Giorgio Armani Beauty Sepia Highlighting Palette for Spring/Summer 2016

Giorgio Armani Beauty recently introduced Sepia, the new Spring/Summer 2016 collection, inspired by the sepia photographs of the past. Its highlighting and contouring palette, lipstick, and nail polish shades revisit warm, earthy tones said to be suited to all skin types.

The beautiful multi-purpose palette in the collection is called Sepia Highlighting Palette ($88). The Sepia Palette, featuring a "highlighting-contouring powder," envelops the skin in a veil of subtle light and smooths out imperfections, while delivering the signature Armani glow in a texture that is silky smooth, light, and soft. The powder boosts the adherence of the pigments and brightens the complexion with a soft, sepia touch.

Being an Armani devotee, I had to have it. It arrived a few days ago, and I was able to get photographs in full sun. We are having lovely weather.

How does Armani suggest you use it? For a natural look, brush over the palette to blend both shades together. Apply over the face with downward strokes for a natural glow with an allover application. For a more sculpted look, use each shade to contour features. Use the lighter shade on upper cheekbones, brow bone, and along the nose, and the deeper shade along the nose, jawline, and under cheekbones. The latter is almost impossible to do, given the thin stripes of the darker shade. So, I'm using it as a bronzer built for blondes (or those with fair skin), and it's perfect!

I took swatch photos in full afternoon sun. I applied the powder fairly heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator, blending the two shades together. I selected two photos to show you. The first is posed in front of a Japanese maple, which is showing its lovely sepia color before it turns red.

This powder is not sparkly, despite the way the sun shines on my arm. I'd call the finish silky (maybe lustrous), with a very slight sheen. It is a great shade to wear during the day. I like to apply it with a blush or bronzer brush, using the "double-three" method, sweeping it over my temples, across the lower part of my cheekbones, down the hairline, and across the outer third of my jaw line on each side of my face. It looks so natural on me because it is light.

Here is a second photo, a close-up taken in front of a holly tree. My arm isn't as shiny because I held it at a different angle to the sun. This is probably the more true of the two photos of the same swatch.

I am not sure why Giorgio Armani Beauty chose to call this powder a highlighter and refer to it for contouring. I can use it for contouring, but I think it will disappear as a contouring shade on anyone with a medium or dark complexion. Naturally, the shade darkens if you can manage to get more of the sepia shade on your applicator, perhaps by running it down the center of the palette from top to bottom. If you do have a medium or dark complexion and try it, I'd love to know if it looks like a highlighting shade. It might.

I have to qualify my recommendation for the Sepia Palette. It's beautiful, particularly for those with fair skin. If you are darker, I suggest you try before you buy.

Top photos courtesy of Giorgio Armani Beauty; other photos by Best Things in Beauty