Mother’s Day is a week away and if you’re like me, you have a mother who always insists that having a simple brunch with her is more than enough to make her happy. My siblings and I still always want to find something special for her to show our appreciation for all that she does. I’ve compiled a preliminary shopping list for ideas – I’ll be narrowing down the picks in the next few days. Most sites have a Mother’s Day section with great suggestions, some have special sales and promotions going on. I will most likely pick 2-3 items from my list to combine with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers.
Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust ($65 for .68 fl oz/20 ml, limited-edition) is new for summer. It’s a sheer luminous peachy-pink illuminator that can be used as a highlighter or mixed in with your foundation/tinted moisturizer. Stores have limited quantities, I recommend calling your Tom Ford counters soon to order if you’re interested.
Tom Ford’s Fire Lust has a peachy-pink base loaded with golden shimmers. The shimmer is visible but not over-the-top. There are some very tiny gold flecks that show up on the skin but it’s not frosty or glittery like NARS Super Orgasm. On me (Chanel B30/NARS Groenland Tinted Moisturizer) Fire Lust is very sheer but still visible. The peachy color is close to my skintone so it gives that barely there glow. I’ve tried it several ways. My thoughts on each method:
Worn alone as a blush gives more of a soft warm peachy glow to the skin. It’s not dark enough or pigmented enough to be worn as a blush for me. For a similar color with more pigment I’d recommend Giorgio Armani’s Fluid Sheer #11.
Worn underneath as a base for blush/bronzer basically makes the illuminator disappear unless you use a semi-sheer blush or bronzer like Tom Ford Frantic Pink or Gold Dust Bronzer, layered together creates a soft blush/bronzed contour with depth and glow.
Worn over blush as a highlight creates a really pretty luminous glow-from-within effect (this is probably my favorite way to wear it).
Mixed in with foundation worn all over the face gives a nice added glow that isn’t too glowy, however, I would probably reserve this for special going out occasions only.
A few more photos and swatches. I love that the cap pulls off easily and that the bottle has an easy to use pump:
Swatched heavy, then blended:
Many have been asking how Tom Ford’s Fire Lust compares to NARS Orgasm and Super Orgasm Illuminators. I don’t own Super Orgasm but was able to get a small sample at the counter to try. I think NARS Orgasm is close enough Tom Ford Fire Lust that you don’t need both, but the Tom Ford is really beautiful and I think it is worth every penny. Below you can see the natural glowy effects of the Tom Ford vs Nars. The differences I see:
Tom Ford Fire Lust is darker and peachier, more luminous with a natural shimmer/glow (but still sheer on the skin)
NARS Orgasm has a similar effect but appears lighter, less peachy and more frosty with more pigmented shimmers
NARS Super Orgasm is more pinky/peachy in the base and has the most pigment and color but it also has the most gold shimmer with tiny glitters (making it the most glitzy)
In terms of texture, the Tom Ford is slightly more fluid and easier to blend on the skin, but the NARS is still very easy to use. I apply both with a foundation brush from MAC or Chanel. Comparisons of Tom Ford to the NARS:
Some more swatches blended out on the skin, same items for each set below but different views to try and show the undertones/shimmers that are different with each illuminator:
Ingredients:
Overall a stunning luxurious liquid highlighter. On my skin it stayed put into the early afternoon although it did get a bit dewy with the natural oils on my skin near late afternoon. In Southern California the weather is mildly warm. I do think in warmer summer weather lasting power will diminish. It has a soft subtle sweet scent that disappears after a minute. Application is easy with fingers or a foundation brush. You can layer the product for more glow but not more color since it’s on the sheer side.
If you’re on the darker side I think you might not see if show up on your skin since it’s very sheer. If I were 1-2 shades darker I am not sure that I would be able to see anything other than a very subtle glow. If you’ve tried this please chime in the comments with your thoughts and skintone.
If you are at all interested in this I’d recommend you call your nearest Tom Ford counter to track one down soon. I don’t know if the online retailers will restock. All said, it is similar to the NARS Orgasm Illuminator ($30 for 1.1 oz/30 ml) so if you can’t track one down, this will give a similar effect.
I have a partial list of stores that have a full beauty counter, if you have more info add in the comments below:
Bergdorf Goodman in New York
Neiman Marcus Ala Moana, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Fashion Island, Houston and Dallas NorthPark, Chicago Michigan Ave
Saks Fifth Avenue New York
Did you pick up anything from the Tom Ford Beauty Summer collection?
The Summer 2013 Collection for Tom Ford Beauty has arrived in select stores and online in very limited quantities. Items popped up online at different locations, I had to do a bit of searching to find all the items. Every piece in the collection has such a gorgeous glowy beachy feel. Reviews and swatches to come soon. I’d recommend ordering soon as some pieces are selling out very quickly. Stores I know of that have the full line include Bergdorf Goodman, Saks NYC, Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, Neiman Marcus Fashion Island (if you know of other locations that have the full line of cosmetics post in the comments below).
New items in the collection from the photo, left to right include: Illuminating Cheek Color in Blush Guilt, Illuminating Cheek Color in Bronzed Amber, Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust, Nail Lacquer in Vapor, Cream Eye Color in Pink Haze, Cream Eye Color in Escapade, Lip Lacquer in Pink Lust. I found my items online at Saks and Neimans.
For now check out these other blogs for reviews, photos and swatches:
Giorgio Armani’s Bronze All-Over Palette for Summer 2013 just might be this season’s prettiest palette ($88, limited-edition). It’s a sleek two-tiered palette with a gorgeous bronzer on the top and three shimmery neutrals on the bottom. Many thanks to Café Makeup for giving me the heads up as soon as this arrived online at Giorgio Armani Beauty. It’s a luxurious splurge but a definite must-have for this season.
The bronzer is a stunning golden luminous bronze. It has a metallic overspray making it look like sunshine in a compact. Underneath is a soft glowy golden bronze that makes the skin just glow. I love that it’s luminous without emphasizing pores and that it does not turn orangey on the skin.
The three shadows below are stunning neutrals with incredible pigment. There’s a soft cream, a neutral peach-pink and a bronzey shimmer. Without any base the colors are rich and very pigmented. The textures are extremely soft and finely milled (think along the lines of the better Burberry and Urban Decay soft shadows). They are very easy to blend and goof-proof.
Swatches below, two different views with different lighting:
A few comparisons below. The Armani Summer 2013 Bronzer is similar to Bobbi Brown’s Aruba, but the Armani is less frosty on the skin and the soft texture prevents it from turning orange.
For eyeshadows, I thought Armani Summer 2013’s shades would be a dupe for Chanel’s long discontinued Shimmering Dunes, they are actually different.
Armani’s Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette is definitely a luxurious splurge but worth every penny. See other swatches and reviews on other skintones at Café Makeup, Temptalia, Beautezine and Best Things in Beauty.
Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette retails for $88 and is limited-edition. It is available at all Armani Beauty counters and online at Nordstrom.com (free shipping), Giorgio Armani Beauty (complementary shipping with orders of $75+), Saks.com.
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I have exciting news for those in Southern California: this Saturday, May 4th, Le Métier de Beauté’s very own Mikey Castillo and Ivan Castro will be in store at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills from 10 am to 5 pm. Both are fresh off the Oscar de la Renta Spring Bridal fashion show and will be at the Beverly Hills store this weekend to do current spring, upcoming summer and bridal looks for those who schedule an appointment.
Le Métier de Beauté fans will have the opportunity to experience the line in its entirety and receive a makeup application or skincare consultation from the line’s leading experts. I have had my makeup done by Ivan before and can’t rave enough about what an extraordinary artist he is.
Call the Le Métier de Beauté product specialist Scott Reyes (310) 550-5900 Ext. 2087/2027 to make an appointment and let the Le Métier team work their magic on you. I’d recommend calling soon to reserve your appointmet. Neiman Marcus currently has their Scent Event going on through the 5th of May which is a tote filled with fragrance samples. The Le Métier de Beauté counter will be having an extra gift as well (TBD) – call Scott for more details.
Personal recommendations and ideas for other places to check out nearby:
Neiman Marcus Beverly hills also has the full Tom Ford Beauty line, Edward Bess has a counter there, they have the most amazing shoe department
Saks Fifth Avenue next door has Dolce & Gabbana Makeup
Barneys New York is a few blocks away and has the best fragrance boutique including Serge Lutens, L’Artisan, Frederic Malle, Byredo, Le Labo, skincare such as Aesop and Sunday Riley
Bouchon Bakery is at the Montage
Sprinkles Cupcakes and Ice Cream Shop is also in the area
This summer’s L’Été Papillon de Chanel collection brings three vibrant options for the nails: Lilis #647, Azuré #657 and Bel-Argus #667 ($27 each, all limited-edition). The color theme of this collection is very different from what Chanel typically designs. As a die-hard Chanel fan I wasn’t sure if I would be able to pull off such bold colors for nails but after testing am happy to report that while the colors are edgy they are still wearable.
Lilis 647 is a beautiful peach coral red. It’s a mix between Holiday and Distraction making it the perfect blend of coral and pink. It’s different enough from other corals from both Dior and Chanel to justify owning.
This one was a bit difficult to photograph for comparisons, I’ve included two views since the white background + sunlight skews the colors a bit.
Chanel Azuré 657 is a stunning mermaid-like teal. I featured it a few days ago so I won’t repost the photos, but you can see it here.
Chanel Bel-Argus 667 is an electric metallic blue. It applied smoothly with minimal visible brush strokes. I was afraid this would be too over the top for me, but was surprised that it’s actually wearable.
I don’t own anything like it but here are some blues next to Bel-Argus.
I surprised myself by only picking up the three nail polishes from Chanel’s summer collection. I might go back for the glossimers. Did you pick up anything from the summer set?
All shades retail for $27 each, all limited-edition. They are at counters now in store and also online at Nordstrom.com as well as Chanel.com.
A few things I’m loving right now include these cute little prints from Printstagr.am (love this site to print your Instagram photos), Chanel Lilis 647 Le Vernis, skincare from SK-II (more to come soon) and all of Armani summer. This week’s loves:
