Giorgio Armani Holiday 2011: #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette ($59.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a new and limited edition holiday compact that includes a “beige pearl, metallic gold, [and] light green pearl.” You can use this on the face or on the eyes–it’s more like a highlighter for the face, and then the eyeshadows can be used to create a soft look.

The compact first includes a small portion of a pale, muted beige with gold shimmer. It has a soft, smooth texture and applies with good color payoff. It’s a little less peach compared to Urban Decay Booty Call. MAC Baby It’s Cold is similar, perhaps a touch lighter. Shades like Urban Decay Skimp, MAC Butternutty, and Bare Escentuals Serendipitous are a few more that look similar.

In the middle, which is the largest section, is a warm, yellow gold with a frosted finish. The color payoff is a bit sheer, but the texture is fairly soft. There is a lot of similarity in this hue to shades like theBalm Snobby, Chanel Blazing Gold, Urban Decay Eldorado, and Urban Decay Blunt.

The bottom shade, also a small portion (same size as the top shade), is a muted, almost antique-like, gold with a more metallic finish. Like the middle shade, this is a little on the sheer side but still feels smooth and soft. Tarina Tarantino Dreamy has a hue that’s a bit lighter. I think MAC Retrospeck comes rather close, perhaps a little darker.

Applied as a highlighter, it results in a muted champagne-gold shimmer-sheen. It’s more gold than not, but it’s not yellow or orange–it has more of a hint of antique gold without being too dark. It works as a highlighter, but it did emphasize my skin’s texture just slightly. The wear was good, though, with the highlighter mostly intact after eight hours.  I swirled over the entire compact, but you could swirl more towards the upper or lower half to get a lighter or darker golden shade–the middle color will dominate, just because of how large its surface is. Whether you look at it as a highlighter or eyeshadow palette, it comes with a good amount of product.

The Glossover

	Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches B+
	I like it but don't love it; of all the holiday highlighters we've seen, this one isn't the best on the market, so if that's your aim, you might consider this season's other releases. I think it performs better as a highlighter than as a set of eyeshadows, just because the underlying sheerness gives it more of a faded look when applied. If you have really fair skin, it might work, but light-medium and deeper may find this doesn't show up as well.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette

Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla Face & Eye Palette to highlight cheeks (and used on eyes) over Tarina Tarantino Neopolitan Lane