NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Deauville review & swatches

When NARS came out with a new foundation I thought it would be a real game-changer. NARS is the manufacturer of one of the most raved about foundations in history (Sheer Glow) and doesn't release a new one every season, so I gathered their new product would be a result of careful study and a revolutionary product in general. 

I've got a drawer full of foundations, so a question whether I needed another one should have formed in my head. Well, the thing is that over the past year or so foundations changed a lot and became better suited to my skin. Most of them are now weightless, pigmented, full of skincare benefits and offer demi-matte finish. 

So how does NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation perform against its strong competitors? 

Lets start with the claims:

The foundation lives up to the claims up to a point.

The product is a very thin liquid, but not as runny as Armani Maestro or Diorskin Nude Air. I think it does indeed apply best by pressing with the palms of my hands, probably it's because the foundation is on the dry side and sets instantly and thus is quite hard to blend. As for using only one pump to cover the entire face, I would say this claim is a bit exaggerated, especially that the pump distributes a very small amount of product.

I find this kind of foundation is hard to build up without looking cakey, but I must admit that it's insanely pigmented and two small pumps will give you a solid medium coverage.   

It's true that this is a lightweight foundation, but it kind of fails to absorb and blend with the skin. I have the feeling that it sits on my skin like the older generation foundations tend to do. As for feeling silky, well... I don't notice that at all. 

It says that this is a foundation for all skin types and tones, and again I must partly agree. The shade range is amazing and I'm sure everyone can find something for themselves. My shade is Deauville, which suits my skin tone in winter. It's much more yellow toned than I normally go for, but it blends with my skin beautifully and counteracts the redness on my jawline. As for skin types I believe this would satisfy normal skin types best. I have oily skin and practically no dry patches, but this foundation made me notice some dry areas on my nose for the first time in years. It initially offers a very pretty luminous matte finish (contradiction in terms?), but does nothing to control oil production and my forehead and chin get very shiny within hours.

This definitely is a long-lasting foundation, but again, not on my skin type. In my 16-hour-wear-time experiment without touch-ups, the foundation was practically all gone after 12 hours. But in normal circumstances, with some blotting and powdering NARS Luminous Weightless Foundation lasts long enough for my purposes and takes a good place against its competitors. 

So let me go over all the claims to summarise my review:

• weightless - yes
• 16-hour wear - no
• complete coverage with 1 pump - no
• silky feel -no
• all skin types - no
• all skin tones - yes
• absorbs and blends easily - no
• luminous - yes
• fragrance, alcohol, oil free - yes

I like this foundation a lot but I failed to fall in love with it.