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If you were to judge a compact by, well, its compact, you'd assume a powder of some sort would lie inside the luxe black lacquered packaging of the Giorgio Armani Beauty Power Fabric Foundation Balm. However, when you flip open the top, you'll find a well of flesh-colored cream. Unexpected, right?
Unlike the cushion compacts that trickled our way from South Korea, this isn't a foundation-soaked sponge. It's more hygienic but just as simple to master.
Armani took a Best of Beauty Award-winning formula and made it more portable by pouring it into a compact. Back in 2017, the Power Fabric Foundation won the hearts of Allure editors and professional makeup artists with its full-coverage matte liquid that's amazingly lightweight. In balm form, the foundation gives skin the same flawless finish with that barely there feeling — just mess-free. (One downside, though, is the shade range isn't as broad.)
Although the balm looks like a cream blush that coordinates with your complexion, it doesn't feel heavy or waxy on skin. Consider it a buttery, blendable powder. An emollient called cyclohexasiloxane not only makes the foundation great for nourishing dryness, but it also makes it easy to buff the foundation into skin and leaves it was a velvety-smooth finish. The compact includes a puff that looks like a fat teardrop, but I prefer to paint the foundation onto my face with a dense foundation brush, like the EcoTools Wonder Cover Complexion Brush. It gives me more control over the amount of pigment I'm working with and spreads it on more evenly than the puff.
As mentioned, the formula has a mattifying effect, making it great for those with oily skin, too. I tend to avoid matte foundations, as they can make my skin look as lifeless and flat as a piece of paper. Luckily, the Power Fabric Foundation Balm has a low-key luminosity that helps give skin dimension. Light will naturally hit your face in all the right places. You might even skip highlighter — I do. My makeup bag appreciates the extra space for lipsticks.
