Giorgio Armani #20 Obsidian Black Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow
#22 Ecailles is a pale bluish silver with a metallic finish. It applied about the same both dry and wet, which is decent but not great. I did find it applied better to the lid when I used a brush to do so–more like good pigmentation there. Bare Escentuals Mingle is bluer and a bit darker. MAC Water & Ice is cooler-toned. Lancome Style Section is similar. Wet ‘n’ Wild Enter a New Realm is a bit darker. It is a bit similar to Giorgio Armani #12, which is brighter, lighter. (9, 8, 9 Coach Outlet Online, 10, 4.5, 4; B+)
Where to Buy: Nordstrom, $32.00 each
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow ($32.00 for 0.14 oz.) has just launched four new and limited edition shades for summer. I bought these shortly after they became available, and I’ve been testing them out over the past week. I’m a big fan of this formula, so I’m always eager to see how new shades perform and compare to existing shades. I will admit that I haven’t been overly wowed by some of the newer shades, though they’re not by any means awful! Just… less impressive, but on the whole, still good.
#21 Obsidian Grey is a medium-dark gray with a silver shimmer and sheen. It has decent color payoff dry but still works best applied damp. This shade read more dupeable to me; it doesn’t have as much dimension to it compared to some of the other shades in the range. That’s not something that affects the overall rating, but it’s a point worth considering if you can’t (or don’t want to) grab all four. MAC Warm Thunder is similar, perhaps a little less gray. Tarina Tarantino Lovely is slightly darker. Tarina Tarantino Diamond Dusk has a purple tint to it. This shade applied the smoothest out of the four on the lid. (9.5, 9.5, 10, 10, 5, 4; A)
The Glossover
#20 Obsidian Black is a blackened navy blue with teal-green and navy blue shimmer. It’s not nearly as black or as intense as Giorgio Armani #13. Giorgio Armani #1 is also lighter, grayer, and generally doesn’t look much like this. I do think you could mix the two and come fairly close, though. #20 works best wet; when it’s used dry, the color payoff wasn’t there (and it usually is with this formula). More of the shimmer comes through, as the base color looks mostly like a faded black, when it is applied dry–and it does apply with a little more oomph to the lid with a brush. Some of the complexity gets lost when it’s applied to the lid–it’s very subtle and more noticeable in-person than it is in a still photo (which isn’t completely unexpected given the nature of shimmer and how it plays with the light). Oddly enough, it actually reminded me of Revlon Neptune Star in color and shimmer. It also reminded me of Urban Decay Loaded, which is a little bluer. (9, 8.5, 9.5, 10, 4.5, 4; A-)
I think Eyes to Kill Intense is an excellent formula, but it’s not necessary to own every single one of them either. There are some unique and transformative shades, but there are a few that are more basic or end up looking similar to another shade. These four create a beautiful gradient effect when used together, though Madre Perla is the most versatile of the bunch. I think it can work as a wash, inner corner highlighter, or as a layering shade that will change-up whatever is underneath it. The one that is most visually stunning at first is Obsidian Black, but like a lot of ultra dark shades, some of that loveliness gets swallowed up once applied.
Giorgio Armani #20 Obsidian Black Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow
#23 Madre Perla is a pale, iridescent warm white with a frosted metallic finish. It has flashes of blue, green, pink, and purple. It applies better wet than dry with more color payoff and a smoother texture. This one was a little chunky in texture; it wasn’t as smooth as the other shades. It felt like this was more designed to layer over other shades. Illamasqua Beguile is very similar. MAC If It Sparkles… is almost the same as well. This is the most wearable shade on its own (Ecailles would the the runner-up). (9, 9, 9, 10, 4.5, 4; A-)
I’ve only tested one shade within the range for a full twenty-four hours, but I have tested several others for twelve to sixteen hours. I did a look using all four of the limited edition shades and wore it for sixteen hours. These wear and wear and wear. No creasing, fading, or fallout during wear, not even after sixteen hours. Because these have an interesting texture and consistency–they are much like a loose powder product that has been compacted by the accompanying plastic insert–it can be easy to use more than you really need and end up with some minor fall out. The fall out I’m concerned and dock points for is major fall out or fall out that occurs while you wear it (aka during the day); and there isn’t any of that with these.
($18.00 for 0.09 oz.) describes this as a “shimmering turquoise,” though I’d describe it as a brightened sky blue on me. It’s the color of turquoise beads, which are rather blue, so depending on your interpretation of turquoise, this may be more or less what you expect. With a Deluxe Eyeshadow finish, it’s ultra smooth, almost creamy (but it is a powder), and highly pigmented.