Yves Saint Laurent is a brand I haven't really explored when it comes to beauty, I've heard such great things about certain products and loved samples I've tried in the past but I never went back. One thing I have attended over the years have been makeup masterclasses in department stores to get to know products more so that's what I did last week when Frederic Letailleur, YSL Beauty's European makeup artist came to John Lewis Southampton.
Most beauty brands hold masterclasses like this regularly so if there is a brand you're unsure of and want to know more about always check at the counter for when they're holding their next one. I was invited in by Lauren Scriven, a makeup artist on the Yves Saint Laurent counter and I'm so glad she reached out because I've fallen a little in love with YSL.
Frederic Letailleur is a renowned makeup artist who has worked with stars ranging from Cate Blanchett and Kim Cattrall to Eva Herzigova and the Scissor Sisters. He has a remarkable flare with makeup having worked with airbrushing and prosthetics in the past. He's an absolute delight to meet and talk with and I found him quite enchanting, his love of makeup shone from him throughout the masterclass.
After selecting his model from the lovely group of ladies that were there for the masterclass, Frederic did the full rundown for us starting with skincare and ending with some lash products everyone wanted to get their hands on.
The very first product used was the Top Secrets Melting Balm in Oil (£32.00) which removes all makeup, even if it's waterproof! You just use a pea sized amount and massage into skin before removing with a cotton pad and some warm water. It feels so soft and it's non sticky. Frederic then followed this up with the Forever Youth Serum (£68.00), I've used the Forever Light Serum in the past and loved it. It's beautifully silky and you just need to use one drop daily. It's amazing stuff.
Moisturiser was then applied but with a little hack, Frederic took the All Hours Foundation Stick (£32.00) placed some of the Top Secrets Instant Moisture glow (£36.50) on top and then mixed the two together before applying to skin. This then gave a beautiful glow to the models skin which is what made up my mind to buy it myself after the masterclass. The All Hours Foundation Stick is super soft, touch proof and really easy to blend. I'd always been put off by them previously because I wasn't sure on how to use them to get the best results and now I do!
The much loved Touche Éclat Complexion Highlighter (£26.00) was the next product of choice which unbelievably I've never tried before! This was applied using an eyeshadow blending brush to buff the product into the skin so as not to overload the eye area which is where I always go wrong, I've been trying out this tip all week and it really does work.
The man is a genius.
Once the base was complete, it was time to add some sunkissed colour to the skin. The Sahariennes Bronzing Stones (£36.00) is St.Tropez in a compact and brought a beautiful warm glow to the models complexion. I think the best tip I came away with was taking a flat sided brush to pick up the bronzer with and then applying from back to front so that the cheek isn't loaded with colour, it gives a more natural glow and it's how I've been applying mine over the last week with fab results, I'm a total convert. To add a little highlight, he took the Touche Éclat Shimmer Stick (£27.00) and added this wear the light naturally hits your face, I have one like this from Clinique which I rarely touch so he's inspired me to whip it out and give it another chance.
Next was the important step of eyebrows! Frederic used the Couture Brow (£21.00) which is probably the slimmest brow pencil I have ever seen and it's so creamy! It applies with expert precision and the brush helps to create an ultra defined look. It really was quite amazing what he did with it. One thing we all wanted to know was how to create a natural smoky eye, the Couture Variation NU Palette (£51.00) was used for this which houses ten oh so gorgeous nude shimmers. He applied colour by colour followed by the Lash Primer (£26.00) and Curler Mascara (£26.00) which really opened up the lashes so much so that I think everyone said wow and then a couple of ladies hurried off to the counter to snap them up for themselves.
The masterclass was the perfect way to spend the afternoon and discover more about a brand I really didn't know much about as I mentioned I bought the foundation stick which I've been using over the last week and I've been really impressed with it and I was given a lovely bag of luxury samples to try too so my love affair with Yves Saint Laurent isn't over just yet.
A huge thank you to Lauren and Frederic for having me, I can't want to explore the brand even more.
Press ticket given for event attendance, affiliate links used - see disclaimer.