Brow bone-skimming {lash enhancers}, incredibly creamy {concealers}, that infamous {blush}… it’s safe to say {NARS} has it nailed when it comes to {make up} must-haves beloved by professionals and amateur beauty fanatics alike. Yep, there’s a reason Cult Beauty HQ consider themselves bonafide NARSissists…
So when we heard the brand was launching the {Light Reflecting Foundation}? We were intrigued (to say the very least!). Would it live up to our oh-so-high expectations and earn a permanent place in our make up bags? With the promise of skin-loving heroes like biomimetic oats, Japanese lilyturf and cacao peptides infused in a light-as-air, medium coverage formula with a gorgeously-glowy finish, we had to give it a go. Here’s how Cult Beauty’s team of editors got on with the new formula…
“I’ve never been much of a foundation person; fuller coverage formulas always seem to look unusual on me, much to my dismay — my blemish-prone skin could do with the extra help. That said, the hybrid nature of NARS’ Light Reflecting Foundation gave me the nudge to ditch my usual skin tint and I’m so glad I did. Even though it’s medium coverage, it blends out super easily for a natural finish that’s like your skin but so. much. more. luminous. It definitely helps to blur the look of my spot scars and blemishes too. I love it!” – Beth, Senior Copywriter
“Blurring and smoothing and concealing, oh my! I would consider myself a foundation aficionado, having tried and battled some of the greats — and this may become one of them. The key attribute I loved (and usually never believe) is that it really was buildable without becoming patchy throughout the day. Cue me dancing all through the night!” – Niall, Copy Assistant
“I had high expectations for this foundation and in true complexion-champion fashion, NARS exceeded them! I usually lean towards formulas promising a full coverage and matte finish, so this was new territory for me — but I loved it! This isn’t a foundation that ‘paints’ my face to hide every single scar and secret, instead it gives a second-skin glow that is truly flawless. It’s super lightweight and marries well with the rest of my base routine to last all day with little-to-no creasing. Needless to say it’s a perfect match for my skin!” – Precious, Junior Copywriter
“I can’t remember the last time I wore a full face of foundation, but being a big fan of the NARS Creamy Concealer, I knew I could trust their formula and was looking forward to coverage that hides everything for a change. Being a ‘no make up’ make up kind of gal, I went in quite light and used a beauty blender so the result was pretty sheer coverage that still let my natural skin shine through. I even got a few compliments on my skin so it must be doing something right. Overall, this may just make it into my make up rotation for when I’m having a ‘meh’ skin care day!” – Nasreen, Junior Copywriter
“I tend to avoid foundation in my daily make up routine, so fearful am I that it will magnify acne scarring, cling on to dry patches and just generally give that mask-like look I try my best to avoid. But I was very pleasantly surprised by this new number from NARS. Despite a fairly thin, watery texture, the coverage was impressive, leaving the most natural-looking sheen on my skin. Despite my ‘oilier-than-your-leftover-pizza’ complexion, it stayed put all day long too — even without setting powder!” – Chloe, Copywriter