I’ll go ahead and admit it; I’m a foundation hoarder. I’m constantly searching for my new favourite and have tried tons of different variations. A few new options have landed on my desk recently (including one that I’m obsessed with – more on this to come) and I’ve been spending some time diving in and testing them to find out what works. One of the newest additions to my collection is the NARS Velvet Matte Stick Foundation, NARS’ first foray into stick foundation.
This new foundation, available in a range of 20 shades, promises “instantly smooth, soft-matte perfection” allowing for full control of its use. It’s a double ended product, with the stick foundation on one end and a removable Touch-Up Blender on the other.
Application is really easy with this foundation. I actually haven’t used very many stick foundations in the past, maybe 1 or 2, so this is still relatively new territory for me. I suggest starting off a bit light with this foundation, applying a few swipes over the face (try the cheeks, forehead, chin and nose) before blending in and building up from there. I found that applying less of this foundation was better, as it seemed to sit on the skin and didn’t blend in very well when I added a bit more for extra coverage. The blending tool included is great for quick touch ups on the go but I prefer to use a brush to really blend this foundation in properly. It has a nice velvety texture once it’s been applied and blended in to the skin.
In terms of coverage, I find that this has a medium finish. It helps to even out my skin tone, cover redness and hide imperfections though I needed to use a bit of concealer afterwards to really cover the spots. It’s nice for daytime wear since it isn’t very heavy and blends in nicely. The finish for me isn’t completely matte; it leaves a little bit of a sheen, but I like to finish off with setting powder anyways so this isn’t a big issue for me.
