In 2020, make-up artist and influencer Jamie Genevieve launched her brand Vieve, pouring her years working on make-up counters into a beauty line of buttery eyeshadows, cream bronzers, lipsticks and more. I can guarantee you’ll have spotted its black and gold packaging on your social feed before.

Over the last four years, she’s unveiled a suite of products that have fast become permanent fixtures in my routine, including the eyeshadow wands and modern radiance concealer. The latest launch is the biggest to date however, with Vieve unveiling its first-ever foundation on 29 August. Meet the skin nova complexion balm.

While I am a huge fan of many of Vieve’s products – its juicy lip oils are a must-try if you haven’t already – as someone with oily combination skin, I was skeptical that a balm formula would work for me thanks to my perpetually shiny T-zone, dry cheeks and frequent redness. So, over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing a secret sample of the new launch to see if it’s worth a spot in your make-up routine.

Costing £34 and spanning twenty shades, it’s described as “the ultimate skincare-make-up hybrid” and is inspired by the brand’s bestselling skin nova, a glowy primer that has five-star reviews for its radiant finish beneath make-up. This new balm promises medium but buildable coverage, and a multitude of skin-loving ingredients, including brightening niacinamide, hydrating polyglutamic acid and plumping amino acids.

Designed to be lightweight and luminous, I wanted to see if it was as brilliant as the rest of Vieve’s collection and, given my love for many of its other products, expectations were high.

How we tested

I wore this everytime I applied make-up over the course of a few weeks, testing it with concealer and without, to fully understand how much coverage it could deliver. My criteria explored texture, how easy it is to blend, formula, and how well it held up after hours of wear. I applied it with foundation brushes, my fingers and a sponge to examine how well it blended, also.

Vieve skin nova complexion balm

Key ingredients: Niacinamide, polyglutamic acid, amino acids

Why we love it

Blends beautifully

Conceals redness with a light layer

Doesn’t look cakey

Take note

Expensive

This is the best foundation I’ve tried in years, and no, that’s not hyperbole. This complexion balm delivers on every claim and lasts throughout the day, and well into the evening, without budging an inch.

It’s packaged in a slim tube with a thin nozzle, which I like using to apply small amounts directly onto my skin and add more in areas I want additional coverage, such as on top of the rosacea on my cheeks and chin. I tried shades 130 and 140, and found that 130 was a better fit for my caucasian complexion.

The texture is rich but not greasy, and despite my skepticism around it being a balm, it doesn’t feel heavy nor leave my skin so shiny it looks like I’ve dipped my face in oil. In fact, it’s weightless.

My personal blending preference for foundation is my trusty Saie the big brush (£21, Cultbeauty.co.uk) as its densely packed chunky bristles smooth liquid products across my skin in seconds. The balm is truly medium coverage, concealing my redness and patches of hyperpigmentation in a single layer.

Once blended in, it immediately left my skin with the perfect amount of glow. In all honesty, Vieve’s original skin nova prima is too much for me - I find it adds a sheen that just enhances my oiliness - but this complexion balm is the perfect compromise.

What really sold it for me is its staying power. I regularly applied it first thing and didn’t remove it until nearing midnight, and the entire time it remained flawless. It didn’t fade around areas of oiliness or dryness, and didn’t cake beneath my eyes or across patches of hormonal acne on my chin – despite me touching my face multiple times throughout the day.

The longer I used it, the more impressed I was. It’s a lot to spend £34 on a single foundation, but I truly believe it’s worth every penny. My skin looked radiant and clear, it wore well, never looked cakey and felt comfortable all day long.

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Verdict: Vieve skin nova complexion balm

If you have the budget and are in the market for a new foundation, I cannot recommend this enough, and I’m happy to say my initial skepticism was proved wrong. It has everything you want from a high-end complexion product, doesn’t settle in fine lines or areas of texture, and keeps your skin looking and feeling fresh for hours on end.

For more make-up magic and flawless skin, check out our roundup of the best foundations