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NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Siberia – Review & Swatches

ByCordelia

A while back I purchased NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Siberia from Drugstore.com. I was hopeful that it would match my skintone and be a good foundation. Also it makes me think of this awesome song called Ignore the Machine by Alien Sex Fiend.


The Website claims:
This Sheer Glow Foundation enhances, without masking, your overall natural complexion. The weightless formula hydrates the skin while complexion brightening properties improve skin brightness, radiance, and texture, leaving skin with a luminous, sensual glow.

Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene, Glycol, Glycerine, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/vinal Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethylhexanoin, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Dis-butydimethicone Polyglyceryl-3, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sodium Glutamate, Sorbitan, Sesquiisostearate, 1-Methylhdantoin-2-imide, Phenoxyenthanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polusilocone-2, Serralysin, Curcuma Longa, Glycuosyl Hesperidin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocpherol, [+/- (may contain): CI 77891 (Titanium dioxide), CI 77492 (Iron oxides), CI 77491 (Iron oxides), CI 77499 (Iron oxides)].

Price:
$42 for one ounce. I purchased it during a sale at Drugstore.com and got it for $33.60 & free shipping. You can also purchase it from Sephora.com and directly from Nars.com. For the price, I really wish a pump was included. Sure, one can be purchased for $5 more, but it’s kind of annoying.

Shades:
I believe 15 shades are available. I have Siberia, which is light with neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones. There is also Mont Blanc (fair with pink undertones), Gobi (light with yellow undertones), Deauville (light with neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones), Fiji (light with yellow undertones), Ceylan (light-medium with yellow undertones), Punjab (medium with golden peachy undertones), Santa Fe (medium with peachy undertones), Stromboli (medium with olive undertones), Barcelona (medium with golden peachy undertones), Syracuse (medium-dark with brown undertones), Tahoe (medium-dark with caramel undertones), Cadiz (medium-dark with caramel and red undertones), Macao (medium dark with deep yellow undertones) and Trinidad (dark with warm yellow undertones).

As a reference, Meow’s Pampered Puss mineral foundation in Inquisitive Siamese (lightest neutral) is a perfect match for me as well.

Does it live up to its claims?
For me it does. First and foremost, I have to rave about this foundation for one simple reason… Siberia is a PERFECT match for my skintone. Perfect. Match. It’s not a touch too peach. It’s not a touch too pink. It’s not too yellow. It’s not a tad too dark. It’s PERFECT. For that alone, I was excited.

I’ve been wearing it on and off for about a month now and I really like my results with it. I feel like it does a good job of evening out my skintone without feeling like a mask. It’s what I would define as light coverage. I definitely feel like it gives me a nice glow. As with all liquid foundations I’ve tried recently, it seems like a little goes a long way. You don’t have to slather it on.

I get nice wear out of it, as it lasts about 8 hours on me, though it starts to look like it could use a touch up at the end of the day. It works well with or without a primer on my skin. I do recommend that if you have dry patches you exfoliate first. I’ve been applying this with my finger tips, then blending, and then using a duofiber brush to blend it out. I’ve also used the Real Techniques foundation brush to dot the foundation on, then blend it out all over. The recommended technique according to Sephora is “Warm product with hands, apply a small amount to the center of the face, and then blend outwards.”

Wearing Siberia all over my face and eyes.

Would I purchase again?
Yes! I recently purchased the Powder version of this in Siberia, and I’m interested in trying the Sheer Matte version of this in Siberia. While it’s definitely the most expensive foundation I own at $42, you can definitely find it on sale and that makes it not too bad. I got it for 20% off at Drugstore.com, and recently NARS had a 17% off sale (which is where I picked up the powder version), and Sephora also has 20% off sales. So if you wait for a sale, it’s not too bad. Honestly because of the perfect match to my skintone, I don’t mind the price. That’s such a rarity for me.

Product purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

79 Comments

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  3. Thanks for this review! I have the Matte Foundation in Fiji and the Powder foundation in Barcelona. Barcelona I bought right after a trip to Cancun, but Fiji is probably going to be perfect. I have some powder foundation in Fiji coming as we speak, because I like to use it as my pressed powder on top of the matte, but I was considering the Sheer Glow as well. This makes your skin look flawless! I’m going to have to add it to my list now!

    1. Thanks Thia! I love it. Having both the powder and liquid versions, I love them 🙂

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  5. Hrm,is there any chance you happened to see the powder foundation in person? I am wondering if you (or anyone else) might have noticed the shade difference between Siberia and Deauville? I ordered Deauville thinking it might work out well since it’s summer and I am darker than winter,but it’s a bit too dark. I’m curious if there is a drastic difference between the two like there is with Mac NC15/NC20. I sure wish I could see my makeup in person before purchasing it,living in the boonies can sure suck!

    1. I have the powdered version of Siberia and it works as well on me as the liquid version for matching. I’ve got an upcoming review on the powdered version. Siberia is definitely lighter.

  6. Did you ever try Inquisitve Manx? And if so, how did it compare to the Siamese? I know it has yellow and peach in it. I ordered a boat load of samples and forgot about Siamese!

    Thanks!

    1. I don’t remember if I ever tried Manx, I’m sorry :/ I know I could wear Siamese and I was ok with Sphynx.

  7. Fab foundation (and great song too that was in your head!). NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia is my hands-down favorite liquid foundation…for the same reason you like it. Siberia is the *ideal* match to my skintone!!! I would love to try the powder version too. NARS has become one of my fav brands. Love the concealer in Vanilla too. Too bad NARS is so pricey though. But, worth it to *finally* get a good shade match! xoxo

  8. It IS PERFECT! Unbelievable. I’ve never seen you look better with another foundation on. The Meow does look very nice as well. This foundation makes you look radiant – your skin looks flawless and radiant. I think this would be Holy Grail material and the cost be damned if it works that great!!

    I buy Jane Iredale mineral powder foundation and it is a bit pricey as well but I’d rather spend the money on something that looks great on me (and I prefer the ingredients and the powder vs liquid) than buy less expensive products that are either mediocre or present me with a constant search to find one that works for me.

    Anyway, I can’t believe how good it looks in all the different lighting. That last pic of you is ultra incredible.

  9. I love when you post about foundation matches because I wear Inquisitive Siamese in Meow as well. I’ve been wanting to try liquid foundation again, so I may have to get a sample of this the next time I’m in Sephora. Are there any others I should get samples of?

    1. Have you tried Bobbi Browns foundations? If you don’t have really pink undertones I’ve read she has some decent products for fair skin girls. Maybe you could get some samples of BB products as well,I’ve read the tinted moisturizers tend to be several shades darker than the regular foundation so keep that in mind.

      I can’t say for sure if her products are great because I am waiting for Sephora to get Alabaster TM in stock so I can try it out,but I have read wonderful things so far.

    2. Yay glad I can help! Try out EL Doublewear in Shell and TF Amazing Face Liquid in Vanilla Creme. Those are my 3 fav liquids.

      1. EL Doublewear and TF Amazing Face foundations have gone on my list to check out. Thanks!

  10. It looks SO nice on you Phyrra! I’d be totally down with buying it if a) I was able to find a perfect match too, and b) it would stay put on my sweaty face like Colourstay does 🙂

  11. This looks great on you. I might have to take a look at their foundations, everything seems to be a tad too pink on me.

    1. Check out this and Too Faced, because they both lean neutral or yellow, in my opinion.

  12. Thanks for the review. Finally a liquid foundation in a shade that would suit me, Meow Inquisitive Siamese is my shade too. Unfortunately I need more coverage than this offers because I have bad skin. Sadface.

    1. You can build it up. Other people term this medium, so I Think perhaps my idea of sheer/medium needs tweaked.

    1. Thanks Molly! I have sensitive skin and I’ve had no problem with it, but the typical disclaimer applies that what works for me may not work for you 🙁

  15. I usually have a hard time finding foundation that matches me, too.

    I’ve found that either the lightest shade of the L’Oreal Color Match in Neutral works, or the lightest shade that Stila makes. I can’t really afford the Stila (hey, a couple of bucks goes a long way for me) so I have the L’Oreal right now. It’s just a touch too dark but it works

    I tried Cover Girl’s NatureLuxe liquid foundation, and I used it for two days before my face got covered in zits, so… bye-bye, $12. Ugh. That’s it, no more liquids, EVER.

  16. I don’t understand, you look paler than me and yet this was way way too dark for me! :S It looks fab on you 🙂

    1. The direct sunlight outside shots are of me with no flash and no color correction, and they’re very accurate of my skin color. Inside the flash washes me out or my SPF will give me additional paleness and sometimes I color correct for it and other times I don’t. I usually use the auto color correct feature. I sometimes use the manual, but that takes longer and I have to play with it more to get it to look right.

      Hope this helps 🙂

  17. I have Siberia and I use it when I want to look a bit paler as it is a shade too light for me. I also tried Fiji but it was too dark, maybe I should try Gobi or Deauville. I have a question, have you ever used a primer under Siberia, and if so, which one? I haven’t been wearing it as it is not compatible with my usual primer (MAC Prep and Prime).

    1. I’ve been using it with Smashbox’s primers with no problem 🙂 also, maybe check out Deauville?

  18. I love this foundation for many of the same reasons you do- first and foremost, it really is the only non-theatrical brand of foundation that matches me.

    I actually felt like this was more of a medium coverage foundation. To me, sheer coverage lightly evens skin-tone but doesn’t really do anything for redness or imperfections. Medium coverage evens skin tone, reduces redness & gives moderate imperfection coverage, which is what I felt I got with this. I almost didn’t even try it because of the name- I’ve never felt comfortable in a “sheer” makeup!

    I’ll also add, I have very dry, often flaky skin and am very conscious of my expression lines (forehead & nose to mouth) and I didn’t feel this exaggerated them at all, which is a challenge for me with a lot of other formulas.

    1. Hmm, maybe my idea of sheer is wrong. This definitely evens my skintone and helps with my redness. So I would agree with your definition.

      I saw the dry on the side of my face once, so I made sure to not let it happen again, but figured I should mention it.

  20. Thanks so much for this post! I’ve recently been looking for foundations in Sephora and I could not match anything to my face. Everything I bought was way too dark. I think I have to try this, since I wear Meow’s Inquisitive Siamese as well.

    1. I hope that this will work for you, I was really excited to find something ‘just right!’ in liquid.

    1. Thank you Essie! It’s really awesome what a good color match in foundation can do.

  23. Looks good on you. I thought Siberia very yellow and yet Siamese was too pink for me! Funny 🙂

  25. This really does look like a perfect match. MAC’s NC50 is actually a perfect match for me: I’m very lucky in that it was one of the first foundations I tried.

    1. Yay thanks Vijaya. You’re definitely lucky. I kept trying to wear MAC NC15 or NW15 for years (depending on the MUA who sold it to me), and they were too dark on me.

  27. I’m also curious about the powder version,I think I read it tends to be darker than the liquid and would like to see how they compare for you.

    1. I wore the powder by itself yesterday but forgot to take pix out in direct sunlight.. I swear that is the ONLY way I can tell if something matches or not.

      I’m wearing the powder on top of the liquid today (I lightly dusted it.

  28. I’m SO glad that you have done a review on this foundation! I looked at getting this but then got the EL double wear light instead – (which is too dark!) – because i was unsure of the colour match. I know from Meow Cosmetics that we have the same undertones and wear the same shade (inquisitive Siamese) It looks really good on you! 🙂

    1. The double wear light was too dark for me when I tried it, but the DW in Shell worked fairly well. It’s got more coverage too, so it is nice.

    1. So far I like the powder too. It works nicely on its own and today I’m wearing it layered on top of the liquid.

  31. Glad it worked for you. I reviewed it a bit back and HATED it. It made my skin look painfully dry, and seemed to age me about ten years, because it clung so hard to the skins texture(I have the beginnings of wrinkles, but no really deep ones).

    I found the Sheer Matte formula to be much more wearable, and to have a much healthier finish.

    Everyone reacts differently, though. I’m glad it worked for you! The color is very pretty, although not a perfect match for me.

    1. Aww sorry it didn’t work for you. I’ve been curious about the matte formula.

  32. Hooray!! I’m so glad you like this foundation! I’ve been using NARS Sheer Matte in Syracuse for months now and I love that it’s sheer but still provides good coverage. I may need to buy it from drugstore.com if you got it for that price! I paid retail at Sephora. But again since I’m happy with the coverage, and the fact that it does match my skintone, it is worth it for me.

    1. I hear you! It’s so hard to find a good match! I got it from Drugstore.com with a 20% off sale. I try to watch for sales on beauty sites, and then buy more expensive things to try out 🙂

  34. I’ve tried the sheer matte version and it evened out my skin tone and covers redness, but it only lasted a few hours on me.

      1. Yes. I tried it with Fyrinnae’s Velvet-gel and UD’s De-slick. I think its just my oily skin..most foundations even long wearing ones breakdown after about half a days wear. I’m bummed because it is the perfect color match.

  35. Wow, I could tell from the second shot it was going to be a perfect match for you. I couldn’t even tell where it ended and you began in that shot. Amazing! Definitely worth the price tag to have that in your arsenal.

    As a newbie to foundations, what factors go into you deciding which foundation to wear?

    1. The first two face shots are in direct sunlight, no flash, and to me it looks like it melds with my skin 🙂

      For me, I look for:
      1. evening out my skintone
      2. doesn’t feel heavy
      3. doesn’t break me out
      4. matches my skintone or works with my coloring
      5. minimizes flaws, but lets my skin still peek through.

    1. AWw yes it is! I didn’t think much of it until recently, but I’ve been really impressed.

  37. This looks great on you. Wow. I have been looking for something not quite as thick as my go too TooFaced. I’ll have to check out the sheer matte.

    1. Thank you! I’m totally impressed with it. I want to try the matte as well, and I can tell you the powder is nice.

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