Back in 2016, before I worked in the beauty industry, I made my first luxury makeup purchase.
With a £50 Debenhams voucher, I purchased YSL's Touche Éclat Le Teint Foundation (which has since been discontinued) and the brand's Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer, £37.
A decade on, the blurring primer is a makeup item I buy on repeat, replacing it every time I run out.
I first fell for it due to the iridescent gold sparkle in the formula, which gives the same brightening effect as the iconic Touche Eclat Illuminating Pen. Magpie tendencies aside, I kept on using it because, like the pen before it, it's light-infused, and while it feels mattifying, it creates an under-makeup radiance that primers without that little bit of glimmer just can't achieve.
The only drawback is that it's £37, which is quite pricey when I use it every day, either under makeup or on its own, to unify my complexion.
So, imagine my excitement when I opened a delivery from No7 this week, which included the brand's Pro Artist Radiant Glow Gel Primer, £17.95 – and it looked identical to my beloved YSL blurring primer – but for £20 less.
Side note, I'm not into dupe culture, as Charlotte Tilbury said recently: "When you dupe, you dupe the consumer," adding that copies of her collection don't perform in the same way as her creations.
No7 is not claiming this to be a dupe of the YSL primer. The branding is unmistakably No7, with their timeless gold and matte black packaging – they're not shamelessly ripping off another brand, but for me, this new launch has replaced YSL's primer in my routine.
No7's new primer put to the test
Of the new launch, No7 says: "Prep skin like a pro with this radiant gel primer. The formula glides onto skin to help smooth and blur the look of imperfections, creating a radiant base for makeup or an illuminated finish when worn alone."
The iridescent formula gives the blurring effect I desire, making my skin look even and smooth, and creating the perfect canvas for foundation. The glimmer is undetectable on the skin, melting in and giving a subtle, lit-from-within glow rather than all-out sparkle.
It's ultralightweight, with a bouncy gel texture that feels mattifying, despite giving a hefty dose of radiance, and while you can't really call £17.95 budget when there are blurring primers out there for £11 (ELF, I'm looking at you, although I'm sure there are even more budget-friendly options), it's £20 less than I've been spending for the last decade, which frees up my cash to buy YSL's new Cushion Foundation, £52, which I've had my eye on…
