It’s a very good day when a menagerie of Giorgio Armani’s latest lipwear lands on your doorstep. Even better is the fact they’re all wearable shades. Someone gets me!
The Lip Magnet* is a liquid lip colour that dries to a matte finish. Matte! You know how much I love matte. One coat gives immense concentration of colour. That sits with me very well and it sits on my lips just as comfortably like a second layer of skin…and if I could put into words what an excited squeal would transcribe as, then these bad boys would hit top decibels.
The formula sets in seconds, intensifying in colour because of a “gradual evaporation” and is light as a feather with colour clinging to the lips. There is no discomfort of it feeling like plastic or peeling/drying due to the formula being four times thinner than a liquid lip colour. Giorgio Armani describes the Lip Magnet as an inverted emulsion from a subtle alliance of water fine oils and pigments.
What’s more, the special calligraphic applicator enables sharp precision. It’s a flat, textured applicator, distributing enough colour with the tip defining the perfect contour. It is seriously sharp and I can get a perfect cupid’s bow with it. There’s no risk of it dragging along or the applicator going limp and the colour does not feather or bleed. It really binds with the lips for a long-lasting magnet effect.
There are 18 shades available from bold to nudes from which I was sent eight to try. The names are on the boxes but oddly not on the base of the Lip Magnets which are only identifiable by numbers.
The shades from left to right are:
- Tangerine (300)
- Heat (301)
- Four Hundred For All (400)
- Fil Rouge (401)
- Vibrato (403)
- Maharajah (500)
- Mania (502)
- Attitude (601)
I’m immediately drawn to the reds as well as the fuchsia pink Maharajah and the mauve Attitude, all of will get quite a few wears this season and the next.
The only thing I don’t like about the Lip Magnet is the garish red colour of the lid. (Funnily enough, the whole ensemble looks like a nail polish bottle.) Why it’s not black is a mystery. Black looks classy but it would also sit with the brand’s premium look and also contrast well against the visibility of the lip colours, in fact they would stand out more. The red just looks cheap. I don’t know if it’s a case of trying to be ‘edgy’ or ‘alternative’ a la Jeffree Star’s equally ghastly packaging colours but really, Armani? You’re way better than the likes of Jeffree Star.
If you’re looking to update your matte lip wardrobe for this season, then look no further. Lip Magnets are exclusively to Selfridges, priced at £27 each.
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