Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation is described as “a full coverage, natural-looking matte foundation that resists shifting shades throughout the day due to oxidation, and features comfortable 16-hour wear.” It comes in 34 shades and retails for $40.

There are 1.5 fl oz / 45 mL of product in the container which is 50% more than your average foundation. The bottle has a twist-off lid and you squeeze the product out – there is no pump. Keep in mind that the bottle sits upside down on its cap and has a pointed top. If you like to leave the cap off until you’ve finished applying your foundation, you will have to lay it on its side. I was able to do this without it spilling out, but just be careful if you do this.

This foundation is as liquidy as any other in the bottle but very quickly begins to dry. As it is drying, it continues to be moveable and blendable for a reasonable amount of time. After a while, maybe 5 minutes or so, it sets down completely and doesn’t move anymore.

Application is more work than most other foundations I’ve used. I have to spend more time blending because it thickens as it is drying. Using both a sponge and a brush to manipulate it and move it around has been working best for me. The more hydrated my skin is before application, the easier it is to work with and the better it looks on the skin. Once applied, it feels very lightweight.

The way I apply this, I get a strong medium coverage from it. If I’m willing to sacrifice a little on the natural-looking finish, I can apply it more heavily for fuller coverage. It is sort of buildable but it depends on how my skin is doing. On a good skin day, I can do a little building without it looking patchy/cakey but I wouldn’t go there on a bad skin day.

It has a true matte finish at first but quickly takes on a natural skin-like glow to it (within the first hour). I have more of a combination skin type and it’s currently still a bit on the oily side from the warmer weather.

Wear time is not great for me. By about midday, my skin’s oils will start to break it up and at this point it will also transfer if I touch it. The longer I wear it the less natural it looks on the skin. It will wear longer if I use a setting powder but it will also look more cakey later in the day. Touching up with powder later in the day is less of an issue.

The anti-oxidation claim is pretty prominent with this product so I will address it. I don’t typically have problems with foundation oxidizing on me probably because I don’t really care that much, as long as it’s not a crazy change in color. In Taylor Wynn’s review, she showed that it oxidized very slightly during application.

I think this foundation is good for photos or for the occasional full coverage look. Using it as an everyday foundation was a little hard on my skin. As the days went on, I could feel my skin becoming more congested and more textured.

On the day that I took these photos, my skin was neither in its best nor its worst condition. I got a very light sunburn about a week before this (tsk tsk, I know) and so I had some flakiness and extra texture going on. This foundation will cling onto those areas but for being a matte, fairly high coverage foundation, I think it’s one of the more forgiving ones.

Nars Orgasm Afterglow Lip Balm is a hydrating, glossy balm with a very subtle pink tint and barely-there golden shimmer. It contains 0.1 oz / 3 g product, retails for $28, and can be purchased from Nars, Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom.

This is more of a luxury lip balm for me. The last high end balm I purchased was Fresh Sugar Lip Balm. Normally, I use Blistex medicated lip balm. This is all-around a beautiful product, though, if you feel like treating yourself to something special. It feels lightweight – not thick, sticky, or waxy at all. It also just makes my lips feel ultra soothed and comforted, more than my usual drugstore balm does. It also imparts a hint of color than helps wake up my face. The shimmer that you can see in the bullet really doesn’t translate much to the lips. It’s there, but the shimmer particles are so tiny than you can barely see them. I don’t feel them at all when I press my lips together.

This doesn’t last very long. Maybe an hour before I feel the need to reapply. It is very soothing and I can tell that after I wear it for a while my lips feel more hydrated and smoother.

Ugh, this month seemed to drag on. My fiance and I are in the midst of trying to get our garage fixed and getting ready to file taxes. I hate February… sorry but I do LOL. Because this month’s been busy, I haven’t spent as much time as I would have liked actually using my beauty products. I wanted to mention the few that have gotten some love, though.

1. Rituals Cosmetics Foaming Shower Gel Sensation in Yogi Flow – Thank goodness for Glossybox. It’s nice to have new things come to me instead of going out and looking for them. Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping but this month, I have been thankful for subscription boxes! The texture of this is unique for a shower gel but isn’t new in concept. It comes out like a gel and as you spread it over the skin, it foams up luxuriously – sound familiar? It works just like a shave gel. The scent is also very lovely and spa-like. So far this is the second item I’ve enjoyed from this brand. I can tell they put a lot of thought into their products, which I appreciate.

2. Lorac Pro Palette 2 – I have used this a handful of times but every time it has been a pleasure. The shades I’ve mostly gravitated toward are Rose, Mocha, and Cocoa. All of the eyeshadows are buttery smooth and highly pigmented. I’m not sure why I waited so long to buy this! I like that the colors aren’t really “neutrals” but they aren’t too loud either. I have a tendency to get in a rut and do the same kinds of looks all the time so having some colors that are (a little bit) outside of my comfort zone is great.

3. Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base – Last month I used up my Urban Decay Primer Potion and replaced it with Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. It has come to have a reputation for being one of the best eyeshadow primers out there. It’s only been a couple weeks, but so far, I’m impressed. The one major difference between this and UDPP is the way it sits on the skin and affects the way shadows sit on the skin. Sometimes my eyelids can look a bit crepey, especially with matte eyeshadows and I found that UDPP made it look even more pronounced. This one is way more flattering and doesn’t have that drying effect.

4. Josie Maran Argan Oil – I’m getting close to finally using up my tiny bottle of this oil. I’ve been using it all winter as an eye cream, alternative to moisturizer and sometimes over moisturizer – depending on how my skin is behaving. I decided this past month, to use this exclusively and stop using moisturizer, to see what would happen. After about 2 weeks my skin looked more radiant and healthy than I’ve ever seen it look with moisturizer. I didn’t see any more breakouts or clogged pores than is usual for me. It takes longer than moisturizer to completely soak in but the results are worth it.

So, that’s all I have for this month. I know it’s only 4 products but hopefully I’ll have a few more next month. What beauty products did you enjoy most in February?