Giorgio Armani Beauty has done it again. I bought, received, and swooned. I love the new Finishing Fabric Second Skin Blush ($38). The three shades are limited editions from the Radiant Fabrics Collection. I posted a first look a few weeks ago.I'll confess that my first reaction when the box arrived was, "Wow, they are smaller than I expected!" At four inches long, I wondered if Armani was on an austerity kick. Then I used one. I can't begin to tell you - emphasize - how little of this product is needed to give you a rosy glow. I bought #1 and #2, and I suspect they will last for years.
The concentrated color blends easily due to the creamy formula. I follow the Armani directions and squeeze out the tiniest bit into my hand before applying the blusher in circular movements with two fingers. When I finish, I follow the Loyd Cassler school of blush and use foundation to blend and blur the edges or lighten any spots where I feel I have applied too much color. If you have never tried the foundation trick, it's the best! Just put foundation over any blush color that's too bright or dark, and it instantly and "permanently" lightens the color and softens the transition on your cheeks.
Another thing you can do with these Finishing Fabrics is mix them in your hand with foundation, moisturizer, or a product like Armani's Crema Nera Soothing Lotion or MAC's Fix + to blend them out. I find that this works really well for me with #2, the darker of the two shades I bought. The first time I applied it, even though I used very little, I applied too much. The second time, I applied less. The third time, I blended it down with a little lotion, and that worked perfectly. Remember
, my skin is really pale!The Finishing Fabric Second Skin Blush is extremely long-lasting. Unlike many powder blushers that need to be refreshed at some point in the day, Finishing Fabric doesn't fade. When I come home from work, I still have blushing cheeks!
No matter how hard I try, I can't get fabulous makeup photos for you. Each photo shows a drollop of the blush at the top and the blush blended at the bottom. The first photo, to the right, is #1. It's the lighter of the two shades I bought. The photo to the left is #2. Both work well for me, depending on what I'm wearing. I hope you can see that #1 is light pink with a bit of blue in it, and #2 is quite rosy. These photos were taken on different parts of my arm, the light outside was fading fast, and I applied less of #2 than #1 when I got these shots. They don't look very different in Blogger, but #2 is definitely darker. I did not blend the product down as much as I do on my face.
I will wait for them to show up at Saks and try #3 (which has more coral in it and is probably too dark for me) when they do. I'm told they shipped to the stores this week, so I hope that Loyd and I can play sometime next week.
Would I recommend that you try one? Absolutely! I don't think you will need two unless you are also a total Armani addict, but one will be a nice addition to your makeup wardrobe. You can purchase Finishing Fabric at the Armani Beauty Web site, and you will be able to find it at Saks and selected Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom counters as well.
Update 4/2 in full sun: Two more photos - this time taken with the advantage of sun. On the left is #1 blended a bit. On the right is #2 - a drollop and smudged (not actually blended).
Update 4/7: Turns out that #3 is the lightest shade! Go figure! I'm headed over to Saks today to pick up a #3. Armani Beauty has added descriptive names to their shades online, and they imply that #1 is peach. See for yourself to the left. :)
Photos courtesy of Armani Beauty or taken by BTiB