Review: YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation

I have been trying the Yves Saint Laurent's newest foundation, Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation ($55) for the last two months.  And I thought it was about time I review it.

WHAT IT CLAIMS:
For the first time, the magic light of Touche Eclat is in a foundation with the added benefit of SPF 19 sun protection.  Infused in a weightless fluid, this foundation targets shadowy areas and highlights the contours of the face.  Free of opaque fillers, its perfecting texture evens the complexion and helps conceal imperfections while enhancing your skin's natural beauty. Available in 17 shades with SPF 19 broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.

Free of
-Parabens
-Sulfates
-Petrochemicals
-Phthalates
-GMOs
-Triclosan

I was quite excited about this foundation when I first heard about it.  It's a foundation version of the Touche Eclat Radiant Touch ($40) which has been a cult favorite for decades.   A lot of people use the Radiant Touch underneath their eyes or as an illuminator.  Personally I think the foundation is worth it considering the Radiant Touch is only 0.1 oz for $40 while the Foundation is 1.0 oz for $55.  You do the math.

COLOR: I picked this up in shade Beige 30.  I'm about MAC NC25, MUFE HD #120, Clinique Even Better Foundation Buff #25, Urban Decay Naked #4 for reference.  The shade looks a lot darker through the bottle than the actual product when dispenses.  One of the reasons I was quite happy with Beige 30 was because it had a yellow undertone to it.  I have problems with so many foundation claiming it to have yellow undertone, yet when I put it on, I still see the pink undertone.  I think this is perfect for light colored asians like myself.  However, you have 17 different shades to choose from.

PACKAGING:  It's in a heavy glass bottle with gold writings and gold cap.  Very Yves Saint Laurent signature packaging if you ask me.  It comes with a nice pump and the lid fits perfect over the pump.  It is a little heavy to be carrying around everywhere, but personally I don't carry my foundations except when I'm traveling.  And this bottle is not cheaply made glass that will easily crack.  However, I'd be devastated if I broke this!  It has 1 fluid ounce of product, which is a pretty standard foundation size.

COVERAGE AND FINISH:  Slightly dewy, glowy but dries semi-matte.  I know Allure recently gave this a Best of Beauty Award in the medium to full coverage foundation category.  At first, I thought it was going to be a sheer light to medium coverage because of the natural coverage and finish it has.  However, after some thought I'd agree with Allure.  The consistency appears to be very sheer at first, but it's quite pigmented and it gives decent medium coverage with one pump and one application.  I was quite happy with one pump, so I have never tried layering.  It has a dewy and slightly glowy finish at first, but once it settles it turns into semi-matte.  Also it absorbs into the skin quickly making it look sooooo natural and sooo beautiful and probably easy to layer flawlessly as well.  Even after many hours of wear, it stays on really well and makes it look more and more natural.  It also surprisingly has good oil control for a dewy/glowy foundation.  I personally like to wear this on it's own because it is so beautiful without the powder, but when lightly powdered, my nose doesn't get shiny utnil the 9th or 10th hour.  It also does not settle into fine lines and make you look older.  It actually reflects light to give you the lifted radiant appearance.  Also it does not dry out my face throughout the day as some foundations do (even glowy ones).

THIS FOUNDATION IS LIKE:  I'd say similar product to this foundation from what I've used is NARS Sheer Glow Foundation is the closest comparison, but I'd say YSL has much better coverage.  It's also similar to the Urban Decay Naked Foundation, however Naked foundation dries more matte, and it tends to dry my face more than the YSL.YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat is unique and much better.

APPLICATION:  I like to either use a buffing brush (Real Techniques), paddle foundation brush (Bobbi Brown), or my fingers.  I think they all apply beautifully.  When I apply with my fingers, it almost feels like a tinted moisturizer, but with really good coverage.  I just love the radiance it gives. ♥  And this foundation, YOU MUST SHAKE BEFORE USING!  Don't forget! :)

GREAT FOR:  Women of all ages.  I'd say all skin types, but I'm guessing people who have oilier skin tend to stay away from glowy/dewy type foundation.  For those, I'd say skip moisturizer and just put this on. 

Here are some pictures of before and after in different lighting.  Also I had a lot of time before I did this review, so luckily I had a lot of pictures. :) 

This one is with natural lighting and with no makeup, with just foundation, and full makeup.  With just foundation, it did an awesome job of covering up the discoloration underneath my eyes, giving it that nice lifted look.  Also you can see that the coverage is quite good without any concealers.

In this picture, I had put on my eye makeup and brows, so you don't get distracted by me not having any makeup on.  In natural lighting, I did just eye makeup & brows, and then I added foundation, and then full makeup.  You can see all of my redness and freckles disappear and giving but also giving it a nice natural finish.

This picture is the same but with flash photography.  No flash backs or ghostly white face with flash. Yay!

MY THOUGHTS:  I am more than satisfied with this foundation.  Even with the hefty price tag of $55, I think it's worth every penny.  It really gives you that nice glowy but not overly glowy, healthy skin look.  It has good coverage.  Also I thought maybe this would be a better foundation for the winter, but it has good stay power even in the month of September in Southern California, I think this would do just fine in the summer.  It does not dry out my combination dry face.  I think it's perfect for someone looking for a natural finish foundation but still looking for coverage.  Also I really love the scent.  It has almost a cucumber but a light oil smell?  Sorry I don't know if that makes sense, but that's how I'd describe it.  It photographs well even with Broadspectrum UVA/UVB coverage of 19.

WOULD I REPURCHASE: Absolutely YES YES YES!  I'm so happy with this foundation.  It's so light, that I can see myself wearing this every day!

YOU CAN BUY IT AT: Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!  Sorry for this long post.  I'm still trying to figure out what kind of format to have when I'm reviewing, so I'm trying out different formats.  And this foundation, I obviously had a lot to write about. :)  And if you have any thoughts on the type of reviews I've done, please let me know!

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