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Chanel Eye Makeup

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Signe Particulier, Illusion D’Ombre Rouge Noir and Le Volume de Chanel – Holiday 2015 Vamp Attitude Collection

November 12, 2015

I picked up four eye makeup items from the Chanel Vamp Attitude Collection. All are listed as limited-edition with the exception of the Illusion D’Ombre. I’ve been such a huge fan of Chanel for years and the holiday collections usually are absolutely stunning so I had high hopes for this release.

What I picked up, below from left to right:
Illusion D’Ombre ($36) in Rouge Noir
Les 4 Ombres ($65) in Signe Particulier
Le Volume de Chanel ($32) in Rouge Noir
Le Volume Ultra-Noir de Chanel ($32) in Noir Khôl

I am a lover of the Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadows. I own almost all of the colors and wear them on a regular basis. They offer the prettiest amount of sparkle to the eyes without being over the top and they layer nicely together. I know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (some feel they are too sheer or too sparkly). I’m a huge huge fan. When I found out there would be a Rouge Noir color launched I knew I would either love or hate it since I rarely like reddish colors for the eyes. I absolutely love this color. It’s dark enough that it doesn’t look red, but at the same time it’s red and plum enough that the color shows up on the eyes. This one does take some layering, it’s not a one-swipe wonder, but I think it’s gorgeous. That being said, after pulling some other deep wine eyeshadows, I do think it’s very similar to Armani Eyes to Kill #2 and NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Subra reviewed here. Both the Armani and NARS have deeper richer pigment with one to two swipes while the Chanel requires some building. The nice thing about the Chanel is you can swipe it over the lids for a softer wash.

I had very high hopes for the Les 4 Ombres in Signe Particulier. The eyeshadow quad releases from past seasons have been phenomenal with beautiful designs, excellent pigment and stunning unique colors. This year’s was one of the first disappointments from Chanel for me. I did swatch in store and saw that the pigment was very sheer and patchy. I thought it was just an over-handled tester that caused such poor application. I tested the brand new one I bought at home multiple times with several different brushes and applicators. The texture is very smooth and silky to touch but application is so sheer I could barely see any color payoff on the skin. I regret buying this. The colors are a soft sheer pale pink, a medium taupe shimmer, a deep plum-red, and a yellow gold shimmer. The packaging and embossed design is so so gorgeous. I wish the color payoff and pigment was better. If you love this – let me know what brushes you use, would love to figure out how to make this work.

Swatched below with a heavy hand, and the colors still are very sheer:

Finally there are two new mascaras in the holiday collection. I’m a fan of the Le Volume de Chanel Mascaras so I knew I had to try the Rouge Noir version. I’m thrilled with it – it thickens, volumizes, defines and doesn’t smudge or flake. I might need a back up of this. In addition to the Rouge Noir, there is a new deep dark black called Le Volume Ultra-Noir de Chanel in Noir Khôl (also limited-edition). I had high hopes for this and a few swipes applied an ultra dark color. It looks amazing and it’s super dark. The formula thickens the lashes evenly for a volumized look. The downside is it smudged terribly on my eyes. I tested it on several occasions (5 different days to be exact) before deciding it was a flop for me. I thought on the first occasion that I might have not powdered my concealer properly, so the next few times I tried the Noir Khôl on one eye and a regular Black Le Volume on the other eye. Each time, I had one side that smudged (the new one) and the other side did not (one with the classic formula/color).

I’m desperate to make the Ultra-Noir mascara work, if you tried it and love it, can you please share what makeup or skincare you use under the eyes?

I did consider purchasing the eyeliners in Rouge Noir and Or Safran, but decided against buying since I tend to wear black, brown or bronze colors. If you picked those up or tested them let me know what you think! Overall the eye makeup products were either hit or miss for me. The Le Volume de Chanel in Rouge Noir was an absolute hit for me. I love the Rouge Noir Illusion D’Ombre but it’s not an absolute must since it’s so close in color to other shades I own. Misses were the Les 4 Ombres and Noir Khôl Mascara.

You can find the Chanel Vamp Attitude Collection items at all Chanel counters now. Also online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Chanel.com along with all other Chanel retailers.

Did you pick up anything or try the colors from this collection? What did you think?
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Chanel Eye Makeup

Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Entrelacs for Fall 2015

August 27, 2015

There’s a stunning new eyeshadow palette from Chanel this fall called Les 5 Ombres de Chanel in Entrelacs ($80, limited-edition). It’s quite expensive but the colors are phenomenal neutrals that have a super soft texture with good buildable pigment. I think Chanel should make all their shadows in this formula – it melds into the skin flawlessly. The light colors are pigmented with a glorious shimmer giving them unique look. (In the pan they look almost matte.) The three darker shades are satiny in texture and layer nicely over each other. If you have a creamy liner or base on the lids you will see the dark shades pop. Chanel’s Les 5 Ombres de Chanel for fall is the perfect in-between of pure mattes and high frost shimmers. The finish is more of a satiny glow and I can’t rave enough about this palette. Even though I own enough neutrals to last 100 lifetimes I think this one is a must. 

The colors left to right:

Shimmering soft ivory with a champagne shimmery glow
Matte neutral beige tan
Soft satiny chocolate shimmer
Dark blackened brown satin
Soft light pink with gold shimmer

Swatches with the sponge applicators:

Swatched heavy over Tom Ford Peach Glow Primer with fingers:

I suspect each color can be replicated with individual colors. Some of the ones above resemble older Chanel singles and quads that I own (the first one resembles Ivory, second resembles Sand, third looks like a brown version of the darkest color in Poesie, fourth is unique). I pulled two other palettes to compare, Chanel Charming from Holiday 2013 and Dior Eye Reviver 001:

Overall a winner. I highly recommend it. If you’re new to high end eyeshadows and want a good easy to wear palette of neutrals, the Les 5 Ombres de Chanel is a good introductory palette. It has conservative colors suitable for everyday wear but enough color to show up on the eyes and add dimension. Lasting power is very good – it stays put all day without fading or budging. I’ve used it with my go-to eye base from Edward Bess. I like it so much I have to buy a back it up.

You can find the fall 2015 Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Entrelacs at all counters now, while supplies last since it’s limited-edition. Online at Chanel.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and all other Chanel retailers.

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Charlotte Tilbury Eye Makeup

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadows

August 21, 2015
Charlotte Tilbury launched her new Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadows several months ago ($32 each for 0.24 fl oz/7 ml). I bought five of the six shades as soon as I saw them at my local Nordstrom counter but then went on vacation, took photos, but never got around to reviewing them. I’ve been playing with these for quite some time now and think they are really amazing. I think they are little pots of magic for the eyes. If you’re a fan of the Tom Ford Cream Eyeshadows, you will love the ones from Charlotte Tilbury. The concept and texture of the Charlotte Tilbury’s are similar to those of Tom Ford’s. They both have a super creamy feel, they are easy to blend, they layer quite beautifully and you can control the pigment. On my lids they last all day without budging as long as I don’t rub my eyes. They feel weightless and have the most beautiful shimmer. A quick note on cream shadows – I don’t have oily lids and I rarely wear a primer because I find most drying on my skin. I like creamier eye bases such as the one from Edward Bess or cream shadows in general because they help powder shadows adhere to my lids better.

 

The Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise wear well alone or layered together. I am thoroughly impressed with how easy it is to layer and control pigment. Some cream shadows disappear or sheer out a lot once you blend. The ones from Charlotte Tilbury can be sheered out, but they still have extremely good pigment. Some close ups, descriptions and swatches of the 5 shades I picked out below.

 

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Norma Jean is a pale golden champagne color. It has the most beautiful shimmer in it. I love this all over the lids or as a base color. There is a bit of champagne pink mixed in a tiny bit of peach in the shimmer. It’s really quite stunning.
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Marie Antoinette is a sparkling golden brown taupe color. This one looks neutral-warm in the pot but goes on my skin more neutral-cool because of the silvery shimmer particles. This one will probably look very different on your skin if you have cool tones or fair skin. On my medium/olive skin it’s a gorgeous my lids but better kind of color.
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Bette is a warm coppery gold. On my skin this pulls very warm and very gold. I like it layered on top of either Norma Jean or Marie Antoinette to create depth or a soft gradient.
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Mona Lisa is a shimmering soft brown with plum undertones. It’s pure genius with the complex mix of cool and warm sparkles. It’s like a chocolate color, bronze shade and plum all mixed in one.

 

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Veruschka is one of the most interesting khaki shimmers I’ve seen. This one is a bit sheerer in finish compared to the others with one swipe but it is easy to layer. I have a hard time wearing olive colors. The olive + olive skin combo sometimes makes my face look very tired and sallow. This one has a beautiful mix of gold, green, olive and silver shimmers to make it more complex. It’s not a color I can wear on its own. I’m still experimenting with color combinations on this one.

 

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The colors I picked all lined up side by side. The teal shade Cleopatra is beyond gorgeous. I was very tempted to purchase but it’s not a color I suspect I would wear frequently. I might go back for it because it’s so striking, but for now I’m really happy with the five that I have. They are among the best in cream shadows that I’ve tried (tied with Tom Ford).

 

 

Swatches heavy:

 

 

Swatches heavy but blended:

 

 

Comparisons to some other shades, both sets are the same, one is just a close up:

 

Armani Eye Tints 12, 9, 11 and 5 (reviewed here)
Tom Ford Escapade (discontinued, reviewed here)
Tom Ford Spring 2015 (reviewed here)
Chanel Caroube (review + swatched here)
Tom Ford Platinum and Spice (reviewed here)

 

 

 

One last shot lined up:

 

I can’t rave enough about these. I think all five are outstanding. Veruschka is the only one I’m a bit iffy about mainly because I don’t really love olive colors, but there is a lovely complexity to the color that makes it really unique. I couldn’t find exact dupes with Tom Ford, Chanel or Armani. There are similarities in a lot of the colors so you may want to shop your stash before splurging. I give each one a huge thumbs up. For those curious, I’ve been applying them with my fingers but brushes work too. If you’re looking for pretty cream shadows with really good pigment and sophisticated shimmer these are really fun. The colors are gorgeous. You can use them as a traditional cream shadow for the lids or as a highlighter for the inner corners.

 

You can find the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Eyeshadows at all Charlotte Tilbury counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Beautylish, Net-A-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman and Charlotte Tilbury.
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Eye Makeup

Burberry Beauty Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadows

August 16, 2015

Earlier this year Burberry Beauty launched new formulas of eyeshadow to replace the original versions. I featured the four Wet & Dry Glow Eyeshadows eyeshadows earlier this year back in the spring. Today I have thoughts to share on several of the Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadows ($29 each). Much of the Burberry Beauty line has gone through a revamp over the past year. Color products have been reformulated and launched in
batches, starting with eyeshadows, followed by Kisses Hydrating Lip Color and most recently Kisses Lip Gloss. There are a number of new product launches in eyes and lips as well. I hope to feature those soon – today I have swatches of nine silk eyeshadow colors.

The new Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadow comes in the same size compact as the original Sheer Eyeshadow formula. They are priced the same but the new formulas have slightly more product at 2.7 g / 0.09 oz (the original versions were 2.5 g each). Both the old and formula have a mix of matte, satin and high shimmer shades. The newer formula shimmers are more finely milled and less powdery in texture – they are still very soft and easy to build but the pigment has improved significantly. The quality of the new Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadows is excellent and among the best I’ve ever tried. If you’re looking for high quality staple colors to give a classic polished look, Burberry is the way to go if you don’t mind single eyeshadows. They are easy to apply and blend easily. The mattes are very good mattes – I usually hate matte eyeshadows because they often look chalky or apply unevenly on my skin (the only exceptions for me are from Urban Decay, Tom Ford and Edward Bess). The Burberry ones go on smoothly and have a richly pigmented finish. The shimmers have a very soft finish – they aren’t high frost.

Some of the original colors have been relaunched in the new formula. I swatched some of them side by side and find they are not the same. My holy grail neutral was Pale Barley No. 22. It’s been launched in Pale Barley No. 102. It’s still a very good neutral and very similar. The original version is more shimmery and more complex while the new one is more finely milled and slightly sheerer in finish.

Descriptions of nine of the new colors:

  • Porcelain No. 100 is a pale shimmering ivory champange
  • Stone No. 101 is a richly pigmented matte bone color
  • Pale Barley No. 102 is a sheer-to-medium neutral fawn shimmer
  • Rosewood No. 202 is a shimmering mauve beige neutral
  • Dusky Mauve No. 203 is a deep brown mauve with satin shimmer
  • Mulberry No. 204 is a plum red shimmer
  • Chestnut Brown No. 301 is a deep cool brown shimmer
  • Storm Grey No. 303 is a shimmering warm grey
  • Jet Black No. 308 is a richly pigmented matte black

Close ups:

Swatches:

Swatched with a heavy hand (these were swatched with fingers only):

Swatch comparisons of some of the old vs. new shades. The original Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow formulas have numbers with 2 digits, the new Burberry Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadow formula colors have numbers with 3 digits. Some colors weren’t relaunched in the new version but I pulled a couple to compare.

I was a huge fan of the original Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow formula but somehow they’ve managed to make it new and improved with the Wet & Dry Silk formula. I prefer to apply these dry – the pigment is so good and shows up really well on the lids. I have tried the darker colors wet and the color intensifies if applied wet. I recommend you check out the swatches on Natural N Chic Makeup – she has swatches of more colors on her blog and also shows the effect when used with a damp brush (the pigment is impressive!). Overall I’m pleased with the new formula. I think they are more conservative in the shimmer factor compared to the original formula but the shimmer is still visible. I do prefer the original versions of Pale Barley and Rosewood and am glad I have backups of both. However the new ones are very similar and have a more satiny finish which make them easier to wear for those conservative on shimmer. If you do like a good shimmery shadow there are four Wet & Dry Glow eyeshadows which I reviewed here. I really like that formula and hope Burberry expands the color range in the near future.

Bottom line thumbs up. You can find the Burberry Beauty Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadows for $29 each at all Burberry Beauty counters. Online at Burberry, Nordstrom, Sephora (just launched!), and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Five of the eyeshadows were provided courtesy of Burberry for review consideration.
Four colors were purchased by me.

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Dior Eye Makeup

Dior Eye Reviver Backstage Pros Illuminating Neutrals Eye Palette – Nordy Girl

July 23, 2015

Dior has a new Eye Reviver Backstage Pros Illuminating Neutrals Palette for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale called Nordy Girl ($62 for 9.3 g/0.32 oz). This is a similar palette to the first version Illuminating Neutrals Eye Palette 001 I reviewed back in March (swatches + review here). The overall effect, pigment level and finish of the shadows between the two is almost identical with the Nordstrom exclusive version being more pink and rosy.

The Eye Reviver Backstage Pros Palette provides a selection of five soft neutrals that will give the eye a super soft polished look. The texture of the shadows is very soft and the colors meld onto the skin smoothly and evenly. Each of the 4 shadows layers well with each other and there is a dark gel liner at the end which has good pigment. I found the liner to be budge proof but it is creamy so it will take a little time to set and dry. I prefer topping any pencil or gel liner with a bit of power shadow to help it set.
If you’re looking for a super conservative eye look that you can do everyday these are the palettes for you. Either of the Eye Reviver Palettes are pretty much goof proof and impossible to overdo if you want a soft looking eyeshadow look.

The colors of the Dior Nordy Girl palette include:
Soft matte pale pink white
Shimmering pigmented light pink frost
Shimmering mauve plum
Shimmering pink mauve
Shimmering mauve
Matte plum-brown liner

For comparisons, I pulled both the 001 and Nordy Girl to swatch side by side.

Close ups:

I had mixed feelings about the original version (post + eye look here). These palettes are good staples but given the neutral nature of each, they are very easy to dupe and if you own a lot of eyeshadows or palettes it’s likely that you probably own similar colors. That being said, Dior does make very good quality palettes – the shadows are smooth with soft medium buildable pigment that makes for a polished look no matter what colors they have. These Eye Reviver Palettes have soft texture shadows that fall in between a full matte and full shimmer. The shimmer is finely milled but super natural on the eye so if you hate frost eyeshadow or complete mattes, the shadows in these palettes fall somewhere in between. If you prefer all mattes, the Urban Decay Naked Basics and Naked2 Basics are hands down my top picks.

Since they both seem very similar, I don’t think you need both. The pigment of the colors with Nordy Girl is better in the sense the colors are richer and more pigmented on the skin. The 2 lightest shades have really good pigment, however the next 3 medium shades are almost identical on my medium olive-toned skin. The pigment of the Original 001 is slightly sheerer but there is more contrast between the five shades which allows for more variation.

I own a lot of similar shadows so I can’t call them must-haves for me. I am pleased with the quality, lasting power and overall color scheme. If I were to recommend a good starter palette to someone new to makeup, I would recommend these as goof-proof easy to use eyeshadows.

If I had to pick one of the two, I favor the Original Version because it has more contrast in the colors. The Nordy Girl is more visible on my skin and has a more dramatic feel because cool tones look sharper on my olive skintone. If you’re deciding between the two, I would say base your decision on your preference for warm (opt for 001) or cool tones (pick Nordy Girl).

The Nordy Girl Eye Reviver Backstage Pros Illuminating Neutrals Eye Palette is a limited-edition product for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (retails for $62). I hope you found the review of both Eye Reviver Palettes helpful.

Did you check out the palette from Nordstrom? What did you think?

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Eye Makeup Urban Decay

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

July 21, 2015

The latest addition to Urban Decay’s Naked line is the Naked Smoky Palette ($54 for 12 shadows 1.3g each + a dual ended brush). I think it’s a glorious palette and am completely over the moon with it. I had been counting the days to the release date as I’m a huge fan of all the Naked Eyeshadow Palettes (yes, all of them). When I saw previews I was worried this might be too cool-toned for my olive skin. I usually need a mix of some warm shadows otherwise colors look very grey on me. The Naked Smoky Palette has a really good mix of neutral and cool shades, all of which layer beautifully together.

Naked Smoky has 12 shades in a magnetic mirrored compact. Out of all the Naked 12 Pan Palettes, this release has the best packaging. It’s sleek with a super modern look and sturdy feel. The brush is also the best one I’ve tried out of the three palettes I own. One end has a small domed tip which is really quite incredible for applying the darker shades along the upper lashes. The other end is fluffy and picks up a good amount of product and blends nicely.

The shades range from high shimmers, one glitter, a few satiny shimmer shades, and four matte colors. All the Urban Decay colors I’ve tried (palettes and singles) are typically very soft and feel buttery smooth when you apply them. They’re almost like velvet and sometimes there is a bit of debris that can fall off the brush but once color is on the lid it stays put. The textures in this palette seem to be a bit harder than most other Urban Decay shadows I’ve tried making some of them colors a bit sheerer on their own, but pigment and quality is still very good.
  • High is a highly pigmented pretty champagne beige shimmer (it’s a bit darker and less pink than Sin)
  • Dirtysweet is a pigmented warm copper tan frost with shimmer flecks (it’s like Half Baked but a bit more muted)
  • Radar is semi-sheer warm bronze shimmer, texture is bit harder compared to the others making it a bit sheer but this one still has good pigment
  • Armor is the only glitter shade, it’s a glorious grey taupe shimmer with silver glitter flecks, there is fall out when you apply it (it will fall off the brush) but once it’s on the lids, it stays put
  • Slanted is a sheer silver with a blue undertone, it makes a lovely sheer wash or a good blending color to soften the darker colors, if you want a high impact silver you might find this lacking
  • Dagger is a satin grey black, there’s a tiny bit of shimmer, but it looks more matte on me, it also has a hard texture but I like this applied with a detail brush over eyeliner to intensify a smoky look

  • Black Market is a muted black satin, this one is also harder in texture making it a softer smoky black, I like to use it with the small end of the Smoky brush to create a blurred line across the upper lash line, it’s a black that is goof-proof if you apply in small strokes
  • Smolder is a medium pigmented deep purple shimmer, this one works best over a creamy primer or creamy eyeshadow as a base to help bring out the color
  • Password is a matte grey brown with a smooth texture, I like layering this on top of other shadows to create a soft smoky gradiant
  • Whiskey is a warm matte brown that an ultra smooth texture
  • Combust is a greyed mauve pink matte which is so pretty on the lids
  • Thirteen is a super pigmented pale matte pink

I pulled the other three Naked Palettes for comparisons of the colors and brushes:

Swatched on Chanel Beige 40 skin:

Brush comparisons:

Eye swatches below with High all over the lids, Dirty Sweet + Armor layered and a tiny bit of Black Market applied wet as a liner over Zero 24/7 Eyeliner

Based on feedback on other reviews I’ve done on the Urban Decay Naked
Palettes, I think your mileage may vary depending on your shimmer preferences.
Many of the shades in the palettes have a frost or metallic finish but I
find them very wearable for even conservative makeup lovers. That being
said if you can’t wear shadows with a lot of shimmer, I
recommend the Naked Basics, Naked2 Basics or Edward Bess Matte Artiste if you want a good palette of neutrals.

Out of the four 12-pan Naked Palettes, my favorites are still tied between Naked2 and Naked3. The new Naked Smoky is quite amazing and since I really like the others I find it a must-have even though I could probably create something similar by mixing and layering the others. That being said the colors are unique and I like that there are no repeat shades in this palette compared to the other ones. I almost always bring one of the Naked Palettes with me when I travel – I find them versatile and I think the neutral beige/tan shimmers are really pretty. Each palette has enough colors to take a look from day to night, for any occasion. The look I did above is super natural with the lighter shades, but you can layer the darker colors for a smoky look. I give this one a huge thumbs up – it’s the perfect naked version of a smoky palette.

You can find the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette at all Urban Decay retailers now. I ordered mine online from Urban Decay. You can also find it at Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta and Macy’s.

Have you tried this yet? Do you have a favorite Naked Palette?

24 Comments
Eye Makeup Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Summer 2015 Cream & Powder Eye Color Swatch Comparisons

April 28, 2015

As promised I pulled some other cream shadows to compare to the Tom Ford Beauty Summer shadow duos. Many thanks to my savvy readers who already knew some of the creams were duplicates (or repeats) of prior limited-edition shades. There are a couple colors that keep selling out online but are available for back order. If you want all shades, you may have to shop around. My local counter had all of their Naked Bronze and Golden Peach reserved via pre-sales. I’ve compiled a list to help save you time from clicking around (note this is subject to change as items sell out):

Above shown Top Row, left to right:
Bottom Row, left to right:
Swatches:
My conclusion is that the new summer duos do indeed include repeats of previously released cream shadows from Tom Ford. If you already own Spice, Pink Haze and the Golden Mink Quad (I don’t own this but I swatched in store to compare), you can skip Golden Peach and Naked Bronze if you want to avoid dupes. The Spring 2015 Cream Shadow is really close to Midnight Sea but not an exact dupe when you look at it in person. The summer duo is slightly lighter in color while the spring shade is a bit deeper. I really like the concept of the new summer Cream & Powder pots because of the packaging and having two shades in one compact for convenience (plus the mirror to apply if you’re on the go or need to touch up before going out).

Hope this helps! Did you buy or test out any of the Tom Ford summer duos yet? If yes, which ones and what are your thoughts so far?

The Tom Ford Summer Duos were provided as press samples for review consideration. All other items purchased by me.

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