The $45 NARS velvet Matte foundation Sticks, the newest members of the NARS foundation fam
These new NARS velvet Matte foundation Sticks have me completely rethinking what I thought about stick foundations, which had previously brought up bad memories for me of thick, heavy, cake-face coverage and suffocating pores, but this new NARS incarnation feels light and looks like a tinted moisturizer…BUT IN cream STICK FORM.
You’re blowing my mind, NARS!
MAINOS
The velvet Matte foundation Sticks are sheer satin cream stick foundations now available in 20 shades at NARS counters and Sephora for $45 each.
The shades include…
Siberia (Light 1) — light with neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones
Mont Blanc (Light 2) — light with pink undertones
Gobi (Light 3) — light with yellow undertones
Deauville (Light 4) — light with a neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones
Fiji (Light 5) — light with yellow undertones
Ceylan (Light 6) — medium with yellow undertones
Punjab (Medium 1) — medium with golden, peachy undertones
Vallauris (Medium 1.5) — medium with pink undertone
Santa Fe (Medium 2) — medium with peachy undertones
Stromboli (Medium 3) — medium with olive undertones
Barcelona (Medium 4) — medium with golden, peachy undertones
Syracuse (Medium-Dark 1) — medium-dark with brown undertones
Tahoe (Medium-Dark 2) — medium-dark with caramel undertones
Cadiz (Medium-Dark 3) — medium-dark with caramel and red undertones
Macao (Medium-Dark 4) — medium-dark with yellow undertones
New Guinea (Medium-Dark 5) — medium-dark with red undertones
Trinidad (Dark 1) — dark with warm yellow undertones
New Orleans (Dark 2) — dark with yellow undertones
Benares (Dark 3) — dark with golden undertones
Khartoum (Dark 4) — dark with espresso undertones
Swatches from the top: Mont Blanc Light 2, Deauville Light 4, Ceylan Light 6, Vallauris medium 1.5, Stromboli medium 3, Syracuse Medium/Dark 1, Cadiz Medium/Dark 3
From the top: new Guinea Medium/Dark 5, new Orleans Dark 2 and Khartoum Dark 4
Did I mention that they’re sheer?
They look like real skin, which may be due in part to the fact that the coverage is purposefully limited. At the most, I get medium coverage from these, so my sun spots still peek through here and there. Generally, though, my skin looks a little a lot more even-toned than it does without makeup.
MAINOS
Kissat ja meikkipaita?
42 dollaria
Osta nyt
Well, hello, before and after! I’m sporting Stromboli and Cadiz on one side of my face, and bare skin on the other.
How does it compare to NARS velvet Matte Skin Tint?
I appreciate new twists on products that have been around for ages, but I think you get a lot more bang for your buck with NARS velvet Matte Skin Tint, which is this new product’s predecessor, because 1) you have the option to go full-coverage with it (making it a lot more flexible), and 2) velvet Matte Skin Tint doesn’t step once it sets.
Stays wet
This new stick foundation version remains wet for hours. In fact, it never really seems to completely dry, so if I touch my face at all, the product moves around, and you can see my bare skin underneath.
You’re generally forced to set it with a powder to get it to stay put… Now, I like having the option to skip setting powder sometimes, which I can make with my holy grail stick foundation of the moment, hourglass Vanish, so that’s one a lot more thing to keep in mind.
And here’s Stromboli and Cadiz with a full face of makeup. Eyes: Tom Ford Burnished Copper (lids), MAC Saddle (crease) and Tarte Sex Kitten liner (lash lines). Cheeks: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Blush. Lips: MAC Koi Coral.
A better alternative in the same price range?
MAINOS
I really wanted to love this because I’m such a velvet Skin Tint die-hard fan, but if you’re going to go the stick-foundation route and want to stay in the same price range, I think hourglass Vanish is a better vaihtoehto. It’s around same price, has a similarly satiny finish and all-day wear time, and you can sheer it out or build it up to just shy of full coverage.
Ystävällinen naapuruston valittaa Addict,
Karen