Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Longwear High Cover Foundation

Have you heard? Giorgio Armani's award-winning Power Fabric foundation is now available in 30 shades! Formulated with ultra-fine pigments and three different types of oils, this lightweight foundation provides full coverage and is said to remain fresh-looking for up to 16 hours!

(Vous parlez français? Cliquez ici!)

Here are the 30 shades, including the 10 new colors:

Photo credit : Giorgio Armani | Edit : crystalcandymakeup.com

This foundation feels quite greasy and silicony at first, but it dries down to a soft velvety finish (and it's not oily anymore). It doesn't feel dry and tight on the skin, like some matte foundations tend to feel, and it's super lightweight!

The finish is satin semi-matte, and it doesn't emphasize dry patches. This is a rare quality for a semi-matte foundation! By the way, I'm not sure if this foundation is supposed to be luminous or matte, the description on Giorgio Armani's website isn't clear!

I would say that the coverage is medium but buildable. I can apply a second layer and build up the coverage if needed, although I find that it can look slightly cakey with two layers.

Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Longwear High Cover Foundation in 3 and 5 (3 is too light for me and 5 is too dark, so I mix them)

I tried this foundation with and without primer, by itself, with two different powders (Givenchy's Prisme Libre Loose Powder and Laura Mercier's Translucent Loose Setting Powder), and with and without my Skindinavia makeup setting spray.

I came to the conclusion that it lasts much longer on me (10+ hours) when I apply it on bare skin (or on lightly moisturized skin), with a bit of powder and a light mist of makeup setting spray. And my skin is shine-free for up to 4 hours, although the finish is slightly less matte after 2 hours.

But if I use a silicone-based primer and/or my regular skincare routine (essence, serum, two boosters and a cream; my skin is oily and dehydrated), it doesn't last more than 8 hours on me and my skin is already shiny by the 1½ hours mark.

By the way, this foundation plays well with Becca's Ever-Matte Primer and Make Up For Ever's Step 1 Skin Equalizer Mattifying Primer. I usually pair these two primers with a dewy or luminous foundation, because they can make matte foundations look cakey, but I didn't have this problem with the Power Fabric Foundation!

That's pretty much the only matte foundation (it has a satin matte finish, but you know what I mean) I can use with a mattifying primer, and it still blends out beautifully without looking patchy or cakey.

Now I understand why this foundation is a best-seller! The coverage is great without feeling too heavy on the skin, and it controls oils well if I use the right products with it (I avoid silicone-based primers).

Swatches on fair skin (NC10-NC15)

3 is slightly darker than NW15 and has peach undertones.

5 is slightly lighter than NW30 and has neutral pink undertones.

6.5 is a bit lighter than NW35 and has neutral undertones.

The Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Longwear High Cover Foundation retails for $74 CAD for 30ml and is available at Sephora.

(I received these products in order to evaluate them and give my opinion, but rest assured that my comments are always honest and impartial. This post contains affiliate links.)