YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation Review & Swatches

The new YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation ($55) is a terribly over indulgent little purchase on my part. I really had to check this one out for myself so I indulged in two shades.

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation is inspired by YSL’s cult favorite Touch Eclat Pen. With added sun protection (SPF 19) this is a weightless foundation that targets shadowy areas on your face and adds light. The foundation enhances your own natural skin tone leaving behind a weightless finish.

Here are a few thoughts.

At near $60 for a 1 oz bottle this may prove pricey for some but I did feel a little went a very long way if you have fairly good, smooth skin. So you might want to take that into consideration should you wish to indulge.

YSL Touche Eclat used to be one my favorite concealers however, I discovered far better products such as the Dior Booster Pen and I’ve left it behind temporarily. When they introduced this foundation, I was indeed curious as I expected a similiar formula to the pen with the same creamy texture.

Unfortunately, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation does not technically remind me of Touche Eclat so if you’re buying it for this reason alone, I’d recommend rethinking your purchase.

My expectations for this were pretty high. I expected a creamy, well pigmented foundation that offered sheer to medium coverage with the newer second skin-like finish that many foundations have embraced lately. Now medium, well, you’ll have to take it with a grain of salt. It builds well enough but even after some building you may feel it’s still a little sheer.

What I got was a fluid foundation with a thinner, runny consistency that had a gel-like texture. I was hoping I could liken this to Chanel Aqua Vitalumiere but in fact, although it offers the same great weightless coverage it doesn’t meld to form that second skin-like finish I get from products like Aqua Vitalumiere or Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid.

I was thankful that it didn’t have shimmer, sparkle, or any iridescent finish to it. Coverage is natural, breathable, and lacks any glow-y finish or look once applied. It has the ability to cover minor imperfections like redness, dark spots, some dullness, however, those who like a fuller coverage foundation will find it lacking.

I wouldn’t say it dries down to a dewy finish but the hydrating factor is there and I believe oily skin will struggle with this one. If you’re dry or combo it should offer some nice moisture but those with oily skin will feel it creates a bit of a shiny effect. For those sensitive to fragrance, it does have a rather strong cucumber-like scent which disappears quickly enough after application.

B40 and B30 (for reference B40 was the best fit for my skin, B30 was too yellow)

The coverage is indeed very natural but not as miraculous as I had hoped for. I didn’t feel like it eased my dullness for a flawless finish. Granted it produced nice, breathless coverage but didn’t feel like my skin looked completely flawless after use.

It contains a small amount of Bismuth but thankfully it didn’t break me out, cause me to itch, etc….I don’t wear Bare Minerals for this reason so I was a little worried I’d be itchy with this in place but no problems in this area.

Overall, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation was a highly anticipated release for me that fell short. I don’t think I’m cut out for these illuminating foundations that keep launching as I feel the coverage doesn’t ease my dullness and the wear is quite short (make sure to set well with powder as I experienced fading super fast with this). I wasn’t particularly pleased and felt like I overspent on this one (I imagine I wouldn’t feel as bad about the price if it actually worked well). I guess the fact that it was inspired by Touche Elcat led me to believe it would be a creamy foundation with a second skin-like finish but what you really get is vastly different from the pen.

I came out of the experience a bit meh.

Some folks will rave it I’m sure but I’m not so inclined.

Tried it?

Love it?

Not so much?

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Available on counters now.