Touche Éclat is Yves Saint Laurent’s most famous product — and arguably one of the most famous makeup products ever. But it’s also one of the most misused. “Touche Éclat is not a concealer. It’s not about covering anything — it’s about redirecting light and blurring imperfections,” says Dell Ashley, YSL's director of makeup artistry. The more you know.
This month YSL will make their first extension to the Touche Éclat line since their eponymous luminizing foundation. The two products — a transparent, gold-flecked primer and a blurring compact — will round out the line of light-diffusing perfecters. But it's the blurring compact that really has the potential to become as revered as the original. (Case in point: Sephora has already sold out of their first batch.)
The rose-colored, cream-to-powder balm has barely any shimmer — instead it relies on silicones and fine powders to scatter and redirect light. The effect is extremely subtle — it didn’t spackle our deeper wrinkles like some blurring products do, but it did lightly soften fine lines, large pores, and discoloration as well as add a nice matte effect to our skin. “Once upon a time, people used pink lightbulbs to soften the lighting in a room. This pink has the same soft, cool effect and it looks good on everyone I've put it on — from very dark to very pale tones," says Ashley.
Ashley recommends sweeping it all over with a fluffy brush for general airbrushing — or dabbing it on with a sponge for more specific coverage. In addition to filling lines and minimizing spots and pores, he also loves using it to create semi-matte lipstick (“just tap it on top of your lipstick as your final step”), as an eyeshadow primer, and as a makeup setter.
We loved it most on — you guessed it — our undereyes. Not only did the formula make our skin kitten-soft (no seriously, we were begging coworkers to feel it, in the least-creepy way possible), it also softened and brightened the area while making our eyes appear well rested. Just make sure to always use the original highlighting pen last — no matter what fancy new ancillary product YSL comes out with next. “Anything you put over Touche Éclat will dull the finish of it,” says Ashley. “That should always, always be the last step.”
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Perfector, $55, available at Yves Saint Laurent.
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Perfector, $55, available at Yves Saint Laurent.