Naya

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer, Review

Little luxuries of life

Foreword

2020, no matter how unpredictable and crazy, was a year when I have pushed the envelope and tried a lot of new brands and products. That being said, I have always heard amazing things about Giorgio Armani makeup, but it wasn’t until the brand came up with its new Luminous Silk Concealer that I have decided to give it a shot.

Curious? Then please keep on scrolling

My Skin: dry, sensitive

About the Product

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Multi-Purpose Glow Concealer (38 USD; Made in Italy) – is described as a versatile and creaseless concealer that hydrates, highlights, corrects and offers medium-buildable coverage with a radiant finish. Available in 20 shades and 3 undertones (golden, pink, neutral).

Packaging: mattified plastic tube with a medium-sized applicator that is slightly rounded/pointy at the tip, with one side noticeably curvier than the other. There is 12 ml/ 0.40 fl.oz of product here, which is at least two times more than what you get from most mid- or high-end brands.

Formula, Texture: watery, yet concentrated in pigment formula that feels weightless and hydrating. Calling this a “medium” coverage is a bit ambitious. To me this is definitely a light coverage concealer that can be built up to a medium by adding an extra layer. Although quite glowy, Luminous Silk Concealer shows no traces of shimmer.

On a good note – this is a very breathable formula, one that feels weightless and lets your skin shine through. On a bad note – there are no skincare benefits to Luminous Silk Concealer, which is a missed opportunity in my book, considering just how many makeup brands now step up their game by adding skin-loving ingredients to their formulations.

Scent: none.

Application: although quite fluffy, the applicator doesn’t do much in terms of blending, so your fingertips or synthetic brushes are your best friends here. I do not recommend using a sponge (with this particular formula) as it might soak up a lot of product. Unless you have dry under eye, you will have to set it with a loose powder of your preference (go for sheerer powders like those by Laura Mercier if you want to preserve the luminosity), otherwise it might crease.

Finish, Wear: as the name suggests, this is a very luminous formula that has a natural, radiant finish. Since I am dry and stray away from setting my under eye, whenever this Giorgio Armani concealer settles into lines under my eyes, I simply pat the excess product away with a fingertip and it does the trick for me (I do this "no powder" technique with all of my under eye concealers).

Luminous Silk Concealer wears well throughout the day. It does a beautiful job at appearing very “skin like” and camouflaging pores, however, it can slightly accentuate extra dry or textured areas. Make sure to keep your skin smooth, hydrated and exfoliated to achieve best results. If you have acne, dark spots or redness to cover – this concealer alone won’t cut the mustard. But at the same time, it does work well as a dark circles antidote thanks to its glowing, light-reflective nature and predominantly warm undertones.

Please click on images if you want to zoom in

All of my swatches are unedited and shot in natural daylight

Left to Right: 5.75, 4.5

Shades: now, this is when I want to be extra blunt and call out Giorgio Armani for creating a rather lackluster shade range - there are not enough options for beauties with darker complexions, as well as not enough truly neutral or olive undertones for beauties with medium or light complexions. Not only that, but if you are new to the brand, you will find that the whole numeric shade-matching system is very confusing. Dear Virgos, you might be triggered.

Another “flaw” I want to highlight is that this formula does and will oxidize slightly. With this concealer I have discovered that even lighter shades can set a bit darker in tone once they dry down. Thankfully the shift in colour does not look as striking as it would with a high coverage concealer (after all this is a very light, sheer product) but… at this price point I do not want any surprises.

Who is going to like it?

Minor learning curve aside, Luminous Silk Concealer will work best for people with normal or dry skin types. It does a great job at naturally brightening your under eye area, yet without making you look like you have a ton of makeup on.

This formula is a good all-in-one solution for people who do not wear much makeup, but want to sheer out their concealer and effortlessly blend it all over the face to create an illusion of having an ultra-healthy, radiant and [dare I say] perfect skin.

If you have combination or oily skin, I have a feeling you won’t like this dewy formula as much. Same goes for beauties dealing with any skin conditions that result in excessive redness or hyperpigmentation that needs to be covered.

Verdict

This could be an amazing new product, if it did not have some character flaws. Starting with Luminous Silk Concealer confusing shade range, minor oxidizing and occasional creasing – there is a room for improvement. While it is nice for those "no makeup", running-errands days when you want a bit of coverage and glow, overall it did not replace my all time favorites and I do think that there are much better alternatives out there. Wanted to love, yet all things considered, I have to give it C+

If you like the sound of a multi-purpose concealer, one that works for pretty much all skin types, feels light as air, looks natural and has medium/buildable coverage - I highly (highly!) recommend Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer. You can find my review here.