Giorgio Armani Écailles Collection: Gloss D'Armani; Classic Edition Eye Palette Review, Pics, Swatches

Bucking the trend for pretty pastels or warm beachy shades, the Giorgio Armani summer collection is a breath of fresh air. Called ‘Écailles’ - which translates literally to scales - this is a cool-toned, elegant edit inspired by the depths of the ocean – perfect for channelling this year’s aquatic trend, so.

Two oceanic eye palettes form the core of the collection –  a luxury version, which looks like a stunning piece of kit,  inlaid with black mother-of-pearl (see top), and a classic palette, which is what I’m showing you today.

Four satiny shades of silver, grey, navy and white are housed in this sleek black compact, complete with built-in mirror. The texture is lovely – apart from the lightest shade, which is a tad grainier, these are smooth, creamy and really finely milled.

Pigmentation’s a bit sheerer than I was expecting, but that’s actually a plus – the colours work together perfectly and blend seamlessly for a polished, understated look.

Apparently that’s down to some high-end technology that's at play here, resulting in exceptional depth of colour, a featherweight texture and outstanding layering properties. If you're thinking that doesn’t come cheap, you're right  – the classic palette is €65, and the luxury version is €110.

There are four glosses in the collection, all soft, sophisticated, berry tones that should flatter most skintones. They're all named for semi precious stones - I’ve got Red Andradite, called after a type of garnet,  and the others are Pink Quartz, Rose Crocoite (which is a limited edition) and Raspberry Zincite.

They’re €25, and they're lovely – smooth, creamy and nicely balmy on the lips. Mine hangs around a respectable amount of time, too, and I love that the GA logo clicks nicely into place when I close the tube. It makes me happy – it’s the little things, folks…

The collection also includes four gorgeous looking Eyes To Kill shadows (in Obsidian Black, Obsidian Grey, Écailles and Madre Perla, all €26) and a face and cheeks duo palette in seashell pink/white foam, which is €59.50.

Interested? It's all on counter now.