So Splurge-Worthy

Although I love high-end products as much as anyone else does, I’m trying to be more selective about what I spend my hard-earned money on these days. As difficult as it is to pass up some of the Chanel nail polishes I covet, I just can’t justify spending over $30 on a single shade. (Although I admit I’ve slipped up once or twice lately, because Graphite was a must-have!) But there was one expensive product I’d heard so many great things about that I was determined to check it out. Luckily, I had a $50 gift card to Barney’s that had been burning a hole in my pocket, so I headed off to Beverly Hills to play with Giorgio Armani’s new Eyes To Kill Intense Eyeshadows.

Honestly, I had high expectations but even then. The shadows pretty much blew them away. I loved all the shades so much that I spent a good thirty minutes at the counter trying to decide which two to take home with me. I would pick one, then second-guess myself and choose another, only to return to my first choice five minutes later. I finally decided to pick two of what I consider the most unique shades, #2 Lust Red and #4 Pulp Fiction. The colors are absolutely gorgeous and so, so pigmented. There’s none of that annoying phenomenon where the color looks dark in the pot, then disappears when it’s on your lids. And the texture is really amazing. The shadow comes in a jar with a little black stopper in it; you take that out and the shadow looks like it’s a solid, but when you poke around, it loosens right up. It’s sort of a cross between a powder and a cream, and it blends as easily as any eye shadow I’ve ever used. And it’s so versatile! You can use it alone, under another shadow, over another shadow, dry, wet, or even as eyeliner with the right brush. Of course, all of this wouldn’t matter at all if it creased a lot or wore off the minute you got out the door, but nope, it lasts and lasts and lasts—and then lasts some more. I work really long hours and when I was testing my two shades, they looked almost as fresh when I got home at night as they did when I walked into work twelve (or more) hours earlier. How often can you say that about your shadow?

These are definitely a serious splurge at $32, but sometimes a girl’s just gotta pamper herself, and these are definitely a worthy option when you’re looking to do that. The only problem now is that I can’t stop thinking about the other thirteen shades and wanting to splurge a few more times. Quick—someone take away my credit card!     

Read more of Stacey’s musings at The Daily Obsession.