Giorgio Armani Beauty Mediterranean Eye Palette 2011 for Summer

Giorgio Armani Beauty's Mediterranean Eye Palette 2011 ($59), which just arrived at Neiman Marcus, is a stunner. Like neutrals with pizazz? You will love this palette.

Each summer, Armani introduces a lust-worthy collection. I've been waiting for this one - inquiring almost every day for the last few weeks. I was rewarded last week with the news - not only that the eye shadow palette had "landed," but also that it was exquisite.

The palette is signature Armani, with the four shades presented in a pretty compact with the GA insignia on a gold background on the flip-up top. Open the compact and you'll find four shades, defined by barriers. I appreciate the barriers in Armani's "traditional quads" because there's no danger of blending the shades by accident. Naturally, there's a mirror in the top of the compact.

What surprised me was the paint-by-numbers card with instructions for a rose sand day look, an amber look for day, a smoky evening look, and a sophisticated look for evening. I always find these instruction cards amusing because I don't feel limited to the excellent suggestions. Others may appreciate help creating the Armani look.

The four shades, called simply brown, rose sand, amber, and beige, are all knockouts. My swatch photo below was taken in full, morning sunlight. All shades were applied with a sponge-tipped applicator. The photo at left shows the swatches from the top to bottom of the compact. All appear a tad more sparkly than they are on my skin. That's the sunlight.

The gleaming brown should have a snappier name. It's a warm mixture of brown, copper, and gold. Rose sand is like rose gold shade, except that it's more peach than a typical rose gold. The amber shade is a stunning, shimmery warm copper, and the lightest shade, beige, is a true golden beige with a hint of peach. All of these shades coordinate expertly, giving you many options for an attention-grabbing eye, no matter what your skin tone.

If you prefer to avoid the sun, like me, this palette will give you a touch of bronze and gold for summer. If you have darker skin than I do - or if you have a tan (real or not) - you can enhance your bronze goddess look with the Mediterranean Eye Palette.

I think you are going to love this palette. I am a huge Armani fan; I love everything Armani. This palette is amazing - one of the prettiest eye shadow palettes Giorgio Armani Beauty has ever introduced - even better than its peers. It merits the "to die for" description. I'm going to have to hoard it because this limited edition will sell out. There are other new pieces in the summer collection, including new sheer lipsticks, Face Fabric blushers, and a bronzer. I'll show you the new sheer lipsticks tomorrow.

Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria has the Mediterranean Eye Palette in stock. I bought mine there from Kathy Shoreman. I am sure that all of the Armani Beauty counters will have it soon. As of today, it is not yet available at Armani's Web site. Will you be looking for it?

Nirvana: a state of perfect happiness; an ideal or idyllic place - or how I felt when I got Giorgio Armani Beauty's Mediterranean Eye Palette 2011.

Photos by BTiB