Giorgio Armani Blender Brush

Good makeup application is all about having the right tool for the right product, which is why those of us who amass serious collection of color products also tend to get excited about unique brushes. Now, as much as I love most of what Giorgio Armani Beauty has to offer, the brushes I have from this line (a lip brush and the eye shader brush) never rocked my world. I mean, a lip brush is really hard to mess up but also not something about which I get excited, and the eye shader brush is not as good as the ones I have from Chanel, NARS or Edward Bess.

Giorgio Armani Blender Brush is a whole new game. It's an odd little brush, one you wouldn't necessarily suspect was actually designed to apply foundation. It's made of natural sable and is shaped like a flat paddle. I have other beloved foundation brushes that aren't huge (CoverFX, Alison Raffaele), but the Armani is the shortest and most flat, and has a different density and texture. Which, apparently, makes it ideal for thinner formulas of liquid foundations and tinted moisturizers, especially if you've found that applying them with a stippling brush is not ideal for some reason.

I get an excellent coverage even from tinted moisturizers when using the blender brush and can also navigate and manipulate the product when I don't want to paint my entire face, just certain areas, and still get an even airbrushed look. The brush is ideal for narrow areas and wherever I need precise work. It feels softer than I expected from the way it looks and I'm not even bothered by the short and compact handle.

Is this a must-have? It depends. Do you collect and experiment with interesting brush shapes and foundation textures? If you do, then there's a good chance you'd enjoy and use this Armani brush. If you're more conservative in your foundation application practice and already have a holy grail brush, then you can live without it, but if you're still not 100% happy with whatever you're using, head over to the Armani counter and give it a swirl.

Giorgio Armani Blender Brush ($48) is available from Saks, Barneys and Nordstrom, as well as from the company's website.

All photos are mine.

Giorgio Armani Uptown Mauve Rouge d'Armani Lipsticks (605,606)

As promised, here are the newest two shades of Rouge d'Armani from the Uptown Mauve collection: Plum 605 and Plum 606. According to Giorgio Armani website they are limited edition, which is too bad. These are such classic, beautiful and wearable colors- could easily become signature lipsticks for many. For one insane moment I considered getting a backup. Then I remembered the three drawers full of lipsticks in my dressing room and the fact I haven't finished a tube in over a year. So, yes, by the time I'm done with 605 and 606 there will be many other favorites.

Like all /rouge d'armani lipsticks I've tested, the Uptown Mauve ones are just as soft, comfortable and saturated with color. They're not full coverage, though, and 606 is actually on the sheer side. I don't get 8 hours of wear, probably because I'm very fond of eating, drinking and talking throughout my day. Still, the pigment survives a snack and leaves enough behind after several hours. I like to reapply, though, and admire the sleek packaging.

605 is the darker of the two. It's more plummy while 606 is a rose/blush shade. Both have a good chance of flattering many skin tones. On me, 606 is a your lips, just better kind of thing, while 605 is dressier and can look great on a date night. Both are going to earn their keep- they are so easy to wear I don't need to put too much thought into matching and adjusting my look for them.

Bottom Line: big love.

Giorgio Armani Uptown Mauve Rouge d'Armani Lipsticks ($30 each) are available online from giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com and probably at the various counters. I'd have checked and gotten them from my local Saks if the Armani SAs there weren't the worst I've ever encountered (on this side of the Atlantic). Seriously. Since both Armani online and most department stores don't charge shipping when you're a member (or have a code), I fully intend not to buy at that counter until something drastically changes.

All photos are mine. Assistant: Sophie

Giorgio Armani Lip Shimmer Lip Gloss 66 Deep Burgundy

Considering my deep love for Giorgio Armani lipsticks, it's a little weird I never got around to testing and buying any of the lip glosses until now. Hopefully I can make up for that and not have my beauty blogger badge revoked. Let's start with this one- Deep Burgundy (#66).

Texture-wise, Armani lip glosses seem to be as fabulous as the lipsticks (unlike the over-hyped lip wax. That one was a dud for me). They feel wonderfully comfortable on the lips without being sticky hair magnets. They're shiny and maintain the glossy appearance for at least a couple of hours. Deep Burgundy has enough pigment to be great on its own without a lipstick layer underneath (=quick and easy touchups), and as you can see, it's gorgeous, rich and dark.

My favorite way to wear it is paired with black eyeliner (either thin and glossy  or a thick but muted line) and a pale matte skin. A little dramatic, but a lot of fun.

Giorgio Armani Lip Shimmer Lip Gloss ($27) is available from select department stores as well as online.

All photos are mine.

 *By the way, swatches of the newest ones from the Uptown Mauve collection are coming later this week/early next week)

Giorgio Armani Maestro Eye Shadow Quad #3 Earth

While the fall 2010 look from Giorgio Armani is all about cool tones, there's actually a Maestro eye shadow quad in traditional autumn colors. Number 3, Earth, is all about the color changes of fall, leaves and the light and shade moving and shifting between tree brunches. It's as pretty as it sounds. I took the photos outside in late afternoon light a couple of months ago and you can see how light affects these color. I've been wearing it all summer, but I think it's appropriate all year round.

I have several of Armani's Maestro quads and this one might be one of the best. The texture is as smooth as we've come to expect from the brand and the finish of these four is among the prettiest I've seen. As always, they apply and blend perfectly. I keep buying the Maestro quads despite my annoyance with their design. The narrow pans are among my least favorites, as I prefer using wide brushes. It's workable, but I hope for a redesign at some point.

The other issue, more specific to this quad is the color combination. They are all gorgeous, of course, but I'd be a tad happier if the gold would have been replaced with a golden beige or another more natural shade. This gold is a bit to yellow for me to wear under the brow, so I have to supplement the palette with a nude color from another set. It's not an issue when doing my makeup at home, but if I were considering packing the quad in a makeup bag for use on the go I'd have to add another item.

Bottom Line: Your mileage may vary.

Giorgio Armani Maestro Eye Shadow Quad #3 Earth ($59) is available at select department stores and online.

All photos are mine.

Giorgio Armani Fall 2010 Blue Grey Night Eyes To Kill Mascara (05)

From the Chronicles of the Blue Mascara.

Giorgio Armani's Eye To Kill mascara has set a new standard for what a top mascara should be. It doesn't only deliver excellent volume and length, but it's also dreamily weightless. There's no goopy stickiness even when the tube nears the end of its life (and I know, since I'm on my second black one). I don't think I ever needed a lash comb after using Eyes To Kill.

The new color, Blue Grey Night (#5), is the fall 2010 exclusive shade, part of Giorgio Armani's Night Viper look. It's a muted steel blue that isn't too obvious- the shade is darker than Graphite (#3) which look too dusty on me. Blue Grey Night looks good on my almost-black lashes and delivers that subtle brightening effect one gets from a (good) blue mascara.

Performance-wise, Eyes To Kill is as good as it gets. While I keep wondering if #5 is quite as lengthening as the black version (or maybe it's just my imagination and the fact the mascara is not black, thus creating less contrast), I'm very happy with it.

Bottom Line: You can't go wrong with this one.

Giorgio Armani Fall 2010 Blue Grey Night Eyes To Kill Mascara ($30) is available from giorgioarmanibeauty.com, Saks and Barneys.

Photos are mine, cute nose is Sophie's.

Giorgio Armani Fall 2010 Maestro Eye Shadow Quad

The star of Armani's Night Viper collection for fall 2010 is this Maestro eye shadow quad. Like several other brands, the Giorgio Armani creative team chose a rich dark blue as the bait to catch our attention and tempt us with its subtle shimmer. What can I say? It works.

While this is no Guerlain, the much lighter weight of the compact and easier to digest price tag give Armani major points. The combination of of one stunning color and three accessible neutrals is very appealing. One can create several looks for day and evening, play and blend as desired. There's a little insert in the box with suggestions for four combinations. It's a great place to start, even if the one titles "smocky evening look" is most likely a misspelling.

 If you're familiar with these Maestro shadows you know how soft they are- any novice can blend them and enjoy working with these colors. As is the case with the other Maestro quads, they require a primer for best results (I didn't use one in the swatches) and a bit of brush maneuvering because the individual pans are very narrow. It's worth the hassle, though as the results are beautiful and the colors are so easy to wear.

Bottom Line: Poor Armani would have gotten a lot more attention if it weren't for Guerlain.

Giorgio Armani Fall 2010 Maestro Eye Shadow Quad ($59) is available from Saks, Nordstrom and Barneys and directly from giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com.

All photos are mine.

Giorgio Armani Fall 2010 Rouge d'Armani Lipsticks (Soft Pink, Black Purple, Deep Ruby)

My planned post for today was supposed to be about Nars fall collection, especially the new blush. But I'm getting so many urgent emails requesting swatches of the new Rouge d'Armani lipsticks, because as usual, there are no testers at the Armani counters, even though the products are already available for sale. I have no idea what's up with that. You'd think this is some obscure brand that is having a hard time keeping up and not a major line owned by L'Oreal. Then again, YSL is also notorious for not having testers for weeks.

So here we are. I've barely tested these lipsticks, but they all seem to be just like the rest of the Rouge d'Armani range- pigmented, easy to apply even without a brush thanks to amazing gel-like texture and very long lasting. I've cleaned up after swatching using a makeup remover, but I can still see a bit of color on my arm, so as soon as I post this I'm going to do some serious washing up.

The names don't make much sense. Soft Pink (602) is a rich reddish pink, Black Purple (603) is a red berry and Deep Ruby (604) is very very purple. Everyone wanted to know how dark 604 is. The answer is: very. It's a dramatic evening color, but still wearable as long as you stick to the usual rules: well-groomed lips, pale and flawless skin without a hint of bronzer, well defined but understated eyes.

For comparison, I also added a swatch of Rouge d'Armani 601, the original plum color. As you can see, the new fall colors are different enough from it. Did you already buy any of them? Are you going to?

Fall 2010 Rouge d'Armani Lipsticks ($30 each) are available at top department stores and from the company's website.

All photos are mine. Let's keep it this way.