REVIEW: Nars Sheer Glow vs. Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

Which to choose... which to choose...

If you mention one, you must mention the other. It's a cardinal rule. This is our comparison review of two extremely popular foundations: NARS Sheer Glow and MUFE HD Foundation. 

Both promise to offer you the same thing: the flawless complexion we all yearn for. Both have legions of fans, swearing their first born over it. Both have haters. When it comes to these foundation, everyone has a favorite and these two are somewhere at the top of the list.

So? Which one do you buy when you've got about $50 and you're in the market for a high-end foundation?

An oil-free medium coverage liquid foundation that covers skin imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible even under the most magnifying HD lens. (MUFE.com)

The biggest selling point of this foundation is the phrase "high definition". I don't doubt that it's all a part of a big marketing ploy, but what does it really mean? To me and most other people, it's promising to look great on camera.

And it does look great on camera. It truly doesn't look like you have any foundation on. It's lightweight and sheer, despite MUFE calling "medium coverage".

So, what's the problem? It's so sheer and so lightweight that it doesn't give me a speck of coverage. For my foundation routine, I put on whatever foundation I'm using on top of a thin layer of Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream. On the days that I wore this, it was my BB Cream doing all the work. For a foundation so sheer and lightweight, I expected that it would be buildable and then I would finally realize how wonderful it really was.

Nope. Just a second layer with my stippling brush consistently turned me into a cake before I even touched my powder.

When I wore it with only moisturizer underneath, it emphasized my dry areas and clung to my pores for dear life.

No SPF. Matte finish. Comes in 26 shades. Lasted all day when set with MUFE's HD Microfinish Powder.

A glowing, satin-finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage. (NARS.com)

I used to be a BB Cream only girl. I devoted myself to the BB, denounced foundations, and developed the most unhealthy BB Cream obsession that ever existed. 

This had been sitting in my bathroom for what seemed like forever. I used it once, didn't like it, put it down and picked up my HG BB Cream.

Well, it turns out that my disdain and disappointment wasn't the fault of the product. I just really sucked at putting on makeup back in the day.

Fast forward to now, and I absolutely love this. It builds well, I like the finish, and it looks and feels completely natural on my skin. 

If you have oily skin, don't worry. This product isn't going to give you the "glow" you're probably imagining. It isn't dewy whatsoever. It's never broken me out, but neither has the MUFE. 

The coverage is definitely a touch lighter than the MUFE HD Foundation, but it's a winner to me just because I can build it up without looking cakey. It also plays well better with the thin layer of BB Cream I wear as a base. 

When I just wore this foundation alone with moisturizer, it looked just my skin but better. That's all you really want from a foundation at the end of the day.

The only thing wrong with it? It does not come with the pump pictured above. You'll have to order that separately, and it isn't available at Sephora where I purchased it. At $6, it isn't much of a splurge, but I'm eternally puzzled as to why NARS just doesn't include it in the first place.

No SPF. Satin finish. 20 shades. Lasted all day when set with MUFE HD Microfinish Powder.

Here's a swatch for coverage: 

OVERALL?

If it isn't clear already, my preference is NARS Sheer Glow. That isn't to say that MUFE HD Foundation is all that bad because it isn't bad at all. 

My recommendation is to try both of them. Grab a sample of both. See how they play with your skin. Both are always compared is because they both provide about the same level of coverage with a similar finish. 

And in the end? Maybe you'll like one, maybe you'll like the other. Maybe you don't like either of these because you're looking for a full-coverage foundation.

Happy New Year.