Typically it takes 12-24 weeks to see results which is what I was expecting so I was rather surprised when I looked in the mirror a couple of days later and was like 'no way!'

It was a minuscule change but my skin appeared somehow improved - my acne scars seemed a tiny bit refined, fractionally smoother maybe and my skin seemed softer. Thinking it was maybe my imagination, I didn't think too much of it but it wasn't until a work colleague commented several days later and asked what had I been doing as my skin had more of a 'glow'. I really could not believe that someone had noticed a change and that I was seeing results so fast.

Even after this I still was curious to see proof and the opportunity came about again when I went to the Vitality Show in March and Imedeen were there, along with the Derma Scan, so I had the scan again and here was the result:

The black line on the left side represents the epidermis - the top part of the skin you can see and touch, and on the right the coloured dots represent collagen, elastin and moisture retaining elements in the invisible dermal layer. The darker the colour and the more evenly distributed the dots, the better the quality of the skin.

Derma Scan on 9th February 2013

Derma Scan on 23rd March 2013

The first pic is the 'before' scan, and you can see that the area is not as densely packed with coloured dots. In the second 'after' pic you can clearly see a marked improvement in the density of the skin - in values it went from 45 to 67.

I am so pleased with these results and after I finished my trial pack I did go out and buy 6 months supply from Boots (thank goodness for 3 for 2!). 

It's been exactly 3 months today since I started taking Imedeen and I'm hoping with prolonged use that my skin will continue to improve and that my acne scarring will be less visible. So far, so good!

Thanks to BBB for bringing Imedeen to my attention and the lovely Emma at Imedeen!

*I am not a beauty/healthcare professional and am not affiliated with Imedeen. Opinions are my own. 
 As with any supplementation, it is advisable to seek professional advice beforehand*