Long time, no foundation review, eh? Rest assured, I have not become any less obsessed with foundations in my quest to find one to cover imperfections whilst imparting the perfect glow to the skin – although I must pat myself on the back for my restraint on the buying front as of late. I’m coming at you with a review of a foundation that (spoiler alert) might just be one of the very few that approach holy grail status and demand repurchase but here are the details. At the moment, I’m dealing with a cold and that hormonal time of the month, so my skin is not at its finest – a little angry and congested, and a lot dehydrated – and I figured it would be an excellent time to show you how it performs over less-than-smooth skin.

The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($68/ ounce) is a cult favourite of makeup artists and and I’d say that this is likely because it is a foundation that does what it says. The claims that the brand boasts of aren’t complex – they claim that it’s a lightweight foundation that achieves a seamless radiant finish that’s reminiscent of silk – but it’s a refreshing change to review a product that’s not marketed as a skin miracle in a bottle. I knew that I wanted to try the foundation as soon as Armani launched on Sephora last year and I don’t regret it in the slightest. It provides medium buildable coverage that feels lightweight, looks luminous but lasts. It is almost undetectable on the skin but it has a perfecting or airbrushed quality to it. The foundation does not have the dewiest finish ever, but instead sits somewhere in between a luminous and a satin finish – read: the luminosity of this foundation comes off as emanating from within the skin rather than from visible particles or shine.

Ingredients: WATER, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, GLYCERIN, ISODECANE, ALCOHOL DENAT, POLYGLYCERYL-40ISOSTERATE, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, HEXYL LAUREATE, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, DISTERDIMONIUM HECTORITE, PHENOXYETHANOL, ACETYLATED GLYCOL STERATE, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, TRIHYDROXYSTEARIN, CELLULOSE GUM, NYLON-12, LIMONENE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, LINALOOL, DIPHENYL DIMETHICONE, ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, PARFUM, DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, METHYLPARABEN, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPINOL, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, HEXYL CINNAMAL.

Ingredient-wise, it’s not my ideal foundation because it does include drying alcohol – which is what gives it its weightless feel and texture – and irritating fragrance actives, but it performs so well, providing both lasting coverage and a luminous look to the skin that I’m not bothered by it. It does not contain SPF but that doesn’t bother me because my skin is so finicky to SPF actives that I like to choose a separate product and because it makes it a great flash photography foundation. Unlike some truly dewy foundations, Luminous Silk does set on the skin so it would not be ideal for severe dry patches and flaking, however, it is ideal for those who want some glow while giving their skin a blurring effect and coverage of imperfections. I don’t find that it clings to texture or small dry patches and I find that it wears beyond the 12 hour mark on me without issues.

I will mention that while the shade range is quite good, is confused the living hell out of me. I wear shade 2 – the lightest in the range I believe – which has a nice beige undertone but is a wee bit to pale for me. It matches my pale beyond belief neck that somehow is always 1-2 shades fairer than the rest of my body. It works well for me in the winter months, especially because I like contouring and adding some warmth on the daily but it could match someone about a shade fairer than me. As far as I understand, the range is numbered in terms of undertone – integers denoting neutral undertones, 0.25/0.75s denoting pink undertones and 0.5s indicating golden shades. Next time, I think I would try shade 4.

Because I had applied my skincare products hours before and my skin had drunk them up. I went in with the Make Up For Every Hydrating Primer to give the foundation a layer to stick to, although my moisturizer would have sufficed, if it hadn’t been applied so long ago. I applied one pump of the foundation with a buffing brush and did not set with powder, conceal my face or use any sort of setting spray.

Have you tried GA Luminous Silk?
Maggie, x