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Tool of the Trade: Touche Eclat

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Yves Saint Laurent TOUCHE ÉCLATRadiant Touch 1 Luminous RadianceWe're normally not fans of pricey beauty products — the drugstore is more of our vibe. However, we were talked into buying this YSL highlighter as part of our wedding makeup, and we are absolutely addicted now, because it's the perfect way to “look alive” after a long day of staring at the computer screen. (We use it so often we even keep it in our purse, so we always have it with us.)  Before we head out for a night on the town, we'll add a bit under the eyelids, alongside our nose beneath our brows, and up over the brow bones to perk up without getting that startled look that plain concealer can bring. Brilliant. It's available at Sephora for $40. Yves Saint Laurent TOUCHE ÉCLATRadiant Touch 1 Luminous Radiance

23 Comments

  1. I love this stuff. Have been using it for years. It really brightens up your eyes, etc. Also, a little bit goes a long way so it really lasts…

    1. Me too! Love it. So easy to apply and looks completely natural. It is always in my bag.

  2. Is it sparkly? Matte? A type of concealer? I’m not quite getting what the product IS – probably because I am not very well versed in makeup. But something that would make me look not zombie-like when I’ve pulled a late night at the office would be great.

    1. It’s a bit too thin to be a concealer — but it isn’t sparkly either. Basically it’s a creamy liquid that you put on your face — not just under the eye — and it magically makes you look more awake and alive. Not sure how else to describe it without stealing the Sephora text…

  3. A similar product is Jane Iredale Active Light concealer — cheaper ($25) and didn’t make my super dry sensitive skin freak out the way Touche Eclat did. The Iredale product is neither sparkly nor matte — more of a radiant creamy texture, if that makes sense.

  4. Is this similar (the same as?) white eyeshadow – it sounds like you use it in the same way to brighten the eyes – so I’m wondering if it’s significantly better to justify the cost…

  5. I know several people who swear by this, but I hven’tseen any such difference to justify the steep price. You might only need a little bit, but the pen doesn’t contain all that much product either. I recommend to go try it at sephora before making a purchase. They have all the colors on tester displays. I wasn’t too impressed…

  6. I apologize if this ends up being a double-post. I used Touche Eclat for several years, but have actually been as happy with the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector. And it’s a lot less expensive, so I can keep one in each bag and in my desk. FWIW, I am very pale and use the lightest shade of both products.

    1. I use this product too. I bought the Touche Eclat a few years ago after a friend suggested it. When it ran out, I found the Maybeline version and at a fraction of the cost and have been using it ever since. I actually like it better than the YSL because the YSL had a funny scent.

  7. i use the mary kay version, and love it! i’ve been successful w/ getting it off ebay before

  9. The Touche Eclat is not realy conealer…it’s more of a face highlighter for touch up and brightening. I dont think the other readers’ recommendations are really comparable products.

  10. 3L, I politely disagree. The Double Face Perfector Irecommended comes with both a highlighter and concealer. The highlighter can be used on its own, or blended with the concealer to get a custom result. The blend of concealer and highlighter gives a texture and color very similar to what I got from Touche Eclat. And I use it in many of the same ways C describes using Touche Eclat.

    1. You are probably right. My immediate reaction was to the Cargo OneBase suggestion above me, which is really just a concealer in a tube.

      I should look into the Double Face Perfector, I’d definitely consider a cheaper alternative to the Touche Eclat.

      1. Hey, thanks! I would recommend the Maybelline, and if you buy it at somewhere like CVS and don’t like it, they will let you return it even after it has been used. CVS used to promote that policy more, but I haven’t seen the same ads about it in recent years.

  11. I wholeheartedly share Cs love for Touch Eclat! I am extremely pale with very sensitive dry skin and I’ve never had any irritation from it at all. It is a combination highlighter/concealer. It’s not thick enough to be your only concealer if you have blemishes/really dark circles that you want to cover, but I use it every morning to brighten my face (the same way C described) and look more alive even when I haven’t had enough sleep. I too tried it in the store and was not impressed, but I bought it because a good friend of mine, who is a model, told me that they used it on her for shoots all the time. Once I got it home and used it the way it is supposed to be used, I got addicted! Seriously, it’s amazing…

  12. I’ve used this and the Laura Mercier Secret Brightener (also a color correcting / highlighting pen) with good results. I agree that it’s not really comparable to a concealer or foundation like some of the products being suggested. It provides a little glow and light reflection to wake up the face a bit.

    1. I love the LM Secret line, it’s my other mainstay. After work, a little Touche Eclat around the eyes and the secret finish all over, and you look refreshed. I haven’t tried the brigthener yet.

  13. i use mineral pearl products for the same effect and they come in various colors for different situations – yellow pearl is good for my blue-ish undereye circles for example. If you’re not into online mineral makeup, NYX has a line called Pearl Mania at Ulta. For me, loose powders are easier to use than cream like Touche Eclat. So while Touche Eclat is a miracle product, there are many, many other alternatives at a fraction of the price

  14. Where exactly is “under” the eyelids and “over” the brow bone? The way I read this, I would be putting this on my eyeballs and eyebrows…that can’t be right! Where are you really supposed to wear a product like this on my face? I want to try the cheaper versions of this – with three kids 6 and under, a legal career, and a bathroom renovation underway, I’m going to need something like it!

    1. First and foremost, with all that juggling, Emily — you are my hero!!!

      Second, to your question, when I use highlighter, I mainly use it on that area right between the apple of the cheek and the zone where many of us tend to get undereye circles (and one should use real concealer on those as opposed to highlighter). Then I’ll use a bit on the lower lash line, from the inner corners of my eyes to about the middle of the lash line. I find the “above the brow bone” zone a bit tricky. Two options here: the area right under your eyebrow, on the outer half of the eye (where “good bone structure” dictates that the brow bone should be a bit prominent, haha) and/or the area right above your eyebrow, on the inner half. I find the latter to be tricky — first, because I have a big forehead and I suspect that highlighting that area, well, highlights it; second, because I tend to look a bit theatrical with highlighter there, except when applying makeup for a night look.

      Another good place for highlighter is the very top of the cheekbone, at the outer portion of the cheek. Blush on the apples should blend seamlessly into highlighter, all of which should be just above any bronzer you might wear to contour the cheeks and accentuate your bone structure.

      And everyone should buy a copy of Kevyn Aucoin’s book, Making Faces :)

  15. If you like mineral products, try Bare Escentuaks “Well Rested”. Sleep in a jar (I think I saw that on an infomercial-how embarrassing)

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