One of the biggest and most anticipated launches in beauty this year has been the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint. I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sleek black tube of goodness that promised to deliver velvety-matte flawless skin. Its predecessor, the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser just didn’t do it for me, so I had high hopes for its new matte sister. I didn’t think about it too much – as soon as it released on the Mecca website, I pounced like a mad woman! I’ve been testing it out for roughly around a month, and it pains me to say I didn’t love it. In fact, I haven’t disliked a base product as much as this one since my beef with the Too Faced Born This Way foundation.
Before I tell you why I didn’t get on with it, I’ll tell you a bit about the product itself. NARS promises lightweight, medium buildable coverage with a soft-matte finish. The formula is oil-free and is enriched with rose fruit extract and antioxidant-rich vitamins C and E. It’s said to have “transparent Blurring Powders” (OKAY!) that help blur imperfections and reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines. It’s available in 12 shades, has an SPF 30 and the squeeze tube contains 50ml of product. I got mine in the shade St Moritz (Medium 01) which was a good match for my NC30-NC35 skin tone.
Ok… where do I begin? It was a mixed bag. The first time I applied it, I loved it almost instantly. I found it really did well on its promises to provide medium coverage and smooth the pores and fine lines. But, for some reason after the first 4 hours of wear, I’d find my cheeks and T-zone would be shinier than usual. For someone who has normal combination skin (just a little bit of shine across the t-zone at the end of the day), I felt the beautiful satin, skin-like finish it gave me immediately upon application just didn’t last, not even half way through the day. The skin tint itself would start fading after the 8 hour mark.
It is one of those bases you really have to spend some time getting to know (at least for me) and work out its kinks. I couldn’t wear it without a primer (it held up a lot better with a little lot of help from the Hourglass Mineral Veil primer), and no matter what I tried I couldn’t build it up without it looking cakey. Nobody likes cake (the makeup kind only, of course!). I found that applying it with my fingers as suggested by NARS didn’t get me a even, skin-like application, so a buffing brush was my weapon of choice. It didn’t fare too badly with a Beauty Blender either. It’s also worth noting that if you have any dry patches, the Velvet Matte Skin Tint clings onto them for dear life… oh and the smell. It has a strong, chemical smell, something for the sensitive noses to keep in mind.
What really sealed its fate, was the fact that it broke me out across my chin and the sides of my cheeks – I’ve never had something irritate my skin like this and by no means do I have sensitive skin; these were little red, sore bumps that would stick around for days. At first I was in denial, it couldn’t possibly be the Velvet Matte Skin Tint. I had a break, went back to my It Cosmetics CC Cream until things would calm down, then back to the VMST. What did I get? You guessed it… lots of red, sore bumps… again.
I put it back in its box, in an satchel, on a plane, back to Mecca. For $68, I expected a lot better. I really did like it for the first hour of wear – if only it would look the same at the end of the day, and wouldn’t break me out, then I would have found my new favourite everyday base.
By now you have probably worked out it’s not worth the hype to me. I have seen a ton of positive reviews, so who knows, it might just work for you. Just get a sample and try it out yourself before shelling out the cash, will ya?!
Have you tried the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint? What’s your favourite everyday base?
