It was 6:30am on a Wednesday and I was sleepily applying my foundation 30,000 feet in the air.
It was going to be a long, looooong day; Mamamia’s Melbourne editorial team were flying to Sydney and I needed my makeup to last much longer than usual. Not only would I be working until 5pm, we had organised an after-work dinner and drinks. This makeup would need the endurance of a marathon runner. Or a very dedicated Netflix binge-watcher. Or my boyfriend when I have severe PMS. Or something.
It was my first time using NARS’ latest release, the Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation, and as far as putting tinted goo on your face goes, the stakes were high.
Beauty guru Zoe Foster Blake shares her best beauty and style advice for the busiest of women. Post continues.
I’ve used NARS Sheer Glow Foundation religiously for the last three years (you can read my full review of it here) but recently I’ve encountered a small problem; my skin looks like a mirror ball after six or so hours. I love Sheer Glow’s dewy finish, but I also don’t want my boyfriend to see his reflection in my forehead while we eat dinner, you know?
Anyway. That’s where the Natural Radiant Foundation came in.
The makeup giant’s new formula promises a foundation with “skin-matching technology”; in simple speak, it mimics your own skin while still providing full coverage. The ingredients list also includes raspberry, apple, and watermelon extracts to provide natural radiance.
Beauty jargon over. Here’s my take.
Upon applying two pumps to my face, I was instantly taken aback by two things: How such a tiny amount of product went a long way, and how mattifying the foundation was.
As someone who has always opted for a dewy finish, Natural Radiant was a slight shock to the system. I was concerned that after buffing it in with a beauty blender, the product looked chalky and dusty on my skin, and fretted about it to our writer Zara until the plane landed (she was so blessed to be seated next to me).