Today's review is courtesy of a little sample pot of foundation I had pretty much forgotten about. On passing the Yves Saint Laurent counter many months ago, I had a foundation fitting done for their Touche Éclat Foundation. It was given to me in a small pot that was so tightly fastened I could never get it open, and as the colour inside looked so dark I never bothered to get it open until recently.
After some elbow grease and a strategically placed teatowel my Mum managed to open it for me. I applied some on my face whilst bored one day, holding the mirror up ready to laugh at a big orange streak on my face. Only wait.... where is it on my face I can't actually see it... On closer inspection I saw that it had almost seamlessly blended into my face, which seemed absolutely crazy given how pale I am and how dark the pot looked!
I then decided to try it for real for my make-up today where I was actually leaving the house and interacting with real people, who I'm sure would have smirked if I had a bright orange face and white neck, so this was as good a test as any!
And here is the finished result, photographed in the most accurate daylight I could make the picture, without any photoshop and with concealer *only* around the eye area so you can see the coverage (and yes with bedhair too!...)
I have to say I am completely amazed that something so dark can lighten up so dramatically once you blend it into the face. I found that lightly blending with the hands and then going over with a buffing brush worked best as it has quite a light consistency and is not as thick as other foundations I have tried. I have swatched it on my arm to give you a better idea of how it lightens...
As for the coverage, it doesn't massively cover blemishes, scars etc however on the flipside it still looks like skin. Sometimes I don't want a full coverage look with every "flaw" blanked out, y'know? I feel as if this foundation gives you that in between of not bare skin, yet not completely caked either. It's quite a light, fresh finish which reminds me of when I used to wear Dior powder foundation as a teenager. It also does not feel in any way heavy like most foundations feel on my dry skin.
I do however feel that in the winter time BR10 might be a tad too warm, as it definitely makes me look slightly less pale although thankfully not in an orange way. I also triple checked for tide marks and couldn't see any which is always a good thing!
This foundation certainly surprised me and I am now seriously considering going back and buying the real thing! As always though if you want to try this foundation, definitely start with the sample pot first and see how it blends and contrasts between your face and neck.
If you give this foundation a try let me know how you get on!
