NARS • Sheer Matte • Liquid

Where To Buy?

waiyi on 6/8/2013 9:58:00 PM more reviews by waiyi

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I am looking for foundation that have oil control, cover my pores and good staying power. A girl from Sephora recommended me "Nars Sheer Matte Foundation", and my color is Figi (I wear Urban Decay Naked 3.0 and Makeup Forever 118 or 120).

Here is what I think about this foundation:

Coverage: Light to medium, it said buildable, but it is not in my case. If I applied more than one layer, it turns CAKEY. It covers my pores well, but not my redness. And it accentuated my dry patches.

Finish: Nice and airbrush matte finish, if I ignored my dry patches.

Staying Power: SUCKS!! It wore off in couple hours without setting powder or setting spray. I did use primer. With setting spray, it wore off in about 4 hours.

Oil Control: There is no such thing in this foundation. My face turns very oily in an hour.

Color: Match perfect, I look very natural which I love.

And it photographs very well.

If you have a normal skin or looking for foundation for photograph well, you may like it.

Will I buy it again?? NO!!!!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Kur3 on 5/30/2013 5:55:00 PM more reviews by Kur3

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

This product was recommended to me by a sales associate in sephora. Even after I explained I have very dry skin she told me to use the matte foundation. No matter what moisturizer I used it still dried me out. I used a moisturizing primer and that also didn't help. Waste of 50$.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Jyfh on 5/29/2013 5:59:00 AM more reviews by Jyfh

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I've used both this and the sheer glow one and both of them made my face look flawless without being really caky. I learned that using a brush will make it streaky and blotchy so I only use my fingers to apply this. I work pretty long hours at a busy restaurant and this has been the only foundation that's able to keep my skin matte and not shiny even in my T zone area. This doesnt come with a pump but you can always buy it for 10 bucks on their website or at sephora. The price is definitely pricey for a foundation but I think it's either you love it or hate it product. And so far, I love it!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* BrigitteBardot on 5/28/2013 9:32:00 PM more reviews by BrigitteBardot

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I just returned two foundations to Sephora due to not enough coverage/not perfect color match, so I kind of feel like I have to keep this because I feel bad if I return everything I buy from them! Unfortunately, this product is so bad it makes me appreciate the ones I returned!

Cons:
1. Price.
2. Packaging. Really, it costs so much money, doesn't perform that well, and you have to order a pump from NARS?
3. The finish. It's the most blotchy thing I've ever worked with! You're better off with L'Oreal or Neutrogena.
4. The color. If you're fair Mont Blanc may not work for you. It's darker than the same shade in the Glow formula.

I have tried the Sheer Glow by NARS, and that's actually a good foundation. I recommend that over the Sheer Matte no matter your skin type. Mine's normal/combination; I was thinking the Sheer Matte would be better for me now due to the season and the fact I love the matte look. Wrong!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

kristinmarie11 on 5/28/2013 6:04:00 PM more reviews by kristinmarie11

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Disappointing foundation. This product found any dry patch of skin and pore and put them on display for all to see. At first I thought I needed to exfoliate better and/or use a primer, but no- same thing happened with using a primer. I usually use Mac Studio Fix (NC25), Laura Mercier TM (bisque) or Jane Iredale mineral foundation (Warm Silk) and decided I wanted to try a liquid foundation for a better coverage. The MUA matched me at the counter to Deauville- a decent match to my skin, but I was disappointed with the overall finish of the foundation which made my skin seem dull and noticeably covered with makeup. It did, however, seem to keep my oil production at bay for a little while. It irks me that you have to purchase the pump separately for this (which I did). I had high hopes for this as I love Nars blushes and lipsticks, but will not purchase again.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

katieeholliday on 5/19/2013 7:28:00 PM more reviews by katieeholliday

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Not great. I bought this in siberia for my extremely pale yellow skin, and the colour was amazing but the consistency not so much. I know it's sheer, but it came out streaky and just wouldnt sit right on my skin, if i touched my face it would come off immediately. plus the bottle was a pain to use, unless you bought a pump for an extra £30.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

jakaescoo on 5/5/2013 12:10:00 PM more reviews by jakaescoo

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Olive   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This has become may favorite daytime/work cover up. It hides any discolorations or imperfections beautifully. I used to wear Macs studio fix fluid but over time it left my skin dull, and clogged. After wearing this Nars sheer matte for one week my skin felt soft, looked radiant after taking it off and my skin cleared up. What's really great about the foundation is it makes you flawless without masking your face, and its build-able for the evening. Only con is since my t-zone is super oily it tends to wear off after 6 hours. Highly recommend for the flawless natural look.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ColourfulTears on 4/16/2013 5:41:00 AM more reviews by ColourfulTears

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I bought this foundation for the shade. I purchased shade Siberia, and even that goes orange on me once it has set. I would not recommend this if you have pores as it just sinks straight into them. I found it impossible to blend until I mixed it with another one of my foundations, but even then I just do not find it worth the money. If you're willing to spend a long time manipulating this foundation JUST so then go for it but I would rather go for sheer glow next time.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

kryquinn on 4/15/2013 7:42:00 PM more reviews by kryquinn

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I love this foundation because it does exactly what it claims to do! All us ladies with OILY skin, here is a foundation that finally keeps up matte! This foundation keeps me more matte for longer periods of time than any other foundation, even Revlon Colorstay (for the record I have extremely oily skin). I believe this has to do with it being a fairly light coverage, which can be built up to a nice medium to full coverage if you apply more than one layer. Normally I love matte full coverage foundations but with almost all "full coverage" foundations I tend to get extremely oily by the end of the day to the point that my makeup has completely separated and I have huge patches on my face; I have never had this happen with this foundation! Like I mentioned earlier it isn't full coverage by any means but it can be built up fairly easily if you work quickly. This foundation is quite natural looking on me but if you have normal or combination skin this might appear too matte. I highly recommend this product for anyone that just can't keep a non-oily face for longer than 4 hours. I don't care for the packaging; if you want a pump you have to pay 6$ more so that adds to the already hefty price of the product. Also it does contain parabens which is unfortunate and for this reason I only gave it 4 stars rather than 5.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

SophieEllis89 on 4/14/2013 2:03:00 PM more reviews by SophieEllis89

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I got a little sample bottle of this as I LOVE their pure radiant tinted moisturizer and it's one of those foundations that you hear a lot about, so I thought it was worth a try!

However, I was really disappointed with this one. It's quite light coverage so doesn't do much to conceal imperfections, but instead of making you look radiant and glowing it is like a magnet to your dry bits and really accentuates any dry patches you have. It also looked a bit caked and went oily very quickly throughout the day.

The overall look it gave my skin was not great at all, half way through the day I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thought 'eurgh, my skin looks awful!'.

I think if you have really normal skin without any dry patches, that doesn't get oily either then this might work for you, but even so I think there are much better foundations on the market.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

eelkennaid226 on 4/10/2013 1:10:00 AM more reviews by eelkennaid226

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is product is ok. It feels very light weight. However, it did not help with my very oily T-zone. It's not long wearing too, by midday I feel like most of my foundation is gone. I think it's not worth the price.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Naturalista76 on 4/1/2013 1:39:00 PM more reviews by Naturalista76

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium Brown, Cool   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

So I've been through the gambit of foundations--Clinque, MAC, Bare Minerals, etc. and I absolutely love this product. I pump a little onto my non-dominant clean hand (back of). I apply it with the number 190 MAC brush. A little goes a long way. I have a difficult time finding the right color match so I blend it with the Laguna illuminator and its perfect.

Pros: no breakouts, sheer enough to not look cakey, decent coverage, non-greasy; perfect color match; easy to set with powder. Minimizes blemishes and imperfections.

Cons: expensive, not as much coverage as MAC

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

lookcute14 on 3/27/2013 7:49:00 PM more reviews by lookcute14

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Just a quick tip with this foundation and any liquid nars complexion products for that matter...use your fingers. nars products are designed to be apply with your finger tips. It gives a much more natural and not cakey look.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

mgw717 on 3/27/2013 2:17:00 PM more reviews by mgw717

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

meh- not worth the money. maybe for those with relatively flawless skin, but not for me. i have oily skin, and this did nothing for it. it didn't break me out or anything, it just didn't work as well as i would expect for the price tag

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* xtinahb on 3/12/2013 9:59:00 AM more reviews by xtinahb

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This was my wedding foundation on a humid, August sunny afternoon in New York. It is a great formula for my combination dry complexion. Long wearing, truly matte (but not flat), with solid medium to full coverage leaving my skin even and finished and can be built up as needed. It is exactly what I want for the office and for power-wear from day to night. I also own Sheer Glow and much prefer the Matte formula due to better longevity. On my light tan neutral Asian NC30/C4 complexion, I use Stromboli.If you have a similar skin type (combo dry) and are looking for a polished, medium finish with long wear, def try a sample of this stuff!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

veroespinosa88 on 3/10/2013 2:10:00 PM more reviews by veroespinosa88

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This is the worse foundation I have ever tried!! I have normal skin but in summer it get a bit oilier. This foundation looked aweful!!!!! It showed my dry patches like nothing else! I mean I dont have that many dry patches in my face and they are rare! It looked cakey on me and it didnt matter if i applied a lit of moisturizer and exfoliated and applied primer it still looked patchy and moved around. Honestly the only way I managed to wear this is to use it on top of the Garnier BB cream which makes me super oily so they sorta balanced each other out. But I didnt pay so much money to have to put so much effort into making it work! The packaging is nice but it needs a pump otherwise it gets really messy.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

kpxgenie on 2/19/2013 2:55:00 PM more reviews by kpxgenie

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Used a sample of this for 3 days, 8-10 hrs each day, using a different moisturizer each day.

Texture/Consistency: Almost like a gel-liquid type foundation once you pour it out. A little thick, definitely creamy. I have normal-dry skin. Yes, I know...why did I use a matte foundation when I have dry skin? Hey, I wanted to try it out. No matter what type of moisturizer I used underneath, I found this foundation very difficult to blend smoothly. It took a lot of patting with fingers or patting with a foundation brush (both regular and stipple) to get it to blend away the patches of product clinging to my skin. Although I have dry skin, I do NOT flake anywhere...at least I THOUGHT I didnt flake anywhere. However, once I applied this, the foundation stuck to the tip & side of my nose, and suddenly I looked like I was peeling. I had to scrub it away with some water before leaving the house. The non-dry parts of my face (forehead and chin) did not flake, but it was still hard to blend than other foundations. There was no caking after applying up to 2 layers.

Color: I used Ceylan & Deauville (I use Ceylan and/or Fiji in Sheer Glow). For some reason, the shades in the Sheer Matte seem darker than Sheer Glow. Shade works for me. I'm asian, nc25, yellow undertones.

Coverage: Medium. I did not use any concealer with this to test. Initially, 2 layers covered up some old acne spots I have so it was not too noticeable, but did not totally make them disappear.

Staying Power: Lasted all day. I noticed my forehead got a bit oilier than usual after 5 hours, which is unusual for me. This happened all 3 days I used this. I didn't experience any fading of coverage, but I did touch up with my MAC MSFN after 5 hours when I started getting a bit oily.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Hermanspottypants on 2/16/2013 2:13:00 PM more reviews by Hermanspottypants

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

I have combination skin and I have a really physical indoors job. My biggest facial skin bane in life is shine control for my T zone. (OK I love it when mum reassures me that facial oil protects me from early wrinkles).

This is the only foundation that has made it through 8 hours where I didn't have to apply a shine absorbing product. Thats like a miracle.... BUT I warn you I have made sacrifices in order to keep using this product.

CONS
1. this foundation is just snooty. It does not get chummy with all of my day creams- it will ball up with some. So I highly recommend you get a sample and try it over your usual moisturisers, primers and spf products otherwise, like me you may have to change some of those. No-one wants ball clumps hanging off your face or dirtying your sink.

2. the packaging totally sucks. The pump is not sold here in Ireland and the SA said it was because they keep getting blocked. This product is thick like a Mac Donalds Mac Fluffy dessert. When you shake that tiny bottle each morning, you will fear that it will fly out of your mitt and smash the mirror and then boomerang back to hit your own eye ball. Consider it an achievement every time this doesn't happen. And you cannot be sure your shaking has had any effect on the product. It is like a nail varnish without those little rattly balls that let you know your shaking is of use.

3. Even after shaking it is hard to get out of the bottle and you are at serious risk of bruising yourself. So people who bruise easily should stay away from this or use the pump which will block up. I have to get up 5 minutes earlier so I have time to get the foundation out of the bottle.

4. Its unforgiving- if you have any dry patches of scaley skin eg annoying dry skin around nostrils like after a cold. This foundation makes those patches look like lizard scales. so watch out unless you want to look reptilian.

5. It has a smell initially like preserved dead bodies, but this goes away once it dries on your face.

PROS
1. OMG shine control!!!!! HG all the way for shine control. Its amazing and the main reason I endure all the CONS.
2. The colour match was perfect for me - so natural looking and slightly radiant wow. I use stromboli.
3. Build up-able- my bright pink cheeks are hidden- no need for concealer so I can wear coral and peach shades. yayy.

I hope this helps!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

silvermouse on 2/14/2013 10:44:00 PM more reviews by silvermouse

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

I really enjoyed this foundation. The Sheer Matte finish is perfect for those with combo/oily skin (or even oily skin) who want a lighter coverage foundation. I have this in Barcelona (I'll go into my colour matches below). The lack of a pump is annoying but I can live with it. I gently pour a bit out onto the back of my hand, dab it in strategic places (focussing on the areas where I have larger pores) then blend it all in with a damp beauty blender for an absolutely flawless (but not to heavy) finish. Fingers also work really well. I find that this lasts all day and I don't have to touch up with powder which is something of a minor miracle for me! Overall, I'd definitely repurchase. I got this on the Sephora website for $45 and had it shipped with a few other products - overall, it was worth it because it costs AU$68 and is only available at a few stores (Mecca Cosmetica, that's pretty much it)

I have tried so many different foundations and here's how this compares, in case anyone has these other formulas/colours
Chanel Vitalumiere aqua B60 - same sheer coverage, a bit dewier, requires touch up during the day. This is a bit ashy for me
Chanel Perfection Lumiere B60 - love this almost as much as the Sheer Matte. Perfect colour match, long wearing, not too carry but a bit heavier coverage than the NARS
Laura Mercier mineral powder SPF in classic beige - lovely light coverage, good colour match, however I get oily after a few hours and require powder
MAC Matchmaster in 5 - great colour match. Medium coverage, a little heavier than the NARS and Perfection Lumiere. Long lasting, get a bit oily on warmer days
MAC Pro-Longwear in NC42 - reasonable colour match. Waaaay to heavy coverage for me. Does last and last though
MAC face and body C4 - too pale, I think I need a shade darker. Dewy, light finish but I get oily quickly and it doesn't last.
Revlon Colourstay for opcombo/oily skin - got this ages ago in one of the darker Tan shades (darkest they had on the Australian market). Quite long lasting but very heavy coverage
Rommel Lasting Finish in 400 Natural Beige - a tiny bit dark but the shade below is a bit pale. Quite nice - medium coverage, long lasting. Maybe need a touch up at the end of the day

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

SnappyLeeLee on 1/30/2013 12:56:00 AM more reviews by SnappyLeeLee

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Love this foundation. Isn't on the heavy side and didn't wear down (as I expected) throughout the day. It did give me a little shine in the end but was an easy remedy with my E.L.F Shine Erase wipes.
If you are going for heavy coverage I don't recommend. Light to medium for sure. Fingers are best way to apply it as well.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No