REVIEW: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Le Teint foundation

In my review for the YSL Tint in oil I mentioned I got a sample of the new formula Touche Eclat Le Teint. I finally managed to get a full size bottle in my shade so here's a review! It promises '8 hrs of sleep in a bottle', more coverage and staying power yet a weightless feel on the skin. I can really use some of that! These samples were '7 day samples'; rather nifty glass jars with a spatula thing built into the lid. Me likey! I think once it's finished I'll probably clean it and refill with more foundation for when I travel! Anyway, after having tried it at home for 3 days I decided I *needed* a full size in my life! I then played the game of find your shade... There are some new shades launched with the reformulation, and my shade, BR45, is one of them.

For ages, Debenhams wasn't stocking the shade, and neither was Boots. Then I found out Debenhams was doing a May Day special with a lot of money off certain beauty brands, YSL being one of them, so I checked it out. And they suddenly stocked my shade! So in the end I paid £26 for this, RRP is £32.50! Now THAT is heartwarming savings :) But still, this is a very pricey product.

The good thing about ordering from Debenhams is that it comes with a sample - use the sample and if the shade isn't right or you hate it, you can return or exchange the unopened foundation! This may come in handy. I am glad I got shade-matched in store and didn't rely on the swatches you see when you shop online?! I had a look at the Debenhams YSL brand store, where they have a photo of the kind of women that would wear the different shades. I was kind of shocked that BR45 falls into the 'medium' skin tone range - I would imagine my shade range being more like BR30, but with blonde hair?.. I'm guessing the lower numbers are very, very pale! So if possible I would go to a counter and get matched for this foundation - there are 22 shades, so there is bound to be something for everyone. They are grouped in 3 groups; B (Beige, neutral), BD (Beige Doré, warm) and BR (Beige Rosé, cool). All the colours have names one the boxes, but I couldn't find a list anywhere? My shade BR45 is called 'Cool Bisque'.

Let's look at the application and performance. When I had my makeover at the YSL counter the lady used the new YSL Touche Eclat Y-Brush. It's a small, round, dense brush with a well for the foundation (shaped like a Y...). Very similar to the BareMinerals Perfecting Face Brush. I wasn't about to fork out the same amount again for a brush so I decided in my wisdom to go at it with a Beauty Blender.

I really need to learn to do 'foundation selfies'...

The coverage was good with the Beauty Blender and it looked quite natural. But it wasn't as nice a finish as when I'd had my makeover. So the next day I tried it with my new Zoeva 102 Silk Finish brush. This time I got great coverage, a natural look and maybe just that little bit more airbrushed finish! I have continued to use the Zoeva brush, as I think a dense brush is able to buff the foundation to a better finish. An alternative would be the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. Unless of course you want to pay £32.50 for the YSL brush!

I don't have to set this or use a primer but I have dry skin, oily skin ladies may need to. I didn't really see it deteriorate until later in the evening after applying it in the morning and wearing it in the office all day. It never oxidised on me, and it had a great pore-hiding finish! I didn't see it crease in my forehead wrinkles either. The finish is a semi-matte yet quite luminous finish, it's hard to describe. You have to wear it to see it :)

I am still as pleased with this as the first time I had it on - I can see this being a long-term friend for those days when I need a bit more of a made-up look :) 5 out of 5 stars for me!