The hugely popular YSL foundation Le Teint Touche Eclat (£32.50) has been reformulated to make it longer-lasting. That’s great news if your skin is oily or if you’re experiencing hot flashes; it’s not so good if you loved the soft, dewy glow of the original – which I did. The newer Le Teint Touche Eclat has, to my eye, a flatter, more matte finish and will consequently no longer be my default foundation of choice for brides, most mature skins, or anyone else looking for decent coverage plus glow.
All is not lost, however. While YSL is apparently shunning the light, several brands are positively striding towards it with their own glow-giving bases. Bourjois upholds my belief that no one else in the high street price bracket does foundation better. Its new City Radiance (£9.99) is sheerer than I’d generally choose, but if your skin is pretty even in tone, I think you’ll love it. It’s comfy wear and spreads on very easily, with barely a need for a mirror. Also, shear is Becca’s new Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation (£34), which builds up very nicely for increased coverage (be thin with your layers). It feels extremely lightweight on the skin and looks glorious in photographs – plenty of glows and brightness, but with neither grease nor glare. You’ll need to try it on your face before buying, however, because the colors are weirdly dark for their corresponding names. (I assumed I’d be Light. I was Fair.)
That said, the new Becca foundation is yet another in a pipette-style bottle. Brands seem infatuated with these right now, even though they don’t really work and get far messier than a less poncey pump. The pipette-bottled Giorgio Armani Maestro Glow (£40) is a case in point, which seems to be loved by everyone but me. It gives a good glow, but the application is patchy, the finish is a little ashy, and it cannot hold a candle to the magnificent Luminous Silk Foundation from the same range (this is one of the all-time greats).