Tom Ford Beauty is still relatively new in the US. The entire cosmetic line was launched first at select Neiman Marcus stores and Bergdorf Goodman and now appears to be trickling into other retailers. Ever since the launch I’ve searched for reviews, swatches and photos online but to date have not found much on the Lip Glosses by Tom Ford. Perhaps it’s the exclusivity and high price tag of $45 a tube (for .24 fl oz)? Having been impressed by the lipsticks I decided to give the glosses a chance. I ordered 3 glosses online sight unseen in Naked, Rose Crush, and Sahara Pink. Then a few weekends ago I saw the entire line in person at the Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills and came home with 2 more in Peach Absolut and Sugar Pink.
The gloss: These glosses have a similar vanilla scent as the lipsticks in Tom Ford’s line. The texture is thick and opaque with a slightly sticky texture similar to that of Bobbi Brown’s but not quite as sticky. These come in a clear square shaped tube that appears to be plastic (it could be acrylic but I’m not entirely sure). The applicator is a long brush which I find is the right length and thickness to apply the gloss evenly on the lips.
The finish: The finish is a high shine. I find the thickness makes these last quite a long time on the lips.
The pigment: Pigment overall is rich and medium-full coverage. Sugar Pink and Peach Absolut are slightly sheerer with almost a jelly-like finish, but are still rich in finish.
The colors: my descriptions for each shade as they apply on my lips (I find they apply true to what you see in the tube)
Naked – a nude flesh beige with a slight pinkish tinge and gold shimmer
Rose Crush – a neutral nude pink with brownish/tawny tones and slight shimmer flecks
Sahara Pink – a neutral rose pink cream
Peach Absolut – sheer soft peach
Sugar Pink – bright but sheer pink
Swatches (note that the swatches aren’t in the same order as the product photos above):
I’m limited on time so I decided to do comparisons rather than lip swatches.
Overall thoughts: I really wanted to hate these. $45 a tube is insanity (yet I still caved, gift cards are often used on frivolous things when I should really be saving them up for a bigger better purchase). The packaging is functional and sturdy but a bit cheap feeling. (It’s growing on me though.) I was so excited to see the Tom Ford Counter at Neiman Marcus but the service was a bit lacking (granted I was there on a Saturday afternoon when stores are at their busiest) and the lighting at the displays was horrendous. If you google Tom Ford Beauty at Neiman Marcus you will see beautiful displays. The setup is modern chic and in my opinion really stunning and gorgeous. However, the displays are lit with a neon light that prevents you from being able to see any of the colors as they are in reality. I had to hold the tester tubes several feet away out of the light to be able to see the true color.
Even with all these issues (they might just be me) I have to admit that the quality and finish of these are excellent. The glosses are made in Italy and the colors I picked just work – no tweaking required. They are perfect alone, with a liner or over any lipstick. I personally prefer them over a neutral lipliner to help even out the edges. The colors might not be all that original but in my stash I could not find any exact dupes. I wish I could recall the other shades but the lighting wasn’t the best and I didn’t swatch them all on my hand. The big question of whether or not they are worth the $45 depends on the individual person. I am inclined to say no, even with the excellent quality, finish and color selection, $45 is still extremely steep and I think you can get a similar effect with other brands that are more wallet-friendly.
More ramblings on my thoughts for Tom Ford Beauty products: At the counter I only tested the glosses, eyeshadow quads and blushes. I eyed Cognac Sable but decided to pass, most of the quads have at least 1 extremely shimmery/glittery shade which I’m not used to wearing on an everyday basis. I was particularly impressed by the blushes (I have 3 so far, but have not reviewed them, see Karla Sugar for swatches), they have a beautiful rich finish and soft blendable textures with gorgeous finely milled shimmer (why couldn’t all the quads be like the blushes?). My friend eyed the clear sparkly gloss which I also thought was interesting but did not try personally. Having a number of lipsticks already I didn’t check out the other shades. I passed on trying the nail polishes at the counter too. I have 2 that I purchased online and was less than impressed with the finish and the cap leaks nail polish around the top even when closed. At the counter, I the colors looked extremely ordinary.
That’s it. I didn’t make the most of my counter visit, but given the high price tag I was a bit scared to check everything else out, so perhaps it was for the best that nobody was available/willing to help me at the counter. That combined with the horrible lighting … I lost interest quickly. Maybe I’ll have better luck next time.
Overall I’m pleased with the glosses and I think if it’s in your budget you should definitely splurge on 1. I still prefer the lipsticks over the glosses though. (To see Tom Ford Lipsticks I’ve reviewed, click on the Tom Ford tag at the bottom of this post.)
Have you tried anything from Tom Ford Beauty? Been to a counter in person? I’d love to hear about what you’ve tried, liked, disliked, splurged on or passed.
Tom Ford Violet Blonde is my first experience with Tom Ford fragrances. It turned out to be an unexpected love. I was lucky to be gifted a bottle right before the official release, but to my dismay it was not love at first spritz. I have to admit (in all fairness) I made the mistake of not testing this on myself, but rather on a small piece of paper. Back into the violet box this went and it sat on our shelf for a month until my husband noticed it and asked, “ooh, is that for me?” He can never resist a new fragrance, especially when it comes in a beautifully packaged bottle. He has a knack for finding things that smell good – our house is forever filled with some kind of smell-good scent. (I have to hide my Jo Malone tea fragrances because he loves them so much he runs around our house to “freshen” it with Assam & Grapefruit.) Once again, he decided to use a fragrance to fill one of our rooms with scent. He spritzed Violet Blonde in our bathroom and as soon as I walked in, I fell in love.
Violet Blonde is a new addition to Tom Ford’s Signature Line and comes in three different sizes 1 oz ($65), 1.7 oz ($100 and 3.4 oz ($145). It’s a soft elegant floral with a hint of a powdery finish. In the past few months I’ve started to explore a few more Tom Ford mini vials and am amazed at how his fragrances transform once they dry down on the skin. Violet Blonde is no exception. When first spritzed, there is a fruity floral with a hint of green (what I think is the violet). It dries down to a softer floral and warms up with a slight powdery woody feel. I don’t typically like strong floral or green scents, but I’m enamored with Tom Ford’s Violet Blonde. It’s a departure from what I’m typically drawn to yet I adore it.
I’m sure by now many of you have already tested out Violet Blonde. I love the reviews by The Non-Blonde, Fruity Lashes, The Candy Perfume Boy and Temptalia. What more can I add? Not much. I’m still learning how to review fragrances. I highly recommend you read their reviews to get a better sense of how Violet Blonde behaves on the skin. Their descriptions and reviews are amazing. I agree with Gaia that while this is marketed as a perfume for women, men also seem to love it. My husband adores it. Bottom line: dreamy, feminine, elegant and classic.
All photos taken by me. More details shown below for the inspiration, top notes, middle notes and base notes.
Here is Chanel Stupendous (from the Soho Collection last year) compared to Tom Ford Silvered Topaz. They are not identical dupes but very similar. I prefer the Chanel to the Tom Ford by far. I had thought Stupendous was a limited edition quad, but I just checked Nordstrom.com and it still shows up available for purchase. Swatches side by side:
Tom Ford Silvered Topaz: $75 for .35 oz/10 g, made in Italy = $7.50 per gram
Chanel Stupendous: $57 for .24 oz/6.8 g, made in France = $8.83 per gram
Even though the price per oz/g is more for the Chanel, I think it’s more justifiable at $57, plus I think the overall finish and quality of the Chanel looks better on my skin. Don’t let my reservations about Tom Ford Silvered Topaz stop you though. I still highly recommend that you check out the line in person if you can. If you can get to the Beverly Hills area, Neiman Marcus is the ideal place to shop for Tom Ford because they have Edward Bess and Le Metier among a number of other fabulous brands. Also Dolce & Gabbana is next door at Saks, not to mention all the goodies at Barneys like Koh Gen Do, L’Artisan, Serge Lutens, Le Labo, Byredo etc.
Tom Ford’s full makeup line has just been launched in the US at Bergdorf Goodman and select Neiman Marcus locations. I have not yet had a chance to see the entire lineup in person but I did pre-order a few items online. I’ve been enamored with the formula of all his lipsticks (original and new revamp) so my expectations were set pretty high for the rest of the line. First up to be reviewed is his eye color quad in Silvered Topaz 05 ($75 for .35 oz/10 g). Each quad has a diverse range of finishes, Silvered Topaz has an intense champagne sparkle, a satiny silvery grey, shimmery pale mauve and matte brown plum. The overall undertone of this quad is very cool, I found it a bit too silvery for my olive skintone but it looks amazing on Karla Sugar (see her makeover results here). (On thumb at top is Chanel Rose Cache.)
Here are some more close ups and swatches (scroll down for the review):
* On thumb is Chanel Nuit de Russie (from 2008)
Quality, Pigment & Texture: The quality of the shadows in Silvered Topaz are good but not great. The texture is smooth and easy to blend which is nice and the shimmer is finely milled for the satin/shimmer shades. The high-sparkle shade is lovely as a finishing color with no fall out but very intense. The matte shade is also smooth. Pigment is medium but layerable. Overall I think the quality is decent, but perhaps I’ve just been spoiled by Le Metier & Dior lately. $75 is a huge ouch to the wallet. I would rather pick out shades I love individually or spend an extra $20 for a Le Metier Kaleidoscope.
Packaging: The compact has a large mirror, magnetic closure and two double-ended applicators. I like that the compact comes in a decent size. It feels sturdy but not $75-worthy. Again, I feel it’s good, but not great. I highly recommend you check out The RaeViewer’s Video Tutorial and Swatches of Cognac Sable. I felt her thoughts resonated with me.
Colors: The promotional photos and previews from UK girls Get Lippie & London Makeup Girl had me drooling. Upon receiving the quad and seeing it in person, I was a bit less than wowed. It’s a bit too cool-toned for me and the colors don’t seem all that original. Still, in my stash, I couldn’t find a dupe for any of the colors.
Here are a few comparisons:
Bottom line: It’s like but not love. At $75 I need to love everything about this to feel ok about the price. Yes, buying four shadows individually from most brands will most likely cost me over $75, but I still haven’t been completely won over. Upon further digging through my stash I figured out why I thought this wasn’t so original. It appears to be close to Chanel Stupendous (comparisons to come tomorrow). My heart still belongs to his lipsticks. (I’ve also purchased one blush and lipgloss but still need to do some more testing on those.)
Have you been able to check out Tom Ford’s Beauty Line in person? What were your thoughts? Share your hauls or testing experiences at the counter so the rest of us can live vicariously through you. (For inquiring minds, nail polish featured in the top photo is Chanel Rose Cache while nail polish in the middle with the back of the compact is Chanel Nuit de Russie. Photos were taken over different days.)
Tom Ford Sable Smoke #14 ($48) is a creamy caramel honey nude. It’s officially now my perfect honey nude for my pigmented lips and medium-toned skin. Full smooth coverage with a non-drying formula and beautiful finish. Has a wonderful delicious vanilla scent. Doesn’t wash me out. Lasting power better than the average lipstick. Luxurious feel on the lips. Need I say more?
A few comparisons below. When swatched next to other peaches or nudes you can see how Sable Smoke is more of a caramel honey color. L to R: Tom Ford Sable Smoke, Edward Bess Pure Impulse, Burberry Romantic Rose, Chanel Cashmere Rouge Coco and D&G Almond.
Here is one more set of swatch comparisons (actual lipsticks aren’t shown, only swatches). Below, L to R is MAC Viva Glam Gaga, MAC Freckletone, MAC Gel, MAC Creme de Nude, YSL Rouge Volupte #2.
Bottom line: LOVE. I’m slowly working my way with reviews/swatches of all the new Tom Ford Lipsticks I purchased. To date, my favorite is Spanish Pink and Pink Dusk. You can see the full lineup here. The ones I purchased swatched here.
Tom Ford’s Indian Rose is a natural pinky rose with a slight shimmer. The color is darker than Pink Dusk, but still very natural in color. It has a beautiful full coverage and doesn’t darken or turn brownish like some neutral pink roses can. It leans slightly towards a cooler pink but I find it to be mostly neutral. The color is beautiful with rich full coverage. The shimmer in Indian Rose doesn’t show up on my lips but helps give it depth to prevent it from looking flat.
Below are a few comparisons to Bobbi Brown Heather Pink (which is more brown/plum), Burberry English Rose (which is lighter and more mauve), and Edward Bess Forever Yours (which is a darker plum).
Tom Ford’s Spanish Pink 01 Lip Color is a richly pigmented light peachy-pink with a very slight hint of sparkle. On my lips it pulls more peachy than pink and the shimmer is not detectable. The lipstick goes on very smoothly blending naturally with your lips with full coverage. There is a soft delicious vanilla scent. Initially I was worried it would be too pale but this one has enough color to not wash me out. (For skintone reference, right now I’m Chanel Beige 30 in Vitalumiere Aqua and testing out the new Beige 30 Perfection Lumiere and Dolce & Gabbana’s Creamy Foundation in #144 Bronze.) Spanish Pink was previously featured and swatched with a number of other shades from Tom Ford earlier this month here (shown next to Pink Dusk, Sable Smoke, Nude Vanille etc.). Below are a few more close-ups and swatches.
Per request, here are a few comparisons. Tom Ford’s Spanish Pink is a peachy-pink hybrid. Burberry’s Delicate Rose is a pink version. Burberry Cameo is very similar but lighter, sheerer with slightly less pink. Chanel Chintz is the most coral in undertone.
Overall I love this color. It’s light, brightening, easy to wear and versatile. Lasting power of Tom Ford Lipsticks is a bit better than the average lipstick in my experience. The pigment is amazing, texture is to die for, and the scent is absolutely delicious. Are these really worth $48? This is a tough one. I’m inclined to say no lipstick is worth more than $30 even though many have reached the $32 level, prices are still increasing and I’ve been sucked into the hype. The formula of the Tom Ford is amazing and the lipsticks almost melt into the lip so I feel the purchase was worthwhile, but I’m still grumbling at the cost.
*Update* Also check it out on Tali at The Gloss Goss (so happy she’s back!!).
