Exactly How to Use Touche Éclat... Because You're Probably Using The Cult Gold Pen Wrong
Amy Clark is Adore Beauty's former Senior Editor and co-host of Skincare School the podcast (and self-appointed beauty road-tester!). Amy's worked as a journalist, beauty editor and podcaster for several years, previously writing and talking about all things beauty at Mamamia and You Beauty. When she's not writing honest, no BS product reviews and taking selfies 'for work', you'll find Amy eating halloumi in a hair towel turban and... taking more selfies.
Stop anyone on the street and ask them for their favourite concealer, and I guarantee 87 per cent will say: YSL Touche Éclat.
*Yes, that stat is entirely made up, but considering six of these gold pens are sold every minute, I reckon it's pretty spot on.
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat - Radiant Touch (pronounced tooosh eh-claah) has been helping people fake a good night's sleep with the click of a pen for decades.
It was one of the first beauty products I ever bought - I would've been 14 when I marched up to the YSL counter at my local department store to hand over my pocket money for the cult concealer I'd read about in posh magazines.
Thing is, Touche Éclat isn't actually a concealer.
It's probably the world's best-selling and most misused cosmetic product, which means there's a good chance you've been using it wrong, too.
Keep scrolling to find out exactly what makes this gold pen so good, and how to use it for the best results.
What Is YSL Touche Éclat?
So, if isn't a concealer... then what is it? Here's what you need to know:
- YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch is a versatile highlighting pen for grown ups. (Mind. Blown.)
- The click pen highlights using Luminocaptide Complex, so no shimmer or glitter - just naturally radiant skin.
- The weightless, blendable liquid formula leaves a glowy, luminous, skin-like finish.
- It contains hydrating ingredients Glycerin and Squalane to hydrate and plump skin, and offers buildable coverage, without cakey-ness.
- Touche Éclat is suitable for all skin types and available in a range of shades.
- Touche Éclat also comes in a high coverage yet lightweight concealer and a glowy medium coverage foundation - Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Concealer Pen and Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation
How to Use Touche Éclat.
Now you know what Touche Éclat is, how do you use it?
There are a lot of ways you can use this pen to make it look like you get 10 hours of sleep every night - it's what makes Touche Éclat different from other 'concealers'.
Exhibit A: I used the magic gold pen in four different ways to create this makeup look below.
Here's a rundown of how to use Touche Éclat:
1. Touche Éclat as a Highlighter.
Touche Éclat was designed to be used as a highlighter to brighten, illuminate and define your features.
Unlike the shimmery, blinding highlighters you've seen on YouTube, this one gives the overall effect of more radiant skin, without it looking like you're wearing highlighter at all.
Apply wherever you would usually pop your highlighter - centre of the forehead, down the bridge of the nose, on the cheekbones and chin, and under the brow bone.
2. Touche Éclat Under the Eyes as an Illuminator.
The lightweight, silky formula of Touche Éclat also makes it a perfect under-eye illuminator.
On no makeup days, apply a small amount in the inner corner of your eye where you're darkest to illuminate the area, or over foundation and on top of concealer for extra radiance.
3. Defining With Touche Éclat.
This one's a makeup artist trick - after applying lipstick, place a small amount of Touche Éclat outside your lip line in the inner corners of your mouth.
Blend with a precision brush to accentuate and define the lip. Do the same over and under the tails of your brows for a defined look.
4. Using Touche Éclat as a Concealer.
Personally, I prefer using Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Concealer Pen to conceal dark circles because you get the same lightweight, blendable formula and skin-like finish, with better coverage.
But if you really want to, you can still use Touche Éclat as a very light coverage under-eye concealer, or to disguise minor blemishes and uneven skin tone.
Watch how I apply YSL Touche Éclat for makeup that glows in the video below!
Touche Éclat Review.
Clearly, I give Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat - Radiant Touch eleventy stars out of 10, but what do others think of this YSL gold pen?
Here are just a few Touche Éclat reviews on the Adore Beauty website.
★★★★★ This is a cult product for a reason – Jess
“Some people tend to be put off by the price, but I personally love how it brightens my under-eye area. I’m seriously impressed every time I use it by how it can give me a lift to make me look awake and radiant when I feel absolutely dead tired. It highlights really well and gives a dewy fresh feeling. I have a feeling I’ll keep coming back to this forever.”
★★★★★ Really lifts under your eyes – Lucy
"If you need a pick me up for under your eyes or haven't had enough sleep, this is the product for you. Have been using for nearly a decade and is always my fail safe. A little goes a long way and it really brightens up the eye area. I apply over foundation, just to the darker part of my inner corner. Beautiful as a subtle highlight, too."
★★★★★ So beautiful! – Kellee
"I’m obsessed with this product. I carry one in my purse and keep one at home. I use it as a final touch on the darker corners of my face (sides of the nose, inside corners of my eyes.) It just lifts everything up in such a natural way and is not cakey at all. It’s pricey, but lasts for a looong time."
And that is everything you need to know about how to make the most of your YSL Touche Éclat pen!
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