I love Armani's cosmetics in general. When the Ecstasy Lacquers debuted last year I was hoping there was going to be a nude shade, sadly there wasn't. I decided to jump on their new Spring/Summer 2016 Runway shade as it seemed nude.
Per Armani's website: "Directly inspired by the Giorgio Armani Spring - Summer 2016 fashion show, the Runway Collection captures the essence of the "fil rouge", or, red thread. Light and daring, this season’s exclusive collection opts for a natural complexion that highlights celestial, almost cosmic, eyes. Lids cast endless reflections of light. The lips are given a light, pearly veil of barely-there color that contrasts with the striking red polish of the nails. Each product features the star fabric of the Spring - Summer Armani Show and is enveloped in a veil of sheer tulle adorned with touches of graphic color."
"Lips are given just a touch of natural color with a pearly shimmer. Like morning dew, lips are soft and fresh, with a sheer, subtle nude." The retail is $40 which is $2 more than the regular $38 price tag for the fabric cover I'm sure.
The formula is very similar to YSL Glossy Stains. Starts out wet and dries to a thicker tackier glossy base. I reviewed the formula here.
In the tube the color is a pale milky off nude pink with a hint of shimmer. The shimmer is mostly silver with a hint of gold and light pink. The shimmer is not gritty. Though the color goes on that same pale milky nude pink and it sets to a very very subtle nude with sparkle. It really just looks like your lips are glossy or wet with sparkle, very much like a clear sparkle gloss except it stays on longer due to the formula. That is one thing I love about the formula in general, it's lasting ability compared to a regular lipgloss.
Swatches one coat:
Tilted so you can see the minimal color difference after setting:
Two coats:
Sunlight:
Apparently this is popular. It sold out on Nordstrom's in days, which is where I was going to buy it from originally. Then it sold out on Armani's website. It's also sold out on Nemain Marcus online. Why it's sold out baffles my mind it's basically just a clear gloss with sparkle for $40. I wanted a nude shade in this formula but I wanted one with a touch more color.