I finally got my hands on two of the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Face Eye Palettes – they’ve been nearly impossible to find as they sold out quickly earlier in the year. They finally popped up online at Nordstrom last week and I ordered two of them in Intensity 0.5 Rose Cashmere and Intensity 1 Red Harness. Quick note that I’ve seen some color options sell out and restock online a few times. If you’ve had these on your radar and don’t see the color you want, check back online.
I just received my order in the mail so I have a first impressions review. I wanted to get up some quick swatches and thoughts for those who have been curious about them. I’ve also been testing out the Soleil Glow Tinted Moisturizer in Dune 5.7 and will have a more detailed look soon, but wanted to give you a quick preview here.
Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Face Eye Palettes come in four shade options. At $155 each they are crazy jaw dropping expensive. Each palette has 4 eyeshadows, 1 highlighter and 1 contour powder. The eye colors are all shimmery and have a similar soft metallic pressed texture to the eyeshadow quads like Nude Dip and Honeymoon. Contour and highlighter powders are softer similar to the texture of the Sheer Cheek Duos (current one Lissome reviewed here) and not as intense/frosty as the Skin Illuminating Duos (all 3 swatched here in case you’re curious). Quality wise these are excellent – the texture is smooth, color is easy to build, pigment is medium. Lasting power is really good as the powders adhere well to the skin.
Rose Cashmere / Intensity 0.5
Intensity 0.5/Rose Cashmere is the lightest color palette option and also the most neutral. The highlighter is a pale yellow shimmer with a soft sheen and the contour powder is a soft tan satin. On my skin the highlighter looks yellow and the tan powder is just slightly darker than my skin tone. The four eyeshadows are like my dream palette with a pale metallic ivory champagne, satiny rose peach, a shimmery mauve tan and a shimmery deeper light tan/taupe. I think the colors make for a beautiful soft wash of color and glow but there aren’t enough shades for a complete eye look – you will still need to add a deeper color for liner or contouring.
Above wearing:
- Foundation – Tom Ford Glow Tinted Moisturizer in Dune 5.7
- Powder – MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden
- Eyes/Cheeks – Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Face and Eye Palette in Rose Cashmere
- Eyeliner – NARS Coconut Grove Eyeshadow and Tom Ford Liquid Eyeliner
- Mascara – Lancome Monsieur Big
- Lip Color – Sisley Phyto Lip Twist in Shade 3 with Tom Ford Gloss in Ravish on top (review here)
- Cropped Ribbed Tank – Lovers + Friends Revolve
Normally I would add a blush for more color but I wanted to show just the palette on my medium/tan skin.
Red Harness / Intensity 1
Intensity 1/Red Harness surprised me – it’s warm but very wearable! There is more contrast with the eyeshadows in this palette for a more complete look. The eyeshadows include a shimmery pale cool moonlight, shimmery warm copper/orange, shimmering red/pink and a softwash metallic plum. The highlighter is a beautiful soft peachy shade with a hint of champagne and the contour is a cool medium brown.
Look below wearing Red Harness. Lip color is Tom Ford Lipstick in Spanish Pink with Gloss Luxe in Impulse on top.
Glow Tinted Moisturizer
Last is a quick look at the Soleil Glow Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15. The shade range isn’t as comprehensive as the foundations and they don’t have my usual shades Natural 6 or Sable 6.5. However in some of the formulas I can get by using Dune 5.7 and since it’s a sheer finish I decided to try it. It’s visibly lighter than my skin tone when I swatch it on my hand or face but it did oxidize a full shade on my skin so it ended up working for me color-wise. The formula is a sheer finish. When blended it pretty much disappears into a natural glow. I wish I could give this a rave review – I’ve been a fan of many Tom Ford base formulas in the past. I can’t though. The Tinted Moisturizer in this formula is not special enough, unique or pigmented enough to make a noticeable difference on my skin. I do like how it gives a natural glow but I think the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer does the same thing for my skin for a more reasonable price – and I actually like the coverage better (review here). In the Tom Ford range I think the Soleil Glow Foundation is a much better option for the same glow, more coverage and a better shade selection.
Above are swatches of the Tom Ford Soleil Glow Tinted Moisturizer in Dune 5.7, Soleil Glow Foundation in Natural 6.0 and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in 3N1 Sand.
That wraps up my Tom Ford haul review! I am still in a bit of sticker shock over the steep price tag of the Shade and Illuminate Palettes. I’ve splurged on many in the past and have loved most of the ones I’ve bought. I am happy with both of the palettes I hauled and will get a lot of use out of them. I have no regrets purchasing them – they perform really well and I love the soft washed glow they give. I don’t know that I can say they’re $155 worth it – but I do like them. I am trying to really love the Tinted Moisturizer and while I think it performs ok, I definitely don’t feel it’s worth the steep price.
You can find the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Face and Eye Palettes at Nordstrom. I also hauled the Soleil Glow Tinted Moisturizer from Nordstrom as well.
Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
