Fall 2015 collection by Armani is called Eclipse. Well, I don’t know about you, but on hearing ‘eclipse’, I imagine something raw, mysterious and powerful. Let’s see, if it comes up to any of these expectations.

 

First we have here a highlighting palette. And that’s it. Just highlighting palette. Palette. Highlighting palette. No shade name.

 

I’m puzzled. How are we supposed to even tell one palette from any other, unless it has a name? Isn’t it essential? Isn’t it part of luxury market package? I guess not 🙂 Doesn’t mean I like it. I want a name for this. C’mon, Armani.

 

I look at this palette.

 

And there is some geometric eclipse going on here. But I gotta tell you… it’s not enough for me. I want more. More of eclipse, stars, sun, moon or whatever it is. I do. So, to me this palette design is a disappointment.

 

Also, isn’t palette supposed to mean there’s something more than a highlighter there? I would certainly hope so. Here it’s just highlighter. So, the word ‘palette’ is misleading, at least, to my ear.

 

You know, how Armani has those two level palettes with tone on top and three eye shades on the bottom? That’s what I picture, when I hear palette. There’s a second level here, but the only thing we see there is highlighter brush. Sadly.

 

Ah, well. The nameless highlighter 🙂 is soft and nice in texture, the way Armani face beauty products usually are.

 

It’s surprisingly light.

 

With super fine golden sparkle. Beware, this highlighter is yellowish. It means, that anyone, whose skin has a yellow undertone to it, won’t benefit from using it.

 

Then there are two shades of Eye&Brow Maestro paint. I’ve been waiting for try this one, hoping there would be a limited edition within one of seasonal collections.

 

It’s pretty thick and creamy in texture. Eyeliner like. I think, it will work just fine as both eyeliner and brow paint. Armani is just so good at texture. It can be also used as cream eye shadow, according to Armani. Well, yes, but the range is obviously limited by the brow part of it. So, I’d stick to Armani cream Eyes to Kill eye shadow instead.

 

There are two shades of Eye&Brow paint in Eclipse collection.

 

10 mahogany

 

It’s chestnut brown with a reddish undertone, which makes perfect sense.

 

11 ash blond

 

Light brown with a lot of gold in it.

 

Both shades would be really chic and elegant as an eyeliner, whatever colour your eyes are.

 

Here they are – mahogany is on the left, ash blond is on the right.

 

I don’t really use brow paint that much. Not my cup of tea.

 

All in all, I’d say this product does what it promises to do. And that’s good.

 

Together with Eye&Brow Maestro Armani released this eye multi-usage brush.

 

It’s dual ended.

 

Here we obviously have the brow side and the lid side.

 

Let’s take a closer look.

 

I don’t know about you. Personally, I just don’t like this kind of brush for eyeliner. I prefer this super thin tiny kind of angled brush. I’ve talked about it in my post called The brush that actually made it possible for me to use cream eyeliners. So, if you’re interested, read on 🙂

 

So far I haven’t seen much of an Eclipse that was stated in the collection name. Hm.

 

Next product to discuss is Black Ecstasy mascara

 

in 2 armani navy.

 

It’s this darker blue shade. Why is it here? Right. Remember, I told you early on in the season, that blue eye shadow is a big trend? Well, where there’s blue eye shadow, there’s blue mascara.

 

Let me just say, that I like my mascara dramatic. I like fuller longer lashes. I just do. And I love Armani Eyes to Kill mascara. It’s one of the best. Black Ecstasy is not as good, in my opinion. Still it’s quite good. Just doesn’t really beat Eyes to Kill.

 

The shade, as I’ve already said, is this darker blue.

 

Not quite navy blue. They sneaked some grey and, maybe, beige in it. It’s a signature Armani blue shade.

 

I have to tell you though, that Le Volume de Chanel mascara in 70 Blue night from Blue Rhythm de Chanel collection is very similar. So, just take your pick. Don’t really need both. If I had to take mine, I’d go for Chanel le Volume, but that’s just me.

 

Then we have four eye tints. It’s actually liquid eye shadow, which was released not too long ago. If you read my post about it, you know I like it. Yet again Armani nailed texture. And it’s not easy to do with liquid eye shadow. Their eye tint doesn’t get all clumpy and tough to work with. It’s possible to distribute it smoothly and evenly on the lid. And that’s awesome.

 

The shades 🙂

 

One is permanent. Who wants to take a guess at which it is? Here’s a hint. Think about the mascara.

 

It was simply inevitable this fall season, so we are getting eye tint

 

in 2 minuit.

 

It’s that kind of blue. Dark, but not all the way navy. I’d say, Armani’s version of blue is slightly darker than the shade that’s all around this season. Here it is.

 

Spongy brush.

 

It’s an interesting shade to try. Not shiny. Go for it, if you have grey eyes. You’ll get the wow effect.

 

There are also three limited edition shades of Armani eye tint.

 

Eye tint

 

zenith 13

 

Super pearly and shiny gold.

 

It’s a lighter gold.

 

Here’s some eclipse coming through. It’s a party shade and going out shade.

 

Eye tint

 

sunrise 14

 

It’s bronze.

 

A sophisticated kind of bronze. Not too shiny. Not too sparkly. Not too pearly.

 

I like it. Good way to do bronze. Another eclipse kind of shade.

 

Eye tint

 

sunset 15

 

Purple.

 

Luckily, it’s not this muddy kind of purple, that we’ve seen in Dior Cosmopolite. It’s a good clear darker purple. Not ink purple though. And not sparkly and pearly in the least. As stark as blue minuit.

 

Also, this shade is not really plum, it’s purple. A good thing to try. If you like it, it will be your alternative for plum, which is ever so common.

 

These are the four eye tints (left to right): minuit, zenith, sunrise, sunset.

 

Or shall we say liquid eye shadow shades, because liquid eye shadow it is 🙂

 

There are four limited edition shades of Eyes to Kill liner to go with it .

Armani liquid eye liner. The quality is good for those who can operate the brush. I can’t 🙂

 

Now, when you see these four shades, what do you think? I think – they should go with the four eye shadow shades. Makes sense, right? Let’s see, if that’s how it works.

 

Eyes to Kill liner

 

zenith 7

 

It’s gold. Light gold. So, our guess is right, seemingly. This zenith will go well with zenith eye tint.

 

Here’s the brush. Classic super fine and thin liquid eye liner brush that, for the life of me, I can’t operate.

 

It’s a flattering eye liner shade.

 

I like it, that it’s pale gold, as opposed to dead on gold. Pearly and sparkly too.

 

Next. Eyes to Kill liner

 

sunset 8

 

Purple.

 

Another liquid eye shadow match.

 

Not plum, but this darker purple.

 

Nice. Mysterious. Eclipsy. Matt.

 

Eyes to Kill liner

 

boreale 9

 

It’s… green.

 

WHAT?? Can someone, please, tell me, where green is coming from in this collection? I’m at a loss. Green doesn’t belong here. In any world.

 

Here it is though. A deep matt foresty green. Hm. What? Why? How? I don’t know.

 

Finally, there’s Eyes to Kill liner

 

minuit 10

 

Oh, so, we’re back on track, huh?

 

huh? This blue is lighter and brighter than minuit eye tint.

 

They’ll make a good pair 🙂

 

The last thing in the collection left to talk about is nail polish.

 

Armani nail polish is not the best out there in luxury market world, but it’s quite good.

 

Three shades. One permanent, two limited. Let’s go.

 

403 rouge eclipse

 

Eclipse?

 

Finally 🙂

 

It’s dark red, pearly, metallic, there’s very much from eclipse in this shade.

 

It’s a beauty. Deep red. Red velvet like shade.

 

This shade is worth it all the way.

 

Vampy. Hot.

 

605 mauve eclipse

 

Purple.

 

The same holds true here, that was true about the eye tint and eye liner.

 

It’s not ink purple, not that dark, it’s not plum.

 

It’s purple.

 

It’s not that it’s unique…

 

…but if you like darker shades, you might like this one.

 

And of course, as blue nail polish is as much of a trend as blue eye shadow, there’s Armani signature blue permanent shade.

 

701 bleu d’armani

 

It’s this darker blue, edging navy blue…

 

…but not going all the way navy blue.

 

It’s not an eclipse, it’s midnight sky waiting for eclipse to happen.

 

Try to swap your navy blue for this shade sometime.

 

It’s trendy this season, and it might get you to the place, where a whole new world of blue nail shades will open to you.

 

And that’s that. No lips shades. Of any kind. I’m devastated. The whole point of a collection is that it’s a full deal. Balanced and rounded. And here yet again, just as in Blue Rhythm de Chanel, we’re left to our own devices to try to find matching lip shades for all this eclipse glory. Well, it stirs imagination. Still, Armani, naughty naughty. C’mon, lip shades!

 

Well, what can I say about Eclipse? It’s not that it’s a complete and utter disappointment. It has some ups and downs. Still it doesn’t excite me enough. Doesn’t make me want to get all over these shades. Pity. This fall somehow is not a good season for me in terms of makeup collections. As much as I want to like them, most of them just don’t do it for me. Well, guess what, maybe, holiday collections will be tremendous to the point, where I’ll forget about not being too lucky with makeup releases this fall? I certainly hope so. Hello, Christmas 🙂