Annie Versus The Volcano

Day 33: Giorgio Armani Crema Nera Obsidian Mineral Regenerating Cream and MAC Volcanic Ash Line by Annie

There was a trend in skincare that seemed centered on rare minerals from exotic active volcanoes. The most glamorous product hailed from Giorgio Armani. Crema Nera is formulated based on volcanic petrified lava rock from the Sicilian Island of Pantelleria. The texture of the cream was very butter-like. It was not whipped like most of the regenerating creams I have tested throughout the 40 day project. It smelled and looked exactly like Shea butter. The cream felt smooth on the skin in a very silicon way. I checked the ingredients and spotted "dimethicone" and paraffin. It did have a very waxy, lard-like vibe. Crema Nera felt more like a primer than a skin treatment. My personal results were not good. I experienced slight irritations after the first application. This centered along the jaw line. The irritations ranged from minor itching to redness. With long term use, I had issues with clogged pores and general skin flare ups. I gave up after just one month.
When it comes to my skin...I am a quitter.
Once a series of zits appear, I am throwing in the towel and flashing a deuces sign.

MAC released a handful of limited edition volcano based products. They might have made your bath tub a disaster area but the results were immediate and beneficial. The collections sold out quickly. My personal favorite was the Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. It is a charcoal color and smells like soot with lemons. It has some light, yet surprisingly creamy lather action. I did not expect suds or my skin to feel moisturized to the tenth power.
It rinses off with minimal effort but leaves the tub looking like an octopus lost a wrestling match. The ink-like mud gets everywhere.
The sugar granules are not uniform in size. You will encounter beads that feel quite sharp like an arrow head. I think it is much too rough to use on the face. I prefer to use it as a shower treatment for the body.


The Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask provided an intense rush of warmth that is disconcerting. I have used thermal masks before but this one really delivered on the heat. The heat level is one step below jalapeno. The heat is fleeting and less than one minute. Many reviewers on Makeupalley stated that the heat returns during rinsing. I never was able to get the fire back. I left the mask on for only five minutes. I never felt brave enough to go any further.

The results from use is squeaky clean skin with no skin irritations. Pores are flushed out. Both products were limited edition and are fetching high prices on Ebay.

Are they worth the $100 bids?
I have to say no. They were worth the original price and deserving to be made part of the permanent MAC skin care line.

Let us know what quirky ingredients delight or annoy you in the comments. Feel free to gush or vent.

Disclosure: I purchased the MAC Volcanic products at my local MAC counter. The Armani cream was a large sample from a Saks Fifth Avenue event.
Credit: Blogdorf Goodman and Melanie Parker/ Veronica Lake in I Married A Witch.

Our Lips Are Sealed: Armani Event

There appears to be a gaggle of beauty events during fashion week. One of the events that caught my eye was for Armani.

The Deets:

Date: Thursday, September 10th 2009
Time: 5pm-8pm
Location: Giorgio Armani Beauty counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC
Why Should You Go: Tim Quinn will be dishing about fall trends and giving a sneak peek at the Rouge d’Armani lippie. This is the new lipstick from Giorgio Armani featuring 8 hour wear and a high dose of pigment. You will be able to purchase Rouge d’Armani #400 rouge and #600 plum way before the launch date of October 15th 2009.

Let us know if you attend and if the lippies are lemming worthy!

Best Lippie Packaging: Armani

This compact and matching lipstick are the Giorgio Armani Beauty Holiday 2006 Set. The cases are matte and lacquered black with black faceted crystal jewels. This lipstick is quite possibly the most beautiful lipstick that I own. It's almost too pretty to use.

Credit: Cavewoman

40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Cult Classics
Day 22, Armani Maestro Mascara by Koneko from Koneko's "Mostly" Beauty Diary

Visit her blog @ http://beautydiary.blogspot.com/

Armani Maestro...

Your first love. Hard to get over. Sometimes it can ruin many a future would-be love. Well, in my case, the comb mascara from Stephane Marais fits that description to perfectly. I've never been able to find a mascara that gets to the base of every single lash, separates, lengthens, and doesn't smudge. But then it was gone.

Many a worthy and admirable mascara has come my way, with perfectly wonderful attributes, but not all of the above. But when I learned that my favorite cosmetics line, Armani, was coming out with a mascara with a comb wand, hope was reborn! I predicted that Armani + comb mascara = perfection! Obviously, a lot of other people thought so as well, as it has become a cult classic. I already loved Armani Star Lash mascara. This glorious product gives my thin, puny, stick straight lashes a curvy volume I never dreamed possible. In fact, it would be my holy grail, except it smudges on me after a few hours. So I did have some anxiety about Maestro smudging..

The Maestro has 4 combs on the wand. The teeth are perfectly spaced so there aren't wide gaps to create huge goopy blobs of mascara on your lashes. They are also the right depth, so that they capture an appropriate amount of mascara from the tube. It deposits just the perfect amount on your lashes, and there is enough time between application and drying of the mascara to get the lashes the way you want them. You're not tugging through mascara that has dried too quickly. It also doesn't take forever to dry either.

My results were a lengthening and defined effect. Not too much volume for a volumizing mascara. No curl (but not touted to do so.)
The combs: I love the actual construction of each comb. As above, it's a more precise took than traditional brushes. But I am not too keen on 4 vs. 1, With a 1 comb design, I could easily get the lower lashes and the base of my lashes. I can never do that with a regular mascara wand or with the 4-comb deisgn, due to the architecture of my eyes. I have to pull my eyelid back or scrunch up my face, or twist my head a certain way-- yes, not very elegant, and that's why I like the single comb!!! And yes, it smudged. (but almost everything, even waterproof smudges on me)

I was in denial for several weeks. I tried to make this work. I really did. If anyone was going to fill the Marais void, it had to be Armani! But when the "time to replace" deadline came up, Armani went out the door.

Bottom Line:
Pluses: formula consistency, comb construction, great definition, precision, smooth application onto lash, length of time to dry, nice lengthening
Minuses: smudging factor, 4 combs vs. 1 comb, not too much oopmh

P.S. I've gotten over the Marais. But I do need to go back to Japan. I didn't realize they had a lot more single-combed mascaras there. And after all, that's where they made Marais!

Credit: Armani
Graphic: Melanie Parker
Disclosure: This product was purchased by the reviewer.

Last Days of Summer:
Giorgio Armani Cosmetics Bronze Mania Face Duo

A set of two complimentary cream brushes, one to shape, one to illuminate. One half of the compact contains a deep bronze shade with a supple cream texture designed to be blended on the cheeks and jaw line to sculpt the face and accentuate a tan.

This is the part of the compact that scared me a little. I am not a professional makeup artist and feel apprehensive on shading and contouring.

The other half contains transforming creamy textures enriched with golden micro-particles to illuminate key features like cheekbones and forehead.

Shimmer never scares me. I use this all over for added glow and shimmer. It is gorgeous and deserves it's own compact!

It is priced at $65 and is available at your local Saks counter.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Giorgio Armani Cosmetics

The Dog Days of Summer: Armani's Bronze Mania Gold
Sheer Bronzer


It has a super-fine texture with a variety of sun kissed shades. It retails for $42.
It is available at your local Saks Armani counter.

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Giorgio Armani Cosmetics

Giorgio Armani's Bronze Mania Collection for Summer 2007

Lip Shimmer #35: A limited edition sheer red lip gloss with hints of fire that can be worn alone or layered over your favorite lipsticks. It retails for $26.

It also comes in a neutral gloss with gold sparkle to recreate a liquid gold look.
This is called Lip Shimmer #34. (not shown)

Armani Cosmetics can be purchased at select Saks stores.
What are your favorite Armani glosses?

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Armani

Armani Prive Eclat De Jasmin

I received this decant from Alesha at my local Saks. I have no information on notes or a release date.

What I do know is....

this is one of the best jasmine fragrances I have ever tried.

It is a quiet and haunting jasmine note with a drydown of incense and woods.

Perfection in every sense.

The notes according to Bois de Jasmin are bergamot, plum, lemon, jasmine, osmanthus, rose, patchouli, amber and vetiver.

http://boisdejasmin.typepad.com/_/2006/09/eclat_de_jasmin.html

40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Brand Reviews

Day 14th, Giorgio Armani

Cavewoman: The Master Tailor is a tanned, handsome man with white-gray hair and an easy smile. Fashionistas will know him by his nickname in the industry, "The King Of Greige." Perfumistas will recognize and praise the beautiful fragrances of the Prive Collection, in sleek squared-off bottles with smooth stones as caps. Cosmetic addicts know the minimalist black packaging, the superb-quality foundations and lipsticks, and the much-coveted palette compacts in his line of cosmetic products. He is Giorgio Armani.

My new Movie Lights Sheer Shimmer compact arrived yesterday from Alesha at our Saks store. I had only seen photos of this compact online, but Alesha assured me that I'd be delighted with this purchase. She knows me and she knows my taste, and she was right, again, about this compact.

The compact, with its matte black finish and slightly concave lid, displays the signature of Armani in silver raised glitter. Open the lid, and inside the powder glows with the promise of that most-desired luminous complexion. Pinkish, goldish, beige-ish, but with a bit more color than most highlighting powders I have ever tried, I was eager to see if this powder would be any different on the skin than my many other highlighting powders. And indeed, this Sheer Shimmer not only adds a glow to the skin, but a nice bit of color to my Ohio Winter Pallor. I tried it over blush only, as an overall finishing powder, as a cheekbone highlighter, and even as an eyeshadow for under the brow bone, and I was happy with the look in each application. It's hard to describe the effect, but it's a healthy glow, not an artificial 'she's wearing product' glow. Now I want to know if there will be refills!

Now for the Hollywood factor: Inside the compact lid, surrounding the mirror, are eight tiny LED lights. Touch a little button at one side and the lights are on! The effect is that of a movie star sitting in front of the makeup mirror rimmed with light bulbs, getting ready for her next scene. It's absolutely whimsical and delightful and fun, and now you know why I hope there will be refills available for this adorable compact. Everything about it is luxury, and yet everything about it is practical and useable and versatile, too.
I'm eager to find out what The King will do next to attract me to the Armani counter. I like being dazzled!

Tussah: I have liked and worn Armani department store fragrances for quite some time, my favorites being Armani code for women & Armani mania. But I was totally blown away by the Armani Prive fragrances. The first time I heard of or saw a presentation of them was a fun time out with the Cleveland perfume gang. Cavewoman was presenting our friend Shawn with a boxed set of samples of 4. It was by far the most beautiful presentation of perfume samples I have ever seen. The boxes are as elegant as the contents. Inside were 4 egg-shaped “stones” of different natural colors. They were magnetized vessels holding the lovely glass samples of the 4 special fragrances. The presentation was modern, yet organic, glowing, cool to the touch and yet warm. Totally lovely.

I was graciously allowed to sample these fragrances & fell in love with Bois d’encens. It truly is the best of the best. An intense, but cashmere-like incense fragrance, it is enveloping, soft and yet vital. The drydown is amazingly lovely as the perfume seems to become part of you, not just something on you. It is a perfect fragrance when you need something very special, something mood altering, something that throughout the day reminds you that you did something good for your soul.

Annieytown: I have a co-worker who has the most amazing chemistry when it comes to fragrance. You can detect every note from the top to the very end of the drydown on her skin.

She has been blessed with the perfect skin chemistry. She can wear anything well except for Angel. Angel turns terrifying on her wrist. I actually recoiled and winced.

So...the first time I fell for Armani Code was due to her. The day it came out she was wearing it loud and proud. She had a swing in her step and a tune in her ear. I was my usual crabby self so her happiness instantly made me pause. Then I caught her Code sillage and knew instantly why she was so damn happy.

She smelled fabulous and knew it.

Soon I was demanding her to wear it every day.
It became almost like an aromatherapy spray in our department. Work was not so bad if my co-worker brought her Code bottle. It was becoming a crutch and I was not even wearing it.
I am a current Code owner along with most of the bath products.
The drydown is what I love when it comes to Code. It has a wonderful warm mixture of orange blossom, woods and vanilla.
It is comforting like a cashmere blanket, a cup of coffee with vanilla nut creamer and a new episode of Greys Anatomy.

Its that good.

Seriously.

The notes are Blood Orange, Ginger, Pear Sorbet, Sambac Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Seringa Flower, Lavender Honey, Precious Woods Complex and Vanilla.
Armani Code is available at Sephora.com.
Armani cosmetics are available at select SAKS.

What is your favorite Armani product? Let us know in the comments.

Photos are from Cavewoman and Blogdorf Goodman

Side note: I am so smitten with cavewoman's new Armani compact. I love the lights.

Disclosure: All the products in this post were purchased by the reviewers.

Giorgio Armani Collection

The best damn holiday set for this year.
It is by Armani and it is dazzling.
The lippie is a sheer wine wash with impressive shimmer. The eye shadow palette is 100% wearable with basic colors. The navy shadow is a more subtle Thunderball(Nars) shade. But it is the powder that is stopping traffic, turning heads and setting hearts aflutter. Besides the glorious sparkling champagne color...it has a lovely etching.
There is nothing like a little piece of luxury in your purse.
The price is $125.00 and it is currently available at Saks. Call Shawn or Alesha at Saks 216-292-5500 ex256(Nars counter). They are my favorite SA's in the world.
I *think* they have two sets left.
Say that Blogdorf Goodman sent you.

photos from Koneko/Blogdorf Goodman
These products are owned by Koneko

Armani Code Bath Products

Armani Code smells so amazing on my one co-worker that I pretty much demand that she wears it every day. She is a fragrance junkie so that is an impossible request. However, she is smitten with the scent and considers it her holy grail.
So last week I got the body lotion and the shower gel. I promptly brought it in to work to have her test it and give me feedback.
Also...there might have been some sassing involved.

She went insane over the lotion. There is nothing like a richly scented body cream to accompany your favorite fragrance. The Armani delivers in capturing the magic of the fragrance along with being exceptional with these new bath products.

Most people either love or hate Angel by Thierry Mugler. But even the haters have to agree that Angel by-products such as the shampoo and body creams are well made and exceptional. I have always wondered why other well known fragrance companies can not do the same quality in their bath products. Armani has managed to match the quality of the Angel line.
The shower gel lathers well and is delicately perfumed. I have tried so many fragrance based shower gels and have always been disappointed in their lather. I hate wasting product trying to get some workable suds.

The body lotion absorbs quickly. This is important when you are getting dress in a hurry. There is nothing more annoying than getting lotion marks on clothes or hosiery.

The Body cream will be available in a lovely jar for $52.50
The shower gel will be $35.00
The Body lotion will be $39.50

Two thumbs up from Ohio.
If you love Armani Code then you must seek these products out soon!

photo from the Armani site.
http://www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com/_us/_en/home/index.aspx
While you are there visit the gorgeous cosmetics. The fall eye couture palette and midnight lip shimmers look lovely.

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Armani

Armani Code Review

The first time I sniffed Armani Code was at the workplace. One of my co-workers who loves fragrance had just purchased a bottle. Sometimes when work gets to be too much I walk over to her desk and demand to smell her wrist. In fact I have ordered her to wear it everyday. She thinks I am joking.
The notes are orange flower absolute, ginger from China, Jasmine Sambac from the Sambaquita flower from India, Madagascan vanilla, Honey, Sandalwood and Miel de Lavande.

The Mediterranean top-so bright and spontaneous.
All the freshness of the barely -opened flower is expressed by the cheerful sparkle of orange zest.
Two kinds of orange peel
one from the Ivory coast
and the other from italian oranges
join forces to express that easy, light-hearted Italian refinement.

The citrus opening is very subtle. It almost seems like a blood orange note instead of a regular citrus. I am a sucker for a blood orange note.

The finale-the sweet embrace of a unforgettable trail.
The familiar, inimitable sweetness of the orange blossom, so velvety that it becomes addictive.
All intensified by the incredibly soft embrace of madagascan vanilla and by a touch of honey.

The sillage is what makes this fragrance. It lasts for a full work day and the drydown settles down into such a comforting "close to the skin" scent.
It is a winner.

Let me know what you think of this fragrance in the comments.

photos from images art and gbtheinert
info from Armani


Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Armani

40 Days and 40 Nights of Primers

photo from yahoo
review from cavewoman

Primer #5, in honor of the Oscars!

The couture! The cleavage! The Clooney! *ahem* excuse me, but I did digress for a moment there!
However, in the spirit of the festivities on Sunday evening, the glitter and the glitterati, it seems appropriate that I declare the Winner In The Best Supporting Primer In An Opalescent Role, and that would be Armani Pearl Veil.

Clothed in the signature Armani elegantly-curved bottle with the sleek black cap, quite a bella figura on its own, this product glows with a luminous pink-peach shade that brightens the complexion so well on its own, and is actually wearable without foundation over it, that it could stand on its own without much more than a little dusting of finishing powder.

One of the few primers that dries without being sticky, the Pearl Veil is just a candlelight glow and not the silicone-type, fill-in-the-lines type primer such as Smashbox. This one is more similar to the Prescriptives Magic liquid. But so far in my primer pursuit, there has not been another product quite like the Armani. Every time I use it I fight the temptation to wear it on its own on my face, and sometimes the temptation wins. But under foundation it does not lose its glow. The luminous pink-peach glow works well under my LaPrairie. It does add a bit more color underneath, and seems more of an evening look to me.

Ah, an affordable Armani, a few lira less than a double-breasted greige pantsuit, but still, it's from the King and that's good enough for me. I have to take off a point for the spray apparatus and the fact that the product tends to separate. But, non te preoccupare! Spray it into your hand and then mix it back together with your fingers before applying.

Rating, otto (8), result, bellissima!