Tag: concealer

Giorgio Armani Foundations

Armani has consistently received accolades for their breakthrough foundation formulas. It is frequently referred to as “best of breed”. But all the offerings can be somewhat overwhelming. I wanted to break down the different options and tell you why the most recognized, Luminous Silk Foundation, continues to be my favorite.

First, I want to highlight Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15. This formula has been getting a ton of attention and was awarded  Allure magazine’s ‘Best of Beauty’ award for Best Breakthrough, 2012. So naturally, I couldn’t wait to try it. Yes, as advertised it is ultra-lightweight.  The pure color pigments are suspended in the oil-based formula to make for the thinest possible consistency. And the oil component moisturizes. The coverage is VERY light. I don’t like heavy makeup, but I didn’t get enough coverage and had trouble building it up. But for those who don’t mind very little coverage and need a super light weight feel, this could be an option. I am not sure I saw the value in a luxury price point with this little coverage.

While the Maestro Foundation wasn’t a fit for me, I am WILD about the Giorgio Armani Maestro Eraser Concealer. The lightweight technology translates so well to the heavier coverage of concealer. It covers without feeling heavy or powdery. The moisturizing helps heal dark circles and the finish is radiant and luminous, but not shiny. Instead of the Maestro Foundation, I would suggest picking up the concealer and using where needed and skip foundation all together if you want a more natural look. I think I’ll be hooked on this stuff for the foreseeable future.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is the foundation I keep coming back to. I think I am on my fourth or fifth bottle. I haven’t had it in the rotation lately, so I  snapped one up on last week’s trip to Neiman Marcus. The oil-free formula has moderate coverage but the effect looks like your own skin. The finish is not dewy but luminous. Exclusive Micro-fil™ technology allows for “glide-on” application and buildable coverage. If you haven’t sat down with an Armani artist to try it, I highly highly encourage you. After my reunion with it this past week, I am sold that it is the best luxury moderate coverage foundation out there. I love using the Giorgio Armani Blender Brush to apply this (and really any) foundation.

A couple months ago, I tried the Giorgio Armani Beauty Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation. Smoothing Firming maintains the great finish and consistency of Luminous Silk with slightly more coverage and breakthrough anti-aging tools. Like the Luminous Silk, it uses the Micro-fil™  technology for a smooth application, with the addition of a micro-lifting matrix. Emollients and fillers stretch, firm and smooth the skin’s surface. Exclusive Prussian blue pearl pigment revives skin and color corrects. The finish has a luminous glow. For those with with visible signs of aging and want to go the anti-aging extra mile, this could be a good option.

Face Fabric is more of a tinted moisturizer with a powdery finish. The matte, feathery finish isn’t my favorite. You can read more of my thoughts on Face Fabric here.

Giorgio Armani Beauty Lasting Silk UV Foundation was developed with long wear in mind. It also has an oil-free formula making it perfect for those who need staying power and may run on the oiler side.

Also note, the Giorgio Armani Beauty Fluid Sheer (InStyle Best Winner) is a great highlighter. I love mixing these with the Luminous Silk Foundation for a more dewy look or adding the bronze shade to darken in the summer.

Armani is available at Neiman Marcus (free shipping with code FALLFS). Shop my favorite Armani products here:

CARGO Cosmetics Blushes, Highlighters and Concealer

While I was attending NYFW, I was invited to stop by Birchbox Sample Stop for a beauty pit stop. The pop-up was right across the street from Milk Studios and a true makeover oasis. Not only did I stock up on some samples to help me make it through the rest of the week…. but I was treated with a mani and a makeup makeover from Cargo Cosmetics.

While I have heard of the brand, I hadn’t experienced many of their products. I was about to be plesantly blown away. My makeup looked natural and lasted the rest of the afternoon and evening. The fomrulas were lightweight but pigmented with beautiful, neutral colors. While I wanted to basically take home everything, a couple products jumped out: blushes and highlighters.

The Contour Palette in Malibu  is a dummy proof all in one. But you can also expect beautiful finishes and shades. The artist taught me to use one side of a blush brush for contour (below your cheekbones, on your hairline, and below jawbones). Then flip the brush over, pick up some of the cheek shade, and press into apples of the cheeks. Then, use the end of the blush brush to pick up highlighter – apply on brow bones and cheek bones. This palette also comes in Monaco if you want slightly warmer shades.

The Cargo Beach Blush in Tenerife is a canister of four shades packaged together. While beautiful, I don’t think you can use them individually (except as maybe eyeshadow). But when you see the blended color, you won’t want to use anything else. This iconic product is a perfect marriage of bronzer and blush. I apply it as an all over color on my cheeks, forehead, nose and below my jaw bone. It warms up the face with a balanced, energetic finish. Tenerife is matte, but I also like Echo Beach for a shimmer finish. There are six different shades so no matter your complexion or style, you’re sure to find one that works.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Jetlag Concealer. These pen/highlighting concealers are ubiquitous. I know… but this version has some super-powered skin care. The coverage is on the heavier side compared to other pens, with a slightly matte finish. After application, there is a little cooling effect as it nourishes and repairs the skin. Long term use (according to clinical testing) shows a reduction in puffiness and dark circles after 28 days.

White Lupin Extract reduces puffiness and dark circles in the eye area. Citrulline, a unique mineral extracted from watermelon rind, plays an essential role in the function of filaggrin (essential component of your skin/epidermis), a critical part of the skin’s own moisturizing complex. And peptides and flavanoid reinforce thin, fragile and transparent under-eye skin.

Jetlag and the Contour palette are made in Canada. The Beach Blush is made in Italy. Shop my Cargo Cosmetics favorites using the widget below:

bareMinerals Correcting Concealer SPF 20

bareMinerals has been releasing rockstar complexion products over the last couple month: bareMinerals READY SPF 20 Foundation, bareMinerals READY SPF 15 Touch Up Veil and bareMinerals ‘Stroke of Light’ Eye Brightener. They are now rounding out their offerings with a creamy, correcting concealer. While I tend to prefer drier concealers for blemishes, this seems to achieve both creaminess for under eye, along with enough coverage and substance for blemishes, perhaps due to the mineral content.

The formula contains copper that helps camouflage imperfections. Lemon peel extract helps with discoloration over time – huge for me as hyper-pigmentation is my main complaint. And the added physical sunscreen (titanium dioxide) isn’t irritating and always welcome. The finish is radiant (not too matte), especially for a mineral formulation. They have eight shades – find four sampled below:

I’ve been using my finger to blend below my eyes and a more sheer layer over my sun-damaged areas. I then follow with the bare Minerals READY foundation. I like how it sort of sets the concealer. Over all this is a full coverage look. But you could use just concealer where you need it for a lighter coverage.

Shop my bare Minerals favorites:

 

bareMinerals ‘Stroke of Light’ Eye Brightener

Do you ever wish there was a happy medium between cake-y concealer and a luminizer? Well, may I present the bareMinerals ‘Stroke of Light’ Eye Brightener. This formula has light to medium buildable coverage and also adds luminescence. The brightener conceals fine lines and reduces dark circles. The tint especially comes in handy to make a tired face look refreshed and even.

The light formula blends beautifully. And the four shades cover a wide range of complextions. I like luminous 2 (Yellow/Light) to counter the redness in my skin. I use it below and in the corner of my eyes. Any leftovers on my finger goes down my nose, on the brow bone and on my cheek bones. Those days I need a little more coverage, it layers perfectly over a heavier concealer.

I’ve been so impressed with recent bareMinerals launches. The have expanded their mineral foundation empire to cover a range of needs. Formulas are exceptional across the board. Check out some other favorites below:

Le Métier de Beauté ‘Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Correcteur’ SPF 16 Concealer

Le Métier de Beauté has recieved major kudos for their Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complex’ Tinted Treatment SPF 18 (review here), but did you know they made a Peau Vierge concealer as well? Not only does the creamy formula flawlessly cover my hyper-pigmentation, but it also works to treat it.

The formula uses the same breakthrough, proprietary delivery system as the tinted moisturizer. Syntoc Actif is unique in its ability to deliver active ingredients. Retinol in the formula encourages collagen production, diminishes the appearance of dark circles, and heals blemishes. I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in my larger areas of hyper-pigmentation since using this concealer.

The consistancy is creamy (so it works great under eyes). The finish isn’t dewy but natural looking. It blends beautifully, making it virutally undetectable. I like using it with the Le Métier de Beauté Concealer Brush or buffing it on with an Eyeshadow Blending Brush (like this one).

Broad-spectrum SPF 16 protects the skin from damaging UVA/UVB rays.