One Editor Puts Five Giorgio Armani Foundations to the Test

As a skin-care enthusiast, I am always on the hunt for makeup products that can enhance my natural complexion. So, when one of my favorite luxury beauty brands — Giorgio Armani — sent me a box of some of the brand’s most coveted, skin-care inspired liquid foundations for testing, needless to say: I was like a moth to a flame. From the brand’s award-winning Luminous Silk Foundation to the Power Fabric Foundation, I’m sharing my thoughts on five Giorgio Armani foundations in the reviews, below. 

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation 

Recommended For: All skin types

Coverage: Light-to-medium coverage 

SPF: None  

Designed with charmeuse silk, “The Fabric of Emperors” in mind, the Luminous Silk Foundation is a lightweight liquid foundation that is formulated to give your complexion a lit-from-within type of glow. On top of that, tit is enriched with the brand’s exclusive Micro-fil technology to sculpt, improve the look of skin texture, visibly blur imperfections and leave your complexion looking brighter and more illuminated. For light coverage, apply one layer of the natural-looking foundation or use a beauty blending sponge to get buildable, medium coverage with a long-lasting, hydrating glow. 

Why I Love It: As someone who sticks to mostly lightweight BB creams and sheer foundations, I was eager to try (and review!) the Luminous Silk Foundation to see for myself if it lived up to its hype … and let’s just say, it exceeded all of my expectations. First and foremost: the product description does not lie. The award-winning foundation is as light as a feather and works to blur imperfections, illuminate the complexion, gives the illusion of silky skin and keeps the skin looking and feeling hydrated all day long — even in the dry fall and winter weather. On top of all that, the iconic Luminous Silk Foundation is available in 30 natural-looking shades.

How to Use It: Apply a small amount of the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation to your foundation brush or beauty blending sponge and blend into freshly cleansed and moisturized skin. For buildable coverage, add more layers of the foundation as needed.

Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation

Recommended For: All skin types 

Coverage: Full coverage 

SPF: 25

The Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation is a liquid formula that bestows upon the skin a lightweight, matte finish. Incorporating an SPF 25 to the mix, the foundation offers added UV protection while blending out the look of skin’s imperfections. It also comes in 22 shades to suit a wide variety of skin tones. 

Why I Love It: Finding products that are useful in more than one way is always a huge plus. The Giorgio Armani Powder Fabric Foundation certainly fits into the double-duty mold. I wore it on a particularly sunny date to give my skin an added layer of protection. I was impressed by how the matte finish held up over the course of the day. The shade I had chosen — 5, light, neutral — also matched my tone flawlessly without a stark difference between my face and my neck.    

How to Use It: To use the Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation, apply with either a foundation brush or your fingertips. Start with the center of your face and begin to blend outward, dabbing lightly with your fingertips when necessary to even it out further. 

Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup Foundation

Recommended For: Normal, oily, and combination skin types 

Coverage: Sheer coverage 

SPF: 15

Inspired by super organza — one of the thinnest fabrics in the world — the lightweight, award-winning Maestro Fusion Makeup from Giorgio Armani is a refining liquid foundation that can brighten the appearance of the complexion and promote an overall youthful-looking glow. Concentrated on the benefits of both mattifying and skin-perfecting formulas, the sheer-coverage liquid foundation is formulated with water-free oils that are time-release translucent and non-greasy, powder-free pigments — so your skin looks enhanced, not masked — as well as soft particles that can provide the complexion with an ultra-thin correcting film. On top of all that, the formula contains SPF 15 and lotus oil, providing your complexion with added protection from the sun’s damaging UV rays and other environmental aggressors like free radicals. With its ability to enhance the complexion and provide the skin with a natural-looking glow, paired with its nourishing and hydrating properties, this sheer-coverage foundation is ideal for oily or combination skin types. It’s available in 11 shades.  

Why I Love It: Because my skin is normal to dry and this foundation is formulated with oily skin types in mind, I decided to test it out while working out — the only time of day when my skin appears oily, greasy and in need of a serious cleanse (Disclaimer: typically, I wouldn’t dare go to the gym with makeup on, but in order to give a more accurate review, I was willing to take one for the team). After working up a sweat in Giorgio Armani’s Maestro Fusion Makeup, I noticed that my skin appeared to be less greasy-looking post workout and more mattified. I give this foundation two thumbs up! 

How to Use It: Using the dropper, apply a drop of Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup Foundation to the back of your hand and apply the lightweight, sheer foundation to a clean complexion with your fingertips. Repeat as needed and blend with a damp beauty blending sponge or foundation brush. 

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation

Recommended For: All skin types wanting lifting and firming 

Coverage: Medium-to-full coverage 

SPF: 20

Formulated with aging skin in mind, the Designer Lift Foundation from Giorgio Armani is more than just a liquid foundation, it’s an anti-aging formula that can firm the appearance of skin and promote a youthful-looking glow that can make you look (and feel) younger. Enriched with the brand’s Micro-fil technology, the medium-to-full coverage foundation can make skin appear softer, smoother and more illuminated upon application. In addition, the Designer Lift Foundation is formulated with SPF 20 for added protection from the sun’s harmful — read: skin aging — UV rays. 

Why We Love It: As a beauty editor, I can get behind any cosmetic that is designed with skin care in mind, such as the Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation. And while I am not at a stage in my life where I am focused on the signs of skin aging such as fine lines, wrinkles, and dull skin, I am all about preventing and protecting my skin from experiencing these signs for as long as possible. As far as the formula goes, the texture is ultra-lightweight — seriously, I could barely feel it on my skin — and left my skin looking hydrated and illuminated. I would recommend this foundation to anyone looking for a foundation that can hydrate, temporarily brighten and blur some of those premature signs of aging.  

How to Use It: To get medium-to-full coverage with Giorgio Armani’s Designer Lift Foundation, put a small amount of the foundation on the back of your hand and apply to a cleansed and moisturized complexion with the Designer brush or with a damp beauty blending sponge. Start at the center of your face and work outwards until completely blended.

Giorgio Armani Crema Nuda Foundation

Recommended For: All skin types

Coverage: Light-to-medium coverage

SPF: None 

“Nuda cream” translates from Italian into “nude cream,” which is essentially what the Giorgio Armani Crema Nuda is. A step above a BB cream or a CC cream, the Giorgio Armani Crema Nuda helps to dress up your skin without feeling as if it’s too bundled up. Using a specially blended formula that helps to enhance the skin’s moisture, this lightweight cream allows the skin to glow on its own while helping to cover up any imperfections present.

Why I Love It: It’s hard not to feel bogged down by too many layers of foundation sometimes. With the Giorgio Armani Crema Nuda, though, I was pleasantly surprised by how unaffected my skin felt post-product application. It sure looked more even, and the dark circles I had under my eyes were very much covered, but I didn’t feel as if I was walking around with heavy makeup on.

How to Use It: In order to get the full effect of the Giorgio Armani Crema Nuda Foundation, simply go through the motions of your usual skin-care routine. Then, apply the cream evenly across your face for an enhanced complexion, either by itself or under a foundation of your choosing.

Read More:

The Ultimate Anti-Aging Body-Care Routine

A Simple Skin Care Routine for Combination Skin Types

Why Thermal Water Spray Is the Ultimate Skin-Care Multitasker