I finally got my hands on this cult classic highlighter after many months of watching my wallet and wishful hoping. The YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch became an instant success after it’s release in 1991 – so much so that every 10 seconds one is sold (according to Vogue). This loyal following has shot the Touche Eclat into holy grail status for many women in the beauty industry and kept sales at crazy high levels. It claims to brighten and highlight the complexion and erase fine lines, dark circles and illuminate the skin through its Luminocaptide Compex. YSL advertises it as “8 hours of sleep with the click of a pen.” Because of this, I was expecting big things, and I mean big. I’d stuck to Bobbi Brown correctors and concealers and am still quite addicted, but thought it was time to switch things up and try this highlighter pen.
Now, as you can see the packaging is absolutely gorgeous. Both the box and pen are a classy, shiny gold, and the pen feels substantially heavy and expensive. On one end is the cap and white brush-head, and on the other a black button with the shade number of the product that you press to release the product onto the brush. The shade I have is 1.5 Radiant Silk. On YSL’s website it says it’s best suited for “fair complexions with golden peach light beige undertones,” and on Sephora it was described “for light to medium complexions with yellow or golden undertones.” While I’m still a bit tan, I certainly do have yellow undertones and the highlighter is supposed to be 1-2 shades lighter than your skintone so I gave 1.5 a go.
I have to say, I’m super disappointed. For $40 this pen is definitely not worth it. I knew some famous makeup artists such as Lisa Eldridge were not fans, but I figured this pen was so famous I would love it. What I found was that after applying it over Bobbi Brown’s Corrector it looked amazing for the first 30 minutes, but faded quickly, leaving me looking tired and no where near illuminated just a couple hours later. It did work effectively around my mouth area, brightening it and canceling out any dark pigmentation I have, but for $40 I would expect it to work on both my eye area and around my mouth. I also found that even when I tried to set my undereye makeup it faded, and lost its luminosity as soon as I powdered. I know that By Terry makes a great highlighting pen (Terry was the original creator of the Touche Eclat before leaving YSL and creating her own line) with more coverage but it’s more expensive.
It seems to me that the drugstore alternatives to the Touche Eclat are much better, albeit a whole lot less luxurious. My favorite has been the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch which lasts a lot longer yet still brightens wherever you apply it just as much as the Touche Eclat. If you’re willing to give it a try, the YSL Touche Eclat can be found at YSL counters and Sephora for $40!
What do you think of the infamous Touche Eclat?
xx Olivia
Not going to lie, I have lusted over this blush for months (so punny I know). But really I am obsessed. As you may know NARS is known for their blushes and bronzers – they are all incredibly creamy and pigmented, and blend beautifully on the skin. Luster is no exception. I first came across this blush because I had been wanting to buy another NARS blush, but also wanted one that was subtle yet flattering and would look great with a tan going into the warmer months. Although it looks pretty boring in the pan, Luster is a fantastic apricot shade that brings a healthy, glowing flush to the cheeks without looking like you’ve tried too hard.
As you can see in the swatch, there is definitely some shimmer going on. This is a pretty heavy swatch so it may appear a bit glittery and chunky, but let me assure you it is not on the cheeks. The sheen really makes you look awake and radiant, and eliminates the need for highlighter! This shade is also perfect for all skintones – it’s not quite peach enough to appear orange on fair skins, and it can be built up to appear flattering on darker skintones. In fact, this is the most pigmented NARS blushes I have ever come across, and one of the most buildable as well. I normally apply with a Sigma Duo Fibre F50 Skunk brush because it doesn’t pick up a whole lot of product at a time and fits perfectly on top of my cheeks. Then I pat instead of swipe the product onto my cheeks and voilá, all set. This has easily become my go-to blush as it matches with everything!
This “Face of the Day” is really a “face of the night” as this is geared for nighttime events and going out! While sometimes I like trying out funky eye makeup at night and often match my shadow to my outfit, sometimes it’s nice to stick with a black smoky eye. It’s a bit rock chick/edgy which I love, since my style is pretty classic and not at all punk-rock.
Instead of using bronzer to contour the face I have been using it to highlight and bronze up the face. The product of my choice has been 
Hand cream is something I have really come to depend over the years. I have always suffered from dry skin (especially during the winter) and unattended, it leads to red cracks in my hands. These two amazing hand creams however, have not only prevented my hands from being dry and tight, but have given my skin a healthy look.
I am a self-proclaimed lip balm junkie. Well, not completely self-proclaimed as all of my close friends have acknowledged this obsession I have and take advantage of it when they forgot their own lip balms because we all know Olivia always have 1…or 5 in her bag. And to be honest, I’m kind of a lip balm snob. No Chapstick brand for me, I’m not even a huge fan of Burt’s Bees. I usually stick to high end, expensive lip balms – my favorites are actually from Spain. But one day in my college’s convenience store I picked up this gem: Nivea’s Kiss of Moisture. While it is white in the tube, the product applies clear and gives your lips a slight sheen, and does an absolutely fantastic job of moisturizing them. Some products, such as Vaseline, help your lips out at first, but then in the long run strip them of their natural oils and leave you hopelessly dependent on the product. Not this puppy. I can slick it on my lips and have it last hours. In addition, it uses shea butter instead of petroleum to give the lips comfort, so it locks your lips’ natural oils in instead of drying them out.
If you didn’t know already, subscription beauty bags are all the rage. The premise is similar to that of a magazine subscription: you pay a set amount of money each month (ranging from $10 to $50) to receive a package in the mail with sample or full sizes of beauty products for you to try.
As for the Juice Hydrating Mist, it works as both a toner and a refresher that can help set your makeup. It’s made from all natural ingredients and claims to be filled with grapeseed oil, which regulates your oil-production, and antioxidants. I’ve been impressed so far, but I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of the smell. Like I mentioned in my 
This incredible serum has been part of my life for the past month (Valentine’s present to myself) and after giving it a lengthy go, I found it necessary to review for you all since it has become a staple in my nightly skincare routine.
As you can see, the packaging includes a dropper instead of a usual pump. The product itself is a watery orangey-brown sort of color and to be honest, it stinks. Not a horrible smell, but definitely a pungent odor that you get used to after a while. I like to think that the more smelly the product is, the more natural as it doesn’t include chemical fragrances to mask the natural smell. At night I use three drops of the liquid-gel hybrid and massage all over my face after washing and toning. The small amount covers my whole face nicely and blends in quickly, leaving my face feeling moisturized but not greasy. I found that in Puerto Rico I didn’t need to apply an extra layer of moisturizer over the top but in the dry air of my door room, it was.
