Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk review: we put it to the test to see what all the fuss is about… and LOVED it
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LOOKING for a luxury foundation? At £44 a bottle, Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk is the multi-award-winning formula that celebs from Rihanna to Kim K swear by...but is it all it's cracked up to be?
Ever since it launched in 2000 as the beauty arm of the Giorgio Armani fashion house, Armani Beauty has been responsible for dozens of coveted products—and its bestselling Luminous Silk has been there right from the start.
- Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, £44 from Armani Beauty -
A go-to on the red carpet and backstage at Armani shows, the brand says it's inspired by the refined texture of charmeuse silk, which couldn't sound any more luxurious if it tried. Naturally, we expected big things from this product, so we put it to the test once and for all to see how it fared.
Promising to correct and unify skin with 'a radiant and flawless finish', the oil-free formula contains exclusive Micro-fil technology to sculpt and brighten the skin, while blurring imperfections. It's also infused with glycerin: a hero moisturizing ingredient that you'll find in all the best foundations to make sure skin stays hydrated all day long—minis the dreaded caked-on look.
With two decades behind it, it's a foundation that really knows what it's doing: you don't reach cult status for nothing, so our hopes were certainly high, having somehow never tried this hero product. Although Armani Beauty says it's the best-kept secret of make-up artists, let's be real: the cat's long been out the bag, so we decided to try it once and for all and report back on the results.
Intrigued and been wanting to try Luminous Silk yourself? Read on below to find out our verdict (spoiler alert: it's an absolute dream)....
First impressions
- Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, £44 from Armani Beauty -
Having picked our shade from the swatch image on the Armani Beauty website, our selection arrived promptly in its elegant black box packaging. Inside, the bottle is seriously chic, with a black lid and logo catch that's instantly distinctive and recognisable.
We were able to see the shade immediately thanks to the transparent bottle, which filled us with confidence it was going to be a perfect match. Fingers crossed!
How easy is it to apply?
With a simple pump applicator, it couldn't be easier. For the full Armani experience, the brand recommends applying with the Maestro Signature Blender Brush for an airbrushed finish which we'll have to try at some point.
For now, we settled on our faithful makeup sponge, rinsing it first to create a slightly damp texture. We can honestly say the product smoothed over our skin like a dream and we were able to gradually add more layers for buildable coverage.
What's the coverage like?
Just one layer of this formula is enough to create a flawless base if you don't need heaps of coverage. Our skin had a few pesky imperfections, so we added some more layers in our problem areas (hello, hormonal chin) and were really impressed with how buildable the product is—without becoming thick and dry. The quality really is clear to see.
As for the promises of an airbrushed finish? We were blown away with how flawless our skin looked and the fact it looked so seamless and natural.
Did it last?
Being oil-free is a big plus with this foundation—particularly on our oily complexion, where it's easy for makeup to start sliding after a few hours.
We had no complaints there: it stayed put on our skin all day without settling into any lines, and just needed a few light touch ups of powder here and there to stop any shine.
How many shades does it come in?
An amazing 40 shades makes this foundation really inclusive for all skin tones. Winner!
If you're new to the brand and unsure of which shade to pick, we found the combination of arm colour swatches and model images for each shade to be really useful—plus there's also a handy virtual try-on tool on the Armani Beauty site which is worth a try.
Is it worth the hype?
We're going to go with a resounding YES. We'd heard so many glowing reviews for Luminous Silk, but with a fairly laidback attitude to mixing up our choice of go-to foundation, we'd never gotten around to trying it.
Now that we've tried it? It's definitely a new favourite.
The verdict?
From the chic bottle to the flawless coverage, evening out of our skin tone and generally glowing skin, we're completely obsessed with Luminous Silk.
As a pricier foundation, it might not be one we'll end up wearing every day, but it's 100% a formula we'll reach for on those days we want to feel really slick and polished.
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