Giorgio Armani Beauty Sun Fabric Sheer Bronzer

Giorgio Armani Beauty's new Sun Fabric Sheer Bronzer ($54) introduces a renovation of the company's powder bronzer. The textured palette is available in four illuminating colors: 100 through 500, oddly skipping 300. I purchased mine at Saks Fifth Avenue, Chevy Chase, where I took the photo below.

Honestly, Giorgio Armani set the bar with its original Sheer Bronzer, so the new bronzers will have to earn their keep. I'm very happy with the #100 I purchased, but time will tell whether I like it as much as the iconic Sheer Bronzer #1.

The new Sun Fabric #100 is shown directly above. As you can see, it takes on the look of fabric, with tiny pleats embossed into the powder. The compact comes with a brush in the lower level.

I took all of my photos in full sun. For the swatches below, I used a sponge-tipped applicator to apply a stripe swatch at the top of my arm and a brush to apply the larger swatch below.

I hope you can see that the new bronzer adds a gleam in the sun, but no more. The new bronzer has a slightly sparkly overspray that will quickly disappear with use. Otherwise the #100 color - like the other three - adds color without any glitz. It's the perfect contouring color for those who don't care to look tan, and you can use it to create the illusion of a tan without the sun exposure.

I would love to spend more time telling you about Sun Fabric, but honestly, it's new to me and I had a very long day at work. I'm near my collapse time. I like my new bronzer; the color is good for my skin. I'm looking forward to using it more, and I'll try to give you a follow-up to this introduction after I've had more time to use it.

You can find the Sun Fabrics at Armani counters now. Oddly, it doesn't appear to be available at Armani Beauty's Web site. I know Saks and Neiman Marcus have it on counter, so pop over when you get a chance and give it a look-see.

Photo at top courtesy of Giorgio Armani Beauty; other photos by Best Things in Beauty