Giorgio Armani No. 17 Fluid Sheer ($62.00 for 1.0 fl. oz.) is a muted, medium-dark plummy brown with warm undertones and soft shimmer in hues of pink and gold. The texture felt lightweight and was thin but not as thin as the average shade is in this range. It had sheer coverage that produced a very light hint of color but primarily sheen on my medium skin tone, though layered two or three times gives more noticeable color. It blended out well and looked even applied. On me, the color wore well for eight and a half hours before fading. Charlotte Tilbury Formentera (P, $45.00) is less shimmery, warmer. Surratt Beauty La Vie En Rose (P, $32.00) is less shimmery, more pigmented, cooler. Becca Raspberry/Opal (P, $27.00) is more shimmery, more pigmented, cooler. bareMinerals Golden Gate Radiance (LE, $19.00) is cooler. MAC Scene to Be Seen (Inner) (LE, $30.00) is more shimmery, brighter, more pigmented. Giorgio Armani Light Rose (LE, ) is more shimmery, more pigmented, cooler. Bobbi Brown Nude Beach (LE, $26.00) is less shimmery. NARS Lovejoy (P, $30.00) is darker, more pigmented, 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. 17 Fluid Sheer

Giorgio Armani No. 17 Fluid Sheer

Giorgio Armani No. 17 Fluid Sheer

Giorgio Armani No. 17 Fluid Sheer