There’s a lot of fuss and big words used in the beauty business that dazzle and confuse but often don’t live up to their big claims so I’m always a little dubious (but excited like a 5 year old) when I hear of a new groundbreaking product. Armani are the latest brand to offer beauty addicts a new toy, this time in the form of their brand-spanking new Maestro foundation which is in fact ‘fusion makeup’.
Now I’ve had a long standing love affair with Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation, one of the first foundations I found year’s ago that seemed to match well with my pale complexion. So knowing that Armani can talk the talk and walk the walk, how will Maesto (€45) fair against my very particular badly behaved skin?
Well, not that great. This is the type of product that I like but struggle to love.
First off, it’s definitely a different breed of makeup and is crafted from oils and pigments to provide a soft, smooth base that promises to leave your pores unclogged. The mixture not only makes the product unique but claims that the different oils will evaporate naturally on your skin throughout the day whilst leaving a soft coverage that will stay put for the 9-5. On paper, it sounds like a dream but the proof is in the pudding.
On it’s own, the coverage is very light and isn’t that buildable but leaves a glow that’s very natural and youthful. This will wipe out a lot of you from the get go as I know a lot of girls love a decent coverage. I like a light base so this wasn’t a problem for me but the finish of Maestro was. On it’s own, it goes on incredibly smooth and sets beautifully on my face but at the same time, it clings to every tiny bit of dry skin (especially around my nose), even some bits I wasn’t aware of yet!
Refusing to give up, I mixed Maestro with a BB Cream (a trick I often use when I want more coverage) and the wetness of the BB Cream counteracted the dry tendencies of Maesto leaving only a soft glowing base. However, that’s a bit of a pain in the bum for most.
On the plus side, the packaging is as beautiful and sleek as you would expect and the shade range is carefully thought out and will work for most skin tones. Also, I did notice it changed throughout the day and seemed to work better with my skin the longer it was on, looking more natural as some of the oils evaporated, allowing it to settle more naturally on my skin.
Overall, I’d like to hope that this would work better on oilier skin but on my very dry skin it just wasn’t the right match. I’m still happily mixing it with my BB Cream and enjoying the results, but if you’re looking for one product to answer all your foundation prayers, I’d advise you definitely head to an Armani counter and try before you buy.
