The YSL All Hours liquid foundation launched two weeks ago and I tried it on a few personalities, each of them with a distinct skin tone. The great thing about this product is that it comes in 22 shades, and Singapore is one of the markets bringing in the full range of colours (unusual for our small population but a very good thing!). So every time a new “hero” product launches, I always want to try it on real girls — like the NYLON team.
Our typical work day has us putting on a foundation in the morning, and praying that it lasts though hours sitting at our desks, trudging out to lunch under the heat and humidity that is Singapore weather, and any evening activities like press events or dinner parties. Here’s what we have to say:
Adele Chan, Editor-In-Chief
I wrote the original article for this product, and so got the brief and did the research; which means I know all the benefits that this foundation claims. Firstly, did I find my match? Yes of course; there are 22 shades and I have my YSL number memorised by heart: 20. Basically, any YSL base makeup with the number 20 (and for this foundation: B20). The cream blends in easily and literally disappears on my skin. I like to pat it in with a cushion compact sponge, just for the convenience of it, but it works; the product creates as good a finish that my skin can have. Dark rings and pigmentation lighten, pores are minimised, redness around the nose reduces, and veins become much less obvious. Overall, my skin evened out, which is exactly what a good foundation should do. Did it last? It actually really did — from morning, all through the day, through dinner with friends; and when I finally got home and took a look at myself in the mirror at 10pm, my skin still looked fresh. It’s a miracle. Disclaimer though: I have generally decent skin, so this product fared well for me (as many products do), but not all my colleagues were as successful. Read on.
Tami Lai, Associate Editor
Put a high coverage foundation in front of me, and I’ll definitely try it. Not that I have a lot to cover up, but it’s just a personal preference when it comes to my base makeup. That’s why I was pretty stoked to try the YSL Beauty All Hours liquid foundation, especially because I found the Touche Eclat Le Teint and Youth Liberator Serum Foundation to be so amazing. First impressions: this one has the same floral fragrance as the other YSL foundations, which I like, and blends easily with minimal streaking or patchiness. The coverage is nice and matte as promised, without appearing chalky. Not as luminous as some of my other preferred foundations, but that’s not a big deal. The real test though, is whether it lasts for all hours. At the end of the workday, it’s still holding up okay, but to be honest, my complexion doesn’t look as flawless as I thought it would. A slight touchup is still required, but I do find that my skin looks less oily as compared to when I have other foundations on. Overall, still one that I’m probably going to be using quite often.
Amelia Tan, Associate Editor
I have tons of makeup to try every day (yep, the evidence is right there), but I genuinely get excited when it’s YSL — their makeup’s usually pricey, but I do love the lipsticks and swear by the Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils, and really, no one can resist those gilded cases right! So I was pumped (not a pun) to give their liquid foundation a try too! It so happens that I had a bad skin week and was desperately trying out ways to get rid of my blemishes while also covering them up during the day, and the YSL All Hours foundation came in really handy. Firstly, the coverage was great — I usually prefer more sheer coverage honestly, but this time, I needed all the help I could get. When I patted it on using a cushion sponge, it blended in with my skin beautifully, while also hiding any redness and bumps, and didn’t turn out cakey despite the layers of product. Not the lightest texture, but quite comfortable, really. The finish was even and natural too, a soft matte that isn’t powdery, with just the right glow that mimics any dream skin. After a whole day in an air-conditioned environment though, while I noticed that while it definitely stayed in place, my skin felt a little dry and less fresh than it looked in the morning. Maybe I should have kept a hydrating mist by my desk? Still, it doesn’t take away from the great coverage; I was quite happy that I could walk around with better-than-what-it-really-is skin without feeling insecure at all!
Jade Yeo, Writer
My skin reacts negatively to majority of beauty products on the market, even to those that were made specifically for sensitive skin. Now that you’re aware, I’ll start with the bad news: this foundation left my forehead red and itchy after a few hours of wear. I’m pretty sure the sole culprit was the fragrance in the formula, which sits relatively high on the ingredient list. For that reason, I tend to select products that are completely devoid of fragrance and aromatic essential oils. That aside, I really liked its buildable coverage. I’m not someone who’s blessed with naturally clear skin, so it’s best to have a foundation that can do the most. This one hid every trace of dark eye circles, acne, scars, shadows, veins and redness, so I didn’t even need a concealer by the time I was done with my whole face. It leaves a matte finish, but still looks glowy and fresh somehow, and it didn’t start caking when I added more foundation to my problem areas. If my skin weren’t this reactive, the YSL All Hours Foundation could have been the one.
Nurasyiqin Sedik, Media Executive
I really like the scent of the foundation, not sure why but it somehow reminds me of honeydew? Haha. I managed to attain a nice smooth canvas with only one pump. The product itself feels light on the skin, as though I don’t have foundation on when I touch my face. I didn’t think the foundation looked matte on me as there was a little glow to the face, and I quite liked that. Overall, in my opinion, the product looks beautiful on the skin (but it’s not as non-transferable as it claims to be — it rubbed off on my clothes!).
Eleni Kontorigas, Media Executive
Being someone who prefers the minimal look, I often opt out of wearing foundation to avoid the “overdone” cake face — so my morning and night routine is quite simple. In saying this, I’ve struggled to find a product that is lightweight with enough coverage to mask my problem areas. That is, until I used the YSL All Hours Liquid Foundation. I used a pea-sized amount to blot my T-zone area and blended it in using my fingertips. My first thought was how smooth my complexion looked and how easy the application was – with minimal effort! The real test for me was if the one layer I applied would last me all day, and how my pores would react to the foundation. Thankfully, the long-lasting wear surpassed my expectations, leaving my skin feeling fresh with only a minor flare up of my pores. Overall, I was impressed with the coverage and wasn’t left deterred from wearing it again.
Patrene Mathieu, Designer
I’ll start off by saying that the coverage is really fantastic. The downside to that is the consistency of the product, which goes on pretty thick. Too thick to use as a daily foundation. I used it on my entire face for about half the week and realised that I had a slight breakout after. It also doesn’t seem to last as long as my regular foundation, and I usually need a touch-up before the end of the day, despite setting it. However, it’s an incredibly effective concealer, and I’ve been using it as such ever since. I only need a very tiny amount to see good coverage. Also, it smells nice.
Phyllis Guo, Editorial Assistant
The shade I picked out was BD45, a warm tone that leaves my skin looking a little bronzed, which is always a good thing if I want to achieve Kim K’s bronzy tan look. I get pretty high coverage with just a small amount of product and there wasn’t really a need for me to use my concealer in the next step. However, I do feel that the foundation dries up quickly, in a sense that if you do not immediately blend the foundation out evenly, it will result in uneven patches (at least for me because the shade I chose was bronzy). But, true to its name, the foundation stays on throughout the day, which is one of the important qualities I look out for in foundations.
YSL Beauty All Hours Foundation, available in 22 shades, $98.
Available now at YSL Beauty stores and counters, and on tangs.com.
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