This is for Suzanne who requested swatches of all my Armani Lip Shimmers together in one photo. These retail in the US for $26 and are available at various Saks, Neimans, Bloomingdales and Nordstroms locations. I purchased all of mine from Saks over the years – I realize the shelf life of a lipgloss is typically 1-2 years, but I am not one to pay attention to expiration dates for makeup. If it still smells good, I continue to use it.
I want to let you know up front that most of these are no longer made and are now discontinued. You may be able to find more of the older shades instore rather than online, so I recommend trying your local Saks or Nordstrom to see if they carry some of the older shades.
Check GiorgioArmaniBeauty.com for the current shades. The spring shades are not listed online yet for some reason.
Photographed together
How on earth did I accumulate so many Armani Lipglosses? I have no idea – but it’s normally been a purchase of 1-2 glosses per season. Most of these are about 50% used up which you might not be able to tell from the photos. I had to swirl and pump the tubes a bit to get the gloss moved around so they weren’t all settled on the bottoms. I do find I use these a lot – they are on the sheerer side and have a smooth texture. I always layer over a lipstick or lipliner. Most of these are too sheer to wear on their own since I have a lot of pink in my lips.
It’s been pouring down rain and hail here for several days, but I signed up for a NARS event and was determined to go no matter what the weather conditions were.
My local Nordstrom hosted a 3 day NARS national artist event to launch the spring line and I was thrilled with the makeover results. I asked the makeup artist for a look that would either use the new Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo or if that didn’t work, I asked for ideas on how to use my Brousse Eyeshadow Duo with the new Ophelia Lipgloss.
We decided to try the new spring duo since she was smitten with it, but unfortunately it was just too warm for my skintone. It looked like a combination of MAC Melon Pigment + Starviolet Eyeshadow on my eyes. I loved the fact that she was so easy to work with and did not hesitate to take the eyeshadows off and start over again. This is what she ended up doing:
Skin Prep: Skin was cleansed with the Makeup Cleansing Oil (applied to dry skin) and wiped off with a water-sprayed cotton pad. She then used the Balancing Toning Lotion to tone the skin and applied the Potent EFA Cream, Nourishing Eye Cream, and Makeup Primer.
Foundation & Concealer: She used the South Beach Multiple on the cheeks and temples under foundation to give the skin a glow from within. Since I already use the Sheer Glow, I asked to try out the Sheer Matte, she picked out Sheer Matte in Santa Fe which seemed to be a good match. Red spots and dark circles were covered with the Custard/Ginger concealer duo mixed with Luxor Multiple for a luminous uplifting glow. The Powder Foundation in Deauville was buffed out on the skin.
Cheeks: For cheeks, I mentioned to her that I already had almost every single Nars Blush, so she of course asked which shades I did not have, and picked out Taj Mahal for me to try. I have to admit I was seriously freaked out when I saw it, but she applied it with a VERY soft touch followed by Desire and it gave THE PERFECT glowy peachy pink I have ever seen. The way she applied Taj Mahal was to take their Yachiyo Brush and dust it into the compact then she vigorously tapped off the excess. She applied it to the cheeks in a soft sweep and it gave a subtle candle-lit glow. She then used the same brush to apply Desire right over it.
Eyes: An interesting trick she showed me was to apply the Luxor Multiple with a concealer brush right above the brows to give an uplifting-effect. For the eyes, she started by lining the eyes with Aigle Noir Soft Touch Shadow Pencil and smudged it. Mekong Single Eyeshadow was then applied with a smudge brush right on top of the pencil and then blended upwards with a mixture of both sides from Brousse Eyeshadow Duo about 1/2 way up the lids. Next, she took the lighter side of Kalahari Eyeshadow Duo to go over all the shades as a blending and softening color with soft contour. For mascara, she used both of the new ones in black, starting with the Lengthening first, and then the Volumizing on top. It was an instant lash makeover.
Lips: For lips, she blotted the lips with Cafe Con Leche Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (which I have but is missing-in-action) and topped with an application of Belle du Jour Lipstick. The final touch was to add the new Ophelia Lipgloss.
Swatches L to R: Aigle Noir Pencil, Mekong Eyeshadow Single, Brousse Duo (both sides mixed), Kalahari (both sides mixed), South Beach Multiple, Luxor Multiple, Taj Mahal Blush, Desire Blush, Belle du Jour Lipstick, Ophelia Lipgloss
What I wore today to the makeover: White ruffle collared blouse from Banana Republic, Beige button coat from Banana Republic, Joes Jeans Petite Provocateur Fit.
Overall thoughts: I really loved the results and ended up purchasing the Eye Cream, Balancing Cleanser, Taj Mahal Blush, Ophelia Lipgloss and both mascaras. The EFA cream was a bit heavy for my skin, but from past makeover experiences I’ve had with NARS, I’ve found most of their moisturizers a bit too moisturizing for my skin, so it wasn’t surprising.
The number of products she used seemed like a lot, but the result was so pretty, I don’t think I’ll mind using everything again on numerous occasions in the future.
I absolutely LOVED both mascaras. They were both amazing and it was an instant lash-makeover with the application of both combined together. I’m not sure about the smudge-factor since it was raining heavily outside and my under-eye area was very moist from the EFA cream. I’ll be testing it out more in the next week and report back later about the results.
Most of the things I already owned from previous purchases. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Nars and events like these are inspiring to me to try out new combinations to get me out of that same-look rut I tend to get into during this time of year.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a makeover – I used to go to Chanel and Nars events on a monthly basis before for ideas and GWPs. But there’s nothing like a horrible MAC makeover to make you want to stop going to any event period. That being said, I have ALWAYS had great makeover results with Nars events. I highly recommend you get on your local counters call lists or ask about upcoming events. They are super fun and you can get tons of ideas on how to combine different colors.
I find that a makeover is more successful when you have a certain look you have in mind so the makeup artists has an idea of what you’re looking for. Simply saying “give me a natural look” isn’t much help, so I suggest being a bit more specific like say, “I like pink lips” or “can you show me how to use Brousse Eyeshadow Duo?” If you simply have no idea, that’s fine too – just give them something to work with. Something like saying, “I wear champagnes and browns on my eyes with peach lips all the time – I need something different” can help a ton.
My most recent manicure is with Rococo Nail Polish in Re-Issue, a gorgeous classic rich plummy wine with a bit of shimmer/pearl. I can’t stop looking at my nails and can say this is the best pick-me-up of the week. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy with a manicure before.
The color is probably very dupe-able, but I love it. It reminds me of colors like OPI’s NYPD Beet, Yankee Pankee Plum, Nars Gimme Shelter – but not quite as vampy since it has a reddish undertone. The shimmer in it has a pearl finish (versus frost/chrome) which I really like. Here it is with multiple views with 3 coats with Seche Vite top coat. It’s photographed with my Louis Small Agenda in the Violette Vernis.
I am trying to post dupe swatches/photos but it’s been cloudy and raining like crazy here, so the lighting is not cooperating with me! I will try and update with another duplicate/comparison post in the next week.
I discovered Rococo Nail Apparel on 2 of my favorite NY-based bloggers Beauty Moogle Zone and New York City Pretty (both possess fashionably great taste and are always in-the-know) and knew I had to check out this brand.
I ordered a few colors from SpaceNK online and this past weekend I had a girls-day-out to Orange County and stopped by the SpaceNK in Bloomingdales at South Coast Plaza to check out the rest of the line.
I first need to RAVE about their customer service. For my online order, one of the colors I received was the wrong shade and SpaceNK online was really great in trying to correct the mishap. Since I was going to be near a SpaceNK that next weekend, she called all the California stores near me to make sure they had the right color in stock and that they were aware I’d be coming for a possible exchange.
My experience at the South Coast Plaza location was also incredible. I’ve been to SCP on several occasions but never even noticed the SpaceNK corner as it was a bit hidden. Those not familiar with Bloomingdales, next time you go, I highly recommend you check it out. If you have trouble finding it, just ask. My friend and I met the most knowledgeable associate we have ever encountered there. We spent about 3o minutes smelling the perfumes and looking at the skincare and we were both amazed at all the information he had about each item. Anything we pointed at, he was able to give us the FULL 411 on. He described each fragrance topnotes and undertones and gave us recommendations based on our likes. For skincare, he was able to tell us the ingredients of any skincare product, explained in detail how to best use it, he even explained how to use that muslin cloth in the Eve Lom Cleanser set. We were both thrilled.
For my Rococo experience, I have slightly mixed feelings. The nail polishes come in a stunning range of colors with great pigment – but there seems to be some inconsistency with some of the batches in the actual color you get. We pulled out 3 different colors: R2T2, Gothic Lolita, and Organza and there were clear differences between the tester and product being sold. For example, the Gothic Lolita tester was a gorgeous blueberry jelly shimmer while the product sold was a shimmery gunmetal. The Organza tester (can see it on the SpaceNK website) was a straight beige with iridescent gold shimmer, while the one I bought has a slight pinkish shimmers and undertone.
There are 2 types of labels which I will picture below. I think the type of label on your bottle will indicate what variation of color you get. Unfortunately you don’t really know which type of label you will get.
So – my frustration with this line is the lack of consistency in colors with the same name. I did however appreciate the honesty from the associates at SpaceNK at Bloomingdales. They mentioned up front that I should know there is a slight difference from some of the colors that they believe was due to a difference in manufacturer or batch production. The sales associates were kind enough to open up several boxes of their stock so I could compare them the testers to make my purchasing decisions.
My descriptions of the colors: (note that Molten Lava, Pop Culture & No Shrinking Violet were part of a 3-piece holiday set)
Boutique – sheer nude glossy cream
Molten Lava – sparkling pale silver (this looked like an exact dupe to R2T2)
Organza – pale cream with pink-opal flashes
Andromeda – holographic silver-grey (this is my favorite)
Vayder – pure black with silver glitter
Pop Culture – iridescent bright coral with silver pearl
Re-Issue – gorgeous plum-grape with reddish tinge and pearl
Baby Punk – bright peachy-pink (brighter version of MAC Coconut Ice)
No Shriking Violet – iridescent violet (I have a feeling this might be similar to the new Nars spring nail polish)
Tokyo Nights – iridescent bright coral-red (similar to Pop Culture minus the silvery pearl, but on the nails, looks almost identical)
The swatches on paper look different from what goes on the nails, but I’m conducting a few nail-related projects so it’s going to take a while for me to swatch them all, so please bear with me. I will get around to swatching them all on my fingers. I just got a mani with Re-Issue (which I am totally in love with) – see that in a post coming soon.
I’ve since seen a few more posts on London Makeup Girl featuring Blu Skywalker & Visionary Beauty featuring Metal Jacket. Have you seen this line in person? What are your thoughts?
My personal rants aside about consistency, I was very pleased with the whole SpaceNK shopping experience. I think this line has great colors with lovely pigment and formulas. There’s nothing like great customer service that makes your shopping experience all the more better and enjoyable – especially for the 2 of us who went completely giddy smelling the unique perfumes and blabbering about the high-end skincare lines. It was nice to find a sales associate who didn’t make us feel awkward about our beauty obsession (which I have to say would have been totally understandable as we were probably acting to the equivalent of teenage girls screeching at a Twilight or New Moon premiere). These nail polishes retail for $16.50 each and the line also carries a gold-flecked nail polish for $32.50 with real gold flakes (which I did not purchase).
I watched part of the Red Carpet coverage of the Golden Globes and was inspired by Marion Cotillard’s beautiful deep teal-green dress, eyeliner and nails she wore to dig through my collection and find similar shades so I could try to recreate the look. You can see her look linked here.
I don’t have a lot of blues or teals in my stash but with a little practice was able to combine the shades to achieve a similar result. Just a disclaimer: I have no idea what products or colors were used on her actual look, this is just what I tried myself to get a similar effect.
My application steps/technique:
Cheeks: First apply MAC Dainty on apples of cheeks followed by a sheer dust of Pink Swoon.
Eyes: Apply a pale champagne cream on eyes as a base like Nars Copacabana and dust MAC Quick Frost pigment from lash to brow (apply heavier near lash line). Right around the rims of the eyes, apply a seafoam green shimmer like the Bottom Left shade of Chanel Murano followed by a smokey line of a darker smokey grey-green like the Top Left shade of Chanel Murano. Apply a teal green liner like Laura Mercier Black Turquoise Eye Kohl heavily along upper lash line and lower lash line. Take a slightly damp brush and apply a shimmery teal-green shadow like MAC Deep Blue Green Pigment or Chanel Murano right over the pencil blending with a soft brush for a smudged look. The last step for the eyes (not pictured) is to take a contouring powder or soft brown like MAC Soba or Era and apply right over the middle of the eye for depth/contour.
Lips: Line with a pale pink shimmer like Trish McEvoy Essential Pencil in Baby Pink and top with a shimmery shell pink lipstick like Chanel Waikiki Aqualumiere. Top with a matching gloss for shine like Dior #431.
I would have liked to get a brighter smokey teal along the lash lines, the teals I have are darker and more subdued. I learned from experimenting that the key to get a brighter teal is to layer the colors from light to dark. Layering the Laura Mercier Black Turquoise, MAC Deep Blue Green Pigment and dark green shade from Chanel Murano over the lighter shades brings out the teal shimmer more.
For nails, I pulled out my green shades. I’m still in search for a dark teal shimmer that doesn’t look black in natural light. It’s hard for me to find something that’s the right balance of teal and dark shimmer. Most teals are either too bright for my taste or too dark. All swatches are taken with a flash, each has 3 coats. Anyone have alternative recommendations on pretty dark teal shimmers?
I was initially really excited about the YSL collection for Spring 2010, but saw it in person a few days ago and wasn’t all that thrilled. I only came home with 1 new item: Golden Gloss #19 in Golden Petal, a pigmented soft rose-pink with gold shimmer. I had #20 Golden Macadamia from the release at Neimans a few months ago but never got around to photographing it, so here are both the glosses.
#19 Golden Petal is the pink gloss and is surprisingly pigmented for a golden gloss. Those who have tried golden glosses before know many of the light pinks are sheer with the gold shimmer dominating the gloss. The new one for spring has a strongly pigmented pink base with gold shimmer that isn’t overpowering which is nice for a change.
#20 Golden Macadamia is the beigey-gold. It doesn’t go on as beigey-nude as I expected because of a pinkish iridescent sheen to the base. It gives a lovely wearable nude lip. It’s a bit on the sheerer side for me.
I wanted to love the new Rouge Voluptes and Gloss Voluptes but nothing really caught my eye. I plan on trying out the new highlighter and blush in person in the next upcoming week. The counter I went to was swamped so I didn’t get a chance to get a closer look at these.
I love light pinks in all variations for lips, but often times I find the ones that look the prettiest in the tube are often require extra effort to make them work for me. I call these my “high maintenance nudes” which include colors like MAC Creme Cup, YSL Rouge Volupte #1 and Nars Turkish Delight. The newest lipstick from Trish McEvoy called Gorgeous Demure (a pale nude pink cream) is no exception. I’m not sure if it’s just my skin coloring or if it’s my pigmented lips, but applied alone, most pale pinks end up looking like concealer.
Swatched on hand (can barely see it because it matches my skintone)
Swatched on lips alone, looks way too pale:
To make this color work for me, I first line with Trish McEvoy’s Bare Lipliner, apply the Gorgeous Demure Lipstick and blot, the top with Bobbi Brown’s Rose Gold Lipgloss.
The Trish McEvoy Gorgeous Demure lipstick is in the new Gorgeous Lip Color formula which is a bit pricier at $25 USD and is supposed to contain a special lip-conditioning quality. It is creamier and smoother than most of her lipsticks with medium pigment. I can’t really say I notice any moisturizing quality, but I will say that it is non-drying.
Pigment is medium and finish is slightly glossy. If you can pull off the paler shades, then I think you’ll like this. If you’re like me who can’t pull these off alone, you might want to pass since it will require other colors in liner and gloss added to make it work for you.
Gorgeous Demure was supposed to be released with a series of other products. As of yesterday, the only other item that I saw at Nordstrom was the new Translucent powder. Coming soon are 2 new face shines (which I believe are simply repromotes of long-discontinued colors), a new base essentials and a new lipgloss.
