Giorgio Armani Beauty Rouge 404 Gloss d'Armani from the Madre Perla Collection for Holiday 2011

Three of the four anticipated Giorgio Armani Beauty Gloss d'Armani shades for Holiday 2011 arrived at Neiman Marcus. If you checked out my sneak peek, you'll remember the following description.

Lips will be adorned in vibrant lacquered shades. A real weave of color, Gloss d’Armani ($28) offers comfortable, long-lasting hold, expressed in four limited-edition shades: a barely iridescent rosewood will enhance the natural color of the lips, while a velvety “amaranth” red and sienna will intensely emphasize their shape. An unexpected choice, a bold amethyst, is vivid - yet so translucent on application that it will match any skin tone.

The shades that arrived - so far - are Rouge 404, pictured above right, and the sienna and amethyst shades. I'm trying to find out when the rosewood shade will arrive. I'm sorry the color in the tube photo above looks so dark. That's how it looks in the tube. Apply it, and you'll be delighted with the color.

Gloss d'Armani in Rouge 404 is a stunning Bordeaux shade, perfect for the season. It shines in direct sun and gleams in indirect light. It's a light wine or deep rose, not nearly as dark on the lips as it looks in the tube. It does have enough color to be worn alone, without lipstick underneath. It's an incredibly fabulous shade - one I'm thrilled to own.

I took my swatch photos in full sun, trying to get different backgrounds and different angles to the sun to show you the shade's various looks. Any turn toward the sun made the gloss shine with luscious reflections.

In the photo above right, taken in front of a Kousa dogwood with vibrant orange leaves, the photo shows exactly how Rouge 404 looks on my arm in direct sunlight. The photo at left shows my arm turned away from direct sun. Rouge 404 shows more color and less shine.

Imagine it with the pigment of your lips underneath. The shade is even more gorgeous on the lips than it is on my arm. I'm tempted to hoard it. Any lip color that can force me to look into a mirror repeatedly is a winner in my eyes. Add the long-lasting quality of Rouge d'Armani to its color, and I could live in it.

Rouge 404 could be described as rosewood, but I'm fairly sure that description was reserved for the shade shown at the left in Giorgio Armani's color strips above. Rouge 404 is absolutely perfect for my coloring. I expect a lot of women are going to feel that way.

The amethyst shade is an avant-garde purple. The sienna is a burnt orange-brown, the color of cognac. Both are interesting and will have their admirers. I'm holding out to see the rosewood shade.

As I mentioned yesterday, the Madre Perla Collection is filled with limited editions, so I'd recommend you call your favorite Armani Beauty counter to buy what catches your eye - or reserve - now. I showed you the palettes yesterday. The collection should be available at the Armani Beauty Web site soon. I checked this morning; it's still not showing there.

If you need help, give Kathy Shoreman at Neiman Marcus a call. They take VISA and Master Card now too, an enabler for those who don't use the store's card or American Express. Kathy can be reached at (703) 761-1600, extension 3282. She's off today, so if you need her, try her cell phone at (571) 212-8399 in the late afternoon.

Color strip photo courtesy of Giorgio Armani Beauty; other photos by Best Things in Beauty