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It's no secret that Nars is one of my favourite brands for complexion products, so I thought today we'd do a bit of a comparison of their base products so you can figure out which might work for you...
I don't usually kick off a post with my favourite of the bunch but we're working in order of coverage, so it just happened! I don't know how many times I've repurchased the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser SPF 30 PA+++* (St. Moritz) | £34 | demo | but I've been using it for close to a decade now! It's fresh, radiant and glowing but not 'wet' looking with excessive or obvious dewiness. It offers a light coverage that somehow still knocks out redness and evens out my skin tone without covering my freckles. Ultimately, it gives me skin that still looks like skin! It also has really great longevity, which is really important to me; I don't get greasy, it doesn't sink into fine lines and it doesn't break up in problem areas. It honestly just ticks all the boxes for me and whenever I stray away, I come back to it and wonder why I ever left...
The newest launch from Nars is their Light Reflecting Foundation* (Vanuatu) | £37.50. This is billed as a kind of skincare-makeup hybrid; to me, the tinted moisturiser is more in that category, but added extras in terms of ingredients are never a bad thing and this contains Vitamins C and E and glycerin. It has quite a unique formula and I'd say it does have a dewy finish but it could work for oiler skin types with the right prep. It has a medium-buildable coverage; you could sheer it out a little if you wanted to but it's ultimately a foundation as opposed to a skin tint. The texture is light and it blends effortlessly - it never looks heavy on the skin and really melds with it to create a base that's perfected but still looks like skin. It's really great for redness or if you just want to even out your skin tone a little. I'd say the longevity is good but you might get a bit of shine creeping through your t-zone if you're oily. It doesn't settle into fine lines and I think it's a great option for mature skin types.
The OG, the classic... it's the Sheer Glow Foundation (Barcelona) | £35. This foundation doesn't come with a pump, still (!) and I have no idea why - I would honestly rather pay an extra £2 because there have been times when these pumps have been like gold dust to get hold of... That aside: this is a beloved product in the beauty community for a reason and it does still hold up for me. I really find the name of this foundation a little misleading, though! It's not sheer and it's not glowing in a traditional sense; it's more like a soft-focus, satin radiance. The coverage is medium but buildable and blendable, so it's not at all heavy or cakey. As someone who doesn't generally go for foundation: this is my kind of foundation. It isn't matte but it isn't dewy either and this long-wearing satin finish will suit most skin types. It gives a backlit glow and luminosity to the skin and gives it that perfected look without it feeling like you're smothering your face in foundation. If you usually go for heavier, more matte foundations but you feel like over the years it's just stopped being flattering on your skin: give this a go instead.
I feel like this is the Nars base everyone forgets about, but I really like the Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation (Barcelona) | £37.50. This is a kind of creamier foundation that has a bit more coverage than Sheer Glow but still isn't too much. You don't need to use a lot of product at all and I'd say it goes on as a medium coverage but you can build it to full without it looking cakey. It has a really long-lasting finish - true to the promise in its name - and I'd say it has a natural satin finish. It's neither dewy nor matte and should suit most skin types bar very dry and very oily. For me, Sheer Glow is my #1 pick, but I do reach for this when I'm having a long day and / or night and need a glam makeup look that's going to last on my skin.
Rounding things out, we have the Soft Matte Complete Foundation* (Barcelona) | £28. I wouldn't typically have been interested in this product based on the name, but it showed up in PR and I actually really like the Soft Matte Complete Concealer so I thought I'd give it a go. And I was actually pleasantly surprised by it! Yes, I do prep my skin with nice, hydrating products but I don't find this drying or that it clings to dry patches. Whilst I apply the other products in this post with a duo-fibre brush, I actually really like this with a damp sponge to really mesh it with my skin. It's matte without being flat and lifeless and although 'matte' doesn't tend to be my finish of choice, this is a great option for big nights out if I don't want to look like I have a shiny face! And this holds up through hours and hours of wear.
So, there you have it! They're all pretty great but my personal ranking based on my skin and my makeup needs actually transpired to be the order in which I've discussed them, by complete coincidence... Hopefully this post has helped you figure out which of these bases might be best for you.
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