Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Giorgio Armani Beauty Rouge Ecstasy - My First Shades Swatched

I looked and found Giorgio Armani Beauty's new Rouge Ecstasy Lipstick ($34) at Neiman Marcus, and spent a lot of time selecting four shades. Why four? Because I love the feel and look of these classy lipsticks, and there are 36 tempting shades. I was only able to purchase three of the four I selected. One pretty pink, #509, Boudoir, had already sold out at Tysons. No matter; I'll get it somewhere else.

With Rouge Ecstasy, the Giorgio Armani laboratories push the boundaries of the exceptional even further with the first "CC" lipstick. CC stands for Color & Care, a new innovative hybrid product that marks the start of a new era in lipstick.

Care: Rouge Ecstasy offers the comfort and softness of a lip balm, leaving lips repaired and beautifully enhanced day after day. The ingredients include shea butter, jojoba oil, and other moisturizers.

Color: This velvety soft, everyday lipstick coats the lips in saturated, ultra-luminous shades with impeccable hold. Application is simple, precise, and effective - straight from the tube.

Rouge Ecstasy is available in 36 luminous shades, a broad palette of intense and vibrant colors to satisfy every desire. All of the Rouge Ecstasy shades are inspired by a particular memory or association for Mr. Armani - from Italy and Milan to the Red Carpet and Hollywood stars. The red lacquer cases with Armani's magnetic closure look pretty snazzy.

The magnetic cases are almost impossible to line up neatly for photographs. They keep moving on me as they attract one another, and eventually, I lose all patience. I staggered these tubes, not perfectly, and snapped a photo at lunchtime. My photo above shows, from left to right, #501, Peony; #508, Daybreak; and #510, Dolci.

When I started testing the colors, I quickly found that they range from very light to very dark. The very light shades look pasty in the tubes, but are anything but on the skin. I test on my arm first, then I test the shades I like on the pads of my fingers, which approximate the pigmentation of my lips.

I took swatch photos of these three lipsticks in early-afternoon sunshine. #501, Peony, is shown at the top of my arm with Daybreak ($508) in the middle and Dolci (#510) below.

I love all of these colors. Dolci may be on the dark side for me - I'm wearing it now - but I wanted to purchase one in a darker range. I also wanted one with some coral in it, so Peony was my choice. The most sheer, mauve pink Daybreak is my favorite of these three. I know, how can one choose a favorite of three exquisite shades?

I'm not sure how Armani achieved the vivid pigmentation with the balm-like feel. As usual, Armani has offered us an innovation in color. These lipsticks feel fabulously moisturizing on my lips. They offer a subtle gleam on the lips (the shine you see in my photos is sunlight). As for impeccable hold? Maybe not. They give me good wear time, but it's not extraordinary. I am very tough on lipstick. Either I talk to often, or have peripheral loss through my use of Kleenex. I eat and drink too. All of these activities are tough on lipstick hold.

I'm thrilled with Rouge Ecstasy! You can find it at Giorgio Armani Beauty's Web site, where I may purchase #509, and at Neiman Marcus. I have not seen it at Saks yet, only because I haven't been to Chevy Chase in over a week.

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

11 comments:

bisbee said...

Thanks CG - I have 2 colors coming today - no dupes between yours and mine! I ordered Lotus and Boudoir (507 and 509). Will report back!

Fleur de Liz said...

The new Armani lip formula sounds intriguing, and Daybreak looks lovely. Thank you for your swatches.

Do you know if the new Armani nail lacquers (18 colors shown for Fall 2013) will be sold in the US?

Thanks so much!
Liz

morelikespace said...

Oh I can't wait to see these here! I think I'm in love with Dolci, since I'm always drawn to more vivid shades.

Unknown said...

They truly are beautiful. Love the finish too.

MarW said...

Once again, Thank You for your article and swatches. I am in love with Daybreak!

Meredith said...

I ordered Dolci and Scarlatto from the GA website. LOVE the formulation, very moisturizing and comforting without being sticky or greasy. These are a hit. I haven't had time to try on Scarlatto but it's just the color for me. I like Dolci but I tried it on at night so I haven't gotten a good look at the color on me yet. I will probably get a lighter pink too, perhaps Boudoir when I can see them all at the counter.

bisbee said...

My colors came...Lotus is a bit light...but not terrible...Boudoir is very nice - almost the same color as my lips. I think I'll get one or two more colors, but they'll have to be a bit deeper - maybe Dolci, maybe Scarlatto. I think I'll wait to see more swatches and reviews!

bisbee said...

I may (emphasis on the "may") decide to get another color, but seriously - I don't get the hype about this lipstick! The texture and feel of the Rouge d'Armani Sheers is SO much better! This is thicker and not as slick on the lips - I don't get the "balm-like feel" at all! Funny - people love Burberry Lip Mist - I find it thick and not very sheer! Same kind of thing...

Just Karma said...

To my dismay I've been calling my Armani counter all day only to be informed that they are currently without a representative. Meanwhile, I'm going crazy trying to match one of these new lipsticks to my Armani Sheer Blush #10. Based on what I can tell online I'm torn between 506 Blush and 508 Daybreak. I saw someone posted a photo of a lipstick that appears to be one of the two with tiny gold flecks in it...which would match the #10 blush. Which of the two would you recommend?

Claire said...

Going to NM tomorrow so definitely will check these out!! Peony is calling out my name.

Anonymous said...

@Bisbee I don't get the balm-like feel either and I did not like the scent/taste at all.