Nars’s light reflecting foundation gives a seriously glowy finish and wears well – even on oily skin

Like it or not, the return to the office (take two) is in full swing, and beauty brands are responding to this lifestyle change. Many of us are retaining a hybrid working dynamic, and the latest make-up craze echoes just that: foundations that blend skincare benefits with complexion-perfecting coverage.

While the concept isn’t new, it’s certainly been the driving force of many beauty launches so far this year, with the likes of Charlotte Tilbury, Dior, Chanel and The Body Shop all launching foundation formulas that keep skin health at the fore. This trend isn’t surprising: the average make-up wearer isn’t looking for anything too full coverage after going bare-faced throughout lockdown, but needs something to ease themselves back in, and likely cares about their skin health more than ever too.

Rejecting full coverage in favour of prioritising that “your-skin-but-better” finish, these foundations look to provide the best of both worlds. Think radiant, fresh-feeling formulas with buildable coverage and long-term skincare benefits. It was only a matter of time before make-up stalwart Nars entered the chat and it’s tapping into the trend with its new “light reflecting” foundation, with near identical credentials to its competitors.

Known for its high-performance foundations, the brand’s latest launch claims to blur imperfections, texture and blemishes with its medium coverage finish. A huge 70 per cent of the formula is comprised of skincare ingredients, which claim to protect from environmental aggressors and blue light. It also boasts nifty technology that claims to make you photo-ready (more on that later).

We got our hands on the debut formula to put it through its paces. Is this the latest must-have in your make-up bag? Read on to find out.

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We tested this foundation over a period of four days, maintaining our regular skincare and make-up routines to give it an authentic trial run. As we have oily skin, we set the foundation with powder as normal, but we didn’t use a setting spray in order to see how the formula wore throughout the day on its own. We considered the finish and wear of the foundation, as well as shade range and where it sits within Nars’s existing offering.