Nars Light Reflecting Foundation Review
Updated: Sep 15, 2022
Nars have launched the newest addition to their foundation roster, with 36 shades, Nars Light Reflecting Foundation is billed as skincare-makeup hybrid.
Having tried their previous foundations (Sheer Glow Foundation and Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation), I found the colour match to be great - however I just couldn’t get along with either formula. This meant that when I spotted this new launch I did approach it with a little trepidation.
This innovative product blend contains a whole host of vegan-friendly ingredients synthesised to visibly improve skin’s clarity after just six weeks of use:
Biomimetic Oat – Reduces the appearance of redness
Japanese Lilyturf – Strengthens skin’s barrier, helping to maintain it’s moisture
Milk Thistle – Helps to reduce the negative effects of environmental stressors
Cacao Peptide – Helps to reduce the negative effect of blue light on skin
The Nars Light Reflecting Foundation blurs and smooths skin whilst delivering a natural finish. This innovative formula claims to conceal dark spots, blemishes and redness whilst visibly improving skin’s clarity after six weeks of continued use.
Classed as medium, buildable coverage, this vegan formula sounds – on paper – to be the perfect everyday foundation.
My first impression is that the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation doesn’t play particularly well with other products. The first two applications resulted in a fair amount of pilling around my jawline, the third saw a much better application in terms of creating suitable base to work from however I found that once on my skin it sat as a layer without sinking into skin or blending in naturally.
According to Nars the formula offers buildable coverage with breathable, all-day wear that results in a natural finish; there certainly is a natural finish, but by 4pm there was very little evidence of ever having applied product. I did encounter quite a bit of settling into the sides of my nose and dryness on my cheeks – actually by the end of the day the foundation had oxidised around my eyebrows leaving me with a yellow-tinge to my forehead whilst the rest of my face had faded evenly.
On my final test of the foundation I used an Elizabeth Arden Vitamin C Capsule, Hyaluronic Acid serum and moisturiser to ensure that my skin had been prepped and that I’d see enough of a barrier on my drier patches – but again, my cheeks showed visible patchiness and fading by 8pm following a 10am application.
So, I wouldn’t agree with the all-day wear claims, nor that the foundation is suitable for all skin types – in my opinion in order to wear the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation without it showing up every flake and pore, I’d say the wearer would need to have an oilier skin.
Perhaps if I’m able to pick up a Nars Radiance Primer SPF 35 or the Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Powder in future I might change my mind on how the product wears and if so, you know I’ll report back!