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.
