Prescriptives Virtual Matte Replacement

After my denial of Prescriptives Virtual Matte's demise finally faded away, I searched for its possible replacement with a heavy heart and lowly expectations (yes, I am a creature of intense attachment). I headed over to Sephora after having done a bit of research and had my mind set on Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet. I picked this one for the brand's high quality products, color offerings, formulation, and similar pricing (only $2 more than VM). Overall, the product seemed like a pretty good clone of VM, but it's always funny how what you think is best for you, isn't what you end up needing after all.

The Sephora make-up artists understood right away what I was looking for when I mentioned VM, and walked me over to Tarte for its similar au-naturale formulations. Unfortunately, I found the Smooth Operator foundation to be too dry and flat on my skin. Instead of sinking in, it sat on top with a fairly white cast. Instant neg on that one, sorry Tarte. These are two of my biggest pet peeves of oil-free and SPF foundations (a similar predicament I found when trying the highly touted VM-clone: Clinique Superfit). No, thank you, I would not like to be a cakey, white mess.

What was I looking for? Dewy, light, moisturizing, non-shiney, and coverage for my acne scars! Picky, much? Thankfully, my pickiness led me to my perfect match: Nars Sheer Matte. I love, love the finish and the fact that the color doesn't change after a long day! It's light enough for layering so that you can attain whatever coverage level you want. Two cons are that it's a little pricier, at $42 compared to $32 for VM. And unfortunately, it doesn't contain SPF, so you'd need to pair it with a separate sunscreen if wearing it during the day. Either way, the pros definitely outweigh the cons, and I think I'm hooked. For anyone with slightly drier skin, the foundation also comes in a Sheer Glow version!

Took this for a spin in Vegas last weekend, with a fear of what my "photo face" would look like... and was pleasantly surprised! Like VM, my face photographed pretty true to color and wasn't too dry or oily despite the sweaty mess of Vegas clubs. I don't usually wear liquid foundation to work, but tried it a few days to test out the staying power. I'm glad to say that whether I top it off with MAC Skinfinish Natural or Everyday Minerals Silk Dust, it sits perfectly, with very little fading. I had little hope that I could find a VM replacement so easily, but it's always great to find something unexpected.

Foundation routine to come in a later post!