It’s always a good day when I find a new foundation to test. I am extremely picky with foundations. I hate anything that feels heavy on my skin, doesn’t last a long time, gets shiny throughout the day, gives too much coverage, gives too little of coverage or looks cakey in general. As you can see, there’s an incredibly long list of criteria that a foundation must fit in order to become a winner in my books. To date, there’s only been a select few foundations that have passed my judgement – the Chanel Les Beiges Eau De Teint ($85CAD/$68USD) (review here), the Lancome Skin Feels Good tint ($55CAD/$36USD) and the Guerlain Aqua Nude (review here but sadly discontinued). But, I’m about to add one more foundation to the list: this YSL NU Bare Look Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation ($52CAD/$39USD).
This tint initially intrigued me when I received a sample of it from Sephora. Usually a tiny little sample on a blotter sheet isn’t enough to sell me on a foundation, but the fact that I actually bought it really attests to how good this foundation is! It’s described as a lightweight skin tint with hyaluronic acid and buildable light-to-medium coverage for a fresh, dewy complexion. Let’s talk about the coverage first. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly light-to-medium but I would say it’s a true light coverage tint. The coverage can be built up but only to a certain extent. If you want a more medium coverage, you would need to pair this tint with a concealer to help cover any blemishes or redness. But on those days, you want a light coverage foundation to even out your skin tone and add some radiance, this is the perfect thing to reach for!
What I love most about this foundation is the feel of it on my skin. It has a water-cream texture that, thanks to the high inclusion of hyaluronic acid, gives up to 24-hour hydration. In addition, skincare ingredients like glycerin and mallow help brighten the skin and leave it with a natural, radiant finish that doesn’t get oily or greasy throughout the day. Instead, the tint just melts into your skin. It’s the perfect combination of not only a foundation but also a moisturizer.
Now that we discussed what I love most about this foundation, it’s only fair to also discuss what I don’t love. But luckily, the list of what I don’t like is limited to only one thing- the shade range. Although this tint is available in 20 shades (impressive for a tint, not as impressive for a foundation), the shades tend to lean very yellow. I got mine in #2 – fair with cool undertones. Usually a foundation with cool undertones would mean it skews more towards the pink side of skin tones. But, this tint is still definitely a little too warm and yellow for me (as you can tell by my swatch photos). However, because it is a light coverage tint, I find once it is applied all over my face, you really can’t tell that it is a little more yellow than my natural tone. With that being said, I definitely wouldn’t complain if YSL decided to launch a few more shades that have a true cool undertone! In the meantime, I will continue to use this one because I love it that much!
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