REVIEWS: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St Moriz

 

Tinted Moisturisers...

I remember using tinted moisturiser quite often during my teens, it might take some effort but try to think back to the days when Nivea had just two shades. Two shades! Oh how the industry was lacking back then.

I was never really that keen on Nivea's version either to be honest, the lack of coverage for an adolescent teen with raging cystic acne was almost as appalling as the lack of shade range. It completely turned me off the idea of tinted moisturisers, and I hadn't bothered trying any since. Until last year that is.

That was when NARS launched their very own range of tinted moisturisers. As we all know NARS have a brilliant range of foundations with shades to suit pretty much any skin tone, so upon hearing of the launch I knew I had to at least try it. After all, I have complete faith in their brand.

The reason for that faith is because Sheer Glow in Barcelona is to this day my 'Holy Grail' foundation. The coverage is perfect and the shade range was spot on. It has peachy undertones which neutralised the hyperpigmentation I had, thus giving me mannequin-smooth perfect looking skin.

Anyway, I digress! Back to NARS Tinted Moisturiser in St Moriz. Would it follow in the footsteps of its big sister, Sheer Glow? 

 

I was a bit stuck for which shade to actually choose, both Annapurna and St. Moriz both looked quite close to my skin tone. I eventually plumped for St. Moriz, even though Annapurna reminded me of Nepal, as Annapurna was just a little too dark for my liking even if it did have those lush peachy undertones.

Last winter I was colour matched at the NARS counter in Selfridges to St. Moriz, and for once I actually came away feeling that it actually was the right colour. I've had a few bad experiences at these counters in the past, walking away looking either like a ghost (too light) or an Oompa Loompa (too orange!). The Sales assistance totally understood why I had my reservations at being matched in store and was actually pretty good.

Looking at the website I presumed St Moriz would have been more suited to those who use the Stromboli shade of foundation. With that in mind the SA assured me, as the colour is quite sheer, it would be forgiving in the Summer when my skin darkens quite a bit. Just for reference I'm usually anywhere between MAC's NC37 and NC40, but in the summer I can go up to NC42.

I wore the St. Moriz a couple of times in the winter, when I was a true NC37 however I just wasn't feeling it. In winter I crave full coverage foundation with tons of highligher on to get into the festive spirit. So I put it back in the drawer of unwanted, unused products to gather dust and be forgotton about. And then summer hit... 

When the sun is shining I like my skin to look natural and glowy, so I'm nowhere near as concerned about full coverage as I am in the gloom of winter. With this summer being particularly sunny and warm, this product seemed like a completely different proposition. It seemed to give me everything I need.

  

Here's what NARS have to say about it:

"Your skin – almost bare, but better. This advanced, oil-free formula provides a translucent veil of color and sun protection while helping to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots in just four weeks. Infused with lush, naturally derived botanicals and ingredients to immediately helps thirsty skin feel hydrated. Kopara from French Polynesia and mineral rich seawater revive and re-mineralize skin for a softer, smoother, and brighter natural glow. Skin is transported."

  

TONE, CONSISTENCY & APPLICATION

Looking at the photo above, St Moriz looks slightly cooler than Barcelona which would be a bit problematic if it was a foundation and would leave me looking ghost-like. But because this is a tinted moisturiser it's much more sheer and is actually quite forgiving. Once I've blended it on to my skin using the ELF Studio Powder Brush, you can see just how sheer it really is and didn't leave me looking ashy at all. Also the consistency isn't quite as thick as a standard foundation, so it feels incredibly lightweight. 

NARS suggest applying this over a moisturiser and as my skin is oily/combination but is also dehydrated, applying a moisturiser is a must for me anyway. When I followed their guidance though I found it to be a bit too dewy, so I tried it without the moisturiser and my skin appeared so luminous!

The tinted moisturiser contains SPF30 in it which is a real plus point. For me though I feel this probably won't be sufficient enough to protect my skin from UV rays as I've noticed the tinted mousturiser starts to fade away during the day. A little powder does help a bit, but to stop my skin looking like a slick of sweat I now use Murad's Oil Free Sunblock with SPF30 from Lookfantastic:LINK

With this sunscreen, my skin has the right amount of dewy-ness for my taste and the product blends seamlessly into my skin. At random points during the day I'll then apply NARS Powder Foundation in Barcelona to blot out any excess oil

FORMULATION, FINISH AND LONGEVITY

As my skin is relatively clear at the moment, I find I that don't need to use too much of this just now. I dot it over the skin then blend it in like a mofo. Saying that, you have to be a little careful as this not buildable at all. As it contains moisturiser within it, it can make your skin appear a bit too shiny. I'd suggest applying concealer to any areas that need covering.

Having said that, it's definitely enough to blur out any imperfections on your skin, but it won't completely mask them like a foundation or concealer would. That's ok though because this isn't really the point of a tinted moisturiser anyway. I think that this product is perfect for me, given that my skin is pretty clear at the moment. 

As mentioned earlier I do have hyperpigmentation in certain areas, so if on occasion these areas require special attention I apply a tiny amount of L'Oreal's Nude Magique CC Cream in Anti Fatigue. On normal days though I don't bother, as my skin looks pretty good with just the tinted moisturiser. The end result is that when I'm wearing St. Moriz, my skin looks and feels as smooth as a baby's bottom!

As for longevity though, the product seems to start wearing off throughout the day to the point that by around 6pm it looks like it's completely gone. What's worse is that with my oily/combination skin it just looks like I've covered my face in oil - not a great look in a restaurant! My tip here is to touch it up with a little powder throughout the day.

CAM WHORING:

  

During the day with NARS Powder Foundation on top to set it into place...

  

And by night, the skin looks quite dewy. It almost looks like I have highlighter on! It's a beauty, isn't it? 

Now, observing the picture above, I have a serious case of Flash Back Photo Face. I'm putting it down to the SPF30 within the Tinted Moisturiser which is one of the downsides to this. If you are going out expecting to be photographed, I'd avoid this and opt for a foundation such as NARS Sheer Glow or Bobbi Brown's Natural Finish Foundation, any foundation with little or no SPF will do you nicely. 

Now to sum up:

  PROS

• Lightweight coverage, perfect for Summer where you don't require heavy foundation on the skin
• The shade is quite sheer so it's not a problem if you're in between shades
• Blurs out imperfections, skin looks fresh and appears soft
• Skin appears quite natural looking and gives you that artificial glow as if your skin is happy :) 
• Can be applied and blended with fingers or a brush
• Skin glows, you could even skip highlighter
• By the end of the day, skin appears dewy (with the help of powdering during the day for those oily/combination types)
• If you're looking for an every day foundation but want something lighter, this was made for you!
• Contains SPF30 (If like me, you're into that!)

  CONS

• Priced at £28, some could argue that it's pricy for a tinted moisturiser when you could get a similar effect by mixing a blob of foundation with moisturiser
• It's a tinted moisturiser so it won't completely cover up imperfections
• Without powdering (for oily/combination skin types), this will completely disappear off your face
• Again for those of you with oily/combination skin, skin can look too dewy without a matte moisturiser/sunscreen on underneath 
• The SPF 30 will give you that dreaded white cast look with flash photography

WOULD I REPURCHASE?

I think I would, but only to use in the summer and for that reason I'd probably go for the slightly darker Annapurna shade. I definitely won't be using this in Winter as I like my face to appear supremely flawless.

 And there you have it! Well done to yous that made it to the end, quite a mammoth post this time but I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you tried the NARS Tinted Moisturiser?

 

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bloglovin | Tumblr 

You have read this article FOTD / Make Up Looks / NARS / NARS Tinted Moisturizer / Reviews with the title REVIEWS: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St Moriz. You can bookmark this page URL http://clothingfashion2012.blogspot.com/2013/08/reviews-nars-pure-radiant-tinted.html. Thanks!