Where do I even begin with this product?
I cannot put into a coherent post my thoughts on this odd product. Well to start, I was looking into buying this after having watched this video by one of the most underrated (imho) beauty channels in Youtube - saaammage. If you watch Sam on Youtube, you probably know that she does a straight-to-the-point and superb job on reviewing and trying out foundations. What drew me into watching her was the fact that we agree on most products and use almost the same shades of foundations. It was through her channel that I discovered two of my favorite foundations to date - Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme and Urban Decay Naked Skin. Wanting to try a sheer foundation and being one of my go-to reviewers, I saw her talk about the NARS Matte Velvet Skin Tint and had praises for it. So then I decided to visit this place that triggers my allergy with overpriced consumer items - Rustan's.
I went straight to the NARS counter and immediately encountered two problems, first being how overpriced the item was (PHP 2,550) and second, they did not have a stock of the shade I was looking for (Alaska). However, as I swatched St. Moritz, I believe it was a safer shade than Alaska so I ended up getting it, which is where everything started.
My issues with this product are as follows:
1. St. Moritz was too yellow for my NC30-35 skin yet the I did not have any other option. Even mixing two shades would be contradicting because one shade dramatically differs from the other, in my opinion. So mixing would tend to neutralize the wide gap of shades, which is nonsense in the end.
My face is relatively darker than the rest of my body so I should have opted for a lighter shade but the Alaska seemed a tad too Light, and I mean unflatteringly light. The product oxidizes quickly upon initial application ONLY, or as I would like to think about it - upon coming into contact with air. At least that's what I observed. Also, the product when swatched at the back of the hand tends to differ in color as applied on the face. Overall, color was slightly confusing, but workable.
2. No matter how thin I apply this or whatever tool I use, I cannot seem to make it blend on my skin such that it won't look as if I have a thick goop of foundation over my face. Ironically for me, I like my foundation to seamlessly blend in with my face that gives the illusion that I am not wearing makeup. I normally get this from BB creams and the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation. This product really screams foundation even if it is marketed as a tinted moisturizer, so imagine the horror.
3. This product likes to clump on my face in certain areas. I can't accurately describe it but it's similar to how oil separates into aggregates when poured into water. Well on my face at least, it does the similar effect. Not good. Not good at all. If you have tried this, you probably also observed that too (and I'm very positive about that), be it around the nose area, forehead, or wherever else.
I do not find it drying at all but if you have flaky or dry patches in your face, this skin tint will magnify and glorify them, even with cautious moisturizing or priming. To avoid this, make sure skin is well exfoliated and just plain free of dry patches to give the product a little sense of justice.
For a tinted moisturizer, this thing is on the verge of high coverage for me. I fancy lighter coverage foundations so I am in all my rights when I say that for me, this is medium-heavy as opposed to the light-medium coverage that everyone else say it is.
You can see from the photo above that this product is thick and not runny. It's spreadable but again, it adheres to my face in aggregates. Applying this with a brush is streaky. Applying it with a Beauty Blender is quite a problem because the formula does not seem to work well with the material used in Beauty Blenders. To be honest, I think using your fingers will work best. It is after all marketed as a skin tint, and with that I believe NARS subliminally expects its consumer to use its fingers.
Upon blending, you can see that the product has a nice sheen to it that actually amazes me. It is a mattifying product but it has a forgivable, faintly dewy finish, but wait until about 5 minutes and you can see it transform into a very matte finish. Personally, I do not like setting this with powder anymore because my makeup will look like it's over-kill. This product alone will not give you a natural finish. It will give you a made-up look, if that makes sense.
As for the smell, I love it. I don't understand why most of those who have tried this say this smell like alcohol. It does not, really. For me the scent is one the most pleasing in a foundation/tinted moisturizer that I have ever used. As for the SPF, forget it. I use a separate sunscreen anyway.
One thing I do appreciate about this is that it does stay put on the face extremely well. It might be something with the really odd formula. But that's just about it. Overall, this product for me is poorly made. It might work for some but definitely not for me. It's super expensive and looks very unflattering and obvious on the face.
Has anyone of you tried this? Please comment on how I can fix my relationship with this product.
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| NARS Matte Velvet Skin Tint |
I cannot put into a coherent post my thoughts on this odd product. Well to start, I was looking into buying this after having watched this video by one of the most underrated (imho) beauty channels in Youtube - saaammage. If you watch Sam on Youtube, you probably know that she does a straight-to-the-point and superb job on reviewing and trying out foundations. What drew me into watching her was the fact that we agree on most products and use almost the same shades of foundations. It was through her channel that I discovered two of my favorite foundations to date - Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme and Urban Decay Naked Skin. Wanting to try a sheer foundation and being one of my go-to reviewers, I saw her talk about the NARS Matte Velvet Skin Tint and had praises for it. So then I decided to visit this place that triggers my allergy with overpriced consumer items - Rustan's.
I went straight to the NARS counter and immediately encountered two problems, first being how overpriced the item was (PHP 2,550) and second, they did not have a stock of the shade I was looking for (Alaska). However, as I swatched St. Moritz, I believe it was a safer shade than Alaska so I ended up getting it, which is where everything started.
 |
| (Click the photo to zoom in) |
My issues with this product are as follows:
1. St. Moritz was too yellow for my NC30-35 skin yet the I did not have any other option. Even mixing two shades would be contradicting because one shade dramatically differs from the other, in my opinion. So mixing would tend to neutralize the wide gap of shades, which is nonsense in the end.
My face is relatively darker than the rest of my body so I should have opted for a lighter shade but the Alaska seemed a tad too Light, and I mean unflatteringly light. The product oxidizes quickly upon initial application ONLY, or as I would like to think about it - upon coming into contact with air. At least that's what I observed. Also, the product when swatched at the back of the hand tends to differ in color as applied on the face. Overall, color was slightly confusing, but workable.
2. No matter how thin I apply this or whatever tool I use, I cannot seem to make it blend on my skin such that it won't look as if I have a thick goop of foundation over my face. Ironically for me, I like my foundation to seamlessly blend in with my face that gives the illusion that I am not wearing makeup. I normally get this from BB creams and the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation. This product really screams foundation even if it is marketed as a tinted moisturizer, so imagine the horror.
3. This product likes to clump on my face in certain areas. I can't accurately describe it but it's similar to how oil separates into aggregates when poured into water. Well on my face at least, it does the similar effect. Not good. Not good at all. If you have tried this, you probably also observed that too (and I'm very positive about that), be it around the nose area, forehead, or wherever else.
I do not find it drying at all but if you have flaky or dry patches in your face, this skin tint will magnify and glorify them, even with cautious moisturizing or priming. To avoid this, make sure skin is well exfoliated and just plain free of dry patches to give the product a little sense of justice.
For a tinted moisturizer, this thing is on the verge of high coverage for me. I fancy lighter coverage foundations so I am in all my rights when I say that for me, this is medium-heavy as opposed to the light-medium coverage that everyone else say it is.
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| NARS Matte Velvet Skin Tint (Not blended) |
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| NARS Matte Velvet Skin Tint (Blended) |
As for the smell, I love it. I don't understand why most of those who have tried this say this smell like alcohol. It does not, really. For me the scent is one the most pleasing in a foundation/tinted moisturizer that I have ever used. As for the SPF, forget it. I use a separate sunscreen anyway.
One thing I do appreciate about this is that it does stay put on the face extremely well. It might be something with the really odd formula. But that's just about it. Overall, this product for me is poorly made. It might work for some but definitely not for me. It's super expensive and looks very unflattering and obvious on the face.
Has anyone of you tried this? Please comment on how I can fix my relationship with this product.
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