Love it: YSL Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation

With one reportedly sold every 10 seconds around the world, Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Éclat highlighter has been a beauty icon ever since its launch in 1991, and suffice to say it has never left my makeup bag. It has officially been the global weapon of choice for bringing a wide-awake glow to the complexion for an amazing 23 years and they don’t call it “eight hours of beauty sleep in a click” for nothing! 

YSL Beauté toiled to create a foundation that could match the illuminating prowess of the little wonder wand, and in 2012, Le Teint Touche Éclat was born. YSL's creative director of make-up, Lloyd Simmonds said at the time that he wanted to create a foundation that gives the entire face the same “lively, vibrant light” as its namesake. "Natural, feather-light, but with a touch of very Parisian, very Saint Laurent sophistication that beautifies the skin and makes the complexion expressive. I like to call it a dewy luminosity, as fresh as dew on the complexion - and definitely not shiny." It was an instant hit.

Now the bestselling foundation is available in an advanced formula that reduces the look of fatigue and creates flawless coverage, and after having a good old play with it I have to say that I am smitten. Called Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation, it is enriched with something called Ruscus Extract, an anti-fatigue formula that energizes skin by stimulating microcirculation and targeting dullness to instantly improve the look your skin’s brightness and luminosity, while the Vitamin E protects against free radicals. It is also formulated with SPF 22 to provide sun protection, feels totally weightless finish and promises eight hours of a “refreshed, radiant look”. I’m sold!

Promising the aforementioned “eight hours of beauty sleep” in a drop, it has translucent hybrid semi-spheres added to golden pigments to capture light and diffuse a continuous, controlled, soft radiance all day long - without any shine. The latter is a huge bonus in this humidity especially, and has made wearing it an absolute joy.

YSL Beauté offers the new foundation in an amazing 15 shades (22 in other markets). Organised in families, they range from beiges to golden and rosy beiges, from the lightest to the darkest tones, including four brand new additions for a larger-than-ever shade spectrum:

BD 25 Warm Beige

BD 30 Warm Almond

B 45 Bisque

BR 45 Cool Bisque

Along with the new formula comes an amazing new foundation brush, which is as cute looking as it is highly efficient. Called the Y Brush, it buffs and distributes product evenly across the skin for a seamless, flawless finish every time. Developed with an exclusive Y-shape reservoir, you pop one or two drops of Touche Éclat Le Teint in the well and lightly buff the face for the perfect application. That is the correct starting measure, but from there, extra drops can be added at will, depending on the level of coverage desired.  Simmonds says, “the Y shape reservoir is deep enough to withstand a few drops, but don’t fill it all the way up immediately. Add just one droplet at a time - less is always more when it comes to foundation.”

Begin by making circular movements on the face with the brush, massaging the foundation into the skin, starting from the centre of the face and moving outwards, spreading it evenly. For any areas that need a bit of extra attention, tap into the skin with a stippling motion to deliver more product where you need it – like around the nose, chin and forehead. Keep the layer as thin as possible to help unify the colour.

Both are on counter 21 March and I can’t recommend them enough!