I tried Nars’ new Light Reflecting Foundation for a 12-hour wear test

Looking luminescent.

Your ill-equipped beauty reviewer is back again! I don’t know why they keep letting me write these articles, but I will continue to do so and live out my YouTube beauty influencer fantasy for as long as possible. Honestly, 14-year-old me would be so proud – I’m finally putting my hours of ‘Monthly Favourites’ watch time to good use.

For this edition of ‘average girlie tries a new beauty product’, we’re testing the brand-new Nars Light Reflecting Foundation. If you consumed any kind of skincare or makeup-related content in the last five years, you’ll be familiar with the brand’s Sheer Glow variation of its famous foundation formula. A winner in Mecca’s 2021 Beauty Election, Nars Sheer Glow is beloved for its ‘buildable, skin-like coverage’.

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So what does its shiny Light Reflecting little sister offer? At $73, the luxe glass bottle promises to deliver both immediate and long-term face-changing results (in a good way). According to Nars, the Light Reflecting Foundation (LRF, if you will) reveals a more even skin tone by approximately 93 per cent upon application; with ‘skin clarity improving after six weeks of daily use, even after makeup is removed’.

With a claim that enticing – and my $7 Asos foundation down to the skerricks – I figured I’d take LRF out on the town for a day. As you can gather from the previous sentence, I’m definitely not well-versed in the realm of high-performing foundations. If I’m honest, most days I’ll just slather the necessary areas (under eyes, blemishes, my weirdly red nose) in concealer, cream blush and a little bronzer.

My bad foundation experiences (a big orange head and discoloured neck, for example) have probably left me a little scarred and I always thought a ‘full face’ of products was ‘too much’. But doesn’t concealer, blush and bronzer constitute full-faced coverage? Either way, I don’t know where my strange rules came from, but it was time to break them.

9am

So here is my oversized noggin at the beginning of the day, time stamp roughly 9am. She’s fresh, one coffee in and ready to tackle a day of FJ Editorial Assistant duties. I don’t typically have difficult skin, bar my self-inflicted picking habit (which is under control right now), the occasional pimple, small dry patches and redness. Using a Beauty Blender, I dabbed on two-ish light layers of the Light Reflecting Foundation, along with a smidge of powder in my T-zone.

I really loved the initial results, I barely even used concealer (this is huge for me) after applying it. It was a super even application, with the promised ‘subtle glow’ peeking out around my cheeks and chin. The shade Deauville was an amazing match for my face – no orange in sight.

2pm

It’s five hours later and while my eyeliner could use a touch-up (I do not recommend it), my foundation is still beautifully intact. I’ve actually gotten some compliments on my skin this morning, which is really selling this formula for me. I guess my slather-cheap-products-and-go routine didn’t yield the same glowing results? Weird.

7pm

Jumping another five hours ahead and I’m off to a cinema preview of The Kardashians. Honestly, it’s such a glamorous life I’m leading. Prior to rubbing elbows with Australia’s reality TV alumni, I made sure not to touch my face – for continuity, obviously. I did apply a little red lipstick, which I took off after looking in a tiny mirror on the tram and deciding I looked like a clown.

In terms of the LRF wear, it’s holding up so well. Despite the brisk Melbourne air, my inevitably red nose can’t be seen under this layer of still-velvety foundation. This image is a little blurry (I was actually speedwalking down Bourke Street) but it was looking virtually the same as my 2pm check-in.

10pm

Please forgive the pink dressing gown/terrycloth headband combo, it was a long day. I was two glasses of rose and one ‘Momager’ cupcake deep, with my foundation still looking fab. My hideous household fluorescent lighting is not doing my face much justice in this image, I must admit. But after two hours of Kardashians, three tram rides, a full day of work and a hurried walk home, I am very happy with the Light Reflecting Foundation results. Looks like my $7 foundation is also going in the bin!

To find your perfect shade in the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation, head here.