Face, Reviews

Review: YSL Touche Eclat Foundation – Reformulation Edition

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YSL Touche Eclat Foundation Reformulated

A few months ago the stocks of YSL’s ever-popular Touche Eclat foundation started dwindling and rumors immediately popped up that it was being discontinued. As it turns out it wasn’t completely nixed, but the truth was nearly as bad – it got reformulated! I really liked the original version (which I realize now I never actually reviewed – oops) so I was curious about what the changes would be. My local Sephora always takes forever to get in new products, but lucky for me Dillards has a shiny new YSL counter and I was able to get a sample to try out.

Packaging

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation - Old Packaging

Since I only got a sample, the first image (with the tiny bottle) is the packaging I actually have right now. However, I did check out the full size packaging in the store and it doesn’t seem to have changed at all from the old version, so I feel pretty comfortable giving an opinion on it. The foundation comes in a hefty glass bottle with a pump top. It feels very much like a luxury product, but the size and weight make it a little bit heavy for travel. I did take my old one with me on a few trips though, and I don’t recall having any issues with it leaking or anything like that. I’m a big fan of pump bottles just because they’re more sanitary, and this particular one has pretty good control over the amount dispensed.

Color

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation Reformulated SwatchFor the reformulated Touche Eclat, YSL has changed up the numbering a little bit – I’m not sure why. The standard numbering goes in increments of 10, with B (Beige – neutral), BD (Beige Dore – warm) and BR (Beige Rose – cool) of each. However, the latest and greatest version has a couple extras in there – BD25 instead of BD20, and BR & B 45 in between the 40’s and 50’s. I was between B40 and B50 in the old formula, depending on the time of year, and sure enough the SA at the YSL counter matched me to 45. I got my sample in BR45, though after spending a little time with it I think B45 might actually be a better match.

The swatches above are YSL Fusion Ink in B40 (just for comparison), YSL Touche Eclat in BR45, and BR45 blended out. As you can see, the Fusion Ink swatch looks straight up yellow next to BR45, which is very pink. In fact, it’s one of those pinks that runs the risk of looking grey against some skin tones.

Overall there’s a really nice color range with this foundation – 22 shades in all, ranging from 10-90. The selection of undertones drops off at the darker end of the spectrum – B70, B80 and B90 don’t have corresponding BR/BD versions – but overall the range will work for a wide variety of skin tones.

Formula

YSL Touche Eclat Reformulated

YSL Touche Eclat ReformulatedOne thing I immediately noticed about the new Touche Eclat is it isn’t quite as dewy as the old one when it’s first applied. I’m ok with that because I had issues with the old one looking a little too dewy by the end of the day. The new one is far from matte though. The photos above are after 12hours of wear (no blotting) and there’s definitely some noticeable shine. It didn’t break down with oil and the only place it wore off was my chin, which is pretty common with most foundations for me. I think it would probably hold up ok on more oily skin, but don’t expect it to really control oil at all.

The coverage is similar to the original version, medium but buildable. The dewy finish isn’t entirely forgiving to pores & uneven skin texture, but I was pretty pleased to see that it didn’t settle into fine lines. The texture – liquid but not completely runny – also seems mostly unchanged.

In Short: It’s a smidge more matte than the original, but for me that translated to better wear time and less blotting. I’m all about some matte/satin finishes right now so I’ll probably hold off on buying a full size.

YSL Touche Eclat foundation ($58) is available at nordstrom.com and sephora.com

5 Comments

  1. Joyce | bronzer bunny

    February 7, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    I got a sample of this one too, and i thought it was nice but i wasn’t like, obsessing/raving over it lol!

  2. Shirley

    February 8, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    Sorry. After years of wearing the previous version, I now hate the new. It’s too Matt and the colour is so false looking.
    Bring back the old!!! Please!!

  3. Robin cade

    April 5, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    I miss the old version. It was perfect coverage, perfect color, and no break outs. PLEASE BRING IT BACK. Why can’t you have both.?Formula one and formula two.

  4. Alana Cohen

    July 6, 2022 at 3:40 pm

    Why did you tamper with a perfect product. PLEASE, PLEASE BRING IT BACK AND SOON.

  5. Patricia Burrows

    August 24, 2022 at 8:33 am

    Been using it for years and I hate the new formula it’s Matt and thick, unfortunately I have purchased a new bottle please bring back the old one, I will never buy this one again.

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