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| Above: The YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation is housed in a lovely ombre bottle...so chic! |
During the Neiman Marcus Fall 2013 Trend Event last week (full recap soon!), I was delighted to discover that the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation testers had just arrived, enabling me to swatch all 10 color offerings! Although I left with samples of three shades (B30, BR40 and BD50), I haven't experimented with the foundation long enough to offer a cogent assessment. However, I am happy to share my swatches and hope they are helpful to those striving to find a perfect match in this brand new formula. The shades are separated into three categories: B (for skin with neutral to warm/yellow undertones), BR (for skin with neutral to cool/rosy undertones) and BD (for skin with olive/golden undertones).
I would like to note, however, that I found the BR shades were not inordinately rosy/pink...two of the three (BR20 and BR40) are actually are a very nice neutral beige. In fact, I think I preferred the BR40 as my closest shade match (over the B30, which looked a little flat on my face and oxidized a tad orangy on my wrist and BD50, which was a bit too dark for my NC25 skin). It is also imperative to mention that the currently available shade range favors light and medium skin tones with only B60, BR60 and B70 at the darker (though not particularly dark) end of the range. If this foundation is as good as its description makes it sound, then I hope they introduce darker shades to the spectrum so everyone can enjoy it!
Kindly scroll on for swatches, shade descriptions and images of the foundation on a human face...
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| Above: Dots of the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation before blending out in semi-outdoor lighting. |
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| Above: Swatches in as natural daylight as I could get at 6:30 PM...please note that BR60 is labeled incorrectly and should be BR50 like it is in all other swatch images. |
Shade Descriptions (based on my observations and experience only):
1. B10: Very light neutral beige for skin in the N/NW/NC 10-15 range
2. B20: Light neutral beige for skin in the N/NC 15-20 range
3. B30: Light beige with strong yellow undertones for skin in the NC 23-27 range
4. B40: Medium warm beige for skin in the N/NC 30-35 range
5. B60: Medium-dark warm beige for skin in the N/NC 35-40 range
6. B70: Dark warm beige for skin in the N/NW/NC 42-50 range
7. BR20: Light neutral beige for skin in the N/NW/NC 20 range (this is slightly darker than B20)
8. BR40: Light/light-medium beige for skin in the N/NW/NC 25-27 range (this is slightly darker than B30 but slightly lighter than B40)
9. BR50: Medium neutral beige for skin in N/NW 30-35 range (this is slightly lighter and rosier than B60)
10. BD50: Medium golden beige for yellow/olive skin in the NC 30-35 range (this is lighter and more yellow than BR50 and B60)
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| Above: Swatches in semi-outdoor lighting. |
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| Above: Close up swatches of the "B Range" in indoor lighting. |
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| Above: Close up swatches of the darkest B shade as well as shades in the BR and BD range in indoor lighting. |
Above and below: A mixture of equal parts B30, BR40 with a touch of BD50 on my face, in direct sunlight. The formula does seem to create a seamless, skin-like finish.
Bottom Line: The YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation (which retails for $69) is sold at YSL counters everywhere, including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Barney's NY and Saks...I haven't yet seen it on the Sephora website, but I am guessing it will be making an appearance there soon. My first impressions of this formula are as follows: It has a silky texture, offers buildable medium coverage, has a hydrating and dewy finish, wears comfortably, is lightly scented (typical YSL base product scent) and, when applied with a Beauty Blender, seamlessly blends in, becoming one with the skin. During my initial trial, I didn't set it with powder to get the most accurate sense of its lasting power and found that it didn't start getting overtly glowy (thereby requiring a touch up) until my 6th or 7th hour of wear. Additionally, the inclusion of the YSL Youth Liberator Serum within the foundation (for brighter, plumper skin) and SPF 20 protection make this a formula with noteworthy skincare benefits. Although I enjoyed my first experience with it, I will withhold official judgement until I've used it a few more times.
Have YOU tried the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation? Thoughts?