This post features a comparison of the new Maestro Eyeshadows that have recently been released with the original versions. There are several new shades in the Maestro Eye Shadow line from #20 to #36, however, many of them are simply re-formulations of original shades.
Those who are familiar with Armani are aware of the product revamps of their lipsticks and eyeshadows. When Armani first released their beauty line, there were 3 formulas of lipsticks: Shines, Sheers, Matte Silks. A new line of Mania Lipsticks was introduced several years ago. Now most recently ArmaniSilks and Lip Waxes have been launched. It appears the same revamp process is happening with the Eye Shadows with the Maestro Singles and Maestro Quads.
Many of the older shades have been discontinued, but not to worry – a good number of the shades have been re-introduced with the new-and-improved formulas, however many of them have different numbers.
The first Maestro Eyeshadow release occurred in 2007 with the release of 18 new shades. The next release was Spring 2008 released Maestro #19. Then in Holiday 2008, Armani skipped the numbers in between and released #37 a satin white and #38 a matte dark grey.
Finally within the last month, I found that Armani had released a number of new shades ranging from #20 to #36. See the original post HERE for pictures and descriptions, however, there were still some missing shades that Neimans and Saks had not received in their stock. Also, these have not yet shown up online anywhere. Both the Neimans and Saks stores near me did not yet receive testers, so if you don’t see a new unit out – ask the Armani rep, most likely they have the stock!
Just a week ago, I stopped by Saks and the Armani manager pulled me aside to show me some more new shades.
* Maestro #2 – shimmery neutral champagne (not new, but just new for me)
* Maestro #21 – shimmery dark blue (when compared to the other existing blues, this one is different from all the other existing shades, see a swatch HERE in the Smokey Eyes Series)
* Maestro #22 – this one has replaced the original #3
* Maestro #23 – this replaced the original #4
* Maestro #36– matte buttercream which is most similar to the original #8, but brighter Still missing in action: #24, 31 and 33 which I am sure will trickle in very soon. Just to recap – photo from the original post. Click HERE for close ups and more descriptions.
Coming next – comparison photos featuring the new revamped shades to the original formula.
Part 5 includes blues and greens with eyeliners and eyeshadows mixed in: (Note all eyeshadows are applied dry, but with a heavy hand over Laura Mercier Stick Foundation to help the color adhere)
Eyeliner swatches: 1. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Marine 2. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Indigo Ink 3. Nars Single Eyeshadow – Thunderball 4. MAC Velvet Eyeshadow – Top Knot 5. MAC Velvet Eyeshadow – Contrast 6. MAC Matte Eyeshadow – Meet the Fleet 7. MAC Pigment – Naval Blue 8. Giorgio Armani Maestro Eyeshadow – #21 9. Giorgio Armani Maestro Eyeshadow – #23 (same as the GA Original #4) 10. MAC Pro Pigment – Deep Blue Green 11. MAC Lustre Eyeshadow – Greensmoke 12. Chanel Les 4 Ombres de Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow – Murano(bottom right shade) 13. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Ivy Shimmer Ink 14. Chanel Le Crayon Kohl Intense Eye Pencil – Black Jade 15. Nars Eyeliner Pencil – Kyoto 16. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Antique Jade 17. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Black Turquoise
Part 4 includes mauves and plums with Bobbi Brown Black Ink as a true-black baseline:
Eyeliner swatches: 1. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink 2. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Cocoa Mauve Ink 3. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Plum Ink 4. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Mauve Shimmer Ink 5. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Violet Ink 6. Chanel Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer – Violet Smoke 7. MAC Eye Kohl – Prunella 8. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil – Rockstar 9. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Black Violet 10. Chanel Le Crayon Kohl Intense Eye Pencil – Ambre 11. MAC Kohl Power Pencil – Raven 12. Nars Single Eyeshadow – Night Fever (applied wet) 13. MAC Eyeshadow – Smut 14. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow – Black Plum SW 15. Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow – After Hours 16. Giorgio Armani Maestro Eyeshadow – #18
Shadow swatches (some repeats): (note for the shadows, skin was prepped with Estee Lauder Idealist to help the shadow adhere to the skin, all shadows applied dry except for Nars Night Fever – but they were all applied with a heavy hand)
1. MAC Eyeshadow – Beauty Marked 2. MAC Eyeshadow – Smut 3. Nars Single Eyeshadow – Night Fever 4. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow – Magic Night 5. MAC Pro Pigment – Deep Purple 6. MAC Pigment – Smoke Signal 7. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow – Black Plum SW 8. Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow – After Hours 9. Giorgio Armani Maestro Eyeshadow – #18
Part 3 included black golds with Bobbi Brown Black Ink, MAC Smolder, and Urban Decay Zero as a true-black baseline:
1. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink 2. MAC Eye Kohl – Smolder 3. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil – Zero 4. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Black Gold
5. MAC Technakohl Liner – Uniform
6. MAC Kohl Power Pencil – Orpheus 7. Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes – Egyptian 8. MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil – Buried Treasure 9. Chanel Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer – Noir Scintillant 10. Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner – Stromboli 11. Stila Smudge Pot – Golden Noir 12. Nars Single Eyeshadow – Night Clubbing (applied wet) 13. Trish McEvoy Eye Definer – Lava 14. MAC Solar Bits – Black Ore
After organizing of all my eyeliners, I decided to divide the blacks into two groups, Smokey Greys/Blacks and Black/Golds. I’ve also decided to use a few shades as a baseline which I feel are true blacks so you may see some repeats in the next few posts. Part 2 includes the greys and true blacks.
Eyeliner swatches: 1. MAC Pearlglide Eyeliner – Wolf 2. Stila Kajal Eye Liner – Smoky Quartz 3. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil – Stormy Grey 4. Chantecaille Precision Eye Pencil – Flint
5. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Gunmetal Shimmer Ink
6. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Graphite Shimmer Ink 7. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Caviar Ink (NOTE, the swatch looks brown next to black ink, but goes on the eyes more of a soft black without brown) 8. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink 9. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Black Shimmer 10. MAC Softsparkle Eyepencil – Night Sky (black with silver glitter) 11. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Ebene 12. MAC Eye Kohl – Smolder 13. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil – Zero 14. Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil – Noir
Shadow swatches: (note for the shadows, skin was prepped with Estee Lauder Idealist and Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Bamboo Beige to help the shadow adhere to the skin)
1. Chantecaille Shine Eye Shade – Meteorite 2. MAC Pigment – Sweet Sienna 3. MAC Frost Eyeshadow – Charred 4. MAC Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow – Knight Divine 5. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow – Silvery 6. MAC Velvet Eyeshadow – Black Tied 7. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow – Black Star 8. Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow – Steel 9. MAC Pigment – Dark Soul 10. Stila AOS Powder – #13 11. Becca Eye Color (Shimmer) – Velvet 12. Shu Uemura Pressed Eyeshadow – ME Black 990 13. Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow – Zero 14. MAC Matte Eyeshadow – Carbon
I thought I’d do a series on smokey eyes. I usually associate “smokey” with black shades, but often cannot wear many blacks because they either look too silvery or blueish on my olive toned skin, so when I look for black shades, I usually try to look for something with a slight variation on the basic black (for example a black gold, or blackened purple, or silvery black).
Part 1 includes the black eyeliners that work for me, included are some with gold or silver flecks, but have an underlying black color base. That being said, it looks like a good majority of the black-gold eyeliners here photograph as mostly gold or khaki gold (with the combination of black and gold shimmer) but in real life, still appears somewhat black on the eyes.
1. MAC Technakohl Liner – Uniform (deep khaki green with gold pearl) 2. MAC Eye Kohl – Smolder (intense black) 3. MAC Softsparkle Eyepencil – Night Sky (black with silver glitter) 4. MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil – Buried Treasure (underground brown-black with gold)
6. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Ebene 7. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner – Black Shimmer 8. Chanel Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil – Noir 9. Chanel Le Crayon Yeux Precision Eye Definer – Noir Scintillant 10. Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes – Egyptian (blackened green with gold pearl) 11. Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner – Egyptian (blackened green with gold pearl) 12. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Black Ink (jet black) 13. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner – Caviar Ink (no official description, but to me, soft charcoal black-brown – also NOTE, the swatch looks brown next to black ink, but goes on the eyes more of a soft black without brown) 14. Stila Smudge Pot – Golden Noir (black with a touch of gold) 15. Dolce & Gabbana Crayon Intense Eyeliner – Stromboli (black with gold flecks)