TSABD Edit: NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation + Cover FX Glitter Drops & Shimmer Veil

Welcome to another TSABD Edit! This week I’m giving you a review and demo of the new NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation along with my review and swatches of the new Cover FX Glitter Drops and Cover FX Shimmer Veil.

Let’s get right into this as I’m *attempting* to make this quick…lol.

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

So I was SO INCREDIBLY excited to try the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation. I mean, just the name alone sounds amazing. They even added some new shades on the deeper end of the spectrum which is always a really amazing thing. A reader told me that shade Iguacu was a great match for Cover FX N110, so when NARS sent over the shades, I asked for that and they sent the next two deepest shades as well.

Official description:

Coverage:
Medium
Full

Skin type:
Sensitive
Normal
Dry
Combination
Oily

Finish:
Natural

What it is:
A foundation with up to 16 hours of lightweight, natural, fade-resistant wear, featuring full-powered radiance to smooth the look of skin.

What does:
NARS’ first 16-hour foundation has a lightweight, breathable, fade-resistant formula and features medium-to-full, buildable coverage in 33 skin-matching shades to fit all skin tones and undertones. The transfer-resistant, sweat-resistant formula stays color-true all day, and continues to look fresh and vibrant, as if it was just applied. This formula features superior blendability for an imperceptible effect that looks natural, like skin. It doesn’t look or feel cakey, heavy, drying, or masking. A unique combination of translucent base with micronized amino acid-coated pigments and mineral tone-balancing powders mimic skin’s tone, fusing with it for the closest match. NARS’ Skin Optimizing Complex—a blend of raspberry, apple, and watermelon extracts—helps support skin’s elastic fibers to smooth and improve skin’s appearance over time for optimal radiance.

THIS. FOUNDATION. IS. AMAZING. I don’t have a great match in any of the shades sent. Iguacu is a little too dark and the olive undertones are off for me (I’m neutral). Namibia (this is how the shade name is spelled on the foundation I got, but Sephora.com spells it “Nambia”) is a little too dark and too red. If I apply Namibia with MAC 140 brush so that it sheers out the foundation so the undertones aren’t as apparent, it works out better. I do have a NARS event this week so I’ll get to see more of the foundations and see if something else is a better match—perhaps New Caledonia although “golden olive” undertones don’t *sound* like me, but you never know. I’ll find out when I actually see it.

Peformance-wise though this foundation puts in WORK. I love that it gives a beautiful radiant finish without the need for a bunch of touch-ups (I have oily skin). This could change though in the summer when I tend to be even oilier (see How to Stay Beat in the Heat). I’m pretty impressed with just the three darker shades I’ve had a chance to play around with (can’t wait to see the rest at the event—I haven’t checked these out in-store yet) and there’s even a shade darker called Mali. When you look at the shade chart below, there is room for even more darker shades so hopefully more are coming. At least you can tell they tried and actually put thought into unlike some other brands.

New Caledonia – Dark 2 – dark with golden olive undertones (for reference, I don’t have this shade)
Iguacu – Dark 3 – deep with olive undertones
Nambia (this is how the Sephora site spells it) – Dark 4 – deep with red undertones
Zambie – Dark 5 – deep with neutral undertones
Mali – Dark 6 – espresso (for reference, I don’t have this shade)

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation Video Demo:

(there’s no sound, so feel free to watch from almost anywhere)

It may not be apparent in the video that the shades are off on me (lighting) but it’s easier to tell in person (and since you can’t all see me in person, the video was the closest…lol). I could make them work better with some highlighting and contouring or even using something like the NYX Pro Foundation Mixer to alter them, but I personally already have a good matching foundation so that would be too much work for me. I do think a lot of you will find great matches though without having to do a ton of altering.

UPDATE (2/1/18): So I went to the NARS press event and one of the artists there tried a few shades on me: Manaus (close, but the undertones were off—perhaps too red), New Caledonia (I can’t remember how it was off, but definitely remember that it was off), etc. There’s no great match for me in this range (unless they add even more in the future) BUT I did find that mixing Macao (dark with yellow undertones) with Namibia (deep with red undertones) got me a pretty good match. Macao lightened Namibia and then the yellow and red undertones in each helped to settle on something that was more of a neutral undertone for me. I usually don’t work this hard for a shade match but the press event was great timing with this post so I decided to give it another go. This of course takes NOTHING away from NARS or this foundation which I’ve already said is amazing. I’m sure many of you will find a good shade match. I’ll stick with my Cover FX N110 Total Cover Cream because it’s a good match and the formula works—I can also use the Cover FX N110 Custom Cover Drops and create my own foundation pretty much from finish to coverage (though I’m nervous they’re discontinuing them because they were on Hautelook and then they announced a new foundation is coming).

Iguacu:

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation Demo on Dark Skin (Iguacu) from Danielle Gray on Vimeo.

Namibia:

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation Demo on Dark Skin (Namibia) from Danielle Gray on Vimeo.

Price and where to buy

$49 at Sephora (plus 4% cash back when you use eBates)

See more NARS reviews and swatches here

See more foundation reviews and swatches here

COVER FX Glitter Drops

Official description:

What it is:
A multidimensional glitter highlighter that imparts a high impact, light-reflective finish.

What it does:
Ultra-concentrated and customizable, these liquid glitters can be used alone, under or over makeup, or mixed into your favorite beauty product for an incredibly luxe glitter effect on the cheeks, eyes, lips, and body.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens

What else you need to know:
This product is cruelty-free and vegan. It is also free of gluten, mineral oil, parabens, fragrance, and talc.

I only have the Cover FX Glitter Drops in Mirage. I think Lunar and Aurora would be really dope colors, but I still have a few of the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Halo and some other gorgeous metallic colors that the brand sent me a while back that would be more up my radiant steeze. But Cover FX Glitter Drops is a multi-usage product that can be used on its own or mixed in with your other beauty products. It’s a well-made product, but you REALLY need to love glitter to love these because it is pigmented and intense! You can lessen the intensity by mixing it in with something else (like a moisturizer) and it gives a really pretty effect wherever you put it. You can use this on the face or the body or even on the eyelids. Great quality and long-lasting, you just have to be a fan of glitter to get down with these.

Cover FX Glitter Drops Video Demo:

(there’s no sound, so feel free to watch from almost anywhere)

Cover FX Glitter Drops Demo on Dark Skin from Danielle Gray on Vimeo.

Price and where to buy

$44 at Sephora (plus 4% cash back when you use eBates) and coverfx.com

COVER FX Shimmer Veil

Official description:

What it is:
A product with multidimensional shimmer in a weightless cream texture for a high-impact finish on eyes, lips, and beyond.

What it does:
This multi-use, shimmering cream color is crease-proof enough for the boldest of eye looks and formulated with a weightless finish for a shimmering effect anywhere on the face.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens

What else you need to know:
This product can be used as an eyeshadow or a highlighter. It is cruelty-free, vegan, and is also free of gluten, mineral oil, parabens, fragrance, and talc.

These are also a really awesome, pigmented, and well-made product, but of course you’ll have to love shimmer to get down with these. The doe foot applicator makes these super easy to apply—you can use these on the eyes (and GOOD NEWS if you love the shimmer on the eyes look—these stay and hold up pretty well even without using a primer) as well as on the lips (omg, imagine these on the center of the lips on anything from a nude lip to a red lip to a cool black or blue or green lip). There are so many possibilities and options to rock these if you’re into shimmer.

Price and where to buy: $28 at Sephora (plus 4% cash back when you use eBates) and coverfx.com

See more Cover FX reviews and swatches here

Have you tried any of these yet? Would you try? Tell me all about it in the comments!