First Look to Giorgio Armani Nail Lacquer, Swatches of All Shades on Nail Wheel

The long awaited Giorgio Armani nail polishes landed to Germany about a week ago. I was on my way back to Stuttgart and trying to make sure that I don't miss any limited edition item. A more detailed post has to wait since I travel tomorrow once again, this time for work. I didn't find any swatches on the internet and ordering the items sight unseen was hard for me, so just before I go, I found time to go to a counter and swatch all of the shades for you, hoping to save you time and money, in case you are about to order too. You can also expect nail swatches of 4 shades I loved the most very soon. All the others have to wait until I return next weekend.

Newly Released Giorgio Armani Nail Lacquer

Above you can see my picks from the line, although I may cave in anytime today and get hold of two more. Below you can see the brush, it is a little fluffier than Chanel one but not as big as Dior nor flat like YSL. The application was easy with all the shades though. The bottles are tiny, only have 6ml inside, which disappointed me a little. I anyway never finish a bottle but get stressed when a bottle reaches the half. Armani SA claimed that these do last two times longer as other brands and therefore more expensive. I am going to report about this once I test it for 9 days as she suggested. 

Brush Close-up: Giorgio Armani Nail Lacquer

Until I have time to nail swatch every color I picked, here is a quick guide for those of you who would like to decide soon. Range has 18 new nail polishes in 3 categories, 6 nudes, 6 reds, 6 pearls/duochromes. Armani SA here told me that the nail polishes from last category are limited edition. I haven't read this anywhere else but I can imagine it since it fits with their latest "Kaleidoscope" themed collection which also had duo-chrome Eyes To Kill singles. 

First Category: Nudes

• 100 Bianca

• 101 Zero

• 102 Second Skin

• 103 Parma Greige

• 104 Greige

• 105 Taupe Greige

#100 and #101 doesn't show up on white base of nail wheel since they are transparent. #102 also seems to have semi-sheer finish. I picked up #103, #104 and #105 after swatching all. They are very opaque, almost one-coaters and darker than the photo below. #103 leans lila, #104 leans slightly khaki and #105 leans mauve.

Giorgio Armani Nail Lacquer, #100, #101, #102, #103, #104, #105

Second Category: Reds

• 301 Gio

• 402 Teatro

• 400 Four Hundred

• 502 Scarlatoo

• 503 Eccentrico

• 602 Night Viper

This category has nail polishes which can be matched with the newly released CC Lip Sticks of the brand. I am personally not a huge fan of matchy matchy thing, so I skipped this category. However I may still crave and get #602 and #502. #502 is close to Chanel April, just a little edgier. #602 is gorgeous, applies like a plum on the first layer, than builds up to be a pretty and not so blacked vamp. #503 is a warm classic red, very beautiful but I think it is dupable. #400 is what I would call Maryln red if this makes sense. #301 and #402 are close, #301 is more orange than the latter.

Giorgio Armani Nail Lacquer, #301, #400, #402, #502, #503, #602

Third Category: Pearls/Duochromes (probably limited edition)

• 700 Madre Perla

• 701 Bleu d‘Armani

• 702 Kaleidoscope 

• 703 Leather wood

• 704 Amethyst

• 705 Black Petrol 

This category was the most exciting among all. I picked up all of the shades and they mostly turned out to be very interesting. I am going to post nail swatches very soon, so I save my comments until then. All I would like to write is that although the below swatches reflects the color, it doesn't do them justice because on nail wheel, the pearl/duochrome properties are lost, so I suggest you to wait for the nail swatches before deciding. Short notice: #700 is sheer to the point of being rather a top coat. #702 is semi-sheer and needs 3 coats for opacity and a little streaky. #701 is the only creme in this category and #705 is a little blackened.

Final thoughts: More detailed swatch/review coming up soon. Note that these are only 6ml for the price of a Dior (10ml) or Chanel (13ml) nail polish. I am going to report about the claimed 9 days longevity after proper testing. For me Pearl/Duochrome Series (700s) are most interesting and worth the splurge. All in all nice quality, perfect application and short drying time. Also they are very glossy even without top coat.

Are you eyeing any of these? Do you like purchasing bigger or smaller bottles?