NARS ALL DAY LUMINOUS WEIGHTLESS FOUNDATION

Today's post is a review and comparison of NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation vs Nars Sheer Glow (I have a whole post on Sheer Glow here. I can't describe how excited I was about getting this newly released foundation from NARS. I bought my first NARS foundation in Sheer Glow back in September 2014 (I was in Florida and had a huge Sephora visit!). I have to be honest, since Sheer Glow, I've not looked back and it made me wonder if All Day Luminous Weightless would ever live up to its standard. Obviously, 30ml doesn't last that long (for me anyways - I'll go into that in a minute) so since then I've tried loads of drugstore and a couple of high end foundations which by the way, I do love. If you'd like to see some foundations I've tried since then, I've got a lot of reviews under the 'Face' category of the drop down menu on the navigation bar! But, no matter what, Nars will likely always be my favourite so I couldn't wait to head to Cardiff on Thursday to pick up the new All Day Luminous Weightless foundation.

Colour

Firstly, I couldn't decide between Gobi and Deauville because I'm very pale and since we're heading into Spring in the UK, I decided to get a colour which matches my skin very well so that it matched the rest of my body. I know you're supposed to do this anyways but if you're like me, in the winter, I'll just pick up a colour I like rather than what matches and I'll mix it with different colours. When you're wearing a big jumper and coat, no one can see if your arms matches your face! I decided to try Deauville (Light 4) which is the next shade down from Gobi. I really love this colour, however I wonder if Gobi would have been better. Don't get me wrong, Deauville is pretty spot on and Gobi could be entirely too pale for me as the lady who worked there advised but maybe I'll give that one a go next time. ALTHOUGH saying that, we are heading into Spring and then Summer so possibly Deauville will work perfectly when my freckles come out! A little side note, Deauville is very yellow toned which is what I'm after to cancel out the red (I talk about this in the next step!) but I'm thinking it might be a little too yellow, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of getting this colour!

Coverage

Okay, so you may or may not know (if you've read my previous foundation posts) that I have quite pigmented skin. I find it so hard to find one foundation which will cover the redness and one which will last all day and keep it all covered. This is what I was talking about earlier when I said 30ml doesn't last me VERY long, because I usually have to use double the amount to lock it and stop the redness from peaking through throughout the day. 

The coverage on this foundation is pretty amazing, I must admit. Although, I wasn't expecting anything less. NARS is my ultimate favourite foundation with Bourjois Healthy Mix nearly matching it - the price of Bourjois is also a huge plus (plus Nars and Bourjois mixed together is just amazing). Sorry, back to NARS! I've watched so, so many YouTube videos on this new foundation; one person saying 1 pump is enough, another saying 2 and another saying a whole layer or 2 will do it! Well, for me, 1 or 2 pumps is definitely not enough and that it purely because of my pigmentation and need to cover it up. If you haven't got any/much pigmentation or acne scarring/spots you want to cover, then yes I'd say about 2 pumps will do you just fine. If you're skin is like mine (I have relatively good skin which is normal to dry (more dry than normal) but due to my pigmentation, I need about 1 1/2 to 2 layers. Now I usually apply a couple of pumps all around my face and use a beauty blender to blend it in. I use a beauty blender on all of my foundations and it works perfectly with this one (even though many claim it leaves this foundation looking too thick and cakey, I strongly disagree!). Once first layer is applied, I'll go ahead and do my eye makeup and give the face a chance to set. After about 5 minutes or so, I'll head back to my face and apply a few more dabs of the foundation around the areas which are most pigmented and then use the excess to go round my face once more to keep it all blended! It says on the packaging that it's full coverage foundation and I can vouch for NARS that it really is! 

Application/Texture/Finish

The feel of this foundation I can only describe to feel powdery once blended in. This by no means, means it is matte as people claim it to be. It's the oddest foundation I've come across for texture and finish, a lot of people say it's matte and a lot say it's got a dewy finish. On my skin, it's definitely dewy and satin like which is fantastic as that is my ideal finish (as I have dry skin!). I do ensure to put a good moisturiser on and radiance cream before I apply my primer so maybe that has something to do with it. Even when I powder, a good sheen still comes through which like I said, I prefer to a completely matte finish. However, I do notice after a few hours, it can become slightly oily around the T zone, which is pretty normal but you might consider an extra bit of powder there or taking some powder out with you to touch up throughout the day.

Also, be sure to shake this foundation super well as recommended on the packaging. It is actually really liquid-y when you shake it so you'd imagine it to be very thin in consistency but it's quite the opposite! 

Longevity

This is a difficult one for me. It does last a long, long time but all day? No, not for me. I have had to touch up a tiny bit with whatever is left on my beauty blender after about 3 hours. This doesn't mean it's come off after 3 hours, it just means it is slightly wearing off around the areas of highest pigmentation but again, that's my silly skin so it could last perfectly for you all day long. On areas where I don't have pigmentation, the foundation still more or less looks like it did when I applied it so I think that says a lot! 

Also, I would say it's transferable. If I touch my face with a bit of pressure, it slightly comes off so that's a bit of a disappointment but otherwise I find nothing wrong with the longevity of it! A little plus to this foundation, on the subject of it being transferable, if you need to touch up throughout the day (heavily touch up - i.e., if you've got soaked in the rain it will leave marks and cake) then by just taking a cloth and with a light hand just swipe off the top layer of that area, you can add one or two pumps to that area and your make up with look like you've just applied it all again. I think this is a huge bonus as sometimes, for example with MAC Pro Longwear, if you go in and try to add more foundation throughout the day, it will just not blend or look good at all... for me anyways.  

Packaging & Price

It has a PUMP. Everyone who has ever tried NARS Sheer Glow will know the daily struggle of pouring the foundation out onto the back of your hand and sometimes when you're half asleep at 7AM, it'll pour out way too much and to save any waste, I'll end up using it and looking like a painted doll who has applied their makeup with a trowel! 

For people (like myself) who loves a snazzy looking bottle, this one has a tall frosted glass bottle with a matte effect lid. The bottle is a standard 30ml as mentioned previously and I purchased mine at John Lewis for £32.

NARS SHEER GLOW VS NARS ALL DAY LUMINOUS WEIGHTLESS

Both foundations are so similar yet so different. The colour is a major difference between these foundations because for Sheer Glow, I purchased Punjab which is quite dark for my skin. Granted, however, I was in Florida when I purchased this one, so I had quite a lot of freckles and a bit of a tan so it suited me better then but after going through a winter in the UK, you can imagine my paleness! 

The longevity of Sheer Glow is very similar to All Day Luminous Weightless (ADLW) in the sense that it covers my pigmentation for a similar length of time. The coverage of Sheer Glow is, you guessed it, slightly more sheer than the ADLW and therefore isn't as full of a coverage after a couple of pump-like size drops whereas with the ADLW you get a fuller coverage with a smaller amount. I don't think though, if you added a bit too much of Sheer Glow, it would appear cakey whereas with ADLW, I've already made the disaster of putting too much on and it appearing way too thick and cakey after I've done the whole contour/highlight process, which has resulted in me taking it all off and starting again. 

Both are super flawless when applied with a damp beauty blender (can't vouch for a stippling brush or any other brush as I don't get on too well with them so beauty blenders are always my first choice!)

Again, mentioning the pump aspect, Sheer Glow doesn't have one and ADLW does. Price wise, Sheer Glow is *I think* about £1 cheaper. The bottle is smaller for Sheer Glow, however you get the same amount - 30ml. 

Conclusion

I'm very much a fan of All Day Luminous Weightless foundation by Nars. It's going to be extremely tricky to choose whether next time I pick ADLW or Sheer Glow though. I'm pretty sure I will stick with ADLW and maybe if/when I have a little bit more money to splash out, I'll treat myself to Sheer Glow again.

 Again, I'm still in the trial stages so I'd like to see how ADLW works for me when the weather starts to heat up and whether Gobi will be my next buy. I do believe ADLW is completely full coverage, not in a thick/cakey way and I do believe it is a flawless & dewy/satin finish if prepped with a good radiance boosting moisturiser and good primer prior to application.

Overall, I give this foundation 8/10 due to price & it being transferable to the touch and the longevity on my pigmented skin.

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My Sephora Visit!

This is part of my Florida series where I'll be posting several posts on what beauty products, clothes and interior items I've purchased along with Florida guides, restaurant & hotel recommendations and places to visit for the best shopping experience... not forgetting the famous theme parks Florida prides itself on!

As for this post, however, I'll be talking about the product I purchased when I went back to one of my favourite shops in the Florida Mall; Sephora!

Last year, after much deliberation, lots of testing and going back and forth the store multiple times, I finally decided on the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation and you can find my review on it here. It was a choice between that and the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation. I absolutely love the HD Foundation as it has a beautiful consistency, great build-able coverage and it has a great variety of colour choices too! 

When I went back this year, I was dead set on getting either Benefit's Hello Flawless Foundation or the Kat Von D - Lock-It Tattoo Foundation, however when I got there I realised I could easily purchase Benefit's Hello Flawless at a Debenhams shop where I live. I also tested the Kat Von D foundation and realised it was extremely thick, even with just one pump. I know it's meant to be a very full coverage foundation - which is what I look for as my face is quite red but this would even bee too full coverage for me I think.

Instead, I thought back to last year when it was a choice between the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation and the Nars Sheer Glow and decided this time I'd try the Nars as I've heard such amazing things about it! It was $45 plus tax which was a fair chunk of change but I don't regret it in the slightest because I think it's made its way up to one of my favourite ever foundations and I'll tell you why...

First of all, like I said, as my face is quite red, I like a fuller coverage but not a thick/cakey finish...so to get this look I always use a beauty blender as it distributes the foundation much better and equally, leaving no streaks or patchy areas... anyways back to what I was saying (I get easily sidetracked!) to get this fuller coverage to cover the most pigmented areas on my face, I always use my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation as a base just to give a blank canvas. I then applied the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation as my finishing foundation which works amazingly as A) this foundation is definitely a light to medium coverage so it works great if you already have a base on and B) you don't use as much product as you've already got your base coat on to cover the imperfections, therefore there's less waste!

I tested a lot of products and although you're "never meant to test on your hand" I've been told by so many people who work in various makeup shops, I always do because A) it's quicker B) it's less hassle and C) I always mix my colours anyways because of my facial redness so it doesn't really matter there! So like I said, I tested all the "Light" colours and they were too light or too pink-ish so then I moved onto the Mediums because they had more of a yellow tone, which I like because it cancels out some of the facial redness! I ended up choosing Medium 1 - Punjab as my face has a bit of a tan anyways. I love, love, love this colour as it's not too pink and not too yellow; just the right colour and shade so I recommend this choice to anyone who has fair to medium skin!

With the base of Bourjois on underneath and Nars Sheer Glow on top, topped with a little of my favourite Lasting Perfection Concealer by Collection and a sprinkle of setting powder, you can be assured that your makeup will last you all day which is amazing because you don't have to be worried about touching up or reapplying which is hassle and time consuming! It also gives a great dewy/satin finish which is my favourite finishing look. I tend to stay away from a matte finish but you don't want to go the other direction and have too much of an oily look! 

I'd definitely repurchase this product again, however I forgot it doesn't come with a pump so I might invest in purchasing a pump just to prevent too much foundation spilling out onto my hand when applying!

All in all I rate this foundation 10/10. I really cannot find a fault with it!

Have you tried this foundation? What did you think? What recommendations do you have for my next high end foundation purchase?

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Thanks for reading!

Chloe x