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Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation.

NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation
Foundation

About this product

A lightweight, buildable foundation with a satin-matte finish that delivers medium coverage with a skin-like glow, formulated with skincare ingredients.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

75%

Yay

9 experts · Strong agreement
9Gurus
6Yay
2Mixed
1Nay
#13 in FoundationSee the ranking →

What they liked

  • Luminous finish that doesn't look overdone
  • Doesn't settle into pores or fine lines
  • Versatile for everyday and glam looks

What they flagged

  • Contains fragrance, may irritate sensitive skin
  • Shade range runs warm

What the gurus are saying

This foundation earns consistent praise for its light-reflecting finish and smooth, pore-minimizing effect, though gurus split on whether it holds up all day. Those who love it prize the medium buildable coverage, comfortable skincare-like feel, and versatility for everyday or glam looks, with some noting it requires strategic setting in humid climates to avoid excessive shine. The main caveat: it contains fragrance, which dermatologists flag as potentially problematic for sensitive skin and skin of color, and some gurus find the wear time inconsistent or that it settles into fine lines by day's end, making it best tested first.
Synthesized from 9 expert reviews · most recent take June 2026

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 Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
Nay
"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."
Yay
"This is my second bottle, which means a lot because I use so many different products, usually cushions, but I love this one so much. I always recommend it to my students because compared to other glow foundations it has a lot more coverage, this actually feels like a foundation instead of a tinted moisturizer. It's semi matte, so as time goes by it settles down instead of making the pores shiny, which makes it feel like a more universal, amazing, well made foundation. I will definitely repurchase it."
Yay
"Nars creates some of my favorite complexion products of all time. Their Light Reflecting Foundation is one of my holy grails. I heard Makeup by Kellyanne over on Instagram raving about this new natural matte longwear foundation. She got to try it out before launch and she wore it to the Nars event party and she said that she didn't touch it up with powder. Like she never set the foundation with powder and in flash photos it looked flawless. And she had also been using it on a lot of celebrity clients. So I was like say no more. I have to try it."
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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. I heard Makeup by Kellyanne over on Instagram raving about this new natural matte longwear foundation. She got to try it out before launch and she wore it to the Nars event party and she said that she didn't touch it up with powder. Like she never set the foundation with powder and in flash photos it looked flawless. And she had also been using it on a lot of celebrity clients. So I was like say no more. I have to try it."
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"This is one of my holy grail foundations. I feel like this is such a foolproof foundation for me personally, and I love how it wears. It'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. 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."
FINALLY TRYING THIS NEW MAKEUP...
"This is the NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation and I thought this would be a great foundation to test with these primers because I know how this wears on me. 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 shade L2 Mt Blond BL."
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"The Nar light reflecting foundation, I feel like it has made the world a better place."
The Perfect Holiday Makeup Tutorial
"The Nars Light Reflecting Foundation is my Holy Grail, I love this one so much. I'm going to apply this starting on the cheeks, that's where I have the most discoloration, so I like to start with the most product in the area that I want the most coverage and then I'll just take what's left and kind of distribute that evenly across the skin. I'm just pressing that into the skin with my sponge, that combo is actually so pretty."
If I Took You to Sephora, Here's What I'd Buy You! 😍
"If you were looking for a new foundation, if you hadn't ever tried the NARS Light Reflecting, 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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"I have been hoping for more shades in this amazing formula. 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, similar to my NARS Light Reflecting Foundation, like it's up there in quality and then just how it makes me feel, how it looks on the skin all day, like I'm obsessed."
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"The NARS Light Reflecting 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. I love this because there's some foundations that are strictly for a no makeup makeup everyday basis and then some that are only for glam looks, 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!! 😍
"I was reminded again with this Foundation that it looks pretty upon application but it's how it wears that actually floors me. There's 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. And then somebody else said the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation doesn't work for me. It's okay, I won't take it too personally, but I am a little sad."
The Makeup I'm Thankful For This Year
"I feel like I've used this for the past like two Thanksgiving videos in a row but honestly I don't care because it is just so good. I'm thankful for the NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation because it just 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 is what I'm trying to say."
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"This is my personal favorite foundation. I love this one. It's so so good, it wears beautifully on me and I love how it has buildable coverage as well. 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."
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"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."
Yay
"I love this"
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."
All 2 takes from Beyond50Skin
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"NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation is an absolutely beautiful foundation -- viewers' absolute favorite. Unfortunately, they don't make a color that matches my skin tone; it's either too yellow or too pink. I'm hoping they come out with more shades because I would love to be able to use it. I love the way it went on -- it just wasn't a great shade match for me."
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"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."
Yay
"We're going to be using the light reflecting foundation instead in the shade Santa Fe. Yes, this is going to work. I actually have mixed these foundations together before and I know this one is really nice."
Yay
"If you want something that's glowy, this is way better. It's so far superior. It's 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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"The two foundations are NARS Light Reflecting Foundation and the Chanel one. I love it, I'm actually surprised how much I love it on my skin. It's the first skin tint to me that truly is a foundation. You get that skin tint glow finish but you also get the staying power and the coverage of a foundation. Sometimes it's a little too glowy, like if it's really hot outside or you're in a really humid climate. It's just so glowy the minute you put it on your skin. It's called Light Reflecting, which it does too, it definitely reflects. You have to be very, 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 it's amazing, but it depends on the occasion."
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"If you want something that's glowy, this is way better. It's so far superior. It's 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."
Mixed
"When I first put it on it looked so beautiful. It made my pores disappear. I was like oh golden, holy grail. By the end of the day I couldn't stand it. Definitely worth a try for some people, but I don't tend to reach for it even though it does look good at the beginning because I want something that's going to look good all day long. I don't want to think about it during the day."
All 2 takes from HotandFlashy
Faves + Fails April 2022
"When I first put it on it looked so beautiful. It made my pores disappear. I was like oh golden, holy grail. By the end of the day I couldn't stand it. Definitely worth a try for some people, but I don't tend to reach for it even though it does look good at the beginning because I want something that's going to look good all day long. I don't want to think about it during the day."
Foundation Friday Over 50 | NARS Light Reflecting Foundation Wear Test on Mature Skin!
"This foundation looks so beautiful when you first put it on, and if you're only wearing it for three to five hours you'll be really happy with it as long as you put the right sunscreen under it. It's actually pore smoothing, which is something that every foundation promises but none deliver on, and this one actually delivers on it, especially if you put a setting powder on over it. The finish is very pretty and satin matte. It offers medium buildable coverage and plays well with cream blush and bronzer. However, it does settle into your wrinkles, so as much as it makes your pores look diminished it makes your wrinkles look worse. It gets shiny without setting powder and can be finicky about sunscreen and application. It worked great with a sponge but did not go on well with a brush or with my fingers. The wear time is inconsistent - I got two pretty good days out of it and one really good day, but the first day was not good at all. It also gave a lot of flashback when photographed with flash. I'm kind of on the fence on it - not the best I've tried, not the worst I've tried."
Yay
"This is the NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation and the color is Doville. I like to start with about one pump and see where I end up because this is a not cheap foundation. I like to put just a little bit on and spread it in a nice really even and thin layer. I shear it out with a beauty blender."
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All 3 takes from Kelly Driscoll
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"This foundation is not cheap but let me tell you, 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 just did one pump of foundation where normally I would probably be doing two pumps, but because I was able to spread it in a nice even layer across my face, I get away with using less, which I like because there's less product that melts on your skin. I'm getting that nice even coverage with medium coverage that's definitely buildable."
GRWM YouTube Creator Collective 2025 | Skincare, Hair, Makeup + Outfit!
"This is the NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation and the color is Doville. I like to start with about one pump and see where I end up because this is a not cheap foundation. I like to put just a little bit on and spread it in a nice really even and thin layer. I shear it out with a beauty blender."
Filming Routine | Do Skincare, Hair and Makeup With Me!
"I really don't like how those feel. 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. This is the NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare 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 like 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 so that's what I like. It also feels pretty comfortable for my skin and it is fragrance-free."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Sunscreen filters

Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation?

A lightweight, buildable foundation with a satin-matte finish that delivers medium coverage with a skin-like glow, formulated with skincare ingredients.

Is NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation worth it?

Mostly yes. 6 of the 9 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 75%.

What is NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation's Guru Score?

NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation holds a Guru Score of 75%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 9 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

Who is NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation best for?

NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation is generally suited to oily skin.

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