Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro ($32.00 for 0.22 fl. oz.) is a bright, orange-toned red with a semi-matte finish. Guerlain Genna has a satin finish. Hourglass Raven is matte and a bit brighter. MAC Ruffian Red isn’t as orange. Clarins Red Prodige is sheerer. MAC Strut Your Stuff is slightly shimmery. OCC Stalker is a touch darker.

I love Giorgio Armani’s Lip Maestro; it’s so comfortable but incredibly long-wearing. The texture is a mix of gel and velvet, and it definitely feels like there are silicones in it (and there are), so it sits well on the lips without settling, and the lip color applies evenly and smoothly. It’s fully opaque in color, and it takes very little product to get there. This shade lasted eight hours on me, and it did leave a light stain behind. Even over an eight hour period, my lips never felt dry and at the end, they felt lightly hydrated still. It has a light, natural sheen initially, but it fades after an hour and settles into a matte finish that’s modern.

The Glossover

	Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro Review, Photos, Swatches A+
	Lip Maestro's one of my favorite long-wearing products, because it isn't drying, lasts a long time, and is so comfortable to wear. #402 is perfection in red!
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 5/5
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Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #402 (Chinese Lacquer) Lip Maestro

A Perfect Pink for Everyday Wear

Giorgio Armani Blush (500) Lip Maestro ($32.00 for 0.22 fl. oz.) is a medium rosy pink with subtle warm undertones and a hint of mauve. In the tube, it looks more mauve than when swatched and applied–it definitely has a rosier hue on. MAC Shanghai Spice is warmer, less pink. MAC Flamingo is sheerer, pinker. NARS Montego Bay is a bit warmer. Cle de Peau #124 is shimmery and sheerer. Lancome Voile de Rose is similar.

Lip Maestro is a fantastic formula that’s long-wearing (Blush wore for six and a half hours), incredibly comfortable to wear (thanks to the slip and velvety feel from the silicone), and richly pigmented.  It’s completely opaque when applied, and you don’t need much product for full opacity.  It has a slightly slanted doe-foot applicator, and the lipstick is unscented. The consistency is lightweight but not particularly thin (but not at all thick), so it glides over lips without skipping.

The Glossover

P	Blush (500) A+
	Blush would work well as an everyday, my-lips-but-better kind of shade. It has just a little warmth so it brightens the face and still looks natural even against cooler complexions.
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 5/5
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Giorgio Armani Blush (500) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani Blush (500) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani Blush (500) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani Blush (500) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani Blush (500) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani Blush (500) Lip Maestro

A Beautiful, Deep Red

Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro ($32.00 for 0.22 fl. oz.) is a subtly blue-based, deep red. This is darker, less pink, compared to Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro, which I reviewed previously. Dior Diorling is a bit bluer-based. MAC Charmed, I’m Sure is bluer-based, a bit brighter. Guerlain Luxure is a bit browner. MAC Runaway Red has a pink-y edge to it. Chanel Dragon is very similar, but it has noticeable shimmer. It is the closest I’ve come to duping Dragon, and at a stretch, #400 is slightly less blue-based and doesn’t have the same shimmer, but it’s hard to tell if you aren’t looking close-up.

The formula is fully opaque in a single pass–a little goes a long way–and it is a very long-wearing shade that’s comfortable to wear from start to finish.  The Red lasted seven and a half hours on me with extraordinary color, and it lingered into the ninth and tenth hours with 70% or so color remaining–it had a slightly faded, almost stained-like look.  It has a velvety texture and if you’re familiar with silicone-based primers, it also has that feel, too.  Very smooth, and the consistency is thin and glides on, yet it adheres well without being clingy or drying.  It seems glossy close-up, but from a normal distance, it has a modern matte finish–not flat but not glossy.  The best part about this long-wearing formula is that it wears (and feels) like a lipstick; so it doesn’t flake or peel off at all and fades naturally and evenly over time.

The Glossover

P	The Red (400) Temptalia Recommends A+
	It's incredible pigmented, long-wearing, and comfortable to wear--more comfortable than a lot of comparable products. The texture is definitely one to try, if only to know how it feels like!
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5
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Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro

Chanel Dragon Rouge Allure Laque (left half) / Giorgio Armani #400 (The Red) Lip Maestro (right half)

Red Velvet That Won’t Go to Your Hips

Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro ($32.00 for 0.22 fl. oz.) is a bright, pinky-red with fuchsia shimmer. It’s more red than anything else, but there’s a definite pink edge and shimmer, which means it is also cool-toned. Guerlain Calligraphy is pinker. Dior Marilyn is also pinker, lighter. MAC Charmed, I’m Sure is cooler-toned and darker. Guerlain Luxure is less cool-toned. MAC Red Racer is very similar but has no shimmer. Guerlain Samsara is darker. Guerlain Vega is similar but has no shimmer.

The Lip Maestro formula is supposed to be “the first lip stain with a comfortable velvet texture and radiant finish” with “intense … color.” It is touted as having a non-sticky texture with “hours of hydration and comfort.” It seems like every brand has rolled out a variation on the matte-lip-in-liquid-form this season, but Giorgio Armani’s is noticeably different from the usual long-wearing, liquid lipstick in its dry down. It doesn’t cling or dry down fully; it’s movable and feels a lot like a really lightweight, thin lipstick. Because it is movable, it will transfer, but it is so pigmented that despite drinking and eating, much of the color lingers on and on. Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait is the most comparable formula that I can think of, but Guerlain’s formula still has more cling to it than this one.

When I tested this shade in particular for wear, it lasted for eight hours and left behind a very slight stain. It’s not at all drying, and it’s incredibly comfortable to wear and easily reapplied, as it doesn’t flake or peel off (fades like a normal lipstick). The texture is smooth and velvety; it’s really as if you put your favorite silicone-based face primer on your lips. That velvety consistency helps to fill in and minimize lip lines, too. It takes awhile for the natural sheen to fade away (an hour or so), so while it does end up with a matte finish, it’s more satin-like initially.

P.S. — Some retailers, like Nordstrom, are listing names for the Lip Maestro range, but neither my box nor the sticker on the tube indicates the name of the color. Giorgio Armani’s site lists this as “503 – red fuchsia.”  I believe this one is called “Code” based on matching up the images on Giorgio Armani’s site and Nordstrom.

The Glossover

P	Red Fuchsia (503) A+
	It's incredible pigmented, long-wearing, and comfortable to wear--more comfortable than a lot of comparable products. The texture is definitely one to try, if only to know how it feels like!
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5
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Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro

Giorgio Armani #503 Red Fuchsia Lip Maestro