REVIEW: YSL Touche Eclat Foundation

Yes, I've kind of been on an Yves Saint Laurent kick lately. I purchased the Touche Eclat foundation a while back, but it took me some weeks to find out exactly how to apply it best and before I was able to test its wear time. 

Here you can see a *beautiful* before and after photo, don't mind bare-faced me. 

The Touche Eclat foundation is an extent of the Touche Eclat pen, which has been one of YSL's bestsellers for years. 'Touche Eclat' literally means 'shining touch' or 'illuminating touch'. YSL claims the foundation should give you a glowing, healthy complexion.

Packaging: no complaints here. The product comes in a beautiful glass bottle with golden details. The pomp works perfectly and the see-through packaging ables you to see how much product is left in the bottle.

Shade range: I was able to choose between a wide range of 16 shades. Unfortunately the sales person first recommended me to pick up shade BR40, which is way too dark for me, even when my skin is tan. Since I couldn't return the bottle, I then had to purchase shade B10 so I could mix the shades. I really wasn't happy about this, since the foundation is already expensive enough without having to buy a second shade to match the color to your skin.

Left: shade B10 

Right: shade BR40

Application: 

1. Here I have no product on my face. Enjoy the nakedness of my skin. Oh, and I have acne-prone, combination skin with an oily T-zone, redness and dark circles. 

2. Here I applied the Touche Eclat foundation with my Real Techniques complexion sponge. The coverage is medium to high coverage, it's quite buildable. The sales assistant at Ici Paris XL told me this product wasn't very glowy or shiny, but I strongly disagree. It leaves a very glowy finish on my skin, so I definitely need to powder after the application of the foundation. It does hold up quite well during the day, which I didn't expect.

Without a primer, but with a light powder, it would probably last me around 8 hours. I'd have to powder the T-zone after about 3 to 4 hours though.

3. Then I applied some concealer.

4. Then I powdered and finished off the look with blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick.

PRO's

+ Looks quite skinlike but flawless at the same time

+ Sits nicely on the skin

+ Holds up well during the day

+ Many shades in the range

CON's

- Mixing shades: I hate that I had to purchase a second shade to match because the sales assistant didn't pick the right foundation shade. But this of course doesn't affect the quality of the problem.

- Price: it's definitely pricy, you'll pay around the €42 mark at Ici Paris XL

- The finish is a bit too glowy for me

Conclusion: I'll definitely keep wearing this foundation and enjoy it, but probably won't repurchase it. I like my foundations to be a bit more matte, and with a lighter coverage. It's not a bad product at all though!

Have you tried the Touche Eclat foundation? What's your favorite makeup base at the moment?

xX Anine

LIFESTYLE: summer reading material

Summer is pretty much over for now in Belgium, and as usual I've finished many many books while being on holiday in Greece. Here's a summery of my favorite summer reads!

1. George R.R. Martin - A game of thrones

Yes, I've finally jumped on the all-too-famous bandwagon. And yes, I'm extremely late to the nerdish party. I am so hooked, can't wait to read all of the other books of the series and am currently watching the series 'cause I just can't wait. The characters are great and the writing style is addictive! 

2. William Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet

A true classic, of course. 

3. J.K. Rowling - Quidditch through the ages 

I grew up with Harry Potter, and J.K. Rowling truly brings back the little kid in me. She wrote three booklets from the wizarding world for Comic Relief, which I find just as amazing as the cute stories from the booklets.

4. Tamara Mellon - In her shoes

This book tells the story of the co-founder of famous shoe brand Jimmy Choo. It was interesting to follow her professional journey in the fashion industry, she definitely did not take the typical career path to get where she was when writing the book, which was nice to discover, but also kind of irritated me at times. All in all a good book to get you ready for school, college, a new job or just to get back to work with a good attitude! 

5. Alexa Chung - It

I've always had kind of a girl crush on Alexa, so this was on my reading list for a long time. Don't expect any kind of memoirs or very personal story here. Alexa shares some of her best fashion and beauty tips and offers us some very light reading. Perfect for on the beach!

Have you read any of these books? What was your fave summer read?

xX Anine

OOTD: The girl in the red dress

There's nothing quite like a red lace-detail dress. It's cute in the summertime, beautiful for Christmas and romantic for Valentine's Day. So all in all, a wardrobe staple, I believe. I like combining it with some black accessories, which gives the outfit an edgy feel. 

Red dress: New Look

Leather zipped bag: H&M

Shoes: Eram

Hat: Vintage (it was my mom's when she was 16)

Leather bracelet: H&M

xX Anine

LOOK: Maxime's natural pop of color with the UD Naked 3 palette

A while ago, I did my friend's makeup and it turned out quite nicely, so I decided to write a post on it. I used her makeup, which is always fun 'cause I get to play with makeup that I don't own! Read on to check out Maxime's (http://laviedemaximee.blogspot.be) makeup look!

Products used:  

Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer 

MAC pro longwear concealer

MAC Mineralize skinfinish natural

Urban Decay Naked 3 palette

MAC Mineralize blush in Petal Power

MAC Bronzing powder in Golden

Too Faced perfect eyes waterproof eyeliner in Black

Benefit They're Real mascara

YSL Mascara volume effet faux cils

MAC cremesheen lipstick in Lickable

Though this look is a very simple and easy-to-do look, it's definitely effective. It makes you look clean, and feminine. The pop of color on the lips and the winged out liner makes it just that tad bit more fun. I also fell in love with the Naked3 palette after doing Maxime's makeup. I just might have to take a look at it... ;-)


xX Anine

REVIEW: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte

When I was a little girl, I really wasn't all that much into makeup. The only item that could spark my interest, when my mom went to beauty counters were the shiny, golden lipstick tubes from Yves Saint Laurent (YSL). When I started to earn some money as a teenager, I would take a look at these lipsticks every time I went to a beauty counter. 

I had a hard time finding the perfect shade for me, but when I took a look at the four YSL Rouge Volupté spring/summer 2014 shades a few weeks ago, I was completely smitten. I picked up two colors on the spot: the YSL Rouge Volupté in 31 Fuchsia Tourbillon/Fuchsia Storm and 32 Corail Jalouse/Jealous Coral. Read on to find out what I think of these hyped-up, legendary high-end lipsticks.

USE: When applying, the lipsticks feel extremely soft, buttery and comfortable on the lips. They are very creamy, and so don't stain the lips very much (the pink shade stains the lips lightly) and you'll definitely have to reapply after having a drink, eating or kissing.

Then why splurge on these babies? They're definitely a luxury item and you pay the price for the beautiful packaging and amazingly creamy texture that is unique. The shade range is also stunning. But keep in mind that you don't get a lot of staining or staying power out of them.

+ Extremely creamy and buttery
+ Beautiful shade range (especially the newer ones)
+ The more vibrant and newer shades stain lightly
+ Luxurious and beautiful gold packaging

- The price tag: about €30
- Wear time is around 3 hours, don't expect amazing staying power here

CONCLUSION: I feel like every beauty addict should have one of these in their collection. They are definitely expensive, and you don't get a good staying power in return. But they are stunning on the lips, feel very smooth and comfortable and simply make you feel chic and very ladylike. A feeling every woman has to experience once in a while.


Have you tried these YSL lipsticks?

xX Anine