Giorgio Armani • Lip Maestro Intense Velvet Color • Lips

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tigergirly on 3/31/2013 6:43:00 AM more reviews by tigergirly

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

Probably the worst lip product I've tried in years, from drugstore to high end. I was willing to pay for a long-wearing product for an event, so reluctantly shelled out the cash when a Sephora rep said this was the best. Unbelievably awful on me! It didn't set, bled, came off unevenly and didn't last longer than 10 minutes. Like other reviewers, it actually smeared off after several minutes of setting! It looked dry, cakey, unnatural and settled into lines I didn't know I had. I followed different instructions and really gave this a try- ie: letting it set for ages, primers, etc with no luck. Worrying that your pigmented lip product may migrate around your mouth is not a worry one should have, especially for so much cash. In contrast, Yves St. Laurent's glossy stain looks smooth, lasts for many hours, has fantastic shades and is totally dependable. I've also had better luck with recent Maybelline and Revlon products when I want to keep cost lower. Big, expensive fail for me! I haven't been so annoyed with a product for a long time.

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JudiWickham on 3/2/2013 8:01:00 AM more reviews by JudiWickham

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is a beautifully creamy formulation. Does not seem to dry out the lips, lasts for hours. I found the applicator to be easy to use, no need for lip liner. When you put this on, it is like a traditional moist lipstick, I prefer to blot. As I don't like the feeling of lipstick and the transfer factor. Even when blotted, this still lasts for hours and leaves an even stain. So it fades nicely. I bought this in 500 (blush) and 501 (liberta/casual pink). 500 is a peachy pink nude, that I love for daytime. 501 is a soft raspberry, slightly bold for daytime for my light coloring, but would be gorgeous on medium to dark skintones.

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therealblonde on 2/26/2013 11:05:00 AM more reviews by therealblonde

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I'm so disappointed in this one! I had a friend buy it for me in the States because I was reading all these raves reviews, but now I'm sorry I spent the $$$. The color is gorgeous (I have the 400), and it's true, it doesn't dry out your lips. But it's slippery, it smears really easily, and comes off on everything, so much more than a lipstick or a gloss does. Worst of all: it creeps into the little lines of your mouth which I HATE. Not for me, unfortunately. I'm sticking to YSL's Glossy Stain.

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*TOP REVIEWER* pmnixa on 2/14/2013 8:08:00 PM more reviews by pmnixa

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Bought this in 402 and it's an amazing gorgeous bright warm red. Goes on soft and slippery then settles into matte. However the effect isn't a thick matte - it's a glowy diffused matte. The color is very similar to YLS Glossy Stain in #9, however the glossy stain is a teeny bit less bright, and it's glossy, so the two are very different. It felt soft on my lips and didn't dry them out. The doefoot applicator tip had a lot of bend in it and also was very long. I felt as if it should have been a little smaller to maximize control while applying. I got this to replace my Guerlain Extrait in Colere - it's not quite the same shade, however the formula is much better. The Guerlain cracked and peeled. Another plus is the pricepoint - this product is a lot less expensive than the Guerlain. The packaging is a bit cheap, but I like that you can see the color through it, and if it doesn't leak and migrate up into the screw cap, I will be a happy camper.

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sherylash8 on 2/7/2013 10:25:00 AM more reviews by sherylash8

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

def buy! i dont need to put lipstick for this because the color is really matte!!! best for d evening or night

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gwootton on 1/20/2013 9:26:00 AM more reviews by gwootton

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I have it in 400 - a true dark red. Absolutely amazing finish and long lasting (it comes off on cups etc. but the lips don't look faded at all)
Handy doe foot applicator, better than a brush but not as good, in my opinion, as the YSL Glossy Vernis one which is wider and flat.
My only problem is that the corners of my lips get very dry after removing this as it does take a lot of elbow grease to get it off!

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flyingcolours on 12/31/2012 6:58:00 PM more reviews by flyingcolours

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I have this in 503 (?), which is a beautiful pink-tinged red - very bright and eye-catching (dupable with MAC Ruby Woo for me). I need to get a couple more, because I'm a big fan of lip lacquers in general and the formula of these is incredible. It feels so soft and slippy, like a primer, which makes you think it's going to slough right off as soon as you drink a cup of tea - but it actually lasts remarkably well. I recently ate a greasy pepperoni pizza while wearing this lipstick, and it actually looked decent afterwards. Needed a little touch-up, but it wouldn't have looked awful without. Fades very evenly. Such a pleasant surprise. It really has some staying power. I love that it comes to a lovely matte/near-matte finish without drying out my notoriously flaky lips. I love Ruby Woo, which as I mentioned is very a very similar shade, but hate how drying it is. This product solves that issue! I hope they don't stop making these - need to get more!

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*TOP REVIEWER* MaryEllen on 12/6/2012 8:19:00 PM more reviews by MaryEllen

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have this in Casual Pink (501), a lovely deep, cool pink shade. This is an interesting product--as other reviewers have noted, it's got quite a bit of slip to it, yet the color looks matte on the lips. I must agree that the packaging is tacky (and I generally don't care a bit about it)--the red top just makes it look super-cheap. And while the doefoot applicator is nice, it deposits FAR too much product, no matter how much you wipe off on the rim of the tube. I've found that the best way to apply is to either put a bit on the center of your lips and blend out with a brush, or to pick up a bit from the applicator and apply that with a brush. Otherwise your lips will slip and slide when you press them together, pushing the color outside the lipline, and the slightest overapplication looks cakey.


That having been said, this stuff does have remarkable staying power, IMHO--way beyond a gloss or lipstick, but not quite as much as a stain. It lasted on me through eating and drinking, needing only a touchup in the center of the lips after eating. It also stands up to multiple applications of lip balm.


However, despite the slip, I find it a bit drying--my lips were developing flakes after a few hours. And because of the slip, I had some trouble with bleeding (despite lining with a concealer pencil, powdering over that, then applying lip pencil), which is rare for me. For those reasons I deduct two lipsticks (although I wish I could give it a 3.5). It's unique and I like the color well enough to keep it (it's a year-round shade and great for a work look), but I will not purchase other shades.


Update 1/15/13--I'm sending this back. I just don't want to deal with the bleeding, difficult application, and dry lips. Great concept with some very good qualities, but a fail for me.

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vyvyanne on 12/2/2012 9:11:00 PM more reviews by vyvyanne

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have the lip maestro in 400 (classic blue red) and 502 (deep mauvey-pink).

I absolutely love these! I knew they would be great from Temptalia's review & from other beauty blogs. I'm really into the long-lasting matte lip products and these are perfect.

First off, the packaging, as people have mentioned online, is a little tacky. The red handle looks a bit cheap, even if the tube isn't made of cheap plastic. I do really like the wand --- it's like the NYX megashine but longer and much better quality.

The pigmentation is fantastic -- you only need one swipe. I've heard mixed reviews about how long this product wears. I've worn lots of long-wearing/stain-like lipsticks and I think the lip maestros wear fantastically well. Yes, it's true that they never quite set (wet and much product will come off) but they stain instantaneously --- even after eating and drinking they'll last.

I also love the fact that they wear well and last. Some stains start to flake off (due to excessive drying of your lips) ... which is gross. With these, they haven't done that. I've even worked out with it on (intense sweating and it was still great).

The finish is matte ... but with a sheen, so it isn't completely flat color. The slip/texture is quite thinner, thinner than a lipstick but not like... Revlon colorstay ? those LE long wear lipsticks that felt like water?

I wish the color range was wider, but there are plenty of colors to choose from already. I would definitely repurchase if there were more colors that I wanted. My favorite is 400... but apparently 400 & 502 looks similar on my lips (even though in the tube they are quite different).

Oh, and to note, even though applying it straight from the tube, it is quite opaque, you can definitely use your fingers --- or a lip brush and dab it on for a light stain; awesome! I don't usually spend $32 on a lip product but I think these are worth it, especially if you find that one special color that you can rock again and again.

<3 these!

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korina25 on 11/29/2012 6:11:00 AM more reviews by korina25

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

I got this in 401 a radiant very bright orange-red and 402 a beautiful warm bright red.This is an innovative lip product, a liquidcream lipstick.It is highly pigmented, one coat provides opaque color.The feeling is kind of siliconey with great slip.When you first put it or when you press the lips together it is matte but after a while it sets to a very luminous, almost lipgloss effect.This is definitely not matte at all.The price is quite high 33 eur, but it worths it as it is such a luxury product.

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*TOP REVIEWER* dinahad on 11/26/2012 12:33:00 PM more reviews by dinahad

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Lip Maestro is a fabulous product. I have thin-ish lips so am always on the hunt for high pigment that won't come off easilly. This fits the bill perfectly. It feels like a gloss (reasonably slick), it looks like a matte lipstick and the color is heavilly saturated. I purchased this in Blush and it's more peachy, cool nude than pink. It's a great daytime shade (I wear Maestro foundation in 5.5 in the winter and 6.5 or 7 in the summer depending on how much sun I get). My lips have very little color to them so the heavy pigment is great for me. Also, it feels pretty weightless on the lips which is a great quality for me. I will certainly be purchasing more in various shades!

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