When I visited the YSL counter recently to try their new Le Teint Touché Éclat Foundation, the lovely lady who assisted me also gave me a sample of the Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking.  Since getting this a couple of weeks ago I have been wearing it everyday day and I am hooked. Prepare yourselves people, I think this is even better than my Clinique High Impact Mascara, which has been my firm favourite for the last few months.

I feel like I am a little late to the party gushing about this, as both Louise (the Sprinkley/Glittery one) and Fleur (of deForce fame) have done posts recently on this very mascara extolling it’s virtue, but its just so good I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!

I had heard some amazing things about the YSL Faux Cils Mascara and it was on the top of my hit list of mascara’s to try, but if someone is going to be kind enough to offer me a sample of the shocking mascara I am g very grateful and more then happy to test it out.

The Sciencey Bit:

Yves Saint Laurent reveals an innovative brush with an ample helix cut that captures an ideal dose of formula, has multi-directional bristles to draw the formula to the brush for an instant release, and has an asymmetric shape to capture all lashes for amazing length and curl. The advanced formula thickens the appearance of lashes for our most shocking false lash effect.  It coats lashes instantly with outrageous volume for a scandalous, seductive look. 

To start with, I love the packaging of this (the real packaging of the full size… although the gold writing on the mini one looks good too),  the gold case looks really high end and expensive. I personally am quite a sucker for the YSL packaging anyway, the Touche Eclat Highlighter and the Touche Eclat Foundation are two with gorgeous pacakging that immediately jump to mind.

The formula itself is lovely and thick without being at all gloopy. It does indeed legthen and thicken my lashes without any clumps at all. I think this is the longest my lashes have ever looked with just mascara on them, and I even think these look better than some of the false lashes I’ve worn.

I have read a few posts saying that this is not a daytime mascara, but I personally have reached for this one over all other every day I have worn mascara, no matter what look I am going for. Yeah.. I’m not really a less is more type of girl.

You get 7.5ml for £23. Unfortunately pricey but understandable given how good this mascara is.

So… I’ve been using the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation in BD20 on and off the last three weeks (I got a 7 day sample) and I am sorry to say…. I LOVE IT! I know that this should be good news… but what it actually means is that I want to buy it badly and I can’t afford the £28 price tag… Sad Times.

This manages to give me that lovely dewy look I like without making me look greasy at all. I just look really healthy with it on. My skin is quite dry at the moment, so I have been making sure I apply a mosituriser before (I use Origins Vitazing), and the combination of the two seems to work really well on my skin.

Where I have a bit of the tan at the moment, I don’t need as much coverage as I do when my skin is so white that everything sounds out like flashing beacons on it. I have been only using this across my nose and one my chin. Whatever has been left on the brush I  have been sheering over my cheeks, forehead and down my throat to blend. Not only does this method mean that I don’t have to much product on my face (always good if you can manage it) but it makes the product last a lot longer as you are using less… bonus!

I haven’t had any major blemishes since getting this, so I can’t tell you how well it would cover them, but the small blemishes I have had have been covered perfectly every time. It is build-able without looking cakey, due apparently  to the soft focus gel which replaces all opaque powders to stop that ‘masked effect.’

As I thought, It doesn’t have the staying power of my Chanel Perfection Lumiere or Vitalumiere Aqua, I find that by the early evening it definitely needs touching up even when I have powdered after applying it. I tend to apply my foundation first thing in the morning and then I reapply around about three in the afternoon. If I were off on a night out I would probably take this it all off and start again rather than just touch up what was already on my face.

This feels and looks very similar to Jemma Kidd’s Light As Air, and although the Jemma Kidd definitely has better longevity, I actually prefer the overall finish of this one on my skin.  I just can’t get enough of the absolute dewiness whilst still managing to avoid the dreaded grease factor.

I was going to say I think I love this easpecailly at the moment as we are in the middle of summer (ha!) but I actually think this will be great in winter as well when my skin is feeling dull and dry.

Overall I really like this. Yes, it doesn’t have the staying power of some, yes it doesn’t have the coverage of others, but I like the light feeling of it on and I love the finish it gives to my face.

Let’s face it… who doesn’t want a bit of radience added to their day, and this is exacty what this does. I will be saving up my pennies, and I would say it would be well worth you heading out to try too if it sounds like your cup of tea… I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! x