YSL All Hours Foundation

I’m going to do all three posts today on foundations starting with YSL All Hours Foundation. As you might expect from the name, it’s designed to last all day – 24 hours if you’d really like it to and has claims to be waterproof, transfer resistant and full coverage with a soft focus finish and no touch ups needed. Phew.

The first thing to know is that it’s matte, followed by the fact that it’s oil free. And SPF20. Given that, it’s a surprisingly light formula that feels subtle on the skin. I actually find it a little too matte for my skin, and I think if you have shiny or oily skin it is most suited to that skin type because it’s dealing with all the things that come with that particular issue. I didn’t put it to a 24 hour test, but a whole day test and it did last pretty well. One of the things I always find hard to decipher is whether when brands say a thing lasts 24 hours, does it last in the same state as you put it on or do they mean that some vestiges of it will be there? Wording on this is always ambiguous. So, my test was just a normal day – I used the primer which is built to help absorb oil (which further makes me think it’s an oily skin collection) which was lovely being both cooling and hydrating. It’s supposed to help prevent foundation cracking or creasing but no good foundation should do that anyway. Although there is a sponge applicator (£14!!!) I used an oval brush.

I like the fluidity of the All Hours Foundation, £33.50, the coverage is mid to full, and I was impressed with the last which wasn’t exactly as I’d put it on that morning, but it was a pretty good effort. I don’t have oily skin, so it’s actually too matte for me and I’d prefer a dewier finish but it’s not really a typical ‘matte’ in terms of texture.  Le Compact Encre de Peau (above) is another story. Billed as a world first, it uses 3D elastic gel technology to transform the product from a cream to a powder. I literally don’t get it. Apparently, it can be used as either a finisher or a foundation, I found it extremely dry and actually quite heavy looking. Maybe I didn’t use it properly – although I don’t know how else I could use it, but really, it’s an absolute pass from me. If you build it, it looks heavier still, and while on paper the claim that bounce technology within the gel allows it to feel like a cream but behave like a powder, tightening on contact with the skin to give a seamless coverage – it just doesn’t look as good as it sounds! And it’s £40. If you are very used to powder foundations, then maybe it will be the best thing that ever happened, and it is definitely a product knowledge gap for me because I never use them.

All Hours Concealer doesn’t fall into the trap that many ‘matte’ concealers do in looking and feeling too dry. It’s not oily and yet still has some glide although if you have a lot of under eye creasing, you might not find it quite fluid enough. Otherwise, for most skin types, I think it’s a great concealer – it’s well pigmented and light to the touch – but I have to confess that when it came to removal (it has a 16 hour claim) I couldn’t remember exactly how dark my circles looked in the first place. Who can?! It’s £22 which I think is pretty expensive when there are several decent concealers now on the market that don’t even touch that price.

In the swatch above, it’s the foundation first (B20), followed by concealer (2) and then the compact (B30). They’re not fully blended so you get an idea of shade and texture. The upshot is that I think the YSL All Hours Foundation is the best buy for skin that runs to oily and if you need a long-wear that feels light and flexible. It’s HERE. 

Non Aff Link HERE.