YSL Fusion Ink Foundation; Review & Swatches of Shades

Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Foundation
New for Fall 2014
Price $60 per ounce

Quite a bit of hype has been generated by the new Fusion Ink Foundation from Yves Saint Laurent- but has YSL really hit the nail on the head with their new "revolution"?


YSL claims that Fusion Ink Foundation has all sorts of inventive properties and a "fine as ink" texture. They claim that their sebum controlling agents and "dry oil" complex will help aide Fusion Ink Foundation in proving you with a 24 hour, soft matte finish, and an SPF factor of 18.

Sounds pretty good right? Here's where things get interesting though; remember, Yves Saint Laurent is owned by L'Oreal, along with companies like Georgio Armani, Lancome, and Maybelline. Its no secret that parent/child/sister companies often exchange formulas, but here L'Oreal & YSL take it to a whole new level...

Initially, Giorgio Armani released their "Maestro Fusion Foundation", which was also in a dropper bottle. L'Oreal then decided to follow suit and released their very own version with "Magic Nude Liquid-Powder Foundation."

Apparently, those two weren't enough, so L'Oreal gave Maybelline the recipe and Maybelline just released their new for spring 2014 "Dream Wonder Touch Fluid Foundation", which shares an identical ingredient list to L'Oreal Magic Nude Foundation.

While three of the same products may be enough for the average cosmetic company, L'Oreal is a powerhouse who obviously embraces the whole notion of "Go Big Or Go Home," because for fall 2014, they have released not one, but two new foundations with the same composition; both YSL Fusion Ink Foundation AND Lancome Nude Miracle Foundation.

I know you're probably thinking that there has to be some difference between formulas, but there's not. The only differences between the formulas are the omission/inclusion of different fragrances, and some secondary silicones were exchanged for others in a few instances. Other than that and a variation in available shades, there is virtually no difference between any of them.

Personally, I don't have an issue with formula swapping between companies, as long as they are decent and worth while formulas. In the case of Fusion Ink, (Magic Nude, Dream Touch, Armani Maestro, and Nude Miracle), the formula just isn't worth it because of the-

• ALCOHOL- All of these formulas do perform brilliantly. They apply wonderfully and do what they're told, but they only do it because they're drunk- literally! The ultimate lazy way for cosmetic companies to give a product great slip and blendability is to include alcohol, which allows you to get a product exactly where you want it before it sets to the desired finish. The problem is that alcohol has been shown to increase skin cell death by 26% in just two days with a concentration level of only 3%. Based on the listed ingredients, I would guess that the alcohol content is in the 12-15% range, but it may be as high as 24%. Either way, I wouldn't go near open flame before it dries.

• FRAGRANCE- Yves Saint Laurent included so much fragrance in Fusion Ink Foundation, that it actually overpowered the smell of alcohol, which is saying something. Fragrance in large quantities can cause severe irritation and impair your skins ability to heal. I'm not referring to only sensitive skin, even those with the most robust of skin types can experience irritation and inflammation beneath the skin's surface, which means that you don't have to see it for it to be real! (Think UVA rays which age you invisibly, vs UVB rays which visibly burn you.)

• SUN PROTECTION- YSL claims that Fusion Ink is equipped with an SPF of 18. What they don't tell you, is that Fusion Ink is formulated with Octinoxate as the only active sunscreen, meaning that you won't be protected in anyway from the sun's harmful UVA rays. If you use another sunscreen under your foundation this may not bother you. I triple up on sunscreen anyways, so I personally don't mind, but its a serious issue if anyone purchases it thinking they're getting a sufficient sunscreen/foundation in one.

• THE PRICE!!! If you're like most people, when you spend $60 of your hard earned money on a foundation, it had better be the latest and greatest, most coveted and revolutionary foundation on the market that will do everything for you (except the dishes), and in many cases, you can find a reason to justify your purchase with things like "its the only foundation that doesn't break me out,"  or "its the only shade that matches me," and that's fine as long as their is something legitimately unique about a product. What is NOT ok, is that the parent company of YSL makes an identical formula (Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Touch Foundation*) for 88% (yes 88%), off of the cost of YSL Fusion Ink. It's like they all said we'll see how many suckers we can get to pay $60 for free radical cell damage, and then as a back up, we'll sell it for $8 at drugstores and I find that absolutely INFURIATING!

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation performs similarly to many liquid-powder foundations in that it starts off very thin and smooth, blends beautifully with skin and sets to a natural matte finish. YSL offers Fusion Ink in a total of 21 shades which range from Light-Deep (very fair skintones are out of luck and would be better off with Cruelty Free  Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide Foundation, or some of the options listed below.)

If you are absolutely in love with Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink formula, just go buy either L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid-Powder Foundation OR Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Touch Foundation. (Then, with the money you saved, you can make a $50 donation to a local animal shelter...or buy a new pair of shoes.) 

Ironically, both Maybelline and L'Oreal's versions are better for your skin than Fusion ink is because even though they have high levels of alcohol, they are both unscented, and unlike alcohol, fragrances can't be removed from a formula once they're included in a formula. If you want to remove all traces of alcohol from any product, all you have to do is expose it to air. With foundations like this it can be a little trickier to expose it to air for the right amount of time, but if you have a small 5-10ml bottle or jar you can experiment and see how the formula's performance changes without the inclusion of alcohol. (YSL Fusion Ink Foundation actually doesn't lose too many of its positive attributes.)

If you're new to the whole liquid-powder foundation concept, I wouldn't let this dissuade you from trying out this genre of makeup because it is an awesome sub category of foundation and has really made some great progress in recent years. Unfortunately, there are many examples of companies who "cheat" and take the easy way out, but there are some who don't!

CRUELTY FREE options-
Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide Foundation, is a very smooth liquid that applies very similarly to YSL Fusion Ink Foundation, but with none of the bad-for-skin ingredients!

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid-Powder Foundation which is a superb (all be it pricey) option and one I would definitely recommend if you aren't opposed to shelling out some cash.

Becca Ever Matte Foundation is almost a hybrid between a tradition long-wearing/oil free foundation and a liquid-powder foundation. The formula is very pigmented and a little goes a long way!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Foundation is getting another recommendation from me because its just a great foundation for everyday wear, although its not as strong of a matte finish as some of the other options!

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation; Swatches of Shades

B10, BD15, BD20, B30, BD45, BD55, 

BD65, BD10, B20, BR20*, BR30*, B40, BR40, BD40, 

B50, BR50**, BD50, B60, BD60, B65, B70

* Not Shown
**BR50 Cool Honey is listed in photos as BR40
 in the lower left hand corner. This is a Typo.

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation; Swatches of Shades

B10, BD15, BD20, B30, BD45, BD55, 

BD65, BD10, B20, BR20*, BR30*, B40, BR40, BD40, 

B50, BR50**, BD50, B60, BD60, B65, B70

* Not Shown
**BR50 Cool Honey is listed in photos as BR40
 in the lower left hand corner. This is a Typo.

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation; Swatches of Shades

B10, BD15, BD20, B30, BD45, BD55, 

BD65, BD10, B20, BR20*, BR30*, B40, BR40, BD40, 

B50, BR50**, BD50, B60, BD60, B65, B70

* Not Shown
**BR50 Cool Honey is listed in photos as BR40
 in the lower left hand corner. This is a Typo.

(Yves Saint Laurent) YSL Fusion Ink Foundation SPF 18; 
Swatches of Shades

B10 Porcelain, BD15 Warm Buff, 

BD20 Warm Ivory, B30 Almond, 

BD45 Warm Bisque, BD55 Warm Praline,

 BD65 Warm Toffee, BD10 Warm Porcelain,

 B20 Ivory, BR20 Cool Ivory*, BR30 Cool Almond*,

 B40 Sand, BR40 Cool Sand, BD40 Warm Sand

B50 Honey, BR50 Cool Honey**, 
BD50 Warm Honey, B60 Amber, 
BD60 Warm Amber, B65 Toffee, B70 Mocha

Note: B=Neutral Shades
BD=Warm Shades
BR=Cool Shades

* Not Shown
**BR50 Cool Honey is listed in photos as BR40
 in the lower left hand corner. This is a Typo.

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation; Swatches of Shades

B10, BD15, BD20, B30, BD45, BD55, 

BD65, BD10, B20, BR20*, BR30*, B40, BR40, BD40, 

B50, BR50**, BD50, B60, BD60, B65, B70

* Not Shown
**BR50 Cool Honey is listed in photos as BR40
 in the lower left hand corner. This is a Typo.

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation; Swatches of Shades

B10, BD15, BD20, B30, BD45, BD55, 

BD65, BD10, B20, BR20*, BR30*, B40, BR40, BD40, 

B50, BR50**, BD50, B60, BD60, B65, B70

* Not Shown
**BR50 Cool Honey is listed in photos as BR40
 in the lower left hand corner. This is a Typo.

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation; Swatches of ShadesB10, BD15, BD20, B30, BD45, BD55, BD65, BD10, B20, BR20*, BR30*, B40, BR40, BD40, B50, BR50**, BD50, B60, BD60, B65, B70* Not Shown**BR50 Cool Honey is listed in photos as BR40 in the lower left hand corner. This is a Typo.