The new Armani Mediterranean Palette

When we think of Giorgio Armani, many of us picture impeccably tailored suits and stunning fashion accessories. But the company’s beauty brand (aptly named Georgio Armani Beauty) is just as covet-able.

This past weekend, Kristin and I had the pleasure of getting an up close and personal look at the collection of Giorgio Armani Beauty products, which we had never encountered previously. I know. Ridiculous, isn’t it? We’re not sure how we missed out on this amazing makeup brand until now.

Thankfully, our beauty blogging friend Charleston Girl, from Best Things in Beauty, clued us in and helped set up an expert makeup application from the talented staff at the Armani cosmetics counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland. And while you all know how much we love playing with makeup itself, we were equally as thrilled to speak with the brand’s National Creative Director and Celebrity Makeup Artist, Tim Quinn.

Kristin preparing to be Armani-fied.

After a warm welcome from the crew, we began our introduction to the brand with the application.   With Kristin as our model and muse, Giorgio Armani Face Designer Giannina Davis began to transform her already-gorgeous makeup-free mug into a masterpiece.

After first prepping Kristin’s face with Fluid Master Primer ($56) to ensure a smooth “canvas,” Giannina began to gently blend in Luminous Silk Foundation ($59) in shade 2. With a sheer to medium, matte coverage, the foundation evened out Kristin’s porcelain skin, which already has a great complexion to begin with (don’t you just hate her?).

Moving on, Giannina spent some time prepping Kristin’s eyes by dabbing on Crema Nera Reviving Eye cream ($150) to help reduce puffiness and dark circles. She also swiped on Master Corrector ($36) in pink to even out some darker areas (note: orange is better for darker skin tones).

With her canvas ready for some color, Giannina moved on to add some warmth and depth to Kristin’s face. She started by sweeping on Sheer Bronzer 1 ($49), a cool-colored bronzer, along Kristin’s temples, cheeks and jawbone, forming the number “3.” Then, she added a pop of color and radiance to the apple of her cheeks with Sheer Blush 10 ($43).

You’ll have eyes to kill for with this mascara!

Then it was time for the fun part — the eyes. To set a base for further color and to “set” the concealer she used earlier, Gianna swept on a bone color Maestro eye shadow ($29) all over the lid and up to the brow. Then, she pulled out her secret weapon — the new Bronze Mediterranean Palette ($85), which features four gorgeous shades along with a bronzer.

To play up Kristin’s blue eyes, Giannina used the palest sea-foam color on the lid itself. Then, she contoured the eye with the bronze/brown shade, blending it all along the crease to both corners using a large contour brush. To highlight the inner corner of the eye (tear duct area) with a pop of fresh color, Giannina used the golden/green color in a “v” shape, which slightly lined the bottom lid.

To create that extra oomph, she lined the entire upper lid with Maestro Eyeliner 1 ($31), an easy-to-use liquid liner that glides on like a very fine tipped magic marker. This was so fabulous that I bought one on the spot — a serious consideration for those who have trouble applying liquid liners. To keep Kristin’s look soft and smokey, she smudged on the Smooth Silk Eye Pencil ($27) in 12 (brown/black). She completed the lashes with a swipe of the new Eyes to Kill Waterproof Mascara in 1 ($30).

To complete the look, Giannina decided on a soft nude pink look for Kristin’s lips, which naturally have a darker pink look to them. She used Smooth Silk Lip Pencil in 10 ($26), Rouge D’Armani Lipstick in 103 ($30) and Lip Shimmer Gloss in 16 ($27). A final sweep of some Fluid Sheer in 7 ($59) for some red-carpet-ready face highlights, and Kristin was completely Armani-fied. Giorgio gorgeous!

Kristin and Giannina Davis

Tim Quinn works his magic

Speaking of red carpets, it was time for the two of us to chat with the man who gets some of the most famous stars ready for their big nights — Tim Quinn. While he adores working with celebrities like Michelle Trachtenberg (who he loves because she lets him do anything with her makeup, from bold to playful), Tim’s passion is working with everyday women at Georgio Armani Beauty makeup application events. He says that’s where he has the most opportunity to translate a look you might see on the runway or a celebrity into everyday wear, which is different for each person. And his clients have a very clear idea of what they are looking to achieve, so he aims to please.

Of course, just because you aren’t a celebrity doesn’t mean you can’t look like one. In fact, Tim commented that Kristin looks like Reese Witherspoon (she really does — especially in person).

So what’s hot right now? Tim says he’s loving teals for eye color, which he says can look good on everyone. He suggests Maestro Eye Shadow 14 as the perfect choice.

And with that, we were fully introduced to the gorgeous Giorgio Armani Beauty brand. We want to send a special thanks to the entire team, who were courteous and looked as though they were genuinely enjoying the experience with us and their other customers.

Check the brand out yourself, and let us know what you think!

Photos: Giorgio Armani; Anne Houseman/BeautyXpose