YSL - Youth Liberator Foundation Review

Chickadees, it's been a while since I told you what to go out and buy (or avoid) so I thought I'd give you an excuse to go shopping (as if you all needed one...)

There are plenty of reviews on the net about this new offering from YSL, but I thought I'd give my tuppence worth anyhow.

I'll begin by saying that I've not liked YSL foundations or concealers before. I'd bought them and they've always turned out to be unusable. Surprise, surprise the products I'd previously tried are no longer available and YSL have manned-up and started to produce the goods.

Youth Liberator is a serum foundation. It is supposed to be one of the new hybrid foundation/skincare offerings which are now flooding the market. It's not enough that a foundation can instantly make the skin look better, but given time it apparently can improve the appearance of naked skin. YSL brought out their Forever Youth Liberator serum earlier this year (or was it last year??) and this foundation supplements the supposed effects of the serum (which I haven't tried).

YSL Youth Liberator Foundation

What's it supposed to do? Well, they say that it should give you a smoother, more even toned complexion and restore the skin's 'youthful brightness' (like 'young' people go about with light-bulbs in their heads, radiating that 'youthful glow' LOL). They recommend you also use the serum for increased effect, but I would take that with a pinch of salt...

Does it deliver? The jury is out on whether I've noticed any improvement in my skin tone since using this, but it certainly hasn't done it any harm either. To be honest, after applying my usual skincare arsenal I question how much of the anti-ageing ingredients are absorbed from a foundation sitting on top of it all. That said, the effect on the skin is just lovely. It gives the appearance of healthy, glowing skin whilst having quite a satin-matte finish. I have combination skin which gets a bit drier in winter and I think this foundation provides a pretty good balance for me in that respect. It's not drying at all, although I find I need to make sure my skin is nicely moisturised before using it. It tends to go more 'glowy' as the day wears on so if I'm out and about I find I need to use a bit of powder on the T-zone. In that respect I'm not sure it's the best foundation for very oily skins.

The coverage is medium. Because of the term 'serum foundation' it makes me think that it would have been a lighter almost tinted moisturiser type, but in fact it goes on like a regular liquid foundation and covers a fair bit. I reckon you could build it up to full coverage if you so desire, or just use a teensy amount if you wanted less. Fingers or a brush will work to apply it, although as much as I love using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, I think I actually prefer using my fingers for this one, just seems to blend the product into the skin more effectively.

The shade B30 is a perfect match for my pale olive skin, though there are sadly only 6 shades as of yet. Not ideal, but if you find a match then definitely try it out.

Price wise it comes in at £34 a bottle. Not the cheapest around, but not the most expensive either. My other most-used foundation, Lancome Teint Miracle is £27.50. I have not yet decided which one I like better. Watch this space....

So, if you are in the market for a new foundation, one which would be suitable for night or day, with good coverage and a nice naturally radiant finish, I don't think you could go wrong with this one.

Plus, would you look at the packaging? Go on, look at it. like a bottle of some divine elixir which will make your dreams come true... Do you need another excuse?