In my quest to simplify my makeup routine, I stumbled upon the Armani Eye Tints. I've never bought a luxury product for myself before so this was quite exciting. There were so many pretty colors but I decided to grow out of my comfort zone and pick a darker color. Shadow isn't a color I'd normally pick up but the silvery metallic purple called to my inner purple lover. As I kept using it, I was reminded of the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eyeshadow Paints. Will they be similar or should you pick the higher end version? Read on to find out!
{THE BREAKDOWN}
Since I only have one of the Eye Tints, I can't speak for the entire line. If Shadow was the representative from the brand, I'd say these are pretty darn good liquid eyeshadows! I'm not sure how to classify these eyeshadows as they're not thick or dense like a cream but they aren't sheer like a liquid. The best way to describe the texture is airy and mousse-like. It blends out like a dream without being sheer. One layer is all I need for full opacity. There's time to blend it out so no need to rush. Once it sets, it remained budge-proof until I took it off at the end of the day, roughly 10 hours. One caveat is that rubbing your eye will cause the color to sheer. When it comes to these types of eyeshadows, I tend to not wear eye primer underneath but I assume it would help increase longevity and pigmentation, not that this shadow needs it. Layering eyeshadow over the top didn't seem to increase wear time but the shadows did blend and adhere easily over the top. The applicator is large enough to cover my lid space without overwhelming it. I like that it comes to a pointed tip so that I can get right into my inner corners with ease. I've read complaints about the packaging not feeling luxurious enough but the plastic case feels more sturdy in my clumsy hands. I haven't noticed any leakage out of the tube so its doing its job properly. My one complaint is that the name of the shadow isn't on the tube itself. Instead, the number is printed on the bottom of the tube. There are 12 colors in this range. Retail price is $38usd for 0.22oz ($173.73usd per oz).
I love a good bargain buy and Rimmel never fails to disappoint me. I've hauled these in my British Beauty Invasion Haul and my preliminary thoughts haven't changed. Texture and feel is very similar to the Armani Tints. They have the same slightly cooling effect on the eye and dry down to a powdery finish. Dry time is similar to Shadow and once set, these don't move. Don't rub your eyes unless you want the product to flake off! I give it a good 30 seconds looking down and without blinking to ensure it sets. These also layer under powder eyeshadow well. The tube is slightly bigger than Armani but nothing that would detract from storage space. The applicator does feel a little more wobbly and flimsy than the Armani. The paddle-style brush covered a lot of area but the rounded tip makes it slightly less precise than the Armani. These also crease sooner than the Armani and one shade requires a lot of work but overall, a great budget option if you wanted to try something similar to the Armani. 9-12 shades are available in this line for a price of $5.49usd for 0.23fl oz/7ml ($23.87usd per oz).
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| Comparison of the applicators; Rimmel (left) and Armani (right) |
{THE SWATCH}
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| sheered out (left) and straight from tube (right) |
Shadow is a silver grey-purple with a metallic sheen. The shimmer particles are so fine and small that you can't tell that they're there until I sheered it out. When it's sheer, Shadow looks more silvery grey than purple. Hopefully it's visible from the swatches but the metallic finish of Rimmel and Armani are identical.
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| Blended out (left) and straight from tube (right) |
Peachy Apricot is a coppery orange. I like it worn heavy and sheered out. Rich Russet is a neutral tawny brown. This is a great one shadow eye look because blending the edges makes the shadow look warmer, giving Rich Russet a lot of dimension. Chestnut Taupe is a silver taupe that runs cooler than I prefer on my warm skin tone. It can look grey on my eyes so I tend to add a warmer color into the crease to balance it out. I have several such shades but this one is unique due to its formula. Pink Lace is the most disappointing out of the 4 I tried. As you can see from the heavy swatch, the shadow is lumpy and uneven. Since the shadow is on the lighter side, the unevenness in color is more pronounced. Less is more with this one to prevent unevenness. Working in layers also helps. Pink Lace is more of a pearly than metallic finish like the others. I've reworked it to be a liquid highlighter, similar to the Benefit High Beam except High Beam is more pink than silver.
{THE LOOK}
I've only done looks using 3 of the Rimmel Eyeshadow Paints. Pink Lace was a bit stubborn on my lids and didn't want to cooperate. I've already done a look using the Armani Eye Tint in Shadow (fotd) so you can check it out if you want to see it in action.
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| From Left to right: Peachy Apricot, Rich Russet and Chestnut Taupe |
{THE BOTTOM LINE}
I'd say the Rimmel version definitely holds its own when it comes to liquid eyeshadow. Despite some hiccups in formula and packaging, these are comparable when it comes to application and how they look on the eyes. The slightly shorter wear time isn't a problem because they still get me through most of the day, about 8 hours. The Armani version is almost 7 times the cost of the Rimmel; I'm the person that would want 7 decent dupes than 1 name brand item. I see several Rimmel shades that look similar to the Armani versions but haven't done in person swatches to confirm. I am glad however that the Armani didn't disappoint and the colors look more dynamic. All in all, a great match up!
{WHERE TO BUY}
Armani Eye Tints // giorgio armani beauty // neiman marcus // nordstrom // sephora
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