Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

This best-selling foundation has become very popular with make-up artists the world over.
What's great about it?  So easy is it to apply that you could literally throw this foundation on and it would look beautiful.  It blends in quickly to provide instant luminosity and radiance without any unwanted residue (it is oil-free). It looks natural on the skin, evening out skin tone and providing an all over polished look and a perfected base for applying make-up. It's texture is velvety, smooth and dare I say, it feels expensive.
The foundation has a medium buildable coverage that easily covers dark circles, uneven skin tones and blemishes but it isn't at all obvious and yet manages to maintain a naturally flawless and highly effective finish. It also feels totally weightless on the skin.
I would say that it is more suited to normal/ dry or combination skin rather than oily.

Negatives - It is packaged in a heavy glass bottle, so not great for transporting in a kit, It carries the hefty price tag on £34, which makes this foundation as expensive as gold dust!

The foundation is available in 15 shades from Selfridges.

What foundation do you love and why?

Review written by Kate Gowing

ARMANI 'Eyes to Kill' Silk Eyeshadows

I love these shadows from Armani, they are very similar in lots of ways to the Chanel pots that were blogged about here, but have a slightly more 'whipped' forumla. They are a highly pigmented, mousse-like shadow that are soft and silky to touch. They are great just to throw on for an instant eye catching look that has a huge intensity and has a wet effect once applied, I especially like the one on the left (number 4) as it has so many different glitter pigments in it which makes it so shimmery and transforms the eye as soon as it is put on. They are really easy to work with and it is simple to create a lovely look with them with just a couple of slicks of shadow. They blend well, either on their own or by mixing colours together. The black one (in the middle) is completely matte black and is great as a liner or for a really dark smoky eye. As for the longevity, they do crease slightly throughout the day/night but only after quite a long time but I quite like that glossy, worn look, however they still do last on the eye for a good amount of time and don't shed or smudge once they are put in place. Armani claims that they last for 24 hours but I can't say I have worn them for that long - but I don't doubt them! The one on the right looks great in the tear duct for a bit of extra shimmer. 

The colours I have here are (L-R) 

#4

#11

#13

These are just 3 out of the range, there are some other beautiful colours, what makes them so special is that each shade has been made extra intense by the addition of a second pigment which makes the shadows appear multi-dimensional. They have a hybrid formula which makes them sit somewhere between a cream and a powder. Finally, despite having a wet-look appearance they are incredibly waterproof which is great for evenings out, a product you can rely on. Having said that, it is really easy to take off as well so it's a win-win product!

                                        Disclaimer: This review was written by Kate Gowing. 

                             Neither Nic or I have tried these products due to uncertainty over the Armani testing policies