Versus: Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint and Maybelline Dream Velvet

*Purchased

A trend that seems like it’s standing the test of time is ‘matte’. Matte lips, matte eyeshadows and matte foundations. Enter Nars and Maybelline. Both companies have released foundations recently that seem to cater to this matte obsession. Nars has their Velvet Matte Skin Tint and Maybelline with their Dream Velvet. I don’t think I’m the only one that sees that the similarity in their names. With me having oily skin, I tend to look for anything with ‘matte’ or ‘mattifying’ in the product name. I’ve been testing both of these foundations for a couple of months and I think I’m ready to review! So the question is, which foundation prevails?

1. Price

Lets get this out of the way first. These foundations have a decent price difference between the two.

Nars: Found at Sephora for $54 CAD for 1.7 fl oz ($31.70 for 1 fl oz)

Maybelline: Found at Shoppers Drug Mart for $17 CAD for 1 fl oz

When you do the comparison based on 1 fl oz, the prices are somewhat more reasonable between the two, but still a difference of about $13 rounded. Drugstore foundations are getting pricey now!

2. Colour Match

In terms of colour match, Nars was pretty easy because I knew my colour already from their Nars Tinted Moisturizer (Alaska). Maybelline was a bit trickier. Looking at their website, every single one of the shades looked extremely pink toned. Funny enough, this is almost the opposite of Nars as most of their shades are very yellow toned. From Maybelline I ended up getting the colour Nude. The swatches between the two acre actually pretty hilarious.

Nars in Alaska – Maybelline in Nude

Luckily, Maybelline’s ‘Nude’ sheers out a lot and actually looks a couple of shades lighter when actually applied to the face. I do think this might be best to wear in summer for me though.

3. Consistency

As similar as their ‘matte’ claims are, the Nars and Maybelline foundation have very different consistencies.

Nars in Alaska – Maybelline in Nude

You can tell a bit from the picture above. The Nars foundation is much more watery whereas Maybelline has a more of a mouse texture. This is a good lead-in to how they applied…

4. Application

This was where I started to notice major differences between the two. I found that for the Nars foundation I had to use a beauty blender. Using my fingers and a brush just looked terrible and streaky. The Maybelline one I was able to use my fingers which I actually preferred. When I always feel like i’m doing the 10 minute makeup in the morning before work, the less work the better. One of the reasons for this difference is that the Maybelline foundation actually has hydrating claims too! I feel like this is one of the reasons why I personally felt that the Maybelline foundation was easier to apply with just my fingers.

5. Wear

Even with the price difference, both of these foundations are surprisingly very similar in terms of their wear time. I actually think that for me, the Maybelline wore better. As mentioned earlier, I have oily-combination skin, so I was curious to see how these foundations would hold up. When I tested both with no primer or powder, the Maybelline fared much better. I found myself getting very oily much earlier with the Nars. I still got oily with the Maybelline, just not as fast (1 – 2 hours later).

When I tested with full face primer, powder, setting spray, etc, both held up pretty similarily. I would say if you have oily skin it will be worth your time to prep your skin properly to extend the wear time throughout the day.

6. Verdict

Now what we’ve all been waiting for. How do these 2 foundations compare?

In terms of the better foundation, I would have to say the Maybelline Dream Velvet! For the price that you’re paying, both the Maybelline and Nars are quite comparable. Similar finish, decent longevity, but a fair amount cheaper with Maybelline. The only thing I would say is that I think the Maybelline colour selection is quite poor. I found that all the shades had pink undertones. If you can find your colour in the Maybelline Dream Velvet, I would recommend you save your money and get a bottle of this!

Thanks very much! Hope you found this somewhat helpful if you were thinking of buying one or the other! Have a wonderful day!