Base Camp: YSL Teint Radiance

I *love* YSL product blurb. Here's some choice snippets from the release for Teint Radiance SPF20, which went on counter nationwide a month or so ago:

"A light-diffusing fluid foundation in perfect harmony with your complexion. Its exquisite satin texture combines extreme sensory pleasure with total light control to give the complexion a satiny, natural-looking, dazzling finish and unrevealed radiance."

Right so.

Sensory pleasure, is it? Total light control? While the press release for Teint Radiance is predictably French and jammed full of flowery hyperbole, don't let it put you off - this is an excellent product. The strongest comparison I can make here is to Diorskin Nude as it's very similar in a lot of ways. There is quite simply so much to like about this stuff: a lovely fluid texture, sheer-to-light, smooth coverage, great longevity, no oxidising over the course of the day and a good SPF are the biggest plusses for me and the fact it doesn't cause any flakes or streaky-looking skin is another major pro.

11 shades are available and it's got some fancy-schmancy stuff like an Ampli Light + Complex, which is "an ultra-fine nylon particle of transparent pigment, that captures ambient light and then diffuses it in all directions," but this isn't particularly 'glowy' or shiny. It does set, it doesn't have visible shimmer or glitter to my eye, but it definitely gives a my-skin-but-better appearance. I've been wearing this solidly now for a week (yes, I have been taking it off at night!) and have gotten more compliments on my skin in the past seven days than I think I ever have before. You really can't say fairer than that, eh?

So, who's it for?

The relatively sheer hydrating coverage and light-reflection gubbins speak dry and mature skins to me. In fact this is a perfect foundation for a slightly older gal, not causing dryness as the day wears on and definitely not doing that 'mask' thing that so many women seem to plump for past 40, possibly feeling that cracks and crags can be smoothed over by a thick layer of product. It's actually far more flattering to use less, and this is a good bet in that case.

While I wouldn't recommend this personally for a very sebum-prone type cos I don't think it'd stick around for you, it does have 'protected' pigments which the brand says don't change when sebum interracts with them - one of the main reasons why foundation can mutate into an orange monster over the course of the day. Worth a punt for the combo-skinned too, then.

With all that good stuff there have to be some negatives, surely? And yes, there are: my shade, 02 Blond is a bit yellow-toned to be a perfect match but otherwise is a pretty good fit for me and a bit of blending means there's no noticeable tidemark. The price will put some off too - at €42 this isn't what you'd call cheap.

Here's the product blobbed onto my hand.

And here it is gradually blended out. It's very moist and these shots were taken under artificial light so it actually looks a lot yellower than it is on my facial skin.