NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation - Worth the Hype?

If you follow the beauty blogs, you've probably seen many reviews about NARS' recent foundation release - All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation.  It's touted as providing full yet natural coverage that lasts 16 hours.  I put this to the test for a couple of weeks and am happy to report that it lives up to the brand's claims.  It definitely lasts all day and I love that the finish is matte but with enough luminosity to keep it from looking flat.  It's actually a really lovely finish that's the perfect middle ground between glowy and super matte.  I also liked that one drop was enough to totally cover my face, so this one bottle would last a very long time.However, I did read some less than stellar reviews (citing patchiness and difficulty blending) and I'm hoping that a few of these tips can help to address those issues.

• Apply in sections.  I usually apply foundation by dabbing it on my nose, forehead and cheeks, then go back and blend all over.  That process won't work with this formula because it is fairly thin and dries quickly.  Instead, it's best to dab a little on one area, say the forehead, and then blend completely before adding new foundation to another area.
• Apply to freshly moisturized skin.  If you have oily skin, this foundation will be perfect because it will not leave you shiny and it will last all day.  However, this can also work for drier skin as well.  The key is to apply the foundation right after your moisturizer or sunscreen so that the foundation will glide on more smoothly.  I used a primer before application once and found that it made my skin too dry for this foundation to look good all day, so unless your skin is very oily, I would not recommend wearing a primer under this foundation.
• Use your fingers.  I was told by a sales associate at the NARS boutique in San Francisco that it's best to use fingers when applying this foundation.  She told me that the warmth of your fingers helps to blend in the product, and I have to agree.  I tried applying this with my fingers, with a synthetic foundation brush and with a damp beauty blender.  I got the best results when using my fingers, followed by the damp beauty blender.  I would not recommend using a foundation brush with this particular foundation because it just doesn't blend in as well.

I do not wear foundation on a daily basis, but definitely enjoyed how smooth and natural this made my skin look.  I was especially impressed with how long this lasted.  It looked as good at the end of the day as at the beginning, which is something that I rarely experience when wearing foundation.Bottom line: if you're looking for a medium- to full-coverage foundation that looks natural and lasts all day, you should definitely look into this.  Also, I love that this comes in 20 shades.  It costs $48 for 0.22 oz (purchase here).For reference, I used both Cadiz and Tahoe and they look identical on me (I'm NC 45 in MAC for reference).Like what you see?Like beautyluxelife on Facebook here.Follow along on Bloglovin' here.