Emmie Reviews – Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

One of the advantages of starting my Shop My Stash series is that it finally has motivated me to get around to reviewing all of the foundations that I’ve ‘put on the back burner’ over the years. And oh boy, have I been meaning to get to this one! Today, I’m finally reviewing the Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation. I remember when this launched back in late 2017 and people absolutely went nuts for it. It was that beloved online. And I cannot wait to share my thoughts. Let’s get to it!

NARS NATURAL RADIANT LONGWEAR FOUNDATION – $81.00 – mecca.com.au
(34 shades available)

You know we have to start with the packaging. The Natural Radiant Foundation is housed in a very sleek, rectangular glass bottle. There is a matte black cap and black detail on the bottle itself. It’s slim size makes it a great one for a makeup artist’s kit. And the bottle is well weighted and feels well made. The Natural Radiant Foundation contains 30ml of product.

The Natural Radiant Foundation is dispensed via a pump. I remember at the time that this was met with a massive sigh of relief by makeup lovers. As the ever popular Nars Sheer Glow didn’t come with a pump (and I believe it still doesn’t. Also, review coming soon). Now, I don’t mind the pump. It does feel well made and it doesn’t get too clogged up. Having said that, it doesn’t dispense a lot of product. It kinda gives the illusion that I’m maybe using more product than I probably am.

The Natural Radiant Foundation has 34 shades in it’s line. And if I’m being brutally honest, it’s easily the weakest out of Nars’s entire line. There is a very strong focus on lighter shades. With the vast majority being light to medium. And only 2-3 of them possibly being suitable for deep skin tones. Admittedly, this is a range that I had always hoped that Nars would improve. Seeing as all of the their other foundations have really balanced shade ranges. But it still hasn’t happened yet.

For me, I wear the shade Deauville. Which is described as being Light with Neutral Undertones. Surprisingly, it’s actually a very good match for me. Especially because this shade stays very true to colour.I would say that this is my summer shade and Mont Blanc is my winter shade in Nars’s line.

Applying this foundation was a breeze. My favourite way was with a sponge. But I also loved the results with a brush or my hands. The formula is very light and liquidy. But still has enough hold to be able to dot all over my face without causing a mess. I would use 3-4 pumps to cover my face, neck, and ears (it sounds like a lot, but remember, stiff pump).

The Natural Radiant Foundation is described as being a medium to full coverage foundation with a natural satin finish. And that description is pretty spot on. This foundation is a nice middle ground for Nars’s line. It doesn’t have the soft powderiness of the Soft Matte Foundation. And it doesn’t have the luminosity of the Light Reflecting (I can’t speak for Sheer Glow as I haven’t tried it yet). I would make the argument that it’s the most skin like finish of all of their foundations.

I also really liked the coverage that I got. Again, like most of my foundations from Nars, I prefer a medium coverage overall. But I could get this to full without it looking super cakey or heavy looking. It also worked with all the other products that I put on top. And it didn’t lift when I applied powder.

Wear test time now. And I mean? It’s in the name, y’all! This foundation is super long wearing. Once this foundation was on, it didn’t budge! Except for my forehead, but that’s pretty much expected at this point. Otherwise, I had no fading, no cracking, no sinking into pores or lines. This wore so well on me. Another thing I wanted to note is that it felt so light on the skin. I almost forgot that I was wearing foundation a lot of the time. I would occasionally hit my face with a light dusting of powder around lunch time. But it’s also been extremely humid at the moment. I’m surprised anything is clinging to my face.

All in all, another win for Nars. It’s not my favourite of the bunch (Light Reflecting is a tough act to beat). But I was so impressed with this. And I will happily give it my recommendation. Have you tried the Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers and love
Emily xo