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"  My favorite makeup item isn&amp;#039;t anything particularly exciting \u2014 its good, old-fashioned foundation. I love the way it transforms your skin, and I love trying out new formulas and technologies. So when Giorgio Armani Maestro ($64, georgioarmanibeauty-usa.com) hit the market, I was intrigued by its story: a formula that contains no water \u2014 just oils and pigments, so it corrects your skin with a minimal layer. The innovation even won a &amp;quot;Breakthrough Award&amp;quot; from Allure in 2012. As a total sucker for new beauty trends, my curiosity got the best of me and I soon found myself at the Armani counter in Bloomingdales, sheepishly shelling out $64 for a bottle. Even with the spending guilt, I was pleased with the purchase, especially since it was something so different than any other foundation I owned. The texture is remarkable: The almost watery consistency is silky and lightweight. The light to medium coverage blends beautifully, and you can&amp;#039;t even tell there is product on your skin. Tip: This product is best applied with just your fingers, not a sponge or brush, and be sure to shake well before use. Shortly after spending the big bucks, the word on the street was that the new L&amp;#039;Oreal Magic Nude Foundation ($12.95, lorealparisusa.com) was basically the same formula, for about $50 less. When I compared the ingredient lists, they were almost identical \u2014 the Armani contains additional fancy plant and flower extracts and fragrance. All in all, this isn&amp;#039;t surprising: L&amp;#039;Oreal actually owns Giorgio Armani cosmetics, so this technology is shared within the company. After trying the Magic Nude, I really can&amp;#039;t tell much a difference between the two. The Armani may have a slightly more &amp;quot;luminous&amp;quot; finish, while the L&amp;#039;Oreal is a bit more matte, and there are slight variations in shade selection. If you&amp;#039;ve been curious about the Maestro foundation or are curious about it now after reading this, skip the high price tag and give the Magic Nude a try. I&amp;#039;d love to know what you think! Plus: For more of our favorites, check out our reviews of the best-tested, long-lasting foundations \u00BB Mary Clarke is a product analyst in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute beauty lab. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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