Giorgio Armani Beauty Summer 2010 - Live and in Person

Giorgio Armani Beauty's new eye shadow, lipstick, and lip gloss shades arrived at Saks in Chevy Chase, Maryland, so I hurried over on my lunch hour today. Loyd Cassler - bless his heart - called me late yesterday to tell me they had arrived.

They were exactly what I expected - and more. What's strange is that the photos on the Armani Web site (and their latest e-mail) differ from the photos that the company sent me in April and what is actually in the store! Hopefully, they will straighten that out soon.

The new Eyes to Kill ($59) shades above are #5 (Granite Turquoise at left) and #6 (Stone Marine at right). The company has re-released #1 (Steel Black) and #3 (Gun Metal Grey).

I am so pleased that Armani Beauty re-released Eyes to Kill #1 (Steel Black). There isn't much that's black about #1, but there's a lot to love. I wear this palette frequently. It has two lovely neutral shades, which you can wear on their own or blended. The little "dot" in the center is intended to be a liner, and it's the closest thing to black in the palette. Armani has been sold out of #1 for a long time. Fortunately, it's back! I'm going to have to purchase another one to satisfy my hoarding instinct.

The re-introduction of #3 is interesting to me because Tim said plums would be big for fall. If you want to be ready, you should check out this palette. You have to try it to see how nice it is. I didn't think I would be able to wear these colors, but Loyd showed me how, and I bought #3 when it was first introduced.

The new colors are really pretty! The colors in #3 (Granite Turquoise) pop in the pan, and to some extent, they pop on the eyes too if you build the color. The sheerness of the two shades, turquoise and grey, allow you to apply only a wash of color if that's all you want. The more you blend in the grey shade, the more subdued the color becomes.

Loyd used this palette to do a touch-up on my eyes at lunch, and I loved it. He used Maestro #34 as an all-over base shade and blended the turquoise and grey shades to apply to my eyelids. Then he used a #3 navy Smooth Silk Eyeliner in a thin line above my top lashes and added a little in the outer corner below my bottom lashes. He smudged the color underneath. We didn't mess with mascara because I had to go back to work. He's a photo of the end result. Can you believe I took this myself, holding the camera out as far as my arms would reach? Close-ups are scary, and my eyes were red and wrinkly today from an allergic reaction to a shadow from another line that I had tested and removed in the morning. Despite eyes that were irritated, I got so many compliments before I could get out of the store! I'm used to wearing a more neutral eye, but I was very happy with the way these shades looked. I predict, though, that I'll be using a little less color when I do it myself. Loyd made the color pop so that it would show in a photograph.

Now for the true mystery palette. Eyes to Kill #6, Stone Marine - the one I purchased in the store - is shown at top right. Armani Beauty's photo on the Web site has a totally different middle color! The colors in #6 are taupe, pink, and peach. There isn't a trace of marine blue in it. I can't explain this today, but I have written to my Armani Beauty contacts to try to get an explanation. I'll let you know in an update to this post when I get a response [See June 4 update at the end].

There are three new Rouge d'Armani Lipsticks ($30), swatched on my arm, left to right: #204, #203, and #202. All three are brown-toned and gorgeous. Loyd was sure I would think that #204 was too dark on me; I loved it! I came home with it, along with #203.

There are three beautiful new Lip Shimmer Lip Glosses ($27) too! Shown on my arm, left to right below, are #67, #66, and #65. I painted on quite a bit to try to make the colors photograph well, and #65 at right shows a little too bright in this photo. The photo is slightly blurry too - sorry - one of us moved!

Lip Shimmer glosses are a staple of my makeup wardrobe. I don't think there is a shade that has ever been introduced that I didn't purchase. They are sheer, shimmering, and extremely flattering. On top of that, they feel great on my lips. The Web site photos of the new shades are shown below.I'll be playing with all of these new goodies for many days, trying different combinations and looks. Over time, I will use them up! What do you think? See anything you would like to have?

Update 6/4: The photos on the Armani Web site are incorrect and will be replaced. The photos here are the "real ones."

Photos at top and bottom courtesy of Armani Beauty
The rest were taken by Loyd Cassler or yours truly