Tom Ford

Tom Ford Lips and Boys Lip Colors Patrick, Michael and Rafael Review and Swatch

December 14, 2015

It has been a busy week for me with lots of social gatherings and functions so the delay in posting a review for the Tom Ford Lips and Boys Lip Color collection. Tom Ford has released the collection again for this holiday, and this is delightful news for anyone who missed out on the first release last year. Unfortunately the same goes for the second round, as most of the popular shades were snatched up within hours in Australia. I managed to get hold of some of the colors I had on my wishlist from Selfridges. This review I will be covering Patrick, Michael and Rafael as they are in the pink and red range. For the next review I will show the nude colors.

Left to Right: Patrick; Rafael; Michael

Tom Ford lipsticks are truly the cream de la cream of lipsticks, and the mini sized lip colors are just as good as the full size ones. I have done many detail reviews in the past, and in summary it is almost impossible for you not to like them!

Patrick is a bright milky peachy pink with no shimmer. It is a young and pretty shade, but slightly challenging for me to pull it off.

Lip Swatch for Patrick

FOTD

Michael is an extremely popular shade. It is a fool proof neutral pink shade in a semi-satin finish that would look lovely on most complexions. It has tiny shimmer in the tube, but they can’t be seen once applied. This is absolutely one of my favorite shades from the range which needs a backup!

Lip Swatch of Michael

FOTD – I was doing lots of lip swatches on the day, and the FOTD for Michael was taken last after other colors so the color is not as accurate as the above lip swatch as they were taken on different days!

Rafael is a fiery orange red shade in cream finish, and it looks more stunning on the lips than what it looks in the tube. On me it shows up more of a warm red that just instantly brightens up my complexion. Another favorite shade for me!

Lip Swatch of Rafael

FOTD

Other products used in the FOTD include

Base: Chanel Illuminating Makeup Base; MUFE Ultra HD foundation (reviewed here), 3CE Waterful Concealer (best drugstore concealer ever used – reviewed here)

Eyes: Suqqu Eye Shadow EX03 from the 2015 Christmas Kit A (reviewed here), Chanel Le Volume waterproof mascara; Inglot brow gel

Cheeks: Bobbi Brown blush in pale pink (swatched in this post) using Hakuhodo blush brush

You can find all the shades in the TOM FORD Lips&Boys on Nordstrom Online, as well as on NAP in the US. I bought mine from Selfridges which ship internationally, and all the colors were available at the time I was shopping. There are still some colors left on David Jones Online in Australia as of now.

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Labels: FOTD • LIPSTICK • Tom Ford

Tom Ford Brow Sculpting Kit Color Light Review and Swatch

November 5, 2015

A quick review on the Tom Ford Brow Sculpting Kit in Light. I was drooling over it since I spotted it all over Instagram, and it finally landed in Australia recently (bought here online). I have been using it over the past month, and overall it’s a good product but overpriced if you don’t care so much about the packaging.

The sculpting brow kit comes in lighter and a darker shade powders, and a clear wax for setting the brows. As much as I love the gorgeous packaging, I have an issue with the tools that come with this kit. It has a small dual ended brow brush which I don’t find high quality or useful. The brush itself is way too thick for applying brow powders as it draws the thickest line. It is great for blending, but I need a better brush for a more precise application. It is also missing an applicator for applying the wax. For such an expensive brow product, I expected it to include a more professional set of handy brow tools.

For the brow powders, they are great but not the best I have used (my holy grail is still the Suqqu Brow Powder). The pigmentation is on the medium side which is great for filling in the brow colors, but not pigmented enough to give a brush stroke effect. Lasting power is about 4-5 hours on me. I bought the kit in the color light since I prefer light brows for a softer look. The two colors blend well with each other, and they are best to be used together to make the brows look more natural and less ‘drawn-on’. I normally mix these two colors together, and they show up as a medium chestnut brown with a hint of warm tone which would suit most fair complexions. The lighter shade is also great for nose contouring. If you are after a very ashy and taupish brown color for the brows, again I would highly recommend the Suqqu (review) over this. The wax is not much of use to me as it doesn’t hold the shape and the color for too long.

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Labels: Tom Ford

Suqqu Eye Colour Palette Bordeaux EX01 Review, Swatch and FOTD

October 26, 2015

I have been frequently reaching for my Suqqu Eye Colour Palette Bordeaux EX01 lately so I thought I’d write up a review and FOTD post for it. I love the color combination of this palette. They are different to the usual neutral earthy palettes that I normally gravitate towards. The colors are relatively more vibrant outside of my comfort zone, but somehow I find them to be very wearable yet fresh looking, with the signature Suqqu’s subdued elegance to it.

The Suqqu eye shadow is among the most superior eye shadows you can find. The quality of the newer 3 eye shadow palette feels quite similar to their regular quad. I have done many reviews for them in other posts, and overall the texture of Suqqu is slightly different to the western brands. The powder feels more creamy and moist to the touch, and they glide on weightless, silky smooth and evenly without looking powdery that would really work well on dry skin. The color payoff is also great for this palette – one to two swipes will show the true color as you see in the pan.

Shade Description

Top : Icy white color, slightly sparkly

Middle: Shimmery coppery golden peach.

Bottom: Wine color with a purple undertone in semi satin finish. It contains multi colored glitters but they don’t show up once applied unless you look at it very closely at a certain angle.

Swatch with one swipe

FOTD:

Other products used in the FOTD

Face:

Shiseido Pore Smoothing Corrector

Shu Uemura UV Underbase Mousse – totally obsessed!

Tom Ford Powder Compact Foundation (reviewed here)

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Eyes & Brows

Tom Ford Brow Sculpting Kit (new, review coming soon)

MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set in Toasted Blonde

Dior Addict It Liner (reviewed here)

Lancome Mascara

Lips (my current favorite combo!)

– MAC Lip Pencil Rosy Rim (reviewed here)

– MAC LipStick Please Me

The Suqqu Eye Shadow Palette can be purchased here with international shipping available (TAX will be automatically deducted at the checkout), and more colors are also available at Selfridges.

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • HOURGLASS • MAC • SHISEIDO • Shu Uemura • SUQQU • Tom Ford

Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation Review and Swatch

October 19, 2015

Compact foundation is one makeup item to splurge on as the high end brands are far more superior than the drugstores. Whether you wear it as a full foundation or simply for makeup retouching, the new Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation ticks all the criteria for probably the best you can get in the market now.

It comes in Tom Ford’s signature ultra luxury case. The enclosed sponge has two different textures – the smooth side for a sheer application, and the velvety side for a fuller coverage application.

Texture and Finish

I was blown away the first moment I felt the product at the counter – it has the silkiest, most finely milled powder texture. The powder foundation blends in to the skin seamlessly, and applies evenly with no creasing nor patches. The coverage is equivalent to a sheer-medium foundation. If you apply the powder foundation with the enclosed sponge, or a fluffy powder brush, it sets even more natural than a normal liquid foundation. The finish is a clean and poreless version of ‘your-skin-but-better’ and semi matte that lets your own skin’s radiance through. For a fuller coverage, I prefer to apply it with a kabuki brush (or a flat top brush) that would cover most of the mild imperfections. The finish is flawless and porcelain-like in a natural way but not cakey and heavy.

Shade Cream

Lasting Power

As the weather is getting hotter in Australia now, I particularly love wearing this foundation as it is more mattifying than my other foundations. Lasting power is about 6-8 hours on me with very little oil coming through at the end of the day for my dry skin. It also doesn’t oxidize, crease nor settle into the pores throughout the day. For makeup retouching, the powder foundation also applies well on top of your existing makeup. If you have cream based products underneath, I would wait till it dries then apply the powder foundation on top. Otherwise they will not blend well.

Shade Reference

I am between NC15-NC20, and I bought the Tom Ford Powder foundation in shade Cream which matches me perfectly. I pulled out some other powder foundations including the YSL Touche Eclat Powder Foundation B10 (reviewed here), Cle de Peau Beaute Radiant Powder Foundation B10, Tom Ford finish powder in Ivory Fawn (reviewed here) for comparisons.

Comparison Swatches:

Brush recommendations include (clockwise): THREE Powder Brush (more info here), Tom Ford Bronzer Brush; Suqqu Face Brush (reviewed here); MAC Blending Brush (similar here); CHIKUHODO Powder Brush

The Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation is available online here in Australia.

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Labels: BRUSHES • CHIKUHODO • foundation • MAC • POWER FOUNDATION • THREE • Tom Ford

Tom Ford Lipstick Flash of Pink Lip Color Review, Swatch and FOTD

September 27, 2015

Tom Ford recently added new colors to his permanent lip color collection. I tested all of them out at the counter, and in the end I just brought back Flash of Pink which was a gorgeous and unique pink color that looked very flattering on me. There was no tester for something wild which was the other shade I planned to purchase, so I’ll probably go back for another visit soon! The new colors are now available here online in Australia.

The reign of the world’s most expensive lipstick has recently been taken over by Louboutin Beaute from Tom Ford (albeit I think the packaging of the former is a little OTT..). Splurging AUD$70 on a tube of lipstick does make me feel better, as I think the packaging of Tom Ford still tops every other brand, and the formulation is also flawless. Flash of Pink is a rosy fuchsia pink with a hint of metallic sheen. It contains micro magenta shimmer and it still has the same luxurious creamy texture as with all the other colors from the range – it goes on silky smooth in a satin finish, and I don’t feel any glitter on my sensitive lips when I wear it.

The Tom Ford SA described Flash of Pink as an expensive pink lip color with an edge. I wasn’t so sure when I saw the color from the tube, but on the lips it didn’t look as metallic as I thought . As you can see from my swatch below, it looks shimmery with frost on hand, but on the lips there was just a hint of metallic sheen at certain angles that actually makes the color pop and unique. It is intensely pigmented and has a lasting power of 4-5 hours.

Close up swatch

Flash of Pink Lip Swatch

I have finally managed to take some FOTD for today’s post – it’s been so long I almost forgot how to do it lol!

Other makeup used in the FOTD include

Face

Shu Uemura Brightening Base

Sulwhasoo Cushion Foundation (reviewed here)

Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation (new, review coming soon)

Tom Ford Illuminating Powder for highlight (reviewed here)

Marc by Marc Jacobs Contouring Powder (reviewed here)

Eyes

Chanel Entrelaces Eyeshadow Palette (reviewed here)

Dior Addict It Liquid Eyeliner (reviewed here)

Lancome Mascara

Visee Eyebrow Pencil & Powder

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Labels: FOTD • LIPSTICK • Tom Ford

Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Powder Duo Moodlight Review and Swatch

September 13, 2015

The Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Powder Duo Moodlight was finally released in Australia last week, and as expected it was all sold out within seconds in the Sydney store. I am very glad that I got my friend to bring me back one from the US (available here!) as I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance to get hold of this in Australia. The powder duo is absolutely gorgeous that completely surpasses my expectations. If you miss out on it, it seems Selfridges now ships some of Tom Ford products including this illuminating duo to Australia! And they are also taking the 10% VAT off at the final checkout.

The Powder Duo comes in a signature Tom Ford luxury case. The texture of both the highlight and bronzer powder are creamy but firm, and feel extremely silky smooth. Both powders contain very finely milled micro shimmer, and they are probably the best powders with shimmer I have ever used. With the highlight powder, once it is applied on to the face it blends into the skin seamlessly. I am amazed that there is no trace of this powder on my face (hence it doesn’t enlarge the pores at all), just an illuminated glow that is natural but noticeable. It serves its purpose as a highlight powder, and it makes the skin look radiant, plumped and dewy under the natural sunlight (not frosty). If Tom Ford just releases this highlighter individually, I would definitely buy 10 of these!

The golden bronzer is a multi-purpose shade. Once it is applied, it doesn’t look as dark as in the pan, so depending on your skin tone, it can be used either as an illuminating powder for adding a warmer glow, or can be used as a light bronzer on fair skin for adding a touch of color. Because it contains shimmer I wouldn’t recommend using it for contour. For me I apply the highlight powder from the apples of the cheeks towards the temples, then I mix the highlighter with the bronzer, and apply it around the side of my cheekbones just to add a multi dimensional glow to the face. I have received tons of compliments on how good and healthy my skin looks lately, even though I have had the flu for a week!

Color Description:

Highlighter – A vanilla beige color with a pale rosey gold sheen.

Bronzer – A medium golden sandy brown with silver sheen. Hint that it also makes a beautiful neutral eye shadow!

Swatches

I haven’t reviewed a brush for a while…so I thought I’d include some brush recommendations for this product in this post. I choose what brush to use depending on the texture of the product and of course the purpose and the applied area. With this powder duo, I wanted a more precise application that gave a soft wash effect, so the brushes I picked are all on the higher end – they are very soft and fluffy and are designed to pick the pigments softly.

Brush Recommendations (from left to right) : HAKUHODO J511 Highlighter Brush (similar by MAC here); CHIKUHODO Z-Series Z 3 Contour; Suqqu Cheek Brush; Shu Uemura 17 Brush; CHIKUHODO GSN 02 Cheek & Highlight Brush (short handle version here)

Last but not least, I have included a comparison swatch between this and the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighter and Contour Duo (reviewed here) and Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow (reviewed here).

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Labels: BRONZER • HIGHLIGHTER • Tom Ford

Makeup News & Deals -Tom Ford Beauty, Christian Louboutin, Charlotte Tilbury and Jurlique

September 4, 2015

Just thought I’d let you know that there are some really exciting makeup launches in Australia and globally happening now!

One of the foremost collections that has just released online in Australia is the Tom Ford Fall 2015 Collection. The collection includes the highly coveted Skin Illuminating Powder Duo, and the Flawless Powder Foundation (permanent) and the Complexion Enhancing Primer (permanent). What excites me the most is that the new Tom Ford Lip Colors (13 new shades) are also available online now. I have just placed my order based on the swatches here.

The world’s most expensive lipsticks by Christian Louboutin Lip Colors are also officially launched in the US and UK. They are now available at Nordstrom and Sephora in the US, and Selfridges in the UK. NAP also stocks them for certain countries. Will you buy them? As for me I have not made up my mind yet…

Charlotte Tilbury‘s makeup line has taken off in a huge success within a short time. Her must have product – the super creamy Lip Cheat (see my review here) now has 5 new shades, and they are available here worldwide, and at Nordstrom in the US. I want all the shades especially crazy in love as it is selling like hotcakes! Her newest foundation – the Magic Foundation can also be purchased here with international shipping avaialble.

5 new shades are Crazy in love, Bad Romance, Hollywood Honey, Berry Naughty, Foxy Brown.

Last but not least, there is an awesome deal on Jurlique at David Jones happening now. It is time for me to replenish their famous Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum as I’ve been using it on and off for the past 10 years.

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Labels: Charlotte Tilbury • Christian Louboutin • JURLIQUE • New Collections • Tom Ford

OOTD

August 19, 2015

Winter is certainly not as fun as summer, but the upside is that we can wear chunky sweaters and knits! I love throwing myself into cozy and over-sized knits, and I am constantly adding new pieces into my closet. In this ootd I am wearing my current favorite sweater by Bassike. I have been looking for a military green color sweat for so long and I am so glad I found the perfect piece. It has the signature Bassike relaxed cut – like a slimming boyfriend style that doesn’t look boxy nor wide. It is made of wool and cotton with ribbed knit over all which gives a very effortless and chic feel to it. Styling wise, can’t go wrong with ripped denim (my other obsession atm) and a touch of rockstud!