Love it: NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint

I have looooooong been a huge fan – and multiple wearer – of NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, which I get at my local Mecca Cosmetica store and recommend to all I meet. It gives the most beautiful and thoroughly glow-y look to my gradually drying out skin, and never fails to elicit compliments.

However, some have claimed that it can be a little too oily for those whose skin is that way inclined, and during super humid times of that year. It hasn’t stopped me using it one bit, but then NARS unleashed another option in the “your skin, but flawless” vein and I have fallen head over heels for that formula too.

NARS describes their new(ish) Velvet Matte Skin Tint SPF 30 as “an oil-free skin tint to protect and perfect with medium, buildable coverage and a soft-matte finish” but by golly, it is that and a whole lot more. Available in New Zealand at Mecca Cosmetica, it has been a sell out worldwide and here too, with tubes of the little magic formula just flying off the shelf. It’s oil-free but also wears super comfortably, maintaining skin’s natural moisture barrier while working to control shine throughout the day.

Silky smooth to the touch and surprisingly generous with the coverage, this “skin tint” is, indeed, just the type of velvety matte that NARS does so well. Applied after daily skincare, it has transparent blurring powders that help to blur imperfections, even the look of your skintone, and smooth the appearance of pores and fine lines. The powders’ unique, spherical shape compresses like a cushion, whilst Vitamins C and E protect against free-radical damage caused by environmental stress.

I love the fact that it has excellent shine control and oil-absorbing properties, but it doesn’t leave skin looking chalky or flat—rather, the finish is soft-focus, blurring imperfections and evening out the rest, including dark spots, under eye circles, blemishes, and enlarged pores. If you’re oily by nature you will love the stuff, but it’s just as suitable for dry and normal skin types that don’t need much on the oil-control front. It doesn’t emphasise things like flakiness or unsightly dry spots, and when Allure magazine said “this product should be called Velvet Matte(ish), because it erases shine but doesn't leave you looking powdery or dried out like most matte foundations” they were most definitely telling the truth.

For weekends I find that it is perfect on its own with no concealer necessary -I just layer the buildable tint where needed, add brows and a lip and I’m good to go. Magical!

This beauty is available in store now in a wide range of shades and with an RRP of $78.00. Get thee to your nearest Mecca Cosmetica NOW.