The Giorgio Armani White Night Collection for Holiday 2012 features the limited edition Giorgio Armani All-in-One Palettes ($88 USD / $95 CAD) available in two varieties; Moonlight White (a cool palette, shown here) and Moonlight Biege (a warm-toned palette). Each double-decker palette contains a face highlight powder, two eyeshadows and a red lip/cheek wax.

This stunning collection takes inspiration from the various nuances of light hues of cold, wintery days and plays with light and shadow, reminiscent of how the moonlight brings out transluscent reflections. The collection is very small, as Giorgio Armani collections usually are, however much detail and inspiration goes into each piece which is refreshing and beautiful to see.  This limited-edition collection is now available online and at Giorgio Armani counters.

Giorgio Armani Holiday 2012 All-in-One Palette in Moonlight White

Note the size

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it a million times over again, I simply adore these Giorgio Armani palettes. They may not be the most all-inclusive, or provide unlimited possibilities for different looks… but the elegance and simplicity of each palette along with the incredible quality really makes them stand out for me.

The first layer of the palette contains a stunning, shimmering white face powder. While it looks both breath-taking and terrifying at the same time (I’m sure you’re thinking…my pores!), just know that the glitter is an overspray. The underlying powder is actually a satin white with a very fine shimmer- it’s quite beautiful.

The only thing to take note about the face powder is that it is stark white- so this palette would really only be suitable for light to medium skin tones, as deeper skintones will look ashy with a white powder (the base is fairly pigmented… so it brightens the skin as well).  Luckily, the Moonlight Beige palette (the other palette in the collection) looks like it would be a little more universally flattering, so check that one out if the white powder writes this one off for you.

White face powder (with glitter overspray)

White face powder (with overspray rubbed off- this is what the powder really looks like)

The bottom layer of the palette contains two eyeshadows, both satin finishes, and both grey. One lighter grey and one deeper grey… but both, grey. I would have liked to see a bit more variation here. When blended together, the two grey eyeshadows just look too similar- a super light silver shade paired with the deep grey would have been much better. Having said that, each eyeshadow is beautifully pigmented and each have that lovely texture that looks amazing on the eye (especially on mature eyes)!

The bottom palette also contains a red lip & cheek wax. It’s very creamy and pigmented, which makes it great for a cherry-stained lip or a flushed cheek. Both look natural and it blends very easily… I’d love to see more of these lip & cheek waxes in these palettes more often- it really adds another dimension to the whole palette.

Eyeshadows & Lip/Cheek Wax

Swatches (L-R): White face powder, light grey eyeshadow, dark grey eyeshadow & red lip/cheek wax

Summary

• Price: $88 USD / $95 CAD
• Availability: Giorgio Armani (Nordstrom, Holt Renfew & more)
• Overall: I’m always smitten with these Giorgio Armani palettes, mainly because I’m so in love with the eyeshadow formula, but also the simplicity and elegance just makes them so luxurious in my eye. This one isn’t the best I’ve seen, but it is very beautiful and high quality. The white face powder is very white, so it’s best suited for light-to-medium skintones (and the chunky glitter is just an overspray). The eyeshadows are both satin grey, and unfortunately are very similar in tone when worn on the eye. I really love the lip & cheek wax.
• Rating: B+