NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Macao Swatches Review Dark Skin

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation Review

Social media can be a dangerous place! My Instagram timeline is to blame for about 95% of my impulse shopping. Including this new NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation I’ve been wearing nonstop lately. I’m completely hooked! Which is saying a lot. Because I didn’t quite like the formula at first. And I was this close to going right back to my trusty CoverGirl Vitalist Healthy Elixir Foundation.

The Instagram Lure…

But everyone on my timeline was raving about this foundation like it was the best thing since sliced bread. So I decided to keep playing around with the formula. It’s a good thing I did fall for the Instagram lure. NARS has cooked up a fantastic full coverage foundation for dry skin! And I almost missed it!

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Macao Swatches Review Dark Skin

The Beauty of the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

The NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation comes equipped with a lightweight, creamy texture that delivers a soft luminous full coverage finish that lasts all day long. Sounds good, right? It is! We’ve been flooded with matte full coverage foundations geared to oily skin for so long. It’s nice to see a brand give us dry skin beauties a little shine, too. Typically, hydrating or luminous foundations are more sheer. Which isn’t too great if you have dry skin and need full coverage. Thankfully, NARS has given us dry skin beauties the gift of flawless, radiant skin this spring.

The Shade Range

A lot of brands could learn a lesson or two from NARS. Because they always get it right! The Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation comes in 43 shades ranging from porcelain to Godiva in a multitude of undertones. NARS really nailed the undertones with this range. Especially with the darker shades. We’ve got golden, olive and red undertones to choose from, girl! I settled on Macao, a golden brown with a warm yellow undertone. It’s a little more golden than I usually go for but it seems to be a really great match.

First Impressions Can Be Tricky

I’m going to be straight up. I didn’t like the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation the first time I tried it. It felt heavy. It looked like a mask. I just wasn’t feeling it. My initial reaction was to shelf that bad boy and never let it see the light of day again. But y’all kept hyping this up! So I went back in, hopeful, that I maybe needed to try a different application method. I was right.

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Macao Swatches Review Dark Skin

This Stuff is FULL Coverage!

The NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation isn’t one of those “buildable” formulas. Nah. It’s full coverage straight out of the gate, sis. A great thing for those of you looking for that flawless full coverage look without having the life sucked out of your skin. Not so much if you like a more subtle approach to your makeup. Like I do most days. The key here is not apply too much product. A little goes a long way! I applied way too much product the first time around and I hated it. It was just too much. One full pump was more than enough for me. I definitely recommend adding a light layer and then building where you need more coverage with this formula!

Application & Wear is a Breeze!

There’s many ways to apply the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation. And they’re all rather effective for achieving a seamless finish. If you want a little coverage with an ultra natural finish then you’ll enjoy applying the Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation with your fingers. For maximum coverage, I recommend using a dense foundation brush (like ELF’s Powder Brush). Want a natural airbrushed finish? Use a makeup sponge like a Beauty Blender or Real Techniques. Both worked extremely well at lightly sheering out the formula for a more natural, less “made up” finish.

The NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Radiant Foundation also wears quite wonderfully! That’s the biggest reason I decided to keep playing with it. Most full coverage foundations look and feel heavy and cakey. And they tend to look even worst by the end of the day. Not the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation! The formula actually lives up to NARS’ bold 16 hour claim lasting pretty much all day and night. While still leaving my skin looking flawless. The formula even manages to stay out of my smile lines for most of the day, too. Which is extremely impressive for me!

Is the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation Worth It?

Absolutely! The NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation is a little pricey at $50. However, NARS certainly delivered with the quality! The Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation is rather easy to apply as long as you don’t go overboard, of course. And it wears incredibly well throughout the day. The formula is suitable for all skin types but I think it truly shines on people with dry and combination skin who like a radiant finish. You can find it at your local Sephora or NARS Boutique for $49.

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Macao Swatches Review Dark Skin

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Macao Swatches Review Dark Skin