Presenting the Dior Forever Natural Nude foundation and Backstage Powder for a fresh and radiant complexion!
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If there’s anything recent history can tell us, it’s that Dior is on a mission to deliver natural radiance to your complexion and taking big steps towards creating cleaner formulas that feature more skin-loving ingredients!
Two newcomers to the block:
- DIOR FOREVER NATURAL NUDE FOUNDATION: An expansion to their iconic lineup of foundations, promising 24 hours of wear time but with Dior’s most natural formula to date. It’s formulated with 96% naturally derived ingredients. It also contains Dior’s award-winning skincare ingredients to nourish your skin throughout the day.
- DIOR BACKSTAGE NO POWDER POWDER: An expansion of the brand’s professional makeup line that has been catching rave reviews since it was launched by creative director Peter Philips in 2018. The weightless translucent powder has a rather unique gel-to-powder formula sets makeup while blurring on the skin.
Being someone who is always up for experimenting with a new foundation, there was no resisting picking the Dior Forever Natural Foundation up upon its release as well as the Backstage powder that seemed quite unlike any other in my collection.
After putting these two through the ringer – from hot 85 degree days to torrential downpours and even blizzards, these two have been by my side through every weather system Mother Nature has sent my way! And with good reason as I think it’s nice to share a sense of how a foundation in particular holds up in various weather conditions.
Find my full report below on how they perform and WHICH is an absolute must-have in my book! (The other? Perhaps not.)
DIOR BACKSTAGE POWDER
DIOR NATURAL NUDE FOUNDATION
Dior.com • Harrods • Selfridges
Dior Forever Natural Nude Foundation
17 SHADES AVAILABLE
To start, the Dior Forever Natural Nude foundation is available in 17 shades – ranging from light to deep skintones with varying undertones. I was immediately disappointed to see that on the light end of the color spectrum, there is a more generous shade selection to help lighter skintones find their best match.
Deep skintones might struggle as the dark end of the shade range has a lot less to offer. Hopefully this is an issue Dior will correct by expanding the line to include the best match possible for every skintone.
CHOOSING THE PROPER SHADE
If you are new to Dior foundation’s, I highly highly recommend going to a counter to be color-matched in person.
A valuable alternative, however, is to use the Sephora Shade Finder by selecting a foundation you already use and matching that to Dior’s originalForever Foundation as it carries a very similar shade range.
SATIN-TO-DEWY FINISH
On the skin, the Dior Forever Natural Nude foundation has a radiant look to it that sits somewhere between a satin and dewy finish. This creates a nice healthy and hydrated appearance on the skin.
A word of warning – the “dewiness” will increase as the day progresses so be sure to carry a powder with you if on-the-go.
LIGHT-TO-MEDIUM COVERAGE
Compared to other foundations from Dior, I was surprised by how light the Forever Natural Nude foundation’s coverage is.
It will very nicely even out your skintone, but with natural features like freckles (of which I have many) still shining through! The coverage is buildable, however, and layers nicely in areas you’d like a little more coverage without getting cakey.
24-HOUR WEAR TIME?
Oh boy. Sometimes I wonder why marketing teams box themselves into these awkward positions by making bold claims that are near impossible to live up to.
While I dare so no one is in need of a 24-hour foundation, it’s fair to say the Dior Forever Natural Nude foundation most definitely does not wear that length of time. Instead, I observed around 6 hours of solid wear time between I noticed the foundation starting to break apart in areas. It also starts to feel heavier on the skin around this time.
FOUNDATION V. HEAT AND HUMIDITY
I’m glad to report on how the foundation wears in different weather conditions because I found it really performs dramatically different between hot and cold climates. On chillier days, it manages to stay in tact an extra two to three hours.
On hot and humid days, however, the product takes on a greasy look after just a few hours and will find its way settling into pores or natural creases throughout your face (i.e. where the nose meets the face). Yes, powder goes a long way to manage these issues but it is by no means a summer-approved formula that you can wear easily in extreme heat and humidity.
96% NATURAL
While the Natural Nude foundation is not defined as a “clean beauty” product – it does follow a trend we continue to see more and more on the market and uses 96% naturally-derived ingredients. This is excellent in terms of how ingredients are sourced of course but also in providing healthier wear on the skin.
DIOR BACKSTAGE NO POWDER POWDER
AVAILABLE IN TEN SHADES
The Dior Backstage Powder currently has 10 shades available, ranging from light to dark skintones. Where the foundation disappointed me, I do think Peter Philips did a nice job creating a shade that will fit every skintone. Yes, there is more wiggle room where powders are concerned but it’s nice to see everyone represented.
PRESSED, LIGHTWEIGHT POWDER
As you can see from how beautiful it is in the pan, the Backstage “No Powder” Powder is pressed! It also has a soft, lightweight formula that is virtually undetectable on the skin when applied.
THE SMOOTH-FACTOR
Now for my favorite part: how blurring and smoothing the powder is on the complexion! Instead of clinging to dry patches or accentuating any natural texture you may have, the creaminess of the Backstage powder smooths beautifully over the skin and creates a lovely blurring effect that’s rather addicting.
GEL BASE, PREVENTING CAKING
We’ve all been there before with a powder that mattifies and controls shine on the face, but leaves your face feeling like cake along the way! Fortunately, the Dior Backstage Powder is designed with a gel-to-powder formula that creates a flawless finish on the skin that is virtually weightless.
A MUST-HAVE
Like I said, since picking this up in April 2021 I have continued to wear nothing else when setting my daily makeup. Even on days where I forego foundation altogether and maybe just dabble a little concealer around in places — this is what I reach for without fail every single time.
It’s definitely become one of my beauty routine’s most-repurchased makeup products and I think you’ll love it just as well as I do.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
DIOR FOREVER NATURAL NUDE FOUNDATION
- 17 shades
- Light-to-Medium Coverage
- Satin-Dewy Finish
- Moderate wear time but does not live up to “24 hour” claim
- Formulated with Dior’s signature floral concentrate to nourish the skin
- 96% of ingredients are directly from nature
- Performs better in cool temperatures over hot/humid days
- Best for dry skin. Oily skin types should steer away in the warmer months.
OVERALL GRADE: B-
While I agree the foundation has a lot of positive things going for it, it doesn’t manage to come close to topping the original Dior Forever Foundation and my holy-grail-favorite NARS Light Reflecting foundation that I simply cannot get enough of! It also acts as more skincare than makeup – making it my top recommendation.
The Natural Nude foundation is also not ideal for warm temperatures – particularly with humidity. It’s one I think you’ll find wanting to put on the back-burner during the summer months.
DIOR BACKSTAGE POWDER
- Available in 10 shades
- Gel consistency that does not cake
- Smooths and blurs over imperfections
- Lightweight and breathable on the skin
- Significantly extends the wear-time of whatever foundation or concealer you have on
OVERALL GRADE: A
Oh I love this powder! It’s fantastic and one I really enjoy applying every day. I’ve enjoyed repurchasing this already and look forward to doing so again and again. It truly might be my favorite powder of all time. (Thus far, anyway.)
DIOR BACKSTAGE POWDER
DIOR NATURAL NUDE FOUNDATION
Dior.com • Harrods • Selfridges
MORE BEAUTY READS TO ENJOY:
Dior’s Cutest Brow Styler is Perfect for Summer
Meet NARS’s Game-Changing Foundation
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XOXO
Kelly
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