Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow – #25 Rusted Gold Left: flash, Right: no flash

I’ve heard great things about the Armani Eyes to Kill (or ETK) Intense eyeshadows, but none of the colors have called to me enough to justify the $32 purchase price until #25, Rusted Gold, was recently released as a limited edition shade.

Because it’s limited edition and I won’t have time to test out the wear for a little while, I thought I would share my swatches and first thoughts, even though I haven’t had it long enough to do a full review yet (I hear it has awesome wear-time though!)

It is a beautiful shade – a blackened gold. Rusted Gold is an excellent name for it!  The texture is very similar to the L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadows (I have four), but the color is much more complex than than each of the L’oreals.  I don’t own anything similar, and it makes a really lovely, simple smoky eye when applied as a wash.

I usually swatch eyeshadows with a sponge-tipped applicator, but I swatched this four ways because it really looks quite different with different application methods. It’s most sheer with a dry brush; medium with a sponge tipped applicator, intense with a finger, and very intense/opaque with a damp brush.   I photographed it with and without flash, because generally I feel like no-flash pictures are more accurate as to color, but flash pictures show the shimmer/sparkle better.

Armani ETK #25 – swatches, no flash

Armani ETK #25 swatches – flash

Overall, I really love this color – it’s gorgeous and complex, and thus far is living up to what I had hoped it would be! If it lasts as well as I’ve heard it does, it will be well-worth the price tag.