Welcome to The Great Beauty Try-On, where we seized the opportunity to test-drive the best-selling makeup products from some of your favorite beauty brands (plus some newcomers!) and documented the process along the way.
I’m going to be straight with you: I had no intention of creating a holiday makeup look—absolutely none, zero, zilch, nada. But give a girl some Armani Beauty products, and the possibilities are endless. I guess all I needed to get into the festive spirit was some Eye Tint Liquid Eyeshadow ($30) and the perfect pink lip. It’s a combination that wouldn’t even cross some people’s minds, but I tend to gravitate toward the unexpected. I am a beauty editor, after all, so I do have one nonnegotiable: I need to start with a glowy base. Then, I pick a feature to accentuate and see where it takes me. In this case, I focused my energy on my eyes and went for something a little undone, applying a wash of the prettiest pinkish-red liquid shadow across my lid. To see the other eight products I used, keep scrolling!
I don’t care if it’s the dead of winter—I’m a glowy-makeup girl year-round. There are a few ways you can use this product: as a base, mixed with your foundation, or on top of it. For this particular look, I applied some of this before foundation to give my skin a little extra glow. It was super subtle and not too shimmery at all.
If you’re not a foundation person, this will convert you. I realize I’ve said this about a handful of foundations (less than five, I swear!), but this is the first formula I had these feelings about. It’s truly incredible. Its name says all you need to know. It’s a super-buildable, glowy base that feels like second skin. It instantly blurs skin, has a broad range of tones and shades, and feels extremely hydrating. There’s a reason every single makeup artist has this in their kit.
I mean, you can’t have the foundation without the concealer, right? It has the same silky finish as the foundation but adds a little more radiance to the under-eye area.
I brushed some of this on and blended it in an outward motion to set my base. It locks everything in place and adds a natural finish to the look.
I usually go for pink blush with cool undertones, but lately, I’ve been using more purple tones. Maybe it’s the season, or maybe I’m getting more mature (doubtful!), but this warm, plum hue feels rich. It truly melts into your skin and has a natural, matte finish. I used my fingers to tap the product onto the apples of my cheeks. The beauty of the formula is that you can build up the color depending on the vibe you’re going for. Since I have naturally rosy cheeks, I usually keep my application pretty minimal. Side note: This is a multi-use product and can also be used on your eyes. I see a monochrome look in my future.
I couldn’t resist using another shade of the glow enhancer. Just look at this pink shade! I added the tiniest amount to the tip of my nose and on my Cupid’s bow. These are my favorite areas on my face to highlight—when the sun hits it, it’s just *chef’s kiss.*
This liquid shadow is incredibly pigmented, and the formula is so smooth and buildable. The color is this perfect pinkish-red that does magical things to my eye color. I hate when a liquid shadow dries too quickly and makes it hard to finish your eye without becoming a big, dry, crackly mess. I promise this isn’t one of those formulas. I used the applicator to get the majority of the product on my lid (the angle and shape of it really molds to your eye) and went back over with my finger, dabbing and blending the color in. I did this a few times on each lid until I was pleased with the final look. I’ve always admitted that I’m lazy with makeup, so any product that I can apply with my fingers always reigns supreme.
I added a little bit of an “eye-light” to the corner of my eyes using this gold-silver metallic shade. It just felt like the festive thing to do.
This is the lipstick color of my dreams. It’s the perfect pink with cool undertones and a dash of shimmer. The formula is creamy and glides on easily thanks to the drop-shaped bullet. It feels really nice when it’s on, too—it’s more like a balm but has color and staying power like a lipstick. I’m warning everyone that I’ll probably (read: 100%) be wearing this lip color everywhere from now on.
