NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation Review

NARS is one of the biggest high end brands of cosmetics; it is certainly one of my favourites. Unlike many people who started out with blushes and lipsticks to their introduction to the brand, I started out with base make up. I am a huge fan of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Ginger and find it equivalent to my Urban Decay Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer. I had been eyeing this foundation since it had launched. I hate heavy and thick foundations. No matter how much I blend them, I feel like I am wearing a mask. I always look for lightweight foundations which allow my skin to breathe. Since it was marketed as a weightless foundation, I was waiting to get my hands on NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation.

Product Claims –  Full, natural-looking coverage with unexpectedly weightless, 16-hour wear. Highly pigmented and perfectly balanced, this breakthrough formula builds and blends effortlessly with just one drop—the result of exclusive innovation uniquely designed to deliver long-wearing full coverage, weightlessly.

Shake, pump and blend in sections for complete coverage that’s completely natural looking.  Weightless Long-wear Technology delivers up to 16 hours of wear, while always feeling light-as-air. First-to-market treated pigments weightlessly deliver long-wearing, complete coverage without ever masking for perfected, natural-looking skin.

Packaging – The foundation comes in a rectangle shaped, frosted glass bottle with black cap. The packaging attracts fingerprints but it is easily cleanable. It has a pump inside to dispense the right amount of product. Easy to travel with, as it is safe in terms of spilling. The bottle itself is sturdy though heavy. The whole packaging is attractive, classy and spells luxurious.

Shade – NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation  comes in 20 shades. It covers all skin tones and undertones. I chose Barcelona – Medium 4 for myself. It is described as Medium with golden, peachy undertones by NARS.

Texture and Finish – The foundation has a thin and runny consistency. You need to shake the bottle well before using the product. It spreads and blends into the skin evenly leaving it natural looking. It sets to a semi matte velvet finish. It sets fast so you need to blend your foundation quickly.

I prefer using my beauty blender to apply NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation , as it gives it an even and natural looking finish. If you have a problem with blending your foundation quickly, you can blend it in sections and still achieve the same finish. Though the product claims luminous I find that it doesn’t have any shine or luminosity. But, it is not flat looking either. It has a satin velvety skin like finish which looks very natural. It has the tendency to stick to dry patches, so people with dry skin need to moisturise their skin properly and generously before applying this foundation.

Oily skinned people will find this foundation perfect as it does not get greasy or shiny. On my combination skin it fares beautifully, giving me a velvety natural finish. It looks dewy and fresh without getting greasy or oily. It allows my skin to breathe. All the same, I would advise to use a primer before applying this foundation if you have visible pores as it might accentuate them. It doesn’t have any fragrance as such.

Coverage & Pigmentation –  NARS claims that one drop of foundation is enough to cover the face. And, the claim is very true. Just one pump of the foundation is enough to cover your face entirely. Though it has a thin consistency, it is highly pigmented. It gives medium to full coverage in just one layer. It covers the imperfections and redness of your skin in just one layer.

You can build this foundation, but you need to be careful, light handed and use tiny amount of product at a time as it is quite pigmented and might end up looking cakey. But I feel one layer of foundation is more than enough to give your skin a flawless finish. You do not need a concealer on top to cover the imperfections. It feels very light and weightless on the skin despite being high coverage. 

Staying Power – As the claims go, this is really a long wearing foundation. I usually set my foundation with a light loose powder like the NARS Light reflection Loose Powder or the MAC Select sheer loose powder. It stays on my skin looking good for 9 hours, which is the longest I have worn this foundation.

I feel it will easily stay upto 12 hours, especially on oily skinned beauties as it has a good oil control. On my skin, NARS All Day Weightless Luminous Foundation tends to get a teeny bit shiny on the t-zone after 5-6 hours, but blotting and a light dusting with powder takes care of it and it stays on, on my skin looking flawless and natural. Till I remove my makeup, it doesn’t break down and the oil doesn’t separate.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation  (Price 48$ for 30ml)

Overall Thoughts

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation is a highly pigmented long wear foundation which gives you a flawless natural looking semi-matte finish, feeling weightless on the skin at the same time. It spreads and blends evenly, though blending it can be an issue for first timers as it sets fast, but blending in sections takes care of that. Dry skinned beauties need to moisturise properly before applying this foundation.

It is a fragrance free, paraben free foundation which gives the skin a natural, velvety, flawless, long lasting finish. Expensive, but a tiny amount goes a long way. On me it looks natural and flawless and gives my skin a healthy look. Overall it is a good foundation if you prep your skin properly.

Rating – 4.25/5

*Written by Lavanya