If you’re a lipstick person, then you know the struggle of finding one for an event when you need to be on point and not have to touch up every 10 minutes. This is why I love the Armani Lip Power lipsticks. I was looking for a long-wearing lip product that won’t dry my lips out and that will feel comfortable to wear. I want to clear out any confusion right from the beginning. We’re talking about a long-wear lipstick, not a waterproof one. Extended wear, more than a regular lipstick. I didn’t find a waterproof lipstick that’s comfortable yet, but the Lip Power Satin lipsticks have been a great find for me so far.
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Application
First of all, let’s talk packaging. So chic, simple, and stylish. The black and red color combination with the mini logo makes the brand recognizable immediately. It screams high-end, but makes it “old money” chic. The bullet is slick, easy to fit into a small bag, and the stick comes in a tear shape, which makes the application more precise. I still prefer to use a lip brush for precision, though. The product itself is smooth and makes pickup and application very easy and fast. The color comes even and is very pigmented, just as you can see from the packaging- opacity and undertone are spot on. The color is very vivid and gives life to the lips.
Swatches
Armani Beauty makes it very easy for you to choose your favorite shade. The “Satin lipstick” range is categorized as follows: nudes, beiges, browns, corals, reds and pinks. Within each category, the intensity of the shade can be chosen intuitively from 1 to 9. For example, the 104 Selfless shade is lighter than 109 Intimate shade. Once you’re a “connoisseur” of the range, you’ll easily navigate it, and you’ll recognize the numbering system- the 500’s are pinks, the 400’s are reds, the 100’s are beiges, and the 200’s are browns. To add more wear time and create crisp, yet different looks, you can opt for a lip liner that’s also resistant. You can shape the lips and then apply the lipstick, or you can apply lip liner all over the lip to neutralize the skin tone. I also recommend using a concealer around the lip shape, to make it clean and to stand out more, and even powder to add more longevity. I don’t necessarily like to blot after applying the lipstick, as it takes away from the satin shine, but if you don’t mind dulling it to add wear time, then this is a good hack.
One of the iconic shades of this range is the 400 Four hundred, which is a true blue red- you know, the one that makes your teeth whiter. A classic, strong pin-up staple shade, it’s a statement color and it’s long-lasting, which is even better. For everyday looks, when I don’t want too much, I would go for beiges, nudes, or browns, and I would save the pinks, reds, and corals for special occasions, but feel free to be bold too. Sometimes you can just go for a bright lip with some mascara, if you’re in a rush or you simply love the look. To tell you a secret, sometimes I use a bit of the lipstick as a color for my cheeks. It ties the look together and it’s long-lasting.
These are my most used shades. 109 Intimate, which is medium beige, peachy pink shade, versatile and complimenting a lot of skin tones. My absolute favorite, and often sold out, is the 201 Majestic shade, part of the brown family, and it’s a reddish brown. It gives my lips a flush of color and I don’t need to wear that much makeup because of it. I pair it with a brown neutral lip liner and the look is super trendy right now. For elevated makeup looks, events, and when I need a pink lip, I love the 502 Desire lipstick, which is a medium cool toned pink.
Performance
I’ll go through what the brand claims regarding this product and then I’ll share my own experience after I’ve tried a few shades. On the official Armani Beauty page, as well as on the retailer’s page, the Satin Lipstick is described as a long-lasting, high-pigmented, lightweight lip color with an eight-hour wear and no need to reapply throughout the day. The brand highlights special features like the Satin Finish Oil that coats and protects the lips for a lush silky-smooth feel; the Semi-Volatile Oil that enhances color and gives lips an ultra-soft, comfortable feel; the Vibrant Color Complex that delivers ultra-vivid pigments for one-swipe color.
Now, how did this lipstick perform for me? First, when I applied it, it immediately added color to my lips, and I didn’t have to layer it on. It applied very smoothly, with no streaks, uniformly and with the shade that matched what I saw on the bullet. My lips felt light, and after wearing it for a long time, I didn’t feel them get dry or stretchy like when you wear a long-lasting lipstick. Now, about the eight-hour wear and no need to reapply… That didn’t happen to me. After 3-4 hours, without eating or drinking, I felt like the color was fading and was less product on my lip. Of course, you can add longevity by applying a lip liner as a base, blotting and even lightly powdering on top, but by adding powder, the satin finish gets canceled out, and that’s where the fun goes. Because I do want a long-lasting lip color, but I don’t want it to be matte- and not glossy either.
Pros
The reviews for this product are generally positive, and consumers feel it’s worth the high-end price. Best feature is the vivid pigments that deliver instant color, and every shade in the collection is special and translates well from the bullet to the lip. The magnetic closure is very strong, which makes it tight and accident-free while carrying the lipstick in a bag full of thing -something must of us are guilty of. The packaging feels sleek, heavy and luxurious.
One extra point goes to the brand for creating real nude shades that suit so many skin tones and give you the possibility to wear dramatic Smokey eye looks or even colorful elongated eyeliner. The wear is reasonable- more than a regular lipstick, but not more than 3-4 hours at the same intensity as when the lipstick was applied. For the wear time, it feels comfortable on the lips, doesn’t feel like you have an extra layer of product, and doesn’t dry out the skin too much.
Cons
The lipstick is long-wearing, but not to the extent of the 8-hour claim. After 3-4 hours of not eating, drinking, or touching, a touch-up is needed, even if lip liner was applied. The lipstick is long-wearing, but not transfer-proof- although it’s not a claim the brand makes, it’s still disappointing that for the entire wear time, no surface can be touched without leaving a mark.
Ingredients
Feel free and also recommended to look for the meaning of the main ingredients on websites like Incidecoder.
TRIMETHYLSILOXYPHENYL DIMETHICONE ● ISOHEXADECANE ● OCTYLDODECYL NEOPENTANOATE ● POLYETHYLENE ● HYDROGENATED STYRENE/METHYLSTYRENE/INDENE COPOLYMER ● SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE ● VP/HEXADECENE COPOLYMER ● HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE ● ACRYLIC ACID/ISOBUTYL ACRYLATE/ISOBORNYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER ● PARAFFIN ● MICA ● CERA MICROCRISTALLINA / MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX ● CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE ● VP/EICOSENE COPOLYMER ● SYNTHETIC WAX ● CI 77491 / IRON OXIDES ● PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE ● CI 77492 / IRON OXIDES ● CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES ● ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE ● SILICA ● TOCOPHEROL ● CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES ● ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE ● SILICA ● TOCOPHEROL
These Armani lipsticks look great, I will be trying shade 109 Intimate peachy pink. I will let you know my thoughts once I have tried this.