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Fall 2013

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Tom Ford Show Me the Pink Nail Lacquer – Fall 2013

September 2, 2013

Tom Ford Show Me the Pink #25 Nail Lacquer ($32 for .41 fl oz/12 ml) is a warm nude pink cream with subtle silver sparkles. On my skin it pulls a bit peachy similar to Chanel Emprise (from last Spring 2013), but just a tad lighter and more pink. I found the formula with this color a bit difficult to work with. It too a bit of work to be able to apply evenly and smooths out with 3 coats. I had to spend a lot of time cleaning up the edges near the cuticles. Once applied it does look quite lovely – it’s an understated but pigmented pinkish-peach. The shimmers don’t really show up at all on the nails. Lasting power is quite good with this color.

Here it is swatched with three coats:

Comparisons to Dior Beige Lotus 211, Chanel Emprise (still available at Saks and Chanel.com), Tom Ford Toasted Sugar and Laura Mercier Oh La La (discontinued):

I can’t say this one is a must-have mainly because I found the formula difficult to work with. I was able to get it to work but it wasn’t easy to apply for me. Do note that I found Tom Ford Vapor from summer difficult to work with while many others had no issues, so your mileage may vary. I wasn’t super excited about the color although my husband and a few friends liked it enough to comment.
Tom Ford Show Me the Pink is limited-edition, as of May 2015, now permanent. It retails for $32 and should be arriving at your local Tom Ford Beauty counters now. You can find it online now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales.

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Tom Ford Black Sugar Nail Lacquer – Fall 2013

September 1, 2013

Tom Ford Black Sugar #24 Nail Lacquer ($32 for .41 fl oz/12 ml) is a plum-taupe cream infused with red shimmer. The mix of colors is quite unique – I haven’t seen anything like it. On my nails Black Sugar applied semi-opaque. The texture was smooth and easy to apply, but two coats didn’t give full coverage. Three coats gave full smooth coverage. Lasting power was quite good, using Deborah Lippmann’s Rehydrating Base Coat and Chanel’s Laque Brilliance Extreme. I was able to get 4 full days of wear before I saw any tip wear. No chipping issues, although by day 4 the sheen from the top coat had worn off and the polish looked a bit dull (Chanel and Dior by comparison manage to stay shiny for me through day 4-5). Tom Ford Black Sugar is a complex shade in the sense that it’s both taupe and plum. The red shimmer is very subtle on the nails. It’s only visible if you look closely in direct light. However it’s not quite as invisible as some shimmers in Chanel shades like Jade Rose or Vertigo.

Here it is swatched, looking warmer and more taupey:

Below shows more plum:

In direct sunlight with flash, more taupe and the red shimmer is visible on the nail (but subtle):

Another view, darker lighting makes the color pull more dusty purple:

Initial thoughts that it looked like a cross between Chanel Particuliere and Paradoxal. Below are comparisons to both and also OPI You Don’t Know Jacques and Chanel Vertigo:

Since Tom Ford Black Sugar, Chanel Paradoxal and Vertigo are the colors with the subtle shimmers, here are two sets of swatches. You can see below that in regular light without flash, Black Sugar has a very similar feel to the OPI You Don’t Know Jacques and Chanel Particuliere.

I really love Tom Ford’s Black Sugar for fall. The red shimmer (although subtle) makes it special for me, but the price tag is hard to justify. I was a little bummed the prices increased to $32 per bottle, but the color is really lovely and I like the quality of this color.  It’s listed as limited-edition so if you’re interested I suggest you try to track one down soon. I do think it’s really close to a few other shades so if you’re not crazy about taupes for nails, you may want to pass on this and shop your stash.

Available online at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Tom Ford.

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Tom Ford Beauty Fall Collection – Now Online at Neimanmarcus.com

August 30, 2013
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Those who have been patiently stalking the web for Tom Ford Beauty Fall – the wait is now over. The fall beauty collection has arrived online at Neiman Marcus. I hope to get the nail swatches up this weekend. In the meantime happy shopping!

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Chanel Convoitise 90 Illusion D’Ombre

August 28, 2013
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Chanel Convoitise #90 Illusion d’Ombre ($36 for 4g/0.14 oz) has been re-released with the Jeux de Regards collection.  (It was previously released as part of an Asia-exclusive with the Les Delices collection, later as a Chanel.com and Saks exclusive.) Convoitise is a stunning sparkly beige gold with silver sparkles. It’s quite complex and pulls neutral-cool on the skin. I love that you can achieve different effects depending on how much you layer. A soft sheer veil gives the lids a subtle glow. Layering will result in a more golden-silvery metallic sheen. Being a sucker for any kind of neutral or cool toned golds, I found Convoitise a unique must-have. Lasting power is quite good – I had no smudging or fading with the warm weather we are having in Southern California. It’s a simple swipe and go kind of shade. Adding a liner and mascara is all I need to use with Convoitise.

Close ups with flash to try and show the sparkle:

I’ve swatched it a few different ways.  The shimmer is quite pigmented. When it catches the light it flashes a silvery sheen. At an angle you can see the base is more of a neutral beige-gold (at least on my olive skin).

In direct sunlight:

At an angle, it’s more golden:

Under artificial light with flash so you can see the complexity of the sparkles:

The unique aspect of Convoitise is the mix of color. It’s a multidimensional shimmer with a smooth finish. Some other golds are similar but have a more chunky textured finish. Below you can see Urban Decay Greed Primer Potion (more yellow), Chanel Emerville Illusion d’Ombre (peach), Apparance Illusion d’Ombre (warmer and richer with texture), Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill 18 (discontinued, more textured and yellow, also more frosted) and Tom Ford Escapade (which is a peach). Below will show how you can achieve different effects with the same shades depending on how much you apply. Swatches also show the difference in textures between the colors.
Swatched with a heavy hand:

Same shades blended:

Colors with heavy swatches under artificial light to show the textures:

At this time I’m not sure if Convoitise is limited-edition, but you can find it at most Chanel counters now, online at Nordstrom, Saks, Neimans and Chanel.com.

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Chanel Séduction 42 Quadra Eyeshadow

August 27, 2013
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Chanel Séduction 42 Quadra Eyeshadow ($59 for 6.8g, 0.24 oz, made in France) is a new eyeshadow palette in the US that has been released as part of the Jeux de Regards collection. The colors in the palette include a warm plum-gold, a soft warm peach, a pale champagne shell and a cool-brown shimmer (all the shades are shimmers). It looks remarkably similar to other Chanel palettes but when I pulled half a dozen to compare, the only one that was actually similar was Éclosion 34 from Spring 2012 (reviewed here). The palette pulls on the warm side on my skin but it’s not too warm that it gives the pink-eye look. This is exactly what I wanted NARS Kuala Lumpur to be (which happened to be too warm and gave me pink eyes).

Swatched two ways, first with sponge applicators, below with a brush:

Per request here are some comparisons with swatches. Set one has Giorgio Armani Maestro 5 (discontinued) and Chanel Éclosion. Swatches are taken with a flash so it enhances the shimmer.

Set number 2 has Tom Ford Enchanted (discontinued) and Dolce & Gabbana Contrasts (one of my favorite neutrals, this is my second one).

I wore Chanel Séduction today over Edward Bess Eyeshadow Base in Dune and Suede mixed together on the lids. I applied the plum first, softened with the peach and then highlighted with the pearl. The dark brown shade was smudged over a dark brown pencil liner. The colors stayed put all day without fading or smudging. The pigment is on the medium to soft side but can be layered and intensified if applied with a slightly damp brush. The result was a softly defined plum brown eye look. I highly recommend this palette, however you may want to shop your stash first for similar colors. I hoped the comparisons helped.

Chanel Séduction should be at your local counters now. I found mine at Nordstrom.

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Chanel Jeux de Regards: Séduction Quadra Eyeshadow and Convoitise Illusion d’Ombre

August 26, 2013
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The Chanel Jeux de Regards collection has arrived in the US with two new quads alomg with some repromoted Illusion d’Ombres, Eyeliners and Mascaras (see details on Weekend Ramblings).  I picked up the Séduction 42 Quadra Eyeshadow ($59 for 6.8g) and was happy to see the Convoitise 90 Illusion d’Ombre ($36 for 4g) from the Les Delices collection repromoted with this release. I spotted the collection at both Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus this weekend so I suspect the items have arrived at counters near you as well. Here are quick photos and swatches of each shade. Detailed reviews to follow later this afternoon.

Both are available now in the US at Chanel counters and retailers, online now at Nordstrom.com, Neimanmarcus.com and Saks.com.

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Tom Ford Ombré Eye Color Trio: She Wolf

August 25, 2013

Tom Ford She Wolf Ombré Eye Color Trio is a palette with a matte brown-gray, soft shimmery taupe and a sheer silver sparkle ($60 for .16 oz/4.5g, limited-edition). The trio is quite stunning and creates a beautiful smokey eye. The pigment is rich and texture is smooth for the matte and shimmer. The sparkle is on the sheer side with a silvery sheen. Like In the Pink, the sparkle in She Wolf has excellent staying power. She Wolf’s sparkle is a bit more glitzy on my skin as it seems cooler-toned and stands out more against my olive skin. It also stands out brightly against the other two shades which are darker colors. The sparkle isn’t too over the top, but it’s still too much sparkle for me to feel comfortable wearing everyday to a conservative corporate office.

Swatched on my arm below, it pulls cooler on my olive skin, but then many taupes and silvers tend to pull more mauve/blue on me than most other people. I applied from darkest to lightest on the eyes blending the first two shades together and then pressed the sparkle lightly on top.

Without flash (the sparkle is a lot more glittery than the photo shows):

With flash (this shows the sparkle better, but it’s still more glittery than my photos):

I couldn’t find anything quite like the shades in Tom Ford She Wolf. There are definitely similar shades but most of my other taupes were either warmer, more mauve or quite a bit darker. Here are some comparisons below to Edward Bess Dusk, Chanel Safari (a classic), NARS Ashes to Ashes, Burberry Midnight Brown and Bobbi Brown Cement Sparkle.

Tom Ford She Wolf is a beautiful palette. It’s stunning in the compact and when swatched on the skin. I can wear two of the shades easily, the last sparkle shade is so pretty, but just too much sparkle for me. I was going to ask my husband for his opinion but before I could say anything, as soon as he saw me, he said, “Wow, you’re really rockin’ out with the glitter.” Me: “Too much?” Him: “Yes.” LOL. Your mileage may vary depending on how much sparkle you feel comfortable pulling off. I can wear some of Bobbi Brown’s Sparkle Eye Shadows and a few MAC Pressed Pigments (those are super sparkly for me). The sparkle in Tom Ford She Wolf is a bit too much for me, but still something I can easily wear for night.
I found mine at Bergdorf Goodman. The fall collection should be arriving in stores at Tom Ford Beauty counters very soon. Online now at Neiman Marcus.

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