The best Nars foundations to buy, according to three beauty editors

With a range of skin types and tones, our testers put some bestselling formulas through their paces

Lauren Cunningham
Thursday 09 May 2024 16:17 BST
The beauty brand has something so suit every skin type
The beauty brand has something so suit every skin type (The Independent)

Foundation is often one of the trickiest beauty products to buy. With so many options available, the choice can be overwhelming. So, once you find a product with which you’re happy, you may not be swayed easily into trying another.

However, with the seasons starting to shift, it could be time to explore new options once your good ol’ favourite foundation runs out. Heavyweight formulas may be best swapped for lighter swathes of colour, while moisture-boosting options may no longer be as necessary now the winter chill is starting to lift. Sometimes, it’s just nice to try something new – you never know, you may soon find yourself a new favourite on the beauty retailers’ shelves.

So, with this in mind, three beauty editors decided to try out a couple of the brand’s bestsellers, to see if they could be swayed away from their go-to foundations.

A handful of Nars foundations were put to the test
A handful of Nars foundations were put to the test (The Independent)

How we tested Nars foundations

Three beauty editors, with a range of skin types and tones, took on the task of trying two of Nars’s bestselling foundations. While Philippa tried the Nars light reflecting advanced skincare foundation, Twiggy and Lauren ditched their usual formulas in favour of Nars’s soft matte complete foundation. For a bit of background, Lauren has combination skin that teeters on the side of being dehydrated at times, Twiggy Jalloh has relatively oily skin, and Philippa Pearne has more-mature, oily skin that has a tendency to breakout during hormonal changes. Keep reading for their full reviews and verdict.

Nars soft matte complete foundation

Nars soft matte complete foundation_.png
  • Finish: Matte
  • Key ingredients: Oil-absorbing powders, rice bran extract, sunflower extract
  • Number of shades available: 34
  • Why we love it
    • Easy to apply
    • Good coverage

Usually, the word ‘matte’ would make me run a mile, however, I was persuaded to give this Nars soft matte complete foundation a go, and boy am I glad I did.

Instead of a cakey, drying formula, this fluid was incredibly easy to apply and actually left my face glowing, without stamping on the shine. Although it’s definitely much different to the usual dewy lightweight face bases I opt for, my combination, often dehydrated skin, didn’t feel like it lacked any moisture.

Plus, being a heavier-weight formula, it also helped even skin tone, conceal dark under-eye circles and reduce redness almost instantly – something you definitely don’t get from most high-sheen formulas.

So, would I use it again? Absolutely. Now the weather is warming up, and the need for extra hits of hydration is reducing, I can see this Nars foundation becoming my summer go-to beauty buy.

Lauren Cunningham

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Nars light reflecting advanced skincare foundation

Nars light reflecting advanced skincare foundation.png
  • Finish: Natural
  • Key ingredients: Biomimetic oat, Japanese lilyturf and cacao peptides
  • Number of shades: 36
  • Why we love it
    • Good, even coverage
    • Makes skin feel smooth
  • Take note
    • Takes a while to absorb

As someone with oily skin, I tend to stay away from light-reflecting, radiance-boosting formulas. They look great on application but, after a few hours, the oiliness of my skin tends to double, and my face ends up looking like one big oil slick. If there’s one thing I really don’t need more of, it’s glow.

So, for that reason, you’d think a product such as the Nars light reflecting foundation would be a no-go for me, as it promises to improve skin’s radiance by 61 per cent. However, I had desperately been wanting more coverage from my base, and the matte foundation I had been using left my skin looking dull and flat. So, I thought I would give Nars’s option a go, in the hope it would restore my faith in radiance-boosting foundations.

When it comes to application, the Nars formula glided on smoothly and satisfyingly. As soon as it made contact with my skin, I could see my blemishes and redness disappear, but not in a caked way. It just looked really natural and, not to sound like a cliché, a bit like a second skin. It is obviously more hydrating and glow-boosting than my usual matte base, but it didn’t feel slippery, even on my oily skin.

A few hours after application, there was still a glow but not a greasy one. My complexion was even, blemishes were hidden and redness was toned down. While there were a few oil patches that would benefit from an extra dusting of translucent powder, I didn’t look anywhere near as shiny as when I’ve used other light-reflecting foundations, nor did I feel the need to use any extra concealer to touch up. A little goes a long way, too, meaning it won’t be gone in a flash. So, thanks, Nars – I’ve finally got back my non-greasy glow.

Philippa Pearne

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Nars soft matte complete foundation

Nars soft matte complete foundation.png
  • Finish: Matte
  • Key ingredients: Oil-absorbing powders, rice bran extract, sunflower extract
  • Number of shades available: 34
  • Why we love it
    • Wide shade range
    • Lovely finish

The words ‘soft matte’ are what first piqued my interest – two of my favourite finishes in one. To preface, I am a Black woman with relatively oily skin, who also loves a velvety foundation finish. It has been difficult to find a great foundation that lasts all day and still leaves my skin looking plump and soft. So many of the longwear foundations on the market at the moment tend to look cakey upon application, are very matte (to the point of discomfort) and can dry out my skin. However, this particular one from Nars looked like I wouldn’t need to compromise on longevity to get the subtle lit-from-within glow I was looking for.

Nars has been a brand I have trusted for as long as I can remember, so, I knew I was in good hands. After swatching, I saw that my chosen shade, ‘New Caledonia’, matched perfectly. The formula was smooth and felt comfortable, drying down and settling effortlessly onto my face.

When it comes to coverage, I tend to go for medium to full coverage, to make sure all of my hyperpigmentation is covered, and this foundation did a good job of doing that. When it came to problem areas with darker marks, I did have to add a little extra foundation, to get better coverage, but this didn’t come as a surprise, as it is a medium to full coverage formula.

The finish was everything I hoped for – it didn’t pill and worked seamlessly with my skincare and other make-up products (powders and creams). This one ticks all of the boxes for me, and is perfect as the season changes. As the months go on, I may move to using Nars’s sheer glow foundation (£39, Narscosmetics.co.uk), as I prefer less coverage in the warmer months, but the soft matte formula is perfect for me right now.

Twiggy Jalloh

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The verdict: Nars foundation

Clearly, it pays to try new foundations every now and again, as all three beauty editors discovered new formulas that suited their skin types. While Philippa loved the glow-enhancing Nars light reflecting advanced skincare foundation, Twiggy and Lauren found that Nars soft matte complete foundation took the top spot, and all were incredibly impressed with the beauty brand’s offering overall.

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