Coral Beach is more of a straight peach compared to Chanel Distraction, Laura Mercier Cabana (discontinued) and NARS Vertebra (discontinued from the Pierre Hardy collection).
Tom Ford released four new limited-edition nail lacquers for spring in Sugar Dune, Coral Beach, Incandescent and Indiscretion ($32 each for .41 fl oz/20 ml, made in France). The colors together make a beautiful collection perfect for spring. Those who have read my reviews of Tom Ford Nail Lacquers know I wasn’t too thrilled with the formulas for the original release of colors. I’ve found the limited-edition releases to be much better in lasting power, finish and pigment. The new shades for spring have good pigment and last quite long (going on 4 days and counting with Sugar Dune). These four shades come with the limited-edition white caps to match the white packaging on the lipsticks for this collection.
Sugar Dune is a beautiful pink nude cream. It makes for a lovely natural manicure. I’m on the end of day four wearing this and there are no signs of tip wear. I did find this one a bit difficult to apply smoothly. I had to apply three thin coats – each coats need to dry completely before you apply the next coat. If you have patience to apply this one carefully you will be pleased with the color. It has a bit of pink in it to prevent it from being too flesh-toned.
Coral Beach is a semi-sheer coral peach cream color. It’s not quite a jelly finish nail polish but it has a tiny bit of transparency. I found it applied with near-full coverage with two coats. It’s more orangey and less pink than other medium corals but it’s not pure orange. There’s a bit of softness to this that makes it look bright but more natural on the hands.
Incandescent is my favorite color in the collection. It’s a metallic mix of pink, bronze and silver. In sunlight it looks more like a metallic golden rose, in natural light it looks more golden. With two coats you can see a little bit of the brush strokes, but it applies fairly smoothly. This one had a bit of tip wear by day three (as shown below).
Indiscretion is a standard bright pink. It’s a bit brighter and lighter than the other Tom Ford pinks in his regular collection. This one was a bit hard to photograph. On the screen it looks a bit neon but it’s really a straight bright hot pink.
Bottom line – classic shades that will be wearable throughout the entire year. I think you can safely skip Indiscretion since it’s fairly similar to other hot pinks. The remaining three colors are beautiful with Incandescent being the most unique. It has a lovely shimmer frost without being too metallic. I finally ordered nail wheels, expect a comparison post to follow shortly.
The Tom Ford Nail Lacquers for spring are limited-edition at $32 each. You can find them now at Tom Ford Beauty counters, also online at Nordstrom, Saks, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and Selfridges.
I ordered a couple Tom Ford Lip Color Sheers ($49 each for .1 oz/3g) online last week and then picked up several more shades at the Neiman Marcus counter in San Francisco (see swatches of all the new shades here). These new beauties from Tom Ford are called “Lip Color Sheers” although I would say they are really not all that sheer. Pigment is somewhere in between the Regular Lipsticks (full cream coverage) and the Lip Color Shines (see-thru but still pigmented and glossy). The Lip Color Sheers have this lovely natural sheen and impressive pigment. The shimmery shades are a bit more sheer while the creams are more pigmented. although they are not quite glossy. I found lasting power to be quite good. The lip colors adhered well to the lips and faded nicely after several hours of wear. I tested In the Buff yesterday afternoon and it lasted from noon until the time I ate later that afternoon at around 5:00 pm.
Summer Fling is a soft light pink with gold shimmer. The shimmer isn’t super visible on the lips although you can still tell it’s a shimmer. This one has impressive coverage if you swipe back and forth on the lips a few times. It layers quite well. I found Summer Fling to have a glossy finish.
In the Buff is a pale seashell nude shimmer. It’s what I wanted Blush Nude to look like on me (that one is like concealer lips for me). In the Buff has just enough shimmer and color to not wash me out completely. Pink Dune is similar but darker and has more of a swirly peachy pink shimmer to it. This one is also a lovely shade. Both these two are my top picks.
Sweet Spot is a brighter coral peach. It has a bit of shimmer but to me looks more like a cream on the lips. You can blend and sheer it out for lighter color but it’s still quite bright.
Paradiso is a hot pink. It’s a medium pink in the tube and swatched on the hands. On my lips the color really adheres to the lip and brightens up with a bit of layering. This one surprised me at how pigmented it is.
For the ingredient-conscious I managed to photograph the ingredient listings on the box before I tossed them (click to enlarge).
I’m a huge Tom Ford Beauty fan. Anyone who has tried his lipsticks can vouch that they are indeed best in class. They are a luxurious splurge and in my opinion – there’s just nothing you can compare. Still $50ish is still very difficult to justify for a lipstick. The spring/summer collection offers some gorgeous fresh shades for spring, all of which need no additional tweaking or added definition. I found the colors perfect as is, straight from the tube. The formula is long lasting and pigment is flawless. Given the number of bright options that have been released, you can definitely find a similar color from MAC or NARS. I’ll try to pull some comparisons later this week once the sun returns.
Tom Ford Lip Color Sheers are $49 each. The Spring/Summer shades are currently listed all as limited-edition. My top picks are the lightest shades in Summer Fling, In the Buff and Pink Dune. I can’t always pull off those gorgeous nudes or pales, and these are suitable with no extra work needed. Be sure to check out Makeup Magpie for her updated lip swatches.
I ordered several items from the new Tom Ford Spring/Summer 2014 collection but haven’t had time to photograph or swatch yet. Some shades are already selling out online, but you can still find colors in stores. There are 8 lip color conditioners and 4 new nail colors (all limited-edition).
I hope to have reviews soon, but in case you can’t wait, I swatched each lip color on my hand at the Neiman Marcus San Francisco Tom Ford counter. According to the Tom Ford reps there, Pink Dune is currently their best seller, they say everyone has been asking for this one (I found it to be my favorite out of the bunch as well).
A sneak peek at the gorgeous Tom Ford counter at Neiman Marcus San Francisco (click to enlarge):
The colors swatched indoors with counter lighting and also outdoors to help you get a sense of how the colors look. For skintone reference I use the Tom Ford foundation sticks in 4 and 5 and am usually a Chanel B30. The color offerings:
Tom Ford Beauty fans: the Spring 2014 Beauty collection has arrived online at Nordstrom. The collection has new colors for lips and nails.
Nail Lacquers $32 each in Incandescent, Indiscretion, Coral Beach and Sugar Dune
Spring Lip Conditioners $49 each in Pink Dune, Paradiso, Bitter Sweet, Sweet Spot, Incorrigible, Summer Fling, In the Buff, Firecracker
I cannot wait for these to arrive in stores at counters. I am trying to resist the urge to order these online although I have all the nail polishes sitting in my cart right now. Plus Nordstrom has an online gift with purchase going on right now.
What has been your favorite spring collection released this year so far? I haven’t seen everything yet in stores so my favorite is still yet to be determined. This one just might be it.
Tom Ford recently released a series of Oud Fragrances to expand on one of his earlier releases Oud Wood Eau de Parfum. The three scents released in smoky grey-colored packaging include the Oud Wood, Oud Fleur and Tobacco Oud. At the counters I fell in love with the classic Oud Wood. After testing a small sample made at the Tom Ford counter, I went back a week later and purchased the 1.7 oz/50ml version for $210. It’s the most I have ever spent on a perfume, but well worth the price given how much I adore the scent and it’s lasting power.
Small 4ml samples made at the Tom Ford counter:
I’ve tried Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille which is a lovely bold and rich vanilla. I had it on my wishlist for over a year but could never bring myself to purchase a full size bottle. Right when I had decided to buy it, I tried the Oud Wood series and Oud Wood blew me away. I still decided to test for at least a few days before committing to a full size. Oud Wood is described as “Exotic Rose Wood and Cardamom, blended with exuberant Chinese Pepper, envelop the wearer in warmth. Eventually, the center exposes a smokey blend of rare Oud Wood, Sandalwood and Vetiver. Finally, the creamy scents of Tonka Bean, Vanilla and Amber are revealed.”
It’s a strong and bold fragrance without being too overpowering. It does lean more masculine but I still think it’s unisex enough for a woman to wear. It has a lovely mix of vanilla, amber and sandalwood. It is a creamy warm scent. The oud in the scent is noticeable but on the softer side when mixed with the Tonka Bean and Vanilla. It wears very well on the skin and like most Tom Ford fragrances I’ve tried, lasts all day long without fading. I recommend reading the reviews on Fragrantica, Basenotes.net, Kafkaesque and Temptalia.
It usually takes me a long time to decide to purchase a fragrance. Even after careful consideration and time, I don’t always end up choosing ones that work for me (ie Jo Malone Ginger Biscuit, and I really wanted to love this one). After a month of wearing Tom Ford Oud Wood, I’ve found my perfect winter fragrance. It’s proven to be one of my favorites that I’ve tried (my other current favorite is Frederic Malle Carnal Flower). Oud Wood is strong enough to last all day long but mellow enough to not be overpowering and make me self conscious while wearing this to work.
I’m still considering Tobacco Vanille as I’ve read it layers well with Oud Wood. My other favorite by Tom Ford is Santal Blush. For now I’m 100% smitten with Oud Wood. Given the high price tag and number of perfumes I’m still working my way through, I’m going to wait a while before looking into buying another Tom Ford fragrance.
Tom Ford Oud Wood is available at Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and Tom Ford Boutiques. The scent is available in a variety of sizes and body products. I bought the Shower Gel for my husband as I found it to be more woody/earthy and more masculine in scent. Oud Wood comes in the following options:
Drybar The Chaser Shine Pomade – my holy grail hair product to add shine, remove frizz, long lasting and smells amazing, my husband also loves this for his hair
Edward Bess Black Sea Mousse Foundations – I’ve mixed Light and Medium to get a good match, I’ve found that this is indeed the perfect full coverage foundation that gives a flawless airbrushed look that still manages to look natural, I truly hope Edward releases this to all his counters and in more shades (it was a QVC exclusive that sold out almost instantly)
Chanel Les Beiges Powders – my favorite is 20 for all over, 30 and 40 work wonders for natural contouring and adding a soft glow of color to the face
Diptyque 10-Piece Set – special release this holiday and the perfect way to try multiple scents at a more affordable price than buying the full sizes of each candle
YSL Rouge Volupte Shines – my favorite lipsticks of the year for and The Beauty Look Book’s most popular post from 2013
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