foundation overview #20: Giorgio Armani Designer Lift.

after seeing a review for this foundation on Front Row Beauty, i instantly wanted to try it. unfortunately i had to wait a few weeks until the new foundation from Giorgio Armani called Designer Lift was released in germany.
this is a new foundation targeted towards the more mature skin or drier skin, it claims to restore
"up to 10 years of luminosity, firms lines up to 87%, and firms skin by 73%. For 12 hours of lifting action."

well, although i don't need any of this and also don't have dry but even oily skin, i still wasn't put off regarding the nice experiences i made with other lifting foundations like the Guerlain Parure Gold which is also aimed towards mature skins.

the Designer Lift foundation claims to give you an "Invisible Face Lift" thanks to its unique "Stretching Micro-fil™ technology [...] that immediately stretches, softens and firms the skin surface".

the fun part is their claims of this foundation to give you a special luminosity and glow since they are using Prussian blue pearl pigments to create an "intense depth and luminosity to revive skin and correct color irregularities, while relieving dullness. Soft focus effect creates a youthful glow."

i'm not that big into the process of creating a foundation, the mixture of pigments and so on, i guess the Prussian blue pigment thing is something new that they use to blend into the colour but i don't know what other sort of blue or any colour is used normally - it would be great to get an expert opinion here ;)
well, key is: it's not blue(ish) in any angle or lighting, but i also don't see any serious objective difference to another good foundation that i like.

i ordered this foundation on douglas.de, it costs 48.95€ on there.
the Designer Lift comes in the same packaging as the Luminous Silk foundation by GA, a frosted glass bottle with precise pump that feels nice in my hands.
after seeing some online swatches and reviews, i chose shade #4 (my regular GA shade #4.5 is not available with this new foundation) for my NC20-25 skin in MAC since i found #3 looking too light for me. #4 is a medium shade with honey golden undertones. the colour does oxidise minimally on me, what begins with an NC20-colour ends up as a NC25 10 minutes later. see my swatches below to compare to other GA foundations.

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation freshly aplied

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation 10 Minutes after application

comparison

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in 4.5 - GA Designer Lift in 4 - GA Lasting Silk UV in 4.5 - MAC Pro Longwear in NC20

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in 4.5 - GA Designer Lift in 4 - GA Lasting Silk UV in 4.5 - MAC Pro Longwear in NC20

the foundation has a creamy, soft consistency. it blends very well, with the fingers i get a lovely even finish but i love to apply this foundation with my Le Métier de Beauté Blush Brush the most. buffed in gently with the tips of the brush head, it creates a flawless dewy finish with a medium, buildable to full coverage. it covers all marks and blemishes and diminishes all of my redness.

the foundation feels nourishing but lightweight on my skin, it sets after a few minutes to a glowy finish but dry to the touch. it makes my skin appear refined, even and lush without a cakey look, settling into pores or fine lines. it provides an spf of 20.

i still need to set it with powder, though - i find it works amazingly well with the Giorgio Armani Micro-fil Loose Powder to give a smooth, velvety and luminous result.

the Designer Lift foundation lasts about 7-8 hours on me before i become too shiny, but it still won't be blotchy. i really like how this foundation doesn't smudge, but when it does, the coverage still remains even.

the finish reminds me of Chanel Pro Lumière foundation, very perfected and smooth, unless the staying power is much better than Chanel. it's also similar to Guerlain's Parure Gold foundation but is a better colour match for me.

in comparison to Giorgio Armani Lasting Silk UV, this one is dewier and creamier with a comparable staying power and better coverage. the GA Luminous Silk is also not as dewy as this one and doesn't apply as nicely.

take a look at my other foundation reviews here.

tihilw

without any make up - with Giorgio Armani Designer Lift in #4 and GA Master Corrector in #2 (i don't know why this fdt. photographs so incredibly yellow...)

setted with Giorgio Armani Micro-fil Loose Powder

ingredients:
octinoxate 7.5%, titanium dioxide 1.9% water, cyclopentasiloxane, phenyl trimethecone, cyclohexasiloxane, butylene glycol, cetyl peg/ppg-10/1, dimethicone, pentylene glycol, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, fragrance, tocopherol, phenoxyethanol, adenosine, magnesium sulfate, peg-10 dimethicone, peg/ppg/18/18 dimethicone, ethylhexylglycerine, cellulose gum, silica, limonene, benzyl salicylate linalool, synthetic fluorphlogopite, sorbitol, acrylates copolymer, disodium stearoyl glutamate, methylsilanol/silicate crosspolymer, butylphenyl methylpropional, aluminum hydroxide alumina, hexyl cinnamal {may contain} iron oxides, ferric ferrocyanide, bismuth oxychloride, titanium dioxide.