Giorgio Armani Luxe is More Palette

A quick note for you, dear readers. I've been doing my best to faithfully get one post up per day, but I may have to start spacing the content out a bit. Work and family life has gotten crazy- I'm planning some family-related travel at some point this month (not telling the internet when I'm coming/going though) and may not see a day off until Palm Sunday. I rely upon the weekends to shoot photos and outline posts, so I'm quickly running out of time.

But we'll see.


Today I have a very special item to talk about with you. It was actually Armani's holiday 2015 offering, but it's currently available at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Armani's own website. I'll be honest, I was compelled to write this after not seeing a lot of love for this.

Enter the Giorgio Armani Luxe is More Palette.

This ultra-pricey ($140), double-decker eye/face palette is stunning and, appropriately, luxe.

As you can tell by my box, it's been in heavy rotation (ie the box has been taken in and out of the drawer over and over:

Let's talk about the palette. First off, it's huge. It's not the size of the traditional Armani palettes.

This is the pouch (with brushes) that it comes in:

Pretty standard.

The palette itself is a light gold, with Armani's signature on top:

Here's the bottom. You might get an idea of the scale:

Inside, it contains a lot of product for your $140. Upper level is comprised of 10 of the best neutral eyeshadows around:

Let's look at some swatches.

Here's the upper row (the rose gold is a color I use at least 2-3 days a week):

You have, L-R, a perfect nude to smooth out imperfections and act as an anchoring base, a divine rose gold, a light burnished gold/copper, and a light tan shimmer with gold leanings. Amazing.

Here's the middle two:

That's a mostly-matte charcoal that really is almost black and an icy, true silver metallic shade. Love!

Here's the bottom row:

L-R, you have a metallic white (needed as a finishing highlight), two taupey brown shimmers, and a rosy dark brown shade that you just want to cuddle.

Put together, you have an expertly curated set of 10 neutrals. You can do anything from the lightest look to a deep, sultry smoky eye with this palette. It's literally all you need if you're traveling. Even if this was all you got, these would ring in at $14 each, a bargain for Armani.

But wait... there's more.

I normally hate all-in-one palettes, but the eyeshadows swing up to reveal the second level:

OK, hear me out on this. You have a finishing powder and two creams that can be used for concealers (per the instructions). It's meant to flatter a medium skintone. You know I'm a NW15, so here we go on how to make it work. There are also 2 cute little Armani sponges.

Here's the lower level swatched (powder between creams):

Now, here's the hack on how to use this one. CONTOUR!

First of all, a very light dusting of the powder is pretty universal on most light-medium skintones. The powder is also great for absorbing powder, so that's how I've used it- with a light hand.

I've used the creams for subtle contouring and love them as such.

Bottom Line: This is an investment. It's luxurious. It's Armani. But these products perform at such a high level that the lack of love for this palette (now a staple in my stash) that I felt compelled to talk about it. Check it out if you can- it's worth it.