Tom Ford launched two new Skin Illuminating Duos ($85 each for .42 oz/12 g) this year in Flicker and Incandescent. The original one Moodlight is probably one of the prettiest candlelight champagne glow highlighters I’ve ever tried and to this day remains a staple. Flicker is the deeper version and easier to find. Incandescent is a little harder to find right now (it sold out on a number of sites quickly) but you can still find it at Sephora and Bloomingdale’s. The two new colors have the same textured pattern, shimmery finish and powder formula to the original for a multi-dimensional glow.
From top clockwise: Moodlight, Flicker and Incandescent
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Moodlight
For my medium golden skin I find Moodlight is still the best as a skin illuminating duo. It’s the most flattering, isn’t too warm or cool, has the perfect amount of shimmer and glow. It’s smooth, lasts all day, doesn’t emphasize pores and looks good on a wide range of skin tones. I’ve hit pan on this before. I bought a fresh one to shoot for this post.
Swatch comparisons can be found in previous posts here and here.
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Flicker
Flicker has a yellow gold shimmer and deep dark bronze tone with olive undertones. For me this is better for the eyes. On my complexion the colors do not work well on the face, even with soft layering or mixing. The deeper color pulls a little green on my skin and is too deep to wear even as a soft contour. Because it contrasts so sharply with my skin I found the darker color didn’t really apply smoothly with regular highlighting strokes. It required a lot of extra blending to smooth out. On the eyes it applied just fine though.
Swatch comparisons to Maybelline Master Chrome in Molten Gold (one of the best gold highlighters I’ve tried this year), Chanel Duo Bronze Et Lumiere in Medium (review here), Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow in Medium-Dark.
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Incandescent
Incandescent did not disappoint and was worth the extra effort to track down. It looks darker in the pan than I anticipated from online stock photos but swatches light and glowy. There’s a champagne shimmer that’s almost identical to the top shade in Moodlight on my skin (they don’t look the same in the pan though). Incandescent’s top shade pulls a little warmer and more golden. If you’re lighter than me in skin tone the difference will be more noticeable. The bottom shade is a frosty rose, similar to NARS Maldives.
Swatch comparisons to Charlotte Tilbury Sex on Fire, NARS Highlighting Powder in Maldives (review here), Tom Ford Contouring Cheek Duo in Softcore (discontinued).
More swatches of the three Skin Illuminating Duos side by side:
Swatches on the face, also wearing:
- Foundation – Tom Ford Soleil Glow Foundation in Shade 6
- Concealer – Smashbox Studio Skin Concealer in Light Medium Warm
- Powder – Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Powder in Shade 2
- Brows – Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
- Mascara – L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara
- Eyeliner – L’Oreal Infallible Waterproof Eye Pencil in Brown
- Lips – Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath in Rosy Glow
- Tee – Reformation Alex Slim Tee
Overall I still like Moodlight the best but I think Incandescent is really lovely too. Flicker isn’t a win for me but it’s mainly because the colors don’t work so well for my complexion, it’s a little too deep for me to wear even with blending. The gold is a little too yellow for my liking. For a contour gold/bronze palette I prefer the Natasha Denona Tan Bronze and Glow Palette or the Chanel Duo Bronze Et Lumiere Compact I reviewed earlier – both are easier for me to wear and more flattering for my medium skin tone.
You can find the Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Duos out now at all Tom Ford counters. Online at Nordstrom, Sephora, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York and Beautylish.
I’m hoping Incandescent will restock everywhere, I bought mine at Nordstrom but it keeps selling out online, for now it’s available at Sephora and Bloomingdale’s.
Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
