Giorgio Armani No. 13 Fluid Sheer ($62.00 for 1.0 fl. oz.) is a brightened, light-medium yellow gold with fine gold shimmer that gives it a soft, glowing sheen that doesn’t read too shimmery on the skin. It has a stronger yellow base, though it is a sheer coverage product, but it will noticeably tint the cheeks yellow on some skin tones (it does on mine for reference). The texture is lightweight and spread well, but it didn’t blend out as evenly as other shades in the range, which was disappointing, and I think it was because it dried down quickly. It lasted for eight and a half hours on me. L’Oreal Golden (P, $12.99) is warmer. NARS Jubilation (Left) (P, ) is more shimmery, darker. Dior Gold Shock (001) (LE, $80.00) is less shimmery. Becca Champagne Gold (LE, $38.00) is more shimmery, lighter. Giorgio Armani No. 04 (P, $62.00) is less shimmery. MAC Centre of Attention (Inner) (LE, $30.00) is more shimmery. Bobbi Brown Party (LE, $42.00) is more shimmery, cooler. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

FORMULA SUMMARY | Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer ($62.00 for 1.0 fl. oz.) is available in fifteen shades that range from sheer beige to sheer yellow to sheer copper. The formula is supposed to “dress skin in an illuminating veil of radiance.” It’s designed to be sheer, though some shades are more buildable than others, and in general, the darker hued shades are going to appear more pigmented and can be used as highlighting blushes or even as blushes (depending on your skin tone) — the brand actually calls out it can be used as “an eyeshadow base, blush, or bronzer” as well as your typical highlighter. It can be used alone, mixed with base products (like foundation, primer, or moisturizing). Some shades are glittery, others are shimmery, and others have very fine shimmer. Alone, I tend to get seven to eight hours of wear with lighter, shimmery shades and closer to ten hours or longer with some of the bolder shades, and it doesn’t seem to impact the wear of my base products (either shortening or lengthening the wear). I like fingertips or a duo-fiber/stippling brush for application using a patting and dabbing motion rather than a lot of sweeping, then a light buffing to diffuse and blend out the edges.

Giorgio Armani No. 13 Fluid Sheer

Giorgio Armani No. 13 Fluid Sheer

Giorgio Armani No. 13 Fluid Sheer

Giorgio Armani No. 13 Fluid Sheer