She warned me it was expensive. It is also hard to get hold of. So when in London one weekend, I hot-footed it over to Selfridges and headed straight for the Armani counter. Problem was, I couldn't remember the name of the foundation. No problem, I just asked the very helpful gentleman (yes, gentleman) working behind the counter. Alphazeus (yes, that was actually his name) told me it must be the new Designer Shaping Cream Foundation.
As is typical with higher end make-up brands, he offered to do my make-up. I obliged of course. I left Selfridges not more than 20 minutes later with a full face of flawless make-up and swinging a little yellow bag containing a £45 foundation. Yup. £45.
I tried my new foundation the very next morning. And was disappointed. My flawless face the day before had apparently got more to do with a) Alphazeus' make-up skills and b) the dozen or so other makeup products he swiftly mixed and applied around the foundation (e.g. bronzing cream, concealer, powder). In honesty, I don't know how much of the foundation he even used. This is the one danger with make-up counters, especially those in high end stores such as Selfridges.
This foundation has since sat in my bedroom as a haunting reminder of the fact no foundation is worth £45. If I'm honest, the price tag probably makes me harsh on the product, but it just generally leaves me a little cold. Anyway, here is my full review....
The bottle is typical Armani. Heavy frosted glass, black screw lid. It is big, and holds a decent amount of foundation. The design of the bottle is a nightmare though, with a wide base and thinner neck, you have to dip your finger in a bit like dipping a quill in ink. Pouring it is an absolute no-no. It quickly gets messy and is not travel-friendly.
The consistency is lovely. Not too runny, but not too thick - it feels nice to the touch and it is easily applied either with fingers or a brush. It blends extremely well. It is definitely oily based though, and if I wear it alone then I have a strong 'dewy' sheen (verging on greasy). It also has quite a heavy feel to it, you are aware of it on your skin for a good few hours after application.
The coverage isn't bad. It covers redness well, and evens out the skin tone. Blemishes need a bit more work. The coverage is technically buildable, but because it feels quite heavy, you don't really feel like you want to build it up. It definitely makes the skin feel claustrophobic.
The top photo is without any make-up (yuk) and the bottom photo is with the Armani foundation applied with a foundation brush. As you can see, the coverage is very good, but I had to take the flash off the camera otherwise my face looked like an oil slick. To be fair the photo makes it look slightly better than it does in real life because my camera doesn't focus as sharply without a flash!
You definitely get everything you expect from a high end foundation - decent colour matching, luxurious consistency - but for the price tag there is no way this is worth it in my eyes. If I'd paid a tenner for this, I might be more complimentary as it is a pretty good product. But pretty good shouldn't come with a £45 price tag.
Incidentally I never went back and tried the original Luminous Silk foundation I initially wanted to buy. Once bitten and all that.....
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