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NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint: A Review

IMG_0950NARS Velvet Matte Tint

When I first heard about the release of the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint, I can’t say I was all that bothered. I’ve got more than my fair share of ‘skin tints‘ and I’m not really that crazy about matte foundation formulas. But the reviews for this were coming in thick and fast and with most of them good, even from those with drier skin types – so my ears started to prick up a little. I did some research, decided that it was worthy of a test so trundled down to Space NK to pick up a bottle.

The long and short of it is that I can’t really work this one out. Sometimes I apply it and love it. Other times it just looks dry and makeup-y from the get-go. I feel like I need to experiment more with setting sprays and primers, but my preferred way of applying it right now is with an extremely damp BeautyBlender to get the most hydration out it as I can and just plopping it on top of a freshly moisturised face. But here’s the good and the bad:

THE GOOD: The shade selection here is pretty vast, so there should be something for everyone. I’m using Finland Light1 right now, which is probably more of a summer shade for me – but hey –  I ain’t complaining about it adding a bit of extra warmth to my chops. It also applies and blends really quickly. For something that has such a satin-like, velvet appearance on the skin, it’s not chalky at all in consistency and the creaminess of it means that you can bop it on with a BeautyBlender in a minute or so. Whilst being quite matte in formula, it’s not mask-looking at all and still allows your skin to look like skin with a hint of sheen popping through. The coverage is pretty good too. You can see here how it’s evened everything out and covered up any areas of redness.

THE BAD: I do find it to oxidise a little after application, which is why I probably should have gone for the lighter shade. About 30 minutes after application though it hits its sweet spot, where a little of my natural oils have popped though and my skin looks nice and smooth with a pretty decent coverage everywhere else. This lasts a couple of hours before my dry patches start to look like the Sahara desert. It begins to settle into my lines and gather in moisture-lacking areas, though it’s nothing that a quick pat down with a BeautyBlender can’t fix. Give it a couple more hours and it starts to go patchy around my eyes and brows and by dinner time it’s pretty much long gone.

So it’s a bit of a mixed bag really. Whilst I enjoy the coverage and the application of the formula, it does look like makeup on the skin and the longevity isn’t great for me. It’s not one of those hardy bases that I can throw on and know I don’t even need to think about till it comes round to taking it off – it’s one that requires a bit of upkeep. I’m still sitting on the fence about it though because I don’t feel like my dehydrated, winter complexion is the best candidate for this formula right now. So I’ll be keeping it in my stash and getting it out again when my oily t-zone makes its return in summer.

What do you think? Given it go? Seeing as I’m so undecided on this one, I’m sure it will be helpful for others if you put your fingers to keyboard and pop your thoughts below…

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