I was waffling on my third item from my holiday collection wish list for quite some time. I swatched it, read two conflicting reviews on it (by Sara and Christine/Temptalia), wasn’t wholly convinced, and when it finally went out of stock I got the irrepressible urge to get it. Of course. Cue some frantic counter visits, and new swatching, and then I got one of the three new and limited edition Armani Eye Tints, Hollywood (#17).

Armani Eye Tint in Hollywood
Armani Eye Tint in Hollywood

 

I love Armani’s Eye Tints, Astrid loves hers, but even we, as avid fans, can’t deny that they can be inconsistent in quality, and also sometimes a bit finicky. I’ve to have a very good makeup day when I want to successfully blend two eye tints, a good brush, and patience. But I’ve never encountered the problems Sara had with her new shade, Silver Mirage (#18), and I definitely didn’t want to end up with glitter all over my face. My swatches on the back of my hand seemed to confirm Sara’s observation, because after running around the shopping mall, my whole hand was covered in glitter. Silver Mirage is the one shade with the biggest amount of silver glitter in it, resulting in a very pretty taupe and silver duochrome that would’ve been on the top of my whishlist, weren’t it for the heightened danger of fallout. Rose Platinum (#16) was never on my list – I own Rose Popillia, and don’t need it in another incarnation. They’re very close in colour (check out Mel’s swatches here), though I think Rose Platinum isn’t quite as shifty as RP. Nevertheless, it’s a pretty silvery pink shade.

Armani Eye Tint in Hollywood - Holiday 2015 (Luxe is More collection)
Armani Eye Tint in Hollywood – Holiday 2015 (Luxe is More collection)

 

Hollywood is, in contrast, the most boring colour of the bunch. On my hand, it looks like a peachy golden beige, while on my eye, it seems quite nude with some sparkle. It’s much less pink than Chanel’s Illusion d’Ombre in Emerveille on me. I wanted an Eye Tint that’s an easy throw-some-eyeshadow-and-mascara-on-and-you’re-done shade, something that I could throw on for every occasion when I’d need an easy and at the same time polished look. The shade is everything I could’ve hoped for, but there’s no denying that, looking closely, I can detect a lot of fine glitter on my glasses – I assume every time I blink, the glitter is transferred to the glasses via my lashes. I haven’t experienced any problems with glitter irritating my eyes, or having fallout on my face.

Swatches of all Holiday Eye Tints in different lighting
Swatches of all Holiday Eye Tints in different lighting: from top to bottom – Rose Platinum, Hollywood, Silver Mirage

 

For deeper skintones, though, I rather doubt the new shades are for you. Some swatches on Specktra confirm that the colours come across as a silvery white on dark skintones, which of course can be nice for the holiday ice queen look, but the nude quality of the tints doesn’t translate well. I would have loved to see something like an amped up Senso, the Eye Tint that’s Astrid’s go-to-nude shade, in this collection.

Comparison swatches: f.l.t.r. Chanel Illusion d’Ombre in Emerveille, Hollywood and Max Factor Excess Shimmer in Copper

 

As you can see from the comparison swatches above, the IdO is more peachy, while Max Factor Copper has a more coppery tinge to it. While I can definitely see differences when I wear Emerveille and Hollywood on my eyes, the differences are nearly undetectable with Hollywood and Copper. I’ve to admit though, that while Copper is significantly cheaper and doesn’t sparkle all over my glasses, Hollywood’s wear-time is much better on me. The Eye Tints never crease on me, while Copper does after the 8 hour mark.

 

If you want to buy Hollywood, it’s already gone from Douglas online here in Germany, but check your counters – you may get lucky. In the US, the collection is rather slow to roll out, so you’ve got you’re chances to get it still. It’s around 33€/$38 and LE.