YSL- Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation (B50 Honey)

When the first iteration of YSL Touche Éclat foundation was launched in the summer of 2012 it was a very big deal, and expectations were as high as the hype around it. I bought it as soon as my nearest Yves Saint Laurent counter got the first shipment (they gave me samples from the testers a couple of weeks earlier, so I was all set to pull the trigger), only to spend six months testing and trying to figure it out. Touche Éclat was an incredibly beautiful foundation with the most dismal performance I've come across in a very long time. No matter what I did, it just didn't last. I ended up re-homing my half-full bottle, because it took up precious space.

When it comes to makeup I'm an eternal optimist, and that's a very good thing. I was as thrilled about trying the sample of the newly reformulated Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation as I was the first time around (Sephora was incredibly generous with samples), and I ordered a new bottle with even more enthusiasm. And this time it is staying.

The new Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation is exactly what I wanted. I suspect that it's ever so slightly thicker than the original Touche Eclat, but the way the foundation melds with the skin is very similar. I don't know about the awakening/fatigue reducing claim (a cup of strong tea will awake you, while a nap is the only anti-fatigue solution I know), but the foundation feels very nice on skin, it's slightly hydrating, so everything looks better underneath and on top of it. What you see below is how the foundation looks over naked skin about ten minutes after application. The back of my hand is extremely dry, and I did not apply anything prior to (too much) foundation. It simply looks like my skin. This photo was taken in natural light:

Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance is less glowy than its predecessor, but it's still on the dewy side. I always use a primer on my face, and I've found that I especially like this foundation with an oil primer (Smashbox) or mixed with a tiny drop of face oil (usually Aftelier), at least until the weather gets too humid. YSL's own Touche Éclat  Blur Primer is also a good option, but it's actually heavier and feels more silicony than the foundation, so it's a matter of preference. In any case, longevity, even diluted with oil, is an all day affair. It's too early to say if Touche Éclat will hold as well in hot weather, but it's been my go-to in the last couple of months. You can see me wearing this foundation here.

The active ingredient is Octinoxate 6.8%, a sunscreen. The fragrance is the same cucumbery thing I remember from the older version, but it vanishes before I finish my makeup.

This foundation, like its predecessor, is liquid and rather on the runny side. I like it either with my fingers or with large oval Artis brush that was made for this consistency (like most flat-top brushes). Some paddle brushes can make Touche Eclat  look a bit streaky, but it also depends on your skin and primer. A damp Beauty Blender soaks up a bit too much of the product for my liking, but there's no denying the finish is gorgeous.

My color match is B50 Honey. It looks infinitely better than the BD50 I used to have, since my skin is far more neutral than yellow (in the first swatch at the top of this post you can actually see the green undertone coming through. That's what I look like without makeup). I could probably also get away with B40 Sand, with a little help from a bronzer, or with the two shades mixed together, but I wasn't feeling the purchase of a second bottle, and I think that B50 is one of my more accurate foundation shades. As for SPF, the new formula has a slightly higher protection level (22, the previous one was 19), but as I always wear an SPF50 during the day I can't comment on that.

Bottom Line: big love.

YSL- Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation  ($58, made in France) is available at the counters, Sephora, and on yslbeautyus.com.