I wear make-up every day. (no lie!) It’s true, I am a serious  beauty junkie. I have tried lots of products in tons of categories and some you might never have heard of. I have interviewed  star make-up artists that you probably would recognize: Vincent Longo, Jeanine Lobell, Sue Devitt, Mathew Van Leeuwen,  Paula Dorf, Laura Mercier, Maria Verel, TooFaced’s Jarrod Blandino, and lots more.

Whether you wear make-up daily or just on occasion, the key to a great look starts with the basics and that’s foundation and concealer. It’s even more important in the summer to get it "just right" because you were showing more skin; the weather is harder to deal with thanks to heat and humidity and you wear more color–both in clothing and on your face. Just like building a house, you need to start with a good foundation.

One of the best  is Giorgio Armani Cosmetics Luminous Silk Foundation. While sheer is the word here, it can be applied for that sheer wash of color  that perfects the skin.  Primarily I see  near perfect skin using this foundation–those without any bumps or booboos or discoloration.  Often it’s blended with the  the Fluide Sheer for a hint  more color either in gold, pearl or even bronze for that luminous skin that looks lit from within.  Having gone through my share of these two products, I can’t say I am disappointed with them at all other than I wish they had a touch more coverage for those occasions when I need them.

Now available is the answer to that need: Hydro Glow Foundation with SPF 15. This is a foundation with a bit more "guts" and a lot more substance –for those times when you need more coverage and want to have a foundation that is seamless yet allows  the skin to breathe thanks to this micro-fil technology that creates a mesh  layer of color while providing moisture  plus sunscreen. It has lovely texture, soft even color and feels like silk on the skin.  The luminous texture is due to the presence of the micro-fine pearls which are also in Fluide Sheer and give it that same luminous texture.  The pearl texture allows fine lines to vanish and skin to appear flawless and is just what us dry-skinned chicks need. Pat McGrath the cosmetic genius behind this line suggested warming a bit of the foundation in the palm of the hand to make it easier to apply in light delicate strokes and blend easier. It’s is truly "all that" and more!   Lovin’ this one!

Also very cool from Armani is the  new High Precision Skin Retouch This  new concealer is similar to the Retouch  pot concealer from Armani but the High Precision is presented in a wand format with a slightly more sheer texture. Because it’s so portable, it makes touching up on the run easy  thanks to the very fine brush and the luminescence makes it deflect light from lines and shadows.  It’s a yellow based concealer so that it can hide just about everything you need to hide. This is one of those products that manages to create a "need" since it’s just so fabulous.

Giorgio Armani Cosmetics can be found at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and select Nordstrom  stores.

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If you are  into the latest Armani cosmetic collections, run –do not walk–  to your nearest Armani counter and scoop up the Bronzemania collection for summer 2005. It’s definitely a collectable and the color lip and eye palettes are definitely worth having and playing with. It’s the best from Pat McGrath!

See you at the beauty counter!

Stevie

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