Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill in shades 3 and 5

I've given my invitation to the doorman, but please don't tell Armani I arrived late to the party -- I fear he might be cross with me. Eyes to Kill, an eyeshadow range by Armani, has been floating around for a couple of years now, but I only just tried this formula myself in order to see what the hype was all about. Eyes to Kill formula glides on and stays put all day long. The ease in which it applies was a bonus for me; as much as I love Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre, Armani's formula gives you a bit more freedom when it comes to application and overall brush anti-discrimination. When I met with Sebastian about a month ago, he sold me on shades 3 Purpura and 5 Gold Blitz. The look electrified my hazel eyes.

shade 3

Eyes to Kill Shade 3 reminds me of my favourite flower when I was a little girl -- purple pansies with golden centres; talk about a happy flower! My parents would give me a potted pansy plant almost every Easter, because not only are they cute, they are also easy to take care of by a five-year-old. Pansies only want for a little sun and water every now and then. Much like pansies, the facets of gold and purple work well sheered out (left swatch) or can be intensified with a dash of water (right swatch).

Shade 5

Shade 5 highlights the flecks and halos (iris) which encircle the pupils. Sebastian swept Gold Blitz all over my lower lid and lined my lower lash line with shade 5 as well. You really can't go wrong with a solid performing gold shadow. Burberry's Pale Barley might be a great partner in crime too -- taupe and gold with a touch of liner, yum! Shade 5 can also be worn dry (left swatch) or wet (right swatch).

In addition to the shadows seen here, I also added Armani's Waterproof Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in black.

Works like kohl, sets fast and smudges with ease should you want to soften or add smoke to your eyes.

Have you tried Armani's Eyes to Kill? If so, which colour is your favourite?

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Armani's Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow:

• $47.00 AUS / $32.00 USD per glass pot

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags for both shades 3 & 5 – lasted all day without creasing.

Likelihood to purchase:

• Have you seen Armani's Lip Maestro? Looks intriguing!!

Armani's Maestro Concealer hits all the right notes for me

My eyes are hazel in colour and my skin is fairly light with the subtlest olive-y undertone. As for my under eye area, well, it's greyish blue. Always has been, always will be for the rest of my days. And how should a girl combat this oft-shared strife? With concealer my friend! The sort which blends well, dries down with a nice finish and one that doesn't find fine lines or wrinkles. Seriously, who wants pockets of concealer?

I, for one, do not.

Swatch

For every day wear, I look for makeup that's easy and quick to apply; I just want to do and not have to think. Plus, I'm lucky if I even catch a glimpse of my own mug mid-day in order to reassess the sitch of things. My war paint needs to last until dinnertime and look good to boot.

Maestro has conducted a beautiful symphony, it just took me a few days to compose a beautiful song. You see, I hit Armani's counter on a Wednesday to purchase Maestro and by Friday I knew something wasn't right. And that's when I had my "a-ha" moment; coincidentally I caught my face in the mirror whilst being hit by direct sunlight. The shade I originally purchased, shade no. 4, appeared orange on me.

That very Saturday I returned to my local Armani counter in order to exchange the incorrectly prescribed hue for a better match. The salesperson (we'll call her "Red Lips", because that's what she was wearing on her smacker) I first encountered was nice about the whole thing, but the manager got super-pissy; he demanded to know who helped me and asked if I was ever colour matched. First, he could've checked the receipt instead of putting me on the spot and second, I wasn't colour matched because the original salesperson claimed shade no. 4 would be perfect for me. Boy, was she wrong.

Super-Puss walked away after agreeing to sign off on the exchange; but before that he muttered something about the formula being different and how it must be tried on every client before each potential purchase. Finally, after finishing his awkward tirade, he allowed Red Lips to finish the transaction. As I walked away, Red Lips told me to check out the Maestro foundation, so I did.

That's when it all came tumbling down, as I reached for a sample of what I purchased, Super-Puss turned to me and said "you can't return that." Ultimately, it was the look he gave me, the fact that he purposefully turned away from a customer he was helping and the tone he took with me.  I felt so small, so stupid and so over the customer service, or lack thereof, in both David Jones and Myer.

Super-Puss: you undid the great customer service I received a few weeks before. By the way, you never colour matched me and said "oh, you're definitely a five!"

And now I digress.

In terms of consistency, Maestro has a tendency to be on the runny side; I suggest you gently shake the tube before each application. Surprisingly you don't need much either -- one full drop should suffice for each eye. I like to place a drop on my right ring finger and blend the product out. If I find that I need a bit more coverage, I'll squeeze out the tiniest amount and tap until blended.

Armani's new formula claims the following:

"A new hybrid concealer category combining skincare and makeup, with an incomparably fine texture. A therapeutic and illuminating concealer that instantly brightens the eye area, gradually fades away the blue tone of dark circles, and moisturizes eyelids to enhance the eyes and radiance of the face. The eye area glows, and the complexion's natural radiance is revived."

I haven't noticed any fading in my under eye area, but it's still early days. At least I get budge-proof coverage!

Maestro is available in six shades, just make sure you get colour matched ;)

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Giorgio Armani’s Maestro Eraser Dark Circle Concealer:

• $59.00 AUS / $40.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 7 out of 10 bags – It's not earth-shattering, but it'll suffice :)

Likelihood to purchase:

• I guess I'll take the good with the bad. Armani has a good product on his hands, he just needs to find better in-store representatives to sell his brand.

A glimpse at the lips: Giorgio Armani's rouge d'armani sheers in brown 202

Sebastian, bless his heart, turned me onto a beautiful colour; it's quiet, calm and is the exact same shade as my lips. You must be thinking why would I go for a shade similar to that of my own? Well, think of it as a posh treat that helps to make my lips go from good to great! To think I almost walked away without this lippie -- it's inconceivable!

The lipstick tube is almost hourglass shaped and is kept closed with a magnetised clasp. Brown 202 is a difficult colour to track down; whilst I picked it up on a whim at my local David Jones in Melbourne's CBD, Barneys appears to be the only online stockist.

The colour is a soft brown with pink undertones and the finish I'm left with is semi-glossy. Armani claims this formula is long-lasting -- up to eight hours, however, I'm lucky if I get three hours of wear time. Lip hydration remains to be seen as well, but I'm willing to cast aside these major flaws in exchange for a flawless colour.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Giorgio Armani's Rouge d'Armani Lipstick in Brown 202:

• $52.00 AUS / $30.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 4 out of 10 bags – Great colour, but dissatisfied with the product's claims.

Likelihood to purchase:

• I have a story to tell you about my buying experience with Armani's Maestro Eraser!

The makeup sessions: an afternoon with Giorgio Armani's Sebastian

A few Saturdays ago Sebastian worked his magic and introduced me to Giorgio Armani's makeup line. The goal, primarily, was to learn more about the makeup and get the works -- foundation, blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, liner and mascara.  I've read the reviews, however I managed to keep Armani's makeup at arm's length out of fear.  The fear which conjured up thoughts of addiction, lust, envy and expense, well, sticker shock. For an hour Sebastian dished about his experience as a makeup artist while painting my face; he grabbed for colours and I just put all of my trust into his talented hands.

The results -- Copper Smoke, a hint of plum and a smattering of brown on the lips.

Out of the whole entire experience, I was pleased as punch with my eyes.  As for my favourite tip I learned that day, Sebastian taught me how to line my eyes with Armani's Smooth Silk Eye Pencil. First, he coloured a bit on his hand in order to warm up the product. Then Sebastian grabbed for his angled eye brush and picked up the freshly drawn on liner from his hand.  This practice, he believes, gives him more control and the ability to line the eyes far more precisely.

As for the goods I walked away with, here's what I purchased..

• Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in shade #1 black
• Eyes to Kill Silk Eyeshadow in shade #'s 3 and 5
• Rouge d' Armani Sheers Lipstick in shade Brown # 202

If you love Sebastian's handiwork, please pay him a visit inside David Jones on Bourke Street, Melbourne.