Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation Review

Hi y'all!

So today I have yet another base makeup review for you... =D I wonder will I ever get tired of trying new foundations? Hahaha.



So I don't own this foundation, but I did get a sample! Now here's a tragic story... the MUA gave me more sample than this... but most unfortunately the cap wasn't screwed on tight and it leaked T_T So I was left with this much to experiment with. Oh well c'est la vie XD

It's the liquidy type of foundation. I'm actually quite surprised to see a separation there... usually I only see separation in serum foundations? I got it in the shade No. 4

Naked face action!





Half face application. Really No. 4 should match me just fine, but I'm getting tanned with the summer sun T_T


Sorry about the hair. With foundation. I applied with my Sigma flat top synthetic kabuki brush. I think it probably would have applied better with a BeautyBlender-- this foundation has more coverage/is a bit thicker than I anticipated. Not saying it's a thick foundation because it's not, it's quite liquidy-- but I was anticipating for something really thin for some reason lol.


Without foundation

Overall effect





I'm actually surprised that this foundation's finish isn't more glowy, cuz you know, it's called the "luminous foundation". On the other hand, it looks more natural because it's not excessively glowy, know what I mean? :P







6 hours later!

By the way I did highlight my nose bridge, so that shine isn't from the foundation LOL.


I think it was looking slightly cakey, but that was probably because the brush deposited too much foundation-- I feel like if I had used a BeautyBlender instead it would've held up better.


Sorry if my lips look really scary. Was also doing my MAC lipstick collection swatches so my lips went through a lot that day XD









It help up okay... I feel like you can see the foundation is coming up a little bit? Slight patchiness on the oily nose? I also feel like this foundation makes me extra oily, but you can't really see it that well in those pics. In any case, this is one of those foundations that I consider don't wear gracefully over time for my skin type.


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So! Just to make sure I have the best application for this foundation possible, I gave it another try on another day, this time using my BeautyBlender. Just wanted to see if the foundation holds up any better with a "tighter" application :P


Fresh morning application. I do want to note that I was using my new Diorsnow sunscreen, so that's why my face looks extra glowy compared to my other swatch photos. So for a more accurate finish of this foundation, you guys will want to refer to the swatches from before :)


You guys prob can't tell from the photos... but BeautyBlender definitely gives a better finish. It applies the foundation much less heavy than a brush. I definitely prefer using BeautyBlender with this foundation.









About 6.5 hours later.

Can you spot the oiliness on my nose?

If not, here are even closer-up pictures for you XD

Oiliness galore.


This foundation definitely makes the oily areas on my face EXTRA oily.


From afar it's not too bad. But like I always say... nothing ever looks too bad from afar XD

And because I was bored...

LOL. Just to demonstrate how ridiculously oily this foundation made me! I don't usually blot. I just took off the foundation after taking these photos because I found the oiliness too uncomfortable.


Conclusion: Definitely NOT a suitable foundation for combination (normal/oily) skin. If you're looking for a luminous foundation for combination skin, try YSL Touche Eclat. That one is glowy but doesn't make me extra oily. I don't think the GA Luminous Silk is that glowy anyway. Or if you want to play it safe, just use a matte foundation, spray it down with facial mist, and use some good highlights XD As always, I'd encourage getting samples to test out the foundations for yourself because everybody's skin reacts to products differently, so you might have a vastly different experience than I do! I think if anything Lasting Silk will probably be a better foundation choice for my combination skin; that foundation is pretty good with oil control. 

I do want to note that since I did get a sample of this foundation, and with the container leaking and everything... it might not be at its best/freshest? Just want to be conservative and throw that out there in case there's any misunderstanding between me and this foundation LOL. Anyway, I am no longer interested in buying this foundation. I think this foundation would be more suitable for dry/normal skin. By the way, GA always have a 20% off friends and family sale every year around June (I can't remember if it's 20% off with any purchase, or 20% with purchases of $125 and up, or if the $125 is only for free shipping qualification >.<) it has passed for this year, but you guys should take advantage of that to not pay the full price for this foundation, because it is definitely very pricey. Or if you don't want to buy it from GA website for shipping charges, sign up for Ebates and they also have a yearly 15% cash back on Nordstrom as well! Nordstrom is free shipping with any purchase. The 15% cash back on Ebates usually happens in May... which also unfortunately has passed. But just a heads-up for future references in case you need ideas on savings :)

Alrighty all! That's all I have for today. Happy Thursday! Then after tomorrow comes happy weekend =D Until next time, smile and be happy!


<3 Frances

Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation Review... Sort of

Hi guys!


****image credit goes to Nordstrom****

I know you probably all went "?" when you saw the title... a "sort of" review? What does that even mean?!

Well the reason why this is a sort-of review is because this is gonna be a very crude review... more like a one-day wear impression/review. I am not able to come up with a thorough review because this foundation did break me out. I noticed my face was itchy throughout the day, and had to tissue it off as soon as I got home. Then after I removed and cleansed my face properly I still felt itchy and noticed red little bumps along my jawline and a little bit on my cheeks. I treated my face immediately with active charcoal mask and some yogurt and next day I woke up to some dry patches along my jawline instead (which is a good thing by the way). There are still some red bumps on my cheeks but they don't bother me as much because they don't itch. My only concern now is the itchy patches on my chin. So luckily I only wore this for one day so it didn't get out of control, but with that said I'm not about to try and test out this foundation further. Luckily I did have time to snap some photograph the first day I tried it so hopefully that will give you some idea about the finish and texture! :)


So the Maestro foundation is very liquidy, and as most of you probably have heard, contains A TON of silicone. It actually reminds me of the Loreal Base Magique Transforming Smoothing Primer, except the Loreal primer is in a mousse form and GA is in liquid (and is a foundation obviously).

It's very watery. The MUA gave me a ton of sample now I don't know what I'm gonna do with it =T and excuse my chipped nail polish.


If you're familiar with Giorgio Armani, you will know that his foundation generally leans more orange than neutral. My shade is in 4.5, which is slightly orange on me but nothing too bad.




Can you tell the foundation accentuates lines/dryness a bit?


This picture captures the dryness much better. This is why after I initially swatched it at store I was no longer excited/eager to try this foundation anymore-- I was immediately put off by the texture. I usually look for something creamier.


From afar it doesn't look too bad, however I don't feel like it enhances the look of my skin either

Here I have the Maestro foundation and YSL Touche Eclat for comparison. I much prefer the YSL finish because it doesn't make my skin look dry, but rather makes my skin look more radiant and hydrated.


I have to admit though, the Maestro foundation does perform a bit better after being applied to my face.

I don't have the before and after comparison because I thought I was gonna review this foundation more... so yeah.


I don't really understand why people keep saying YSL Touche Eclat is a sheer foundation and Maestro is not??? Because in my opinion Maestro doesn't have more coverage than YSL. In fact, I think YSL have more coverage than Maestro. I did use quite a bit to achieve this finish (on the website it says you're supposed to only need 1-2 drops... well I don't have the droplet dispenser but I do believe I had to use more than that to cover my redness. But this foundation is quite buildable I will give it that.

Anyway while I'm not really fond of this foundation (I feel like it makes my skin look dry especially around my nose). I want to say this foundation does minimize pores pretty well and gives that soft-focusing/blurred effect on the skin. It was hard to photograph these pictures because this foundation kept mis-focusing my camera XD





Overall effect. I look so serious LMAO. Looks pretty good in the pic but I just don't like it when I see the finish up close in person -_-"


And in terms of oil control... this foundation absolutely fails. With YSL Touche Eclat which is a dewy foundation I got 4-5 hours of wear without any noticeable shine. And I noticed oil seeping through within 30 minutes of wearing this foundation.




After about 8 hours

It held up reasonably well on my cheeks (normal skin), but you can obviously see the oil has broken through the foundation on my nose (so gross haha but just want to give you guys an idea how it holds up on combination skin). And you might notice the foundation has faded somewhat on my nose.



So I'm not fond of how this foundation wears either. When I get oily the oil doesn't meld in with the foundation, it kind of just sits there and is pretty noticeable. In conclusion, this foundation is definitely more suitable for those who have normal skin (dry skin might want to stay away as I do feel like it emphasizes dry/patchiness).



That concludes my "review" for the Maestro foundation. While this foundation is definitely a miss for me (it broke me out!!! T__T haven't had a reaction from a foundation in a while), I still encourage those who are interested to get a sample, and just try it out! I honestly think I'm the only person giving a negative review on this foundation orz... seek second opinion! Just because this foundation doesn't work for me, it doesn't mean it won't work for you!

I hope some of you found this review helpful! =) Have a great week guys!



<3 Frances

Random catch-up :)

Hey guys!

Longgg time no blog! Which is normal I guess XD I decided to do this catch-up post to show you guys my update and some new/newish products I've been using and trying out. Just so I can throw out my general thoughts out there :P since it seems kind of impossible for me to sit down and write detailed individual reviews about everything nowadays.

Hmmmm let's see what first?

There really hasn't been much going on with me =_= honestly student's life is pretty much the same everyday... exam exam exam. But I did go see The Hunger Games movie!!! XD!!!! I know quite a few bloggers went to see that movie. What did you guys think???? I give it an 83% =DDD which is high from me by the way, because I tend to be very critical when it comes to novel-based movies (Harry Potter movies are generally in the C range for me... what can I say the books are just too brilliant and they change the story too much in the movies T^T). I am a HUGE fan of The Hunger Game books!!!! I gotta say, a lot of the parts in the movies really really exceeded my expections *happy tears* but I was kind of disappointed in Rue's scene... it's not as moving as depicted in the book. And I really didn't think they develope Rue's personality as well in the movies. Also I wish there was more to the "cave romance," and they didn't cut the part that she drugged Peeta... so I docked points off from these :P But other than that, the movie was so AWESOME. Jennifer Lawrence was absolutely AMAZING. Can't wait for the DVD to come out!!! Really want to see it again >_<


So being the makeup dork I am, I couldn't help but notice the fashion in The Hunger Games XD Did you guys pay attention to Cinna's gold eyeliner as I did? :P

When Cinna came out in the movie, I was definitely looking for the eyeliner. And I must say the gold eyeliner looked really attractive on him... exactly like the book described!

I never possessed a gold eyeliner before, but now I do XD

Trying to do gold eyeliner XD I've seen other youtubers/bloggers do this look before but I was never able to try it out cuz I didn't have a gold eyeliner... but now I do =DDD

Super subtle gold. Hmmm I kind of want a brighter yellow gold =P my eyeliner has more bronze tone to it.

I can go on obsessing over the books/movie forever, so let me go onto the next subject before I go crazy XD


Hmm next I guess will be a rather "tragic" news. My Bubbi Dual Cover brush came apart =(

Not surprised it happened. Remember when I first reviewed the brushes I noticed cracks along the handle? Then I noticed the ferrule started to get loose after a few months... and they finally came apart. Oh well. Honestly I'm not all that upset (I don't really get upset over things like this for some reason lol) and I'm actually not planning to superglue them back together for the time-being because I think having them apart makes it easier to travel with??? XD We'll see. The other brush that the ferrule has come loose will be the HD flawless brush. I think these are going to come apart soon. We'll see. Guess they're not built as sturdy as I had thought. But anyway besides the Dual Cover brush and the HD flawless brushes, I haven't noticed any other issues with the rest of the brushes.

Next I finally tried out the Lioele Triple the Function BB cream.

This is a major MISS for me. I do not like this at all. It's a really REALLY thick formula, but the thickness doesn't bother me cuz I just sheer it out. But the color is very pale (it does oxidize a bit though) and most disturbingly, this BB cream just doesn't adhere to my face that well. It starts to cake and crease under my eyes and settle in fine lines. I've never experienced this with BB creams, so I am very disappointed. By the way I did try blending this BB cream with other BB creams. Still no improvement. This will go onto my blog sale soon. Other than that it gives medium-full coverage and semi-matte finish.

See it for yourself

Honestly usually my undereye fine lines aren't even that bad, but it just cakes up on my "laughing lines" (my cheeks and my eyes tend to squeeze together when I laugh ahaha) and make me look I have aged years. ICK.

A real shame cuz I really wanted to love this BB cream...

Since we're on the subject of BB creams, Dior has come out with its own BB cream!

I managed to get a sample from Sephora :) The smell is divine and the texture is nice, but the color is so orange :( not that surprised either since I generally have that issue with Dior.


While I have the swatch up for Dior, I figured I might as well do a swatch for Lioele.



NARS has also come up with a tinted moisturizer. I haven't tried it out but I don't think I will be able to since the shade is in medium...

Another sample product I got from Sephora is the Hourglass N28 Primer deluxe sample.

I gotta say I adore this primer! But I went on the website to check the price and it scared me away O_O Not ready to dish out this much money for a primer at this stage. However it is a very nice primer. I was a little shocked at the oil formula, but it absorbs quickly and gives face a smooth finish.







Not sure about the benefits of the essential oils honestly my skin hasn't felt any difference. I just really like how light it is, and the best part is it keeps my oil at bay! My oily nose no longer looks shiny by the end of the day, but rather just dewy. AWESOME!

While I'm not ready to invest in this particular primer, I did purchase the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer the to-go size (hell no not gonna buy the full size product XD) So I'm gonna see how that compares to N28 primer.

I also got a moisturizer sample from Origins.

It's alright I guess? Don't love it and don't dislike it.

I also picked up an eye cream from Origins.

To be honest I've tried a sample of this before and wasn't impressed by any means. But I already went through 2 jars of the Kiehl's avacodo eye cream and just want to try something else. And didn't want to spend a ridiculous amount either...

Also from Origins, I'm gonna introduce my new love to you all =DDD

I. friggin. LOVE. this. stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You guys might remember a while ago I swore off any clay masks because they make my face red and sensitive. But after getting a sample from Origins, I was in love! So so so sooo glad I got a sample. This is definitely nothing like the Body Shop Seaweed ionic clay mask, or the Queen Helene Mint Julep mask. I will have a more detailed review coming up!

Next I have a few products from Korres:

I got a bunch of Korres products in a sale for pretty cheap. I've only used this a couple times but so far not really impressed. Plus the smell is weird... we'll see.

However, I adore the Korres Lip Butters!!!

I adore the wild rose one much more than the guava one. The textures of these lip butters are pretty smooth and make my lips super soft and comfortable! I like!! ^_^ Although I usually HATE having to dip my fingers into products, the formula is good enough for me to overlook that.

You might think the red is over the top, but really you can apply it quite sheerly for a tint of color.

Naked lips:


Apply "wild rose" sheerly

Gives a little color to my complexion ^_^ and a bit of dewiness to my lips.
Build up just a bit

And you can actually build it up to a very opaque/darker red. But usually this is as far as I will go on  a daily basis ^_^
To be honest I am kind of disappointed in the "guava" formula.

On Sephora website it claimed to be a "clear" formula. Well it's not =_= it leaves a very obvious white layer of lip balm. So no this is not something I will wear out. I just slather this all over my lips at bedtime XD plus this formula is not as thin as the wild rose one???? don't know. But anyway even though at $12 a jar, which is quite expensive for lip balms, I'd still like to try out the ones in pink and coral... sometime XD you get quite a lot of products too.

I also finally purchased the Too Faced glitter glue.

This thing is huge O_O when I saw the thing I was like dang when am I ever gonna use this up?! And I'm kind of debating if I should keep this, simply because I rarely use glittery eye shadows and regular primers usually fulfill my needs. I've only used this once since I purchased it and it wasn't on glittery eye shadows XD I have to say it's quite nice. I think it can even work for regular eye shadows as well?! @@ We'll see, I'll have to test it out more.

I also have a new addition to my lipsticks collection ^_^ (which I can count in both hands XD)
It's from the Lacome Rouge in Love collection.


I've been eyeing the nude pink ever since I saw the swatch/review on Rae's channel:


I adore my Giorgio Armani cool pink lipstick, but it had become rather difficult for me to wear it ever since I got paler and paler AND paler over the winter O_O seriously I think I'm at my palest my whole life. But anyway the GA Rouge d'Armani pink 515 (which I actually picked up per Rae's recommendation as well lol!) is difficult to wear now because I'm so pale. I have to wear extra warm/heavy blushes so I don't look too washed out. So I've been looking for another more wearable nude pink. Rae was actually really helpful and told me that this Lancome 307B is not as cool and has more biege, which I cannot agree more.

I put together 3 lipsticks that I thought are similar:

left: Giorgio Armani Rough d'Armani pink 515 (satin finish, with shimmers)
middle: Lancome Rouge In Love 307B Sweet Embrace
right: Lancome Color Design Love It! (cream finish)

In this pic you can see that GA has shimmers while Lancome does not. And Lancome definitely leans more biege. By the way the GA lipstick reads even cooler on my lips than against my hand.

I haven't tested out if Lancome RIL does indeed have 6 hours wear... but honestly I don't really care lol. I've always adored Lancome lip products! They are super comfortable to wear, and this 307B didn't disappoint =)


Finally I accumulated quite a number of drugstore products. I have to say, I've been mightily impressed by drugstore quality these days O_O these eye shadows seriously are just as good as high end ones.

I decided to pick up Revlon PhotoReady Concealer. The shade in #4 but it's definitely a tad too dark on me. I should've picked up #3 but it was out of stock and I didn't want to wait XD The only reason why I even had the chance to pick these up is because I was on my rotation aka makeup shopping after work XD lol.

I do not own the Revlon PhotoReady foundation but I've heard they contain shimmers. I actually did notice the shimmers in this concealer as well. So if that's something that bugs you then you'll want to stay away. Personally I don't mind it. It is very creamy and smooth, but I found it dries rather fast so you'll want to blend fast. I personally don't find this concealer to be the best for my skin type because I do have combination (normal-oily) skin and creamy products just don't hold up as well on me. I also found this concealer to look quite drying under my eyes, if I'm not careful to take time to really really and I mean REALLY blend it/sheer it out. I prefer to use fingers to apply this concealer so it doesn't sit too thick on my skin which can contribute to cakey appearance.

I honestly didn't expect I was gonna like the Revlon lip butters formula but I do! It's not drying (but also not hydrating... more like it just doesn't dry out my lips that's all, no extra hydration) and it doesn't make my lips peel :D :D :D I picked up Lollipop cuz I thought it looked so nice on Bubbi in one of her tutorials but unfortunately it just doesn't look as good on me lol I think Bubbi is fairer than me.

Before I end this post, I just want to do a little update on my fitness/weightloss progress. So far I've lost solid 7 pounds. Extra 2 pounds (so 7-9 pounds) that kind of fluctuate depending on how much I eat... so I'm working really hard on that. My goal is to lose just another 5 pounds then I'll be so happy. But I've hit a plateau so it's a bit frustrating... sometimes I look at my unchanging number on weight scale and just want to cry T_T I thought about posting some pics but then honestly the difference really isn't that noticeable in pictures for some reason, although you can definitely tell in person. I'm able to fit into some of my old jeans now, without struggling with them either :D :D :D


Even after losing 7 pounds and losing almost all of my boobs and half of my butt XD and some thighs and belly, my face REFUSED to change. Especially my double chin (well my face did get slimmer and my double chin did become less obvious... but just nowhere to my satisfaction). It was so frustrating, so I finally decided to give in and pick up the Clarins Shaping Facial Lift lipo-drain serum (act of desperation I will admit that)


I want to let you guys know that I've always had double chin (was made fun of that in middle school lol) it's just a matter of how bad it is. It's very frustrating because whenever I gain weight, the first place the fat goes to is my chin, and when I lose weight, the last place is my chin as well T__T may I also add when I lose weight I lose my boobs first and gain weight in boobs last ahahaha wonderful combination huh?

I don't know if you guys can tell, but my face did get a lot slimmer on the sides (cheek and jawline).

I know it's hard, you guys prob can't even tell when I gain/lose weight cuz obviously all my good pictures are taken at certain angles to make my face appear slimmer and obviously I chose the better pictures. But even with the same posing, my face is more V-shaped than before.



can you guys tell my chin looks a bit pointier??

a lot more obvious in this pic. But I really don't think my face look this thin in real life lol. Not this thin but at the same time a lot thinner than before. my face looks so stupid in this XD was gonna black out my eyes but oh well whatevs.

Sorry for the mega tired face... yep post exam traumatic syndrome

I will have a more comprehensive review coming up? Don't know how much more comprehensive it can get actually cuz you just have to follow instructions while using this product. And actually unfortunately this is not the result I'm looking for... while it significantly slims down the sides of my face, it hasn't done much to my double chin. I saw results the next day using this product. I'd say maximal effect (like what I look like now, it's not really changing anymore my face hasn't gotten anymore slimmer) in about 3-4 days. It's been about 2 weeks, I'm gonna use it for longer before I make a definite review if you guys are interested?

Okay now for real before I end this post XD

I kind of miss brown hair T_T this was taken about 1 year ago. AHHH but really hate to dye and touch up my hair O_o we'll see if I'm gonna go light for the summer.

If you guys reach the end of this post, I applaud you!!! ^____^ Do you guys like/hate this kind of long post? I try to post as many product pics as I can so you guys can just skip to the part that might interest you. I think from now on when I come out of hiding I will scare you guys with this kind of super long posts XD

By the way, milani liquid eyeliner review coming up! And still working on Josie Maran review XD

Good night world! Tomorrow have to resume my studying schedule again (just been tortured by 2 exams and 1 quiz this week and more to come next week O_O)

Hope you're all doing well!

<3 Frances