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.
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.
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
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Giorgio Armani #604 Plum Gloss d’Armani ($28.00 for 0.22 fl. oz.) is described as “bold amethyst.” It’s a sheer grape purple, and when applied to lips, it looks like a cool-toned plum-purple. It reminded me of Illamasqua Fierce when it swatched, but they’re nothing alike on the lips. I couldn’t think of any other potential gloss dupes.
It doesn’t look nearly as purple applied as it does swatched, because the natural pinkness of my lips (which are already rather corpse-like to begin with) peeks through and makes this shade more wearable than it appears. It looks super, super dark in the tube, but don’t let it fool you–it’s a sheer gloss. Giorgio Armani described it as “vivid yet so translucent on application that it matches any skin tone,” and it’s true; there’s definite color, plenty of pop and oomph, but there’s a translucency there that makes the gloss look a bit different from person to person, depending on their natural lip color. I’m torn; I kind of dig the way the color looks on lips from afar, but my lips almost look diseased up close, because it does not apply evenly and the color has a tendency to settle into lip lines.
Though you’ll see disappointing marks for longevity, it’s only because the brand claims eight hours of wear (without fading!), and I’ve never managed to hit that marker; I get to around six with darker shades, five or so with lighter shades. Don’t get me wrong–it’s excellent wear for lipgloss (because this is really lipgloss, it’s not a liquid lipstick), but it does fall short of their claim. The texture feels like a gel, and while it feels non-sticky initially, I find it gets tackier as you wear it.
The unevenness and settling into lip lines can be deal-breakers for some; they're certainly not characteristics that sell this gloss. It wears for five hours and stays glossy for three. The pigmentation is right where Giorgio Armani described it!
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
7/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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Giorgio Armani #19 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow ($32.00 for 0.14 oz.) is exactly as it sounds–it’s #17 and #18 mixed together. Even in the pot, you can see the pale yellowy gold with the grayish silver intertwined. Together, they create a metallic pewter that reads more silver than it does gold. When applied dry, it’s almost opaque, and when it’s applied damp, it’s more opaque with a more obvious metallic sheen. I thought it was just the tiniest bit sheer, but when I applied it to my lid (no base), it was opaque in one go. This was the best of the three new and limited edition shades released for the holidays. I couldn’t think of a dupe for it; it’s in the same color family as Urban Decay Maui Wowie and Wet ‘n’ Wild Dancing in the Clouds but is much, much lighter. MAC Dalliance is more golden.
Eyes to Kill Intense feels and looks like compacted powder (which means it can be loosened, but it’s relatively solid and becomes more solid if you press on it, whether with a brush or the included presser). Giorgio Armani describes it as a hybrid, not a powder but not a cream–it feels more like a cream but looks like a powder. It’s a long-wearing eyeshadow whether you use it with or without a base (I achieved 24 hours of wear with #14 and over 12 hours of wear with numerous other shades). I tested out this shade for 12 hours, and it held up without creasing or fading.
The most unique shade out of the three, and it's the best performing one, too! If you combine #17 and #18, you do get something similar to #19, but it depends on how you layer and intensify (since these are almost blended from the get-go, as compared to layering them individually).
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
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