When you buy a new lipstick, you expect to receive a skin-flattering shade that, when applied, bears some resemblance to the color you fell in love with in the tube. You're impressed if it manages to moisturize without caking or smearing during the day. And if it also delivers superior pigment that doesn't feather, bleed, or look flat, you declare it your holy grail, touting the product's virtues to anyone who'll listen (friends, family, random women in public bathrooms). What you probably don't expect is a formula that does all of the above and offers a range of companion finishes—easy-to-apply topcoats that can take your color from matte to satin to sparkling in one sweep. But that's exactly what Giorgio Armani's new Armanisilk Lipstick ($25; giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com) delivers.

Chances are, fans of the Armani's longer-standing lipsticks (the Sheers, the Shines, the Mattes, the Manias) will be enthusiastic about the new addition but will see little room for improvement. A longtime devotee of LipMania, I doubted that Armanisilk could outperform my staple formula and even feared that the newer product would render the older one obsolete. (After hearing rumors about LipMania's discontinuation, I phoned a company rep, who assured me, that no such plans were in the works.) With that out of the way, I decided to take the new formula for a test-drive.

The first thing I noticed when I swept on #6, a versatile peachy pink, was the high concentration of pigment, which, according to the brand, is the result of a trademarked blend of Micro silk powders. The result is more intense color than LipMania (and certainly the Sheers and Shines)—on par with that of Armani's Matte Lipsticks, but with a creamier texture. After an eight-hour workday, Armanisilk also proved longer-lasting than my usual formula (the LipMania line is actually silkier than Armanisilk, while the latter is richer and more opaque).

Thoroughly impressed, I applied a coat of #1, a neutral mauve, the next morning, followed by the Ribbon topcoat, and I was even more enamored: The color stayed saturated, but the topcoat gave it a flawless satiny finish. The evening after, I layered #12, a rich sultry scarlet, with the sparkly topcoat for a light-reflecting result that put the other glittery reds I've tried to shame. Since Armanisilk is available in 17 color-drenched shades with three topcoats, it offers countless opportunities to mix and match—or at least enough potential combinations to satisfy the makeup-obsessed for the next few months. —Tara Mattarazzo

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