NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 – the best summer “foundation”

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 on fair skin with product tube

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If you’re looking for a tinted moisturizer that evens out the skin tone, gives a beautiful glow, has SPF and is super easy to apply just with your fingers – NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is the one.

Shop: *NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in Finland (KICKS.fi) *NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in Finland (Lyko.fi)

I’m all about natural results and with foundations I tend to gravitate towards products that don’t create a mask on my skin covering every single imperfection. Rather I go for sheer products that just help my skin look a little bit smoother and better.

If you want a fuller but still skin-like NARS base, I have also reviewed NARS Sheer Glow Foundation. For another easy glowy base, see my Lumene Natural Glow Foundation review.

What I especially love about the NARS Tinted moisturizer is that it has buildable coverage. I also can’t emphasize enough how nicely it blends to the skin just with fingers. It’s as if it disappears on my skin, yet my skin looks like there’s something there.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 tube with makeup products

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer review

As one could infer from the name, this product leans more to a skincare product. It contains Kopara which is a naturally derived polysaccharide extract, that hydrates and smooth the skin. It also contains brightening vitamin C, which I love. The consistency is a light cream, just like a skincare product.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer shade Finland on skin
Am I wearing makeup or does my skin just look amazing? Wearing only NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer on my skin (+concealer under eyes).

The shade match this time is impeccable, since I’m using the shade Finland. It’s said to be light with cool undertones, but I don’t find it that cool. I would say it’s more on the neutral side and to my eye there even seems to be some yellow in it. Be it however, since the coverage is so sheer, one shade actually fits more skin tones and it doesn’t have to be exact. Still I think for Finnish people, the shade Finland is perfect. I contemplated between Finland and Norwich, which was slightly more yellow and darker, but Finland was better. However, if you’re more on the medium side, that might be a better match for you.

As for the longevity, this product is not for an all nighter. On my combination skin it still stays pretty nicely. My t-zone might get a bit shiny throughout the day, but powdering helps. All in all it stays beautifully and it wears off naturally. That’s why I love sheer foundations – even if you lose some during the day, your face looks natural.

Natural color equals natural wear-off. My makeup philosophy in most products.

Before and after with NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in shade Finland

I feel like this is the perfect summer “foundation”, since it’s so light and it has SPF 30. Though I also loved to wear it in winter, when my skin was more on the dry side. That just proves how versatile the product is all-year-round.

Definitely a new holy grail product. Have you tried this or some other tinted moisturizer? Hit me a message on Instagram and we’ll talk – I’d love to hear your favorite products.

Natural makeup with NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer on skin

My skin, but in a bottle – NARS Sheer Glow Foundation review

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation Review

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NARS Sheer Glow Foundation is just what the name implies, but also much more (at least to a foundation fanatic). It’s a medium-coverage foundation that gives a subtle glow to the skin, making your skin look like skin. I like to think of it as my skin, but in a bottle. You know, if my skin had even texture, it was smoother and not as oily. My skin, but better.

This foundation is a classic, which deserves a gold medal in my books. Here’s my review with before & after photos!

If you want something lighter and quicker than Sheer Glow, I now also have a review of NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30, which is more of a glowy SPF 30 summer base.

Nars sheer glow foundation review

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation review

*Sheer Glow foundation has sheer, yet buildable coverage. I feel like it’s impossible to create a cakey mask with this one. Since it leaves a bit of a glow on the skin and reflects light, it looks more natural on the skin than a matte foundation. (That said, there are also matte foundations that reflect light, making them look beautiful – if you’re more oily you might want to check out my review on Clarins Everlasting Foundation or Estee Lauder Double Wear.)

The foundation doesn’t contain alcohol or fragrance, which is great, because those two ingredients tend to be not so great if your skin is sensitive. It’s also oil-free and non-comedogenic, making it suitable also for combination skin. Ingredients include glycerin, vitamin C and turmeric extract. These hydrate, brighten and even out the skin tone.

Natural looking skin Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

glowy skin purple eye makeup

My skin type is combination, meaning I get a bit oily in my T-zone. I still love a glowy foundation and I’m so happy I found this one! It gives me just enough glow, without making me look like a greasy mess. So when it comes to the longevity, it lasts pretty well throughout the day. Obviously I’m quite glowy at the end of the day, but it’s nothing too crazy. I can always fix it by absorbing excess oils with powdered papers.

Quite often I leave it without powder, but applying a light layer of powder to set the foundation also helps to keep it in check longer. If you’re using a qood quality powder, it doesn’t ruin the radiance. My recommendation is *Laura Mercier’s loose translucent powder.

Before & After Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab (Medium 1)

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation Punjab Before After
Before & after NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (Punjab) & Radiant Creamy Concealers (Custard, Vanilla)

Before After Nars Sheer Glow Foundation Punjab

The shade that I have is Punjab. Right now it’s slightly darker than my skin, but I usually use self-tan and then it fits me perfectly. And that said, you can still see how easy it is to blend to look good, even with a slightly darker shade.
There’s great shade descriptions on Sephora (just follow the foundation link), so it’s quite easy to find your match.

I love to apply this foundation either with a damp beautyblender or a brush. If you are deciding which sponge to use, my Beautyblender vs Real Techniques makeup sponge comparison is the more detailed sponge review. It works either way. The consistency of the foundation is very lightweight, making it easy to apply and blend on the skin. For this post, I used a beautyblender. I didn’t use powder, so you can see the beautiful finish it leaves on the skin.

glowy foundation nars

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation review & my NARS favorites

All in all, I really love this foundation. NARS really seems to know its base products. I’ve been using their Radiant Creamy Concealer for years and just haven’t found anything that beats that. I also used those concealers in the makeup here.

Note – this foundation doesn’t come with a pump. You could use the foundation without the pump, but it does make it easier to use, so I would recommend buying that. It costs $6, which I think is fine for a great foundation like this.

Shop the foundation:

*NARS Sheer Glow Foundation
*NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Pump

 

And when it comes to the rest of my makeup, here’s the details.

Makeup details:

*NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol 1 (the best purple palette I own)
*Benefit 24HR Brow Setter Gel (the best brow gel ever, check out my review)
Milani Baked Blush, Delizioso Pink
Clarins Natural Lip Perfector 5

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