Tom Ford Lip Color Shine: Quiver, Insidious and Frolic

March 27, 2013

Anything Tom Ford releases these days catches my eye immediately. The new semi-transparent Lip Color Shines ($48 each for .12 oz/3.5g at Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman) released a month ago have been on my radar but the insanely high price tag had me hesitant to buy before trying. Still, after looking at swatches online for hours, I decided to order a few online. I love Tom Ford Lipsticks (swatched here) and Lip Glosses (swatched here) so I figured there was at least one I was bound to fall in love with. I’ve started with Quiver (a pale cool pink), Insidious (a brighter peach), and Frolic (a nude peach).

All the lip shines have a delicious subtle vanilla cake scent (soft, not strong) that lingers for about 20 minutes before fading. The texture of the Tom Ford Lip Color Shines is smooth and creamy, slightly thick, but on the soft side. All the colors I picked have quite a bit of shimmer in the tube, on the lips there is noticeable shimmer, but it’s subtle (not frost). The finish is quite glossy, but the slightly thick texture helps the color adhere to the lips. The colors are on the sheer/natural side but show up.

Close ups and swatches, here you can see the shimmer:

(Sorry for the inconsistent lighting, lip swatches are really difficult for me.) Compared to YSL’s Rouge Volupte Shines and Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shines, I would say Tom Ford’s new sheer lipsticks are definitely similar. The differences:

YSL has the most pigment and darker/brighter color range, these glide on the smoothest
Chanel has a more diverse color range on the neutrals/roses, colors are slightly sheerer than Tom Ford
Tom Ford has the thickest texture, strongest scent and a great neutral range

In terms of lasting power, strongest to weakest is YSL, Tom Ford and then Chanel. However since all are on the sheer/glossy side, the lasting power is still medium like most glossy sheer lipsticks. I’m overall pleased with these, although YSL’s Rouge Volupte Shines win my heart for all over formula, color and price (Tom Fords come in close second).

The price will kill your wallet. For a sheer lipstick, I really expected the price points to be a lot lower. If you’re looking for a similar color to these but want more pigment, here are my suggestions:

Tom Ford Quiver – look at Dolce & Gabbana’s Shine lipsticks in Charm, Rosebud, Love or Emotion
Tom Ford Insidious – check out Chanel Flirt Rouge Coco Shine or Dior Diablotine
Tom Ford Frolic – check out Burberry’s Cameo

I like really these for the quality, feel and natural shine but feel the $48 would be better spent on a regular Tom Ford Lipstick or used towards their blushes. For some reference Karla Sugar and Wondegondigo have all the shades swatched on their blogs.

Did you try or pick up any of the Tom Ford Lip Color Shines? What’s your favorite shade?