Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Radiant Touch

In my last Korean Beauty Haul post, I mentioned YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat as my #1 foundation love of the moment, so I thought it would be fitting to dedicate an entire post to it. I've been using it basically non-stop for 3 weeks now and it's yet to let me down. Part of me always regretted not buying it duty-free when I was at Narita Airport in September last year, so when a friend was holidaying in Japan recently, I asked that she buy a bottle for me. YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat retails for a ridiculous $85 in Australia, $57 USD (about $72 pre-tax) or ‎£31.50 ($61), but I paid about $56 for this bottle from Japan. That's probably at the upper limit of what I'd ordinarily be willing to pay for a foundation, but I'd already tried it on a couple of times before and liked the result, so it seemed like a safe investment.






I opted for the shade B40 as it seemed to be a good match for between NC 20 and NC 25. Now I'm thinking whether I should've opted for BD40 instead. YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat comes in 3 different undertones: BR for pink, B for neutral and BD for yellow. B40 isn't a 100% match for me by any means (it leans more pinky brown than I'd like), but at the same time, BD40 seemed slightly lighter than B40 and I wasn't sure if that would've been an issue. In any event, B40 — while not perfect — is certainly good enough, and any mismatch isn't glaring or problematic enough to detract from my enjoyment of the foundation.


YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat in B40

l-r: Benefit "Cheers to Me" Champagne, NARS Fiji, YSL B40, Make Up For Ever 118

You can see that B40 is distinctly more orangey than some other foundations I frequently use. I already thought Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in "Cheers to Me" Champagne was one of the warmer and darker foundations in my stash, but B40 looks to be darker and more golden brown still. NARS Sheer Glow in Fiji and Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 118 are both lighter and more yellow-toned.


A "before and after", if you will. I applied a light layer of product mostly to my chin area and assembled side by side shots to show the coverage and finish of the foundation compared with bare skin. I'm not sure if you can tell, but I can definitely see in the photo on the right the point where I stopped applying/blending the foundation onto my cheek (I was only intending to demonstrate the effect of the foundation on the central lower half of my face). There's an area that's slightly more orange and darker than the more neutral and paler neighbouring skin, which shows how B40 is a bit off the mark for me.


My chin is the most problematic area for me in terms of small bumps, scarring, and uneven pigmentation and texture. The foundation isn't heavy and painted on in the slightest, but rather, makes my skin still look like skin while brightening the complexion, providing light-to-medium coverage and diffusing the appearance of imperfections. One pump is just the right amount of product to do my whole face.

YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat is extremely comparable to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. To me, the two are very, very similar. I'd say the Bourjois is probably a bit dewier and weaker in staying power, but it still manages to mirror the best aspects of the YSL. Both foundations are particularly kind to dry skin, which I strongly appreciate, especially coming into winter. They're hydrating foundations that camouflage or alleviate dry patches rather than accentuating or exacerbating them.

The consistency of Le Teint Touche Éclat is somewhat serum-like in that it feels weightless, melds seamlessly into the skin, and is on the thinner side (though by no means runny or watery). The finish it gives reflects its high price point and makes this foundation worth the money for me — radiance-boosting, skin-perfecting, soft-focus, but still natural and not at all mask-like. It also doesn't leave me unbearably shiny throughout the day, though I do usually blot at the 2 hour mark like I do with all my foundations, focusing on my T-zone which can get overly sheeny. If paired with a primer like Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, oil control is even less of an issue. While coverage does fade a little by the end of the day, especially since I don't use face primers or setting sprays, most of it's still on and it wears off in a natural, non-cakey manner that doesn't emphasise pores or dry out the skin (something I've started noticing with my previous everyday foundation Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua now that the weather's colder and I'm sitting in a dehydrating air-conditioned office all day).

I initially was applying YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat with the Zoeva Silk Finish from the Rose Golden Luxury Set, but switched to my trusty Real Techniques Multi Task Brush and haven't looked back. I definitely prefer a softer, fluffier brush over a denser, firmer buffing brush. It's less work, feels nicer and there's less tugging on the skin, but it distributes and blends the product into the skin just as effectively. Set with a layer of Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder using my ultra soft IT Cosmetics Live Beauty Fully Complexion Powder Brush, and I've been very happy with my foundation routine of late.

18 comments:

  1. I think the shade looks good on you, I don't notice any mismatch between your face and neck- looking at your pictures..
    I had a deluxe sample of this Touch Eclat foundation and was matched to shade BD20 ( or B 20? I can't really remember ). I remember that I liked the foundation but was not crazy about it. It was a tad too light for my liking and I recall the finish being too dewy for my combination skin.. However, it looks really nice on you! It def cover your problem area and still looks natural.. :)

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  2. I love the coverage of the foundation. I have the YSL Fusion Ink which is more for combo to oily skin and I love it. It's also thin in consistency but provides great coverage and lasts all day.

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  3. I've heard so many positive things about the YSL foundations but I'm yet to try any from the brand. I think I will definitely have to test the Touch Eclat at some point soon!

    Heather, porcelainbeautyx

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  4. It has such a nice finish! I also have Touche Eclate on my wishlist but I still can't figure out the right shade. It's hard to find a nice yellow toned shade for really pale skin tones. Even the B10 looks too pink.

    Sue | zuzanahumajova.com

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  5. I heard so many good things about the YSL foundations, looks a lovely finish on you :) x
    http://insaneaboutmakeup.blogspot.co.uk/

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  6. This is such a beautiful foundation and sounds like it would tick all of the boxed for me! It really does look lovely on your skin. x

    nueyork.blogspot.com

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  7. Glad to hear you are a fellow fan of this foundation, I really loved it! I was matched with BR20 and I think having a more pink toned foundation was a great match for me, i can see in your photos how this is more of a pink/brown tone compared to your other foundations. I'm definitely going to be repurchasing this in the future.

    Emma x

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  8. I have yet to try this one.
    I'm currently using one from The Body Shop and I'm starting to have a "love-hate" relationship with it. I got Benefit's Liquid Foundation and luckily enough, the lady got me a shade darker and here we can't return makeup...although I've been testing out how to mix it with my bb cream from Benefit - which has a powder finish and it's lighter than my current skin tone.
    Although I'll probably get my correct winter shade in September for sure ( the good thing is that the weather is getting warmer and I'll start to get a slight tan for sure...at least enough for me to wear the foundation without looking like a umpa-lumpa.


    As for this one, I might ask for a sample one of these days. I already feel that I have to many foundations here - two of wich I can't use because they are darker than my skin tone. ( the second one I'll blame on Clinique's range and the poor lighting , because I got the lightest shade and it's still a bit - not that much - darker for me right now....I really need to get a bit of a tan )

    Take care*

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  9. It seems that it has beautiful finish as well as good coverage! I have tried their Touche Éclat pen and absolutely loved it! Thanks for sharing :)
    xo, Jessie

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  10. I'm super impressed by the coverage. It covers everything! I haven't paid much attention to YSL foundations before but now I'll be sure to look the next time I want a new high end foundation. That MUFE swatch looks pretty good, too! Nice and yellow. :)

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  11. I have wanted to try this one for ages. I can't afford it at the moment but I'll see if I can get a sample :D

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  12. I used to love this foundation! I have it in B20 and it just makes your skin look so much better then it really is. Then I started to get breakouts and this didn't seem to look too good on top of them. I think the formula was just too sheer? Now my skin has gotten better but I've found that the shade doesn't match me anymore! So I have, what I think is, more than half a bottle of foundation sitting there on my dresser -_-

    Lucky it's gold and pretty looking LOL.

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  13. That's fantastic that you managed to get this at such a great price in Japan! That's crazy how expensive cosmetics can be down under! I love how you so detailed and specifically described the tone of the foundation. I know that at the end of the day I always prefer one that's yellow toned over any other tone for me. Although since my body tans a lot easier I often end up with a body that's quite tanner and my face remains much fairer despite how much sunscreen I pack on! I've been drooling over foundations from chanel and YSL but it seems like a lot of ladies end up comparing these two brands to foundations from bourjois which makes me glad I have a couple from them already!

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  14. I think this foundation matches pretty well! (Long time no speak lol, I've just been here being a bit of creeper and not commenting x.X) I may have to look at this one next time I'm in Sephora for winter stuff. I've been loving my two YSL lipsticks lately! Always love reading your blog =)

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  15. I wasn't expecting to see such good coverage actually, and I do like my higher coverage foundations. I have only tried one of the YSL foundations as wasn't overwhelmed, think I need to give them another go!

    Annabel ♥
    Mascara & Maltesers

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  16. This sounds and looks so good. I am yet to invest in a high end foundation. Its such good coverage.

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  17. You've totally made me want to pull this back out of my makeup drawers and get stuck into it. If I remember correctly it left me quite glowy, when I tend to prefer a matte base, but I remember liking how it felt on my skin so we shall see. Brilliant review, as always

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  18. I absolutely love the finish of the foundation! It really does an excellent job at leaving your skin glowing and radiant.

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