Hey beauties!

Today, as per a request from one of my Instagram followers @msdenisegail (who also does make-up related posts!), I'll be reviewing the *NEW* (not that new anymore because this post is so long overdue lol) NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint!

I was really hesitant about picking this product up to try because it's gotten many mixed reviews, but, with the Spring VIB sale that happened in early April, I decided it would be worth a try with the 15% off discount. Don't let the name fool you, this product is not by any means a "skin tint" or tinted moisturizer. I would definitely consider it to be a foundation with medium coverage that can be built up to full coverage.

The NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint retails for CA$54.00 at www.sephora.ca and is available in 12 shades. I wear the shade Alaska.

When I first tested out the foundation, right off the bat, I noticed that it had a thicker consistency compared to your average foundation and that had a slight perfume-y/chemical scent to it. The smell was not particularly overbearing, but can be quite irritating for those that are very sensitive to scents. The scent does not linger and goes away after a few minutes.

I apply this product with a damp Beauty Blender on top of my Benefit Matte Rescue Gel and Make Up Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer in Mattifying and set it with powder, as this is how I apply my foundation everyday. I find that I can get a good medium coverage with one layer. I'm able to get a full coverage over any trouble areas on my skin with a second layer. This foundation does set fairly quickly, so I would recommend that you work with small amounts of product to start and in small sections. It's very easy to achieve a cake face with this product so I find that it's better to apply less and add thin layers until you get your desired coverage. What I absolutely love about this product is that it's so lightweight, I can hardly feel the foundation on my face even after I've applied a second layer to my skin. After initial application, it looks super smooth, evens out my skin very well, and gives a true matte finish to the skin.

A problem that I have with this foundation is that it is a little bit drying and does accentuate any dry or flaky patches of skin, and not by a little. If you have any dry patches on your face, you will definitely be able to tell where they are if you're wearing this foundation. I have combination skin, being severely oily in the center of my face (nose and inner cheek area) and can get very dry around my mouth, chin, and jawline. My flaky patches were very noticeable when I wore this foundation, so I definitely wouldn't recommend using this if you have dry skin. If you have combination or normal skin, if you do have any dry patches, just make sure to exfoliate beforehand.

I've worn this foundation for upwards of about 9-12 hours and experienced very minimal shine in the areas where I usually get super oily. My oils did not start seeping through until after about 9 hours of wear, and I typically get very shiny about an hour after applying my make-up. It held up great around my inner cheek area where I get a lot of oil seeping through my make-up, but I did notice that the foundation started to break down on my nose. My oils caused the foundation on my nose to start separating, which accentuated my large pores and made my nose look super flaky even though it wasn't. Other than that, I didn't have any problems with the foundation and I was really impressed with how long it kept me matte. The rest of my foundation still looked freshly applied at the end of the day and my contour and highlight were still very visible on my cheeks after 12 hours.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this foundation if you have normal-combination or combination-oily skin. It stays matte for several hours and gives your skin a beautiful, smooth, airbrushed look. I think it would be a perfect foundation to use in the Summer because it has the coverage of a foundation with the feel of a tinted moisturizer. It's extremely lightweight on the skin even with several layers. This is definitely going to be my go-to foundation this Summer!

I hope this review was helpful to those of you who were still on the fence about the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint. I know that the price is steep for a "skin tint", but I assure you, this is definitely a foundation. If I still haven't convinced you 100% but you're still curious, be sure to head over to your local Sephora store and ask for a sample to try it out for yourself. Let me know if you've tried the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint and what your thoughts are about it!

Xo,
Marian