Nars describes this powder as a lightweight, invisible silky powder which contains Photochromic Technology. I Googled "Photochromic" and learned that it roughly means that when light hits the photochromic material, a reversible reaction occurs when light touches it, changing the way the material looks. This technology is often used in eyeglasses so that the lense will darken when there is more light and become clear when there is less light.
So what does that have to do with face powder? Nars claims that this powder diffuses light and adjusts to new light sources during the day. The end result should be that fine lines, wrinkles and pores should disappear after applying this powder.
Okay...so why do we potentially need this powder in two different forms and what are the differences? Well, besides the fact that a pressed powder travels a lot better than a loose powder, I do find some differences between the two. First, in my opinion, the loose powder does have a silky feel while the pressed version does not. I happen to like loose powders but they are messy and since I'm clumsy, I usually get it all over myself. The loose powder does not have any visible shimmer in the shaker and I only detect a slight shine (maybe) not really a shimmer as it does not show up that way on the skin. On my light skin, I do not detect any residue when applied although the powder does look white on my fingers. It seems like this would be problematic on dark skins so I think if you have dark skin, you should sample it in the store before purchasing.
The pressed powder, on the other hand, does not feel silky to me at all. It has a dry texture that almost feels like you have to scrape it to get it out of the pan. Not literally, because it transfers quite nicely to a brush. The texture is strange to me, but not bad, just different. While in the pan, there is some sheen (very slight) but that sheen doesn't seem to transfer visibly to the skin.
When applied to the skin, I find both powders perform identically. I do not notice any additional sheen from one over the other. Both powders soften my face and last for several hours before touching up. I do not generally get oily so I can't comment on the powder's oil absorbing capabilities.
I should explain the before and after pictures, below. The picture on the left shows me wearing the Nars Sheer Glow foundation. I am not wearing any blush, contour or powder, which I why I look so ghostly. The only other thing I'm wearing in this picture is lip gloss. In the picture on the right, I have the pressed powder on the right side of my face (the left side of the picture) and the loose powder on the opposite side. I'm not a great photographer, but I think there may be a slight difference between the pictures, with the "after" picture showing a slightly softer, light reflected image. In my opinion, there's no difference between the right and left sides of my face. Don't worry about the Nars powder making you look like a ghost (I've detected no flashback in flash photography like some powders I have used)! I am just super pale and have no other color or contouring on my face (plus the lighting is a little different in these pictures). When I look in a mirror once I apply the powder, my face looks very soft (blurred?) and lovely. Trust me on this! :)
Do I like this powder? You bet! It's on the expensive side at $34 for each version but I will probably purchase it again. If you have oily skin, I would get a sample before purchasing as I don't know that it has any oil control properties. I would think it could be applied over your regular powder, however.
Nars Light Reflecting Setting Powder can be purchased from Nars here or from Sephora here. Try it out and let me know what you think!
Ages of Beauty rating: ****
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