When YSL launched 7 shades in its iconic Touché Éclat last year (they’ve since added another 3 to confuse us further) I thought it was great for people with darker/lighter skin tones, but didn’t really affect me. You know the adage, if it aint broke don't fix it and I was happy with the original one (read my review here). But when I ran out of Touche last week (a week when I had major heavy duty bag by the way) I got to thinking... should I try another shade, because if I'm honest, the original touché is sometimes a touch pink for me.
So the search began and I soon discovered it aint easy to discover the shade that's right for you. I started having a look for some reviews and swatches but couldn’t find much of a guide or comparison. YSL has a tool on their website to match your skin tone to the right shade, which pointed me to No.5 but I felt that was too dark for my needs. Also, and this is the crucial point, if you want to use Touche for highlighting, you won't want a shade that matches your skin tone, you'll want one that's lighter.
Here's a summary of the 10 shades...
No.1 Luminous Radiance: The original highlighter for fair to light complexions with pink undertones
No.1.5 Radiant Silk: For light to medium complexions with yellow or golden undertones
No.2 Luminous Ivory: For fair to light complexions with golden undertones
No.2.5 Luminous Vanilla: For fair to light complexions with warm undertones
No.2.5 Luminous Vanilla: For fair to light complexions with warm undertones
No.3 Light Peach: For warm and golden-beige complexions
No.3.5 Luminous Almond: For medium complexions with warm undertones
No.4.5 Luminous Sand: For medium complexions with pink undertones
No.3.5 Luminous Almond: For medium complexions with warm undertones
No.4.5 Luminous Sand: For medium complexions with pink undertones
No.5 Luminous Honey: For medium complexions with olive/golden undertones
No5.5. Luminous Praline: For Medium complexions with golden undertones
No5.5. Luminous Praline: For Medium complexions with golden undertones
No.6 Luminous Amber: For deep complexions with red undertones
No.6.5 Luminous Toffee: For deep complexions with neutral undertones
No.6.5 Luminous Toffee: For deep complexions with neutral undertones
No.7 Luminous Mocha: For dark complexions.
After much deliberation I opted to try No2 Luminous Ivory.
I wouldn’t say I have a fair complexion (MAC NC30 for refernce purposes), but I’m definitely at my palest right now. Plus it was on of the the only one for golden undertones that wasn't too peach or too dark. To find the right touché you have to first decide what you intend to use it for, if it’s covering the undereye area like me, you need to have a look at those pesky bags to see what colour they are. Mine are more purple/blue, which are corrected by yellow based products. I also use it as a highlighter (down the nose, cupids bow etc) and for that reason it needs to be lighter than my skin. So my verdict on No.2. Luminous Ivory....
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I'm wearing it under my eyes, down the bridge of my nose and the cupids bow |
I won't lie, I was nervous about my decision, I've never purchased a face product with "Ivory" in the title but I love it. I'd say it's almost perfect! Yes, it's light, lighter than I'm used to and I probably won't get away with it when I have a tan, but those yellow undertones make my bags magically disappear. The shade blends into my skin perfectly and as you'd expect with this little gold want, it's very luminous! It's a fantastic highlighter and brightens my face up in an instant. It's a great tool for contouring and highlighting. What I think really sets Touché Éclat aside from its competitors (and there are many good ones) is its durability. It lasts me all day and I don't find I have to reapply later in the day.