Goodbye Touche Eclat, HELLO George at Asda!

For me, it is very rare to find a product that really makes you sit up and go 'wow'.  The kind of make up product that makes your slightly vain and self indulgent self say 'i cant live without this'.  Well, I have found such a product.

When I Hide I'm Always Found
Under Eye Concealer by George at Asda in 01 Light

I'm a big fan of YSL Touche Eclat and have been since it was first launched.  I can actually remember when it first came out and everyone raved about it.  I was at the YSL counter in Debenhams buying a blusher and the sales assistant forced it upon me (don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I was over the moon with it, I just felt a bit pressured into buying it!).  At the time, I was a teenager with, dare I say it, great, spot free, healthy looking skin and such a product wouldn't necessarily be of a ground breaking benefit to me- i didn't have bags under my eyes that needed lightening, dark patches, etc and I could get away without using it if I wanted to.  Even then though, if i used Touche Eclat then I would see a difference in even my good skin.  As time has passed and I've sat up through the night to meet countless deadlines, I have relied upon my Touche Eclat more and more.  At the time I had bought it, it was a wonder product that you couldn't get anywhere else.  It was the first complexion highlighter of its kind and one which many companies have copied since.  Now there are hundreds on the market.  I usually buy my Touche Eclat at the airport when I travel abroad because I can get it a little cheaper than the usual retail price of £24.  I ran out last week and since I am going on holiday in a couple of weeks, I thought I would buy a cheaper alternative until I can get to the airport and buy myself a duty free one.  I'm so glad I decided to do this as now I have found a better product at a fraction of the price and that's the Under Eye Concealer by George at Asda for only £3.

The under eye concealer comes in a pen like form which is strikingly similar to the YSL Touche Eclat offering.  The packaging is gorgeous, right down to the box that it comes in.  It looks much more expensive that it actually is.  The wand, or pen, is a gorgeous pewter colour.

The pen like wand fits really well in my hand and it isn't too thin so I can get a grip of it well which is great as I don't have a very steady hand.  The wand has a little brush on the end and you just press the button on the bottom to pump up the product.  The bush is just the right size and so soft.  Even after I've used it and it has dried overnight, it is still soft the next day when I go to use it.  It really is very well made and of high quality, especially for such a low price.

Colour wise, these two are quite different from one another.  The under eye concealer is more cream coloured with slight pinky tones and yellow tones which are great for highlighting and reducing redness on the face.  In comparison, Touche Eclat is much more pink and salmon coloured.  The under eye concealer is much better match for my skin tone and I would think, many other peoples skin too.  Texture wise, the George offering is much better too as it glides on and blends well as it is smooth and creamy.  For me, Touche Eclat is a little chalky.  Ive swatched both below.

When I usually apply Touche Eclat, or similar products, I usually put it under my eyes, occasionally on top of the eyelid, down the sides of my nose and lips and any other areas that get a little dark. However when I applied the under eye concealer I noticed just how great it was at concealing, mattifying the skin and evening it out.  I put a little on my cheeks where I have big open pores, where I usually use the pore minimiser by Clinique, and it worked a treat.  I actually couldn't believe how great it made my skin look, literally like a baby's skin.  It brightened up all of the areas of my face that I usually apply it and more! It also made my skin smooth and just gorgeous looking.  Ive applied under eye concealer to one side of my face and left the other side bare for comparison.  I applied it on my lid and below my eye, on my cheeks where I have open pores, down the side of my nose, and the corner of my lips.

The Under Eye Concealer by George is great at reducing any redness  in the face too.  Look at the difference it made to my skin, especially around my eyes.

I then applied the under eye concealer to one side of my face and the Touche Eclat to the other to try to give you a comparison between the two.

The Under Eye Concealer clearly does a much better job of illuminating and highlighting the areas of my face where I have chosen to use it, making it look more radiant, especially after I've put the rest of my make up on.  I also think that it is a fantastic way of minimising my pores which is something that the Touche Eclat doesn't do, obviously it isnt the function of it to do this but I think thats why I like the Under Eye Concealer more- because it 'difuses light and conceals imperfections' which is exactly what it says on the wand!

All round, 10/10 wonder product!  My new Holy Grail!

What are your wonder products?

Now that I am never going back to my Touche Eclat, I'm going to be saving myself £21...

what do you suggest I spend my saving on?