This is a legacy post that I’ve given a facelift because who doesn’t want to be warned about shockingly bad foundation? Opinions are the same, but is formatted and edited for easier reading and flow.
I wore Nars Sheer Matte on my wedding day, and while it photographed beautifully, it was heavy. I felt it all evening. NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation came out earlier this year (2015) and, as it often happens, the blogger and vlogger world was abuzz. I saw a lot of positive feedback about the product (go figure).
I didn’t put any stock in it because it seems when a notable brand comes out with something new, everyone is hyped over it. Oh, and unlike its sisters Sheer Glow and Sheer Matte it has a damn pump – so that’s nice. I hadn’t seen amazing results on other people, though, so I ignored it.
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation
Skeptical Match
Fast forward to June, I had a wedding to attend to and a faux tan thanks to self-tanning…and no foundation that matched. I ventured to Sephora, did the silly ColorIQ thing and spent a lot of time with the ladies there trying to sort out my shade. I told them I prefer MUFE HD and UD, but could do NARS Sheer Matte. Instead, they matched me to NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation because I didn’t have a shade in the others. She assured me that it was fine for oily skin, can be applied with a brush or sponge without issue, photographs well, etc.
Application
I applied the product with a Sigma F80 flat-top kabuki on top of Benefit Porefessional; fairly standard procedure for special event makeup. I noticed that although it did not have the consistency of the Sheer Matte, NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation was on the heavier side. It also required significant effort to blend…and like the Sheer Matte, I had to bust out a beautyblender to help me do so. I set with translucent powder (Rimmel Stay Matte, what I always use) and Urban Decay All-Nighter – again, standard procedure for me for makeup that needs to last.
Wear
The ceremony was outdoors at 5PM (about 15 minutes after I finished painting my face), and brief; the weather was pleasant, not raining or even stiflingly humid. My husband and I headed in for the cocktail hour and he noticed that the foundation was:
- Breaking up at my jawline
- Beaking up between my eyes and
- that it was making a dry patch (that I usually have NO ISSUE with) near my nose awkwardly visible.
I checked it out, and it wasn’t looking good – all the things my husband noticed were definitely the case, and more; it had settled into my smile lines and the lines on my forehead. I tried to blot it, thinking, “Maybe I’m just a bit on the oily side today,” nope – I’m wasn’t, a ton of foundation smeared and lifted when I blotted. I remained blotchy. What the hell?!This continued throughout the night, persisting through an attempt to re-set with powder and spray. If I had to name a single, “bad,” makeup day since I begun my beauty adventures, that was it. This blog presents my criticism and disappointment in marketing and products, this is easily the most negativity I’ve felt towards a product I’ve tried. Simply put, NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation is garbage. I didn’t monetize my links to it because it is that bad.
The Bottom Line
It isn’t luminous; it is greasy. It isn’t weightless – you can definitely feel it! And if it breaks up within 45 minutes on properly-prepped skin, it isn’t going to last all day!
Don’t take it from me, look at the (1,196 at the time of writing this post, then 3023 as of the refresh a year-and-a-half later) reviews on Sephora that only add up to 3.5 stars. Reviewers report that it tends to spill or leak during travel, especially air travel, they confirm it’s hell to apply. Sure, there are some who like it, but why would you spend $50 on that much of a gamble? Hell, look at Jaclyn. She used the foundation on camera; for someone who only seems discuss products she loves, it was pretty surprising to hear critical feedback from her. She said that it settled into lines, didn’t blend, etc.
I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am I got two samples instead of buying this stuff because it is so not worth it. NARS just isn’t batting a thousand with me, guys. They are SO loved by the community, but I’m just not convinced.
I had pretty much the same experience with this foundation, except there wasn’t even a really good color match for me. I also was glad that I only got a sample.
Their foundations sounds terrible! I really only trust NARS with lip products and the famous radiant creamy concealer, their eye, face etc products all seem uniformly mediocre or straight up lousy. :p
I’ve also had a similar experience, but not as bad. NARS products are designed to be applied with your fingers, not a brush. I noticed when I used my fingers to blend it in, it stayed put a lot better. However, it didn’t wow me, so I returned it back to Sephora and got Laura Mercier which is now my life saver for my combo skin. You should definitely look into that!
I hadn’t heard that NARS products were designed for fingers as opposed to brushes; as a prestige/pro-level brand, I find that a bit absurd. I personally hate the feeling of product on my fingers so I avoid using them whenever possible. And I’ll have to check it out – I don’t think my tiny tiny Sephora has Laura Mercier though (boo).
NARS foundation is the worst foundation I have ever used. I wanted so much to love it. I tried it with different primers and even mixed it up with my Mac face and body foundation but still my face looked so bad. It settled into my pores and didn’t blend into my skin. this never happens with the other foundations that I normally use.