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NARS

Light Reflecting Foundation.

NARS Light Reflecting Foundation
Foundation

About this product

A luminous foundation with light-reflecting technology designed to smooth skin and provide medium, buildable coverage with a dewy finish.

Type

FoundationLiquid

Key actives

Vitamin CVitamin E

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Guru Score

74%

Mixed

7 experts · Strong agreement
7Gurus
5Approved
1Mixed
1Skip
#8 in FoundationSee the ranking →

What the gurus are saying

This foundation earns consistent praise for its luminous, skin-like finish and the way it smooths skin without settling into pores or fine lines, all while feeling lightweight and hydrating. The one thing to keep in mind is that its glow can read too shiny in very hot or humid conditions, so those working in bright light or on camera may need to set it carefully depending on the context. Shade matching can be tricky for some people, particularly those with cooler undertones, so patch testing first is worth doing.
Synthesized from 7 expert reviews · most recent take June 2026
Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Skip
"It contains fragrance. The finish is beautiful. It's got good pigment coverage, but the fragrance creates cumulative inflammatory input in skin of color. Gorgeous formula, but not acne-safe."
~Approved
"Nars creates some of my favorite complexion products of all time. Their Light Reflecting Foundation is one of my holy grails."
Top Pick: foundation
All 16 takes from Allie Glines
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"Nars creates some of my favorite complexion products of all time. Their Light Reflecting Foundation is one of my holy grails."
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"This is one of my holy grail foundations. This is the Light Reflecting Foundation from Nars. I feel like this is such a foolproof foundation for me personally, and I love how it wears. It's also one that's not too glowy, not too matte. It's one that works well for everyday, but also you can amp it up for more glam looks. It does feel a little bit more glamorous than like a tinted moisturizer, but it still looks natural enough and has a natural enough finish to be great for everyday. And it wears really well on me. It's genuinely one of my favorites. I love when there's a foundation that kind of does everything, to where if you're going to spend money on a more high-end foundation, it's nice to know that you can use it on an everyday basis or bump up the coverage and it's going to work really well for more glamorous occasions as well. You don't have to have two separate foundations, you can genuinely wear this one every day. At least that's what I like to do."
FINALLY TRYING THIS NEW MAKEUP...
"This is the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation and it's actually been a while since I've worn this and I wore it over the weekend and I was like oh my gosh I forgot how good this was. It wears very well, but it's not super matte at the end of the day. The shade match is impeccable for me on this. I'm wearing the shade L2 Mt Blond BL."
The Makeup I'm Thankful For This Year 🥹
"The NARS Light Reflecting Foundation, this is quite a splurge, but it has saved me multiple times. This is for special occasions where I need a little bit more of a matte finish and longevity. I love it."
The Perfect Holiday Makeup Tutorial
"Now let's go into a classic, an oldie but goodie: the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation. This foundation is my Holy Grail, I love this one so much. I'm going to apply it starting on the cheeks, that's where I have the most discoloration, so I like to start with the most product in the area I want the most coverage, and then I'll take what's left and distribute that evenly across the skin."
If I Took You to Sephora, Here's What I'd Buy You! 😍
"If you hadn't ever tried the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation, I would buy this for you first. You guys know this is my number one foundation. It just looks good no matter what. I love how versatile it is. I can use this for every day all the way up to a more glam look."
It's HERE!!! My Heart in Your Hands 💕🥹😭
"I'm going to start off with like a sheer layer of foundation. This is the NARS Light Reflecting, my favorite. It's so surreal to me that like the products are available right now."
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"This is something that I genuinely love so much, it's one of my favorite products of the year so far. I feel like it's one of my most used products, up there in quality, and just how it makes me feel, how it looks on the skin all day. I'm obsessed."
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"For foundation this was kind of tricky because you guys know I love so many foundations, but if I could tell you to just buy one, I still feel like the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation is my all-time favorite. I have so many that I love and there's been so many new launches too that are great as far as foundation goes, but this one is just simply the best. If I could go back in time and do my wedding makeup again, I would use this as my wedding foundation. That's how much I believe in it and trust it. There's some foundations that are strictly for a no makeup makeup everyday basis, and then some on the other hand that are only for glam looks in my opinion, but this kind of lends itself to both situations. I love using this for every day, but it also has the coverage, longevity, and just flawless finish that I look for in a special occasion foundation as well, so it's kind of the best of both worlds for me."
TRYING NEW MAKEUP + Exciting Announcement!! 😍
"My foundation looks amazing, what did I wear? And I remembered it's my Holy Grail, so now I'm back using this more frequently because I just was reminded of how good it is again. I wear the shade Mont Blanc. I was reminded again with this foundation that it looks pretty upon application, but it's how it wears that actually floors me. There are a lot of foundations that look really impressive upon first application, but maybe they don't wear the best. This is almost the opposite, where the longer I wear it, the better my skin looks somehow. It doesn't look bad upon application, but you kind of have to trust the process and know that it will look better."
Makeup YOU Said You'll NEVER Buy Again..
"Somebody said the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation it creases too much on them which made me so sad because it works really well for me."
The Makeup I'm Thankful For This Year
"I'm thankful for the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation because it does everything I need a foundation to do and then some. Coverage is so spectacular, it's just reliable. I'm just glad this exists."
Top 10 Foundations of 2025 Voted by YOU
"This is my personal favorite foundation. It's so good, it wears beautifully on me and I love how it has buildable coverage. It gives just the right amount of glow but it's not greasy. It just looks healthy, like lit from within, but it still sets and wears well all day."
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"This one's amazing too. This is more glowy than the Givenchy and great for every day."
The Only Wedding Makeup Tutorial You’ll Ever Need
"The NARS Light Reflecting is one of my holy grail foundations. It has a bit of glow and wears really well on me. I wear the shade Mont Blanc and combine it with the matte Guerlain Terracotta for longevity plus a little glow."
What I'd Buy for YOU at Sephora RIGHT NOW 😍
"The NARS Light Reflecting Foundation is one of the best foundations I've ever tried in my life. If you haven't tried it I'd recommend it first. It's lightweight and glowy, you can wear it every day, and you can also amp it up for more coverage for evening. It's a great one and done foundation that just works for everything."
~Approved
"NARS Light Reflecting Foundation, I love this. I'm going through a makeup rut, or not a rut, but I'm just like, and it could be because winter really just jacked me up. So maybe I'm not going through a makeup rut, maybe it was because the unfortunate events happening with my skin throughout this dry, cold, weird winter just messed me up. And I think I'll be fine, but I was like, 'Oh, I think I want to try a new foundation or whatever.' But I actually went in my stash."
~Mixed
"The NARS Light Reflecting Foundation is loved by many of you, and if you can find the right shade, it's a wonderful complexion product. I had trouble finding the right shade, they all run a little bit too warm for me."
~Approved
"I'm going to use the Light Reflecting Foundation instead, in the shade Santa Fe. Yes, this is going to work. My skin is pretty good at the moment, so maybe I just don't need that much coverage. That's better."
~Approved
"If you want something that's glowy, I would prefer to use this than the nude glow from IT Cosmetics, it's just way better, it's so far superior to that formula. Lightweight, gives you glow, it looks beautiful, it's not going to crease, it just sits on your skin beautifully. I absolutely love the light serum texture with light to medium coverage."
All 2 takes from Mixed Makeup
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"NARS Light Reflecting Foundation is one of two foundations that I've ever put on my face and just posted to Instagram without even talking about the foundation, and people were just asking what I was wearing. It's so luminous and so glowy. I'm actually surprised how much I love it on my skin. It's the first foundation to me that truly gives you that skin tint glow finish but you also get the staying power and coverage of a foundation. Sometimes it's a little too glowy, like if it's really hot outside or you're in a humid climate. It definitely reflects light, which it does, and like it's called Light Reflecting Foundation. You have to be very strategic about how you set this one. I'm mindful of what situation you're wearing it in, because if you're just out and about casually going about your day, amazing, but you need to think about the context."
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"If you want something that's glowy, I would prefer to use this than the nude glow from IT Cosmetics, it's just way better, it's so far superior to that formula. Lightweight, gives you glow, it looks beautiful, it's not going to crease, it just sits on your skin beautifully. I absolutely love the light serum texture with light to medium coverage."
~Approved
"This is the NARS light reflecting foundation, the color is Doville. I like to put about a pump on the back of my hand. I'll probably use more, but I like to start with one and see where I end up cause this is not a cheap foundation. I have a stainless steel applicator, and one thing I like to do is put just a little bit on and spread it in a nice, really even, thin layer, almost like a primer coat."
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All 3 takes from Kelly Driscoll
GRWM Barbie Movie | AD ft KAINE
"I really really like this because it is, as the name says, light reflecting. It definitely does help smooth out your skin in that light perfecting way, but it also does not settle into enlarged pores or fine lines. I was able to spread it in a nice even layer across my face and get away with using less, which I like because there's less product that can melt on your skin. The foundation is medium coverage and definitely buildable, but I don't really need to do that because I'm getting that nice even coverage with just one pump where normally I would probably be doing two pumps. The foundation is not cheap, but I really like it."
GRWM YouTube Creator Collective 2025 | Skincare, Hair, Makeup + Outfit!
"This is the NARS light reflecting foundation, the color is Doville. I like to put about a pump on the back of my hand. I'll probably use more, but I like to start with one and see where I end up cause this is not a cheap foundation. I have a stainless steel applicator, and one thing I like to do is put just a little bit on and spread it in a nice, really even, thin layer, almost like a primer coat."
Filming Routine | Do Skincare, Hair and Makeup With Me!
"This is the NARS light reflecting Foundation. As far as filming makeup goes, this is what I've been wearing for at least two years now. Once I find something that works for me I just stick with it. This is also not cheap, but I have to say it really is worth it, so this is my go to foundation. When it comes to blasting a ton of light on my face and filming in 4K and all of that, you really need something that is going to perform, and I personally feel like this does. Is this truly a full coverage foundation? I would say it's a medium coverage foundation that's buildable, and that's what I like. It also feels pretty comfortable for my skin and it is fragrance free. I like how this feels like a skincare product, it feels light and hydrating, it doesn't weigh my skin down, but it does just the right amount of smoothing for my skin and just the right amount of grip without feeling uncomfortable."
Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is NARS Light Reflecting Foundation?

A luminous foundation with light-reflecting technology designed to smooth skin and provide medium, buildable coverage with a dewy finish.

Is NARS Light Reflecting Foundation worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 74%.

What is NARS Light Reflecting Foundation's Guru Score?

NARS Light Reflecting Foundation holds a Guru Score of 74%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 7 independent expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

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