Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation 010 Light Porcelain plus NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Siberia

It's been a bumpy ride with this foundation. I bought it a couple of months ago as a replacement for Match Perfection in the same shade, which was another foundation I wasn't too fond of as far as texture is concerned, but I used it nonetheless every day to mix it with other foundations because the shade of it was perfect. I've heard so many positive reviews for this foundation before and after I purchased it, but I'm a lot less enthusiastic about and yet, just like Match Perfection, I use it every day and have used up quite a lot of it already.

Texture: This is a much thicker foundation than Match Perfection or for example Healthy Mix Serum, but it's still fluid enough that is slowly runs off the back of the hand when you squeeze it out of a pump. Blending is the issue with this foundation. I always first try applying the foundation with my fingers and though it was going in the right direction, it just looked wrong on my face after a while. It settles into pores and lines and I just can't get this foundation to look nice on my nose. I don't know what's the deal with it, but sometimes there are just some weird unblended-looking and even reddish patches on my nose after a while. 

I later tried to apply it with all of my foundation brushes and Real Techniques brushes such as the expert brush, buffing brush and the stippling brush do not work at all. The best brushes I found are the E.l.f. Powder Brush and Ecotools Bamboo Bronzer Brush, but only if I use one pump of product and don't try to layer it. So super fluffy brushes and a small amount of foundation works adequately, but any more and I end up with a cakey mess. A flippin' mine field, I tell you. 

So using it alone is not the best option as far as my skin is concerned and that's why I mix it with other, better foundations. Best to mix it with in my experience are Bourjois foundations, such as their CC Cream and Healthy Mix Serum. It also works very well with Catrice's Nude Illusion, I've even had a few compliments on my skin when I wore that combination.

Shade: This is very close to perfect for me, especially when it's blended into the skin.  That's why it makes me even more sad that the formula by itself doesn't perform all that well. 010 Light Porcelain is a true super light/fair/porcelain shade with a pink undertone and I think it's basically the same shade as at Match Perfection as well as the pink counterpart of Nars' Siberia (another set of swatches below). Mixing it with a yellow foundation creates a perfect neutral match for me.

Coverage and finish: This could easily be a medium to full coverage foundation if it worked in a "normal" quantity on my skin. I can only do a light layer before "tragedy strikes", so it's light-medium (that's how much I applied it for the before/after picture). Layering it makes a terrible cakey mess, especially on my nose. I had my cousins say when I wore it the first day when I applied it liberally with fingers that it looks like I have a Band-Aid on my nose and that is something you just don't want to hear. Ever. On my skin this has a kind of a matte finish, but not a draining one, it's more on a natural side. Under no circumstances can I use mattifying powder over it because it makes it look horrible, the only thing that does work is a very light dusting of Java Poudre de Riz powder by Bourjois. 

I always keep the images quite large and if you want a closer look, click on it.

Staying power: Naming it Lasting Finish should indicate some exceptional staying power, but at the end of the day there are only traces of foundation on the cotton pad when I'm taking my makeup off with micellar water. In short, it's average, so in the Bourjois range.

Packaging: A glass bottle with a good pump. As far as the functionality of the packaging goes, I have no complaints. The white cap is what differentiates it from the "regular" Lasting Finish foundation.

Price and availability: I got mine on Look Fantastic for €10.39.

So I've been using this for a couple of months now and after a very rough start, we are at a much better place now since I found with which foundations should I mix it to get the best result. I have no idea why it doesn't work on its own on me if I use any more than a thin layer and how it starts to look on the nose after a while is a particular issue I have with it. I adore the shade of this, it's simply fantastic for me, so I'm sending a virtual hug to Rimmel for having such a shade in their lines of foundations, though I wish they had better formulas. What I want to point out is that there is a huge possibility that this foundation just doesn't work well with my skin as I've heard a lot of positive opinions about it, so don't let my review discourage you if you want to try it, but perhaps try to get a sample first. However honestly, I wore Bourjois CC Cream the last time and I swear it's just a gazillion times better when it comes to "invisible foundation/base finish". 

NARS Sheer Glow

Siberia

Since one of my readers sent me a very generous sample of Sheer Glow in the lightest shade Siberia (thanks again Tamara. You're made of pure awesome!) that I've been wearing for a while now and I though I might include my impressions here as well as include some swatches that some may find helpful.

Texture: It feels quite light and it reminds me of Healthy Mix Serum, but of a version with more coverage. It blends out so well with a brush because it has this type of a light silicone texture and you can really buff it in. I have to say that I expected a lot from this foundation and it certainly delivered as far as other people's comments go. Everyone I've asked said that it look perfect on the skin, like it's my skin but better and that's it's invisible, especially as far as the colour match is concerned. If I look closely, I actually think that it is a noticeable foundation, but others said otherwise and I value their opinion (though they checked after a few hours of wear). It blends nicely over pores and doesn't sit in them like most drugstore foundations, but it still settles into this two lines I have on the sides of my lips, however, less horribly than Rimmel's foundation.  

Shade: Siberia is very light, though not as light as Chantilly (their Radiant Creamy Concealer). As I said before in the Rimmel's review, this is a yellow version of 010 Light Porcelain, but I have to say that I was quite shocked when I first saw just how yellow it is. The yellow tone is even stronger than in Bourjois foundations, however, it blends well into my skin, in fact, it starts to look a bit more neutral after a while, so I consider this a very nice match for my skin as also confirmed by my cousins.

The girl, who sent me the sample, Tamara, also did some super helpful swatches and I really wanted to include them here as well. Tamara, I hope you don't mind. Obviously these were taken in different conditions than mine, hence why Siberia looks less yellow, but trust me it's super yellow in person.

Coverage: The coverage is impressive, I'd say medium or even medium-full and it can certainly be layered with no issues. It covers a lot, as you can see most of the freckles are covered as is the redness on the sides of the nose, but I still need to use concealer on spots (it sort of slides off from those) and a bit under the eyes. Radiant Creamy Concealer works very well with this foundation formula, it's like they were made to be used together. I've wearing the combination of both here.

Finish: It reminds me of Catrice's Nude Illusion in a way that it gives that healthy luminous finish, but it's not super dewy, rather leaning more to matte, however, it gets dewier with time. 

Staying power: This wears so well on the skin and looks better with time. I think that it melts into the skin and looks less foundation-ey after a few hours and at the end of the day it looks pretty good. 

Price and availability: It costs €41.19 on HqHair with worldwide shipping.

My final verdict - I would love to have a bottle of this foundation. I wasn't completely sure from the first use because I was always looking close at my skin, but comments from other people convinced me that this is absolutely the right choice for me. Now I just need to find a place to buy this with a pump. The official EU NARS website sells both, but their shipping is insane. I might just have to settle with a pump-less bottle from HqHair.

Edit 11.3.2015: I finally got a bottle of Sheer Glow for myself. I still stand by my review based on a sample, but I have more information to add. As you may know this foundation comes without a pump, which it ridiculous considering how expensive it is. I've discovered that Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum's pump works just fine with this and you can read more about it here. 

I hope this was helpful and have a great day!