Review : YSL Poudre Compacte Matte and Radiance Powder

YSL aka Yves Saint Laurent is one of those luxurious brands that you cannot resist. Let it be the packaging, the innovative products, technology and so on, YSL has never failed to entice their clients (Some products are duds though, but can be ignored).

Today I shall be reviewing the YSL Poudre Compacte Matte and Radiance Powder. It does look as if it was made in the heavens and then sent down for sales. Be it the sleek gold packaging, be it the soft airy breezy powder or be it the the luxury, YSL does deliver a uniquely fabulous product. I got myself the shade no.04 Beige Rose which is a perfect match for my skin.So lets have a look..........................
What Sephora has to say..............What it is:
A pressed powder with an ultra-fine texture.

What it does:
Yves Saint Laurent POUDRE COMPACTE ÉCLAT ET MATITE Matt & Radiant Pressed Powder provides an all-day matte complexion without drying the skin. It contains a revolutionary Ampli-Light+ complex that leaves the complexion perfectly matte and even, with a long-lasting feeling of comfort.
What else you need to know:
This beautiful pressed powder is presented with an emblematic Yves Saint Laurent motif: an embossed heart with Mr. Saint Laurent's signature. It's formulated for all skin types.Suggested Usage:
-With the puff, take the amount of product required and apply to the face, on top of makeup or on bare skin.

PACKAGINGA lovely shiny golden cardboard case encases the compact powder and a small puff both covered in a black velvet sleeve. The case is very light and delicate (I wouldn't experiment dropping it) but sturdy enough to sustain in a busy and bursting cosmetic bag, although it deserves special handling. It opens only upto an angle of 110 degrees which makes touch ups convenient while the lid does not fall apart. The mirror is beautiful, clear and of high quality. I liked the fact that they included puff separately which is immensely thoughtful from the hygiene point of view. The only bad part is that the casing is prone to finger prints which can make it look really dirty (even in photographs)FORMULAThe powder is extremely fine milled and very soft to touch. It leaves the complexion feeling velvety while there is moderate levels of oil absorption and of course the skin gets a soft focused look. It literally disappears in the skin, sets the foundation and concealer beautifully and is quite long lasting even for an oily skinned person like me who travels in the most polluted places. ( I do not make claims that it held oil on my skin for 6 hrs and immediately some oil popped out exactly after 5 mins past 6 hrs.). Although it says 'radiant', there is no shimmer or sparkle in it. The compact powder gives sheer to buildable medium coverage and cannot take the place of a foundation powder like Chanel's Vitalumiere et al. There are certain specific expectations I had from this powder, like I did not want a complete dead looking mattified face and wanted a soothing compact powder and it did everything I wanted it to do (with a not steep price point like other brands).I don't know whether anyone else has felt this, but I get a bit of cooling and soothing sensation as soon as I apply the product on my face. It could be because of the water content in it.Ingredients:-Ampli-light+ Complex: Maintains a matte and even complexion throughout the day.
-Sodium Hyaluronate: Maintains skin hydration so that it does not dry out even while Ampli-Light+ Complex keeps skin matte. 
Talc, Ptfe, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Squalane, Dimethicone, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Lauroyl Lysine, Polyquaternium-61, Nylon-12, Fragrance, Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Lauryl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Cetrimonium Bromide, Methylparaben, Glycerin, Hydroxyapatite, Dicaprylyl Ether, Agar, Cocoyl Sarcosine, Tocopherol, Zinc Oxide, Polydodecanamideaminium Triazadiphenylethenesulfonate, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Titanium Dioxide, Gellan Gum, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Benzyl Salicylate. [+/- May Contain: Ci 77019 (Mica), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77492 (Iron Oxide), Ci 77491 (Iron Oxide), Ci 77499 (Iron Oxide), Ci 77007 (Ultramarines), Ci 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide), Ci 77742 (Manganese Violet), Ci 75470 (Carmine), Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite].
COLORI opted for a pink beige color which would smartly brighten the complexion. The beige in the powder does not allow it to go ashy over a neutral skin tone like mine. I did test this color on my face before buying since I was stuck over 03. I must say that they have limited colors and the last one is 05 I suppose which could go for medium-dark skin tones. The range is fabulous but the spectra of skin complexions they would cover are less.The pink beige compact powder does help significantly brighten up the skin while making it look matte (semi matte rather), hydrated and radiant.I applied Guerlain Parure Aqua 23 foundation everywhere including the under eye area and set it with YSL Compact. You can see how the complexion looks silky and velvety with the shine of a moisturized face. Can it get better?? (Spare the little beard hair....I am a guy, cant help it! But if you are a girl then rethink about the coarse facial hair...LOL)

This is a fabulous compact powder and looks like my hunt is over for a while.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITYYSL is available in selected malls and department stores and is a part of the L'Oreal group which also owns Lancome. I bought it from Juhu Shoppers Stop. Its 2500 INR for 8.5 g which is on par with its cousin from America sold for 46$. There is a shade difference ( I saw it on Sephora) and looks like India get their products from Europe. 
Hope you liked the review. More shall follow as time permits.
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Till then,
Ciao
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