Halloween & NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation Review

Happy Belated Halloween everyone! Normally I plan and make my costumes ahead of time but I had no motivation since a lot of my friends don't seem to care to dress up nowadays. Last Saturday, I got invited to a Halloween party last min. I thought putting together the cooking outfit from Breaking Bad would have been super easy, but I thought wrong. It seemed like every hardware store (and Walmart) in Kitsap County did not carry yellow coveralls. So I did what every desperate person would do in this situation: buy a costume at Walmart. The only costume that did fit me was this $20 Minnie Mouse get up. Not too bad:

Products used: NARS Radiant Cream foundation in Stromboli, NARS blush in Orgasm, NYX retractable lip liner in True Red, Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet, Urban Decay Naked Palette (Virgin, Buck, Smog & Dark Horse), NYX black eyeliner, Maybelline Blackest Black Mascara & RCMA's No Color Finishing Powder.

Also that same day, I purchased the NARS Radiant Cream Compact foundation. I know I'm a little late to jump on the bandwagon but I have been loyal to the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation for the last 4 years since it looks amazing on my skin. Since it's been 4 years with the Sheer Glow, I figured I might as well give the cream foundation a try.

What initially drew me to this product was the fact that the compact itself was reusable since NARS is trying to reduce excessive packaging waste. I love that this also includes a mirror since I am constantly on-the-go and often I don't have time to put on a full face of makeup. The compact does come with a sponge (which I already lost :( ) but I believe Nordstrom and Sephora do sell replacements.

Left: foundation compact Right: Blush Palette (Guy Bourdin)

Inside compact (foundation is in Stromboli)

So far I have worn this foundation 5 times. What I do like about the foundation was that there is more coverage than the sheer glow. The application itself isn't too bad: I use a foundation brush and simply pat/lightly brush on the foundation until I'm satisfied with the coverage. It also is less messy to deal with compared to the sheer glow (which isn't too bad either). In my Halloween photo, it looks like it photographs nicely as well.

The one thing I don't like about this foundation is how it feels on my face. With the sheer glow, I feel like it melts into my skin. The Radiant Cream feels like it just sits on my face. It is prone to "rubbing off" unless if I dust finishing powder (I use either MUFE's HD powder or RCMA's no color powder) all over my face, unlike just on my t-zone with the sheer glow. With this foundation, I do have to haul a foundation brush which can be an inconvenience if I'm in a hurry while the sheer glow can be applied with my fingers.

I probably need to perfect my application with this product but in the long run, I do prefer the NARS Sheer Glow foundation simply because its easier to build up coverage, low maintenance and it looks a lot more natural than the Radiant Cream. However, if you are in the market for a great cream foundation I recommend giving Bobbi Brown and Chanel a try.