Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford’s $49 Rouge Fatal Lip Color Is So Flawless That It’s Almost Criminal

December 4th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

Tom Ford Rouge Fatal — Wearing Tom Ford’s Rouge Fatal Lipstick on my lips

There’s something very villainess about Tom Ford’s $49 Rouge Fatal Lip Color…

It’s almost criminally hot in a naughty, awesome way — like something you’d see on a bad-@ss Bond girl wearing a floor-length sequined cocktail dress in an exclusive underground casino as she blows a slo-mo kiss across a crowded room to her handsome nemesis shortly before she hands a beat-down to some numb-nuts who tries to prevent her from entering a secure area.

BOOM! And then you see that flash of red again right as she smiles before delivering the fatal blow — a kick from her three-inch spiked heels directly in the poor guy’s groin.

Ouch.

Not gonna lie, I totally want to be that chick. 🙂 Mostly because the bad gals get to have more fun with their makeup. They get to go bold, just like this lipstick.

Creamy crimson Rouge Fatal hails from Tom Ford’s new four-piece Jasmin Rouge 2013 color collection of powerful red lips and nails, and wearing it makes me feel like a decadently daring (crazy cat lady) glamorous gangster.

While the $49 price Tom asks for his lipsticks makes me go, “blergh!” I have to say that despite this not being the most unique red in the criminal universe, it does make red lips really, really easy.

I was so excited to try it on that I skipped the usual prep work I do before putting on a powerful red lip like this (exfoliating with an olive oil and sugar scrub, moisturizing with a rich lip balm and lining with a coordinating lip liner). I just threw it on, and hello! — it looked really, really good. 🙂

Tom Ford Rouge Fatal swatch — Swatch o’ Rouge Fatal

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Holy Familiar Fragrances, Batman! It’s Tom Ford’s Sahara Noir Eau de Parfum

December 2nd, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

Another one it took me a while to figure out! I couldn’t place where I’d sniffed Tom Ford’s new Sahara Noir Eau de Parfum before, but then my Basset hound-ian sense of smell kicked in…

Catholic midnight mass on Christmas Eve. (The first time I wore it, El Hub said, “You smell like church.”)

Fo’ reals!

Frankincense (hello, of three gifts fame), a desert resin, dominates the scent, and during midnight mass, there’s a part of the service where they burn an incense with the exact. same. note.

I was curious about the fragrance from the start, but I wasn’t sure I liked it. It’s quite heavy and spicy (I also detect strong notes of clove). In fact, although it’s billed as a women’s fragrance, I think it could easily be worn by a dude.

But the more time I’ve spent with it, the deeper I’ve fallen in love. It’s kind of warm and comforting, and I can’t recall ever wearing anything quite like it before.

“Tom Ford presents his new fragrance inspired by the mystery and luxury of the Middle East. Evoking the untamed beauty of the land, Sahara Noir is Tom Ford’s ode to the enchanting power of one of that land’s most treasured ingredients: frankincense, a precious desert resin.”

— neimanmarcus.com

Best of all, it doesn’t give me a headache, which happens sometimes with other heavy, spicy scents.

If you swear by light, feminine, floral fragrances, this probably isn’t going to light your fire (but it’s worth a sniff to satisfy your curiosity). Of course, if you like a lot of deep, rich unisex scents with heavy resin and spice notes, check it out.

A 1.7-ounce bottle of Sahara Noir costs a whopping $150. It’s available now at Neiman Marcus stores and neimanmarcus.com.

Love Pigmented Nail Polishes? Say “I Do” to Tom Ford’s New Trophy Wife Nail Lacquer

November 28th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments

The name of this nail polish cracks me up. I can see Tom at home in his bathrobe watching Real Housewives and thinking, “trophy wife, hmm… Now that’s a good name for my next nail polish.”

Trophy Wife is the second of two nail polishes in the new Tom Ford Jasmine Rouge collection (Shameless is the other).

It’s pretty interesting, isn’t it? It looks kind of like a metallic reddish purple in the bottle, but applies like a creamy bluish red on my nails.

Like Shameless, one coat’s enough for opaque coverage…but I used two for these swatches ’cause old habits die hard. 🙂

You can find it now at Tom Ford counters and online for $32.

P.S. So. Much. Pecan. Pie… I’m having my second huge slice right now and trying to figure out if I want to watch Legally Blonde now or more Walking Dead. Hmm… Decisions, decisions. 🙂

Tom Ford Shows His Softer Side This Fall With In the Pink, One of Two New Ombre Eye Color Trios

September 24th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Tom Ford In The Pink — Question: What’s the secret to this Ombre Eye Color’s supreme softness? Answer: It must be In the Pink.

In the Pink, a Tom Ford Ombre Eye Color trio ($60), has powder shadows so soft that they make velvet jealous. We’re talking softer than soft — even the glitter, which is weird, because I usually associate glitter with grit.

Running my fingers across these pans is like a fingertip massage… While some eyeshadows scoot along the skin in fits and starts, these skate, and whether I’m patting or swiping them on my lids or along my lash lines, I always come away impressed.

The second of Tom’s two new Ombre Eye trios released for fall (the other being She Wolf), In the Pink is the soft-spoken option. While She Wolf howls at the pale moonlight (AWOOOOO!), In the Pink purrrrs, its dainty paws padding as if on clouds.

Like She Wolf’s shades, these — a matte pale pink, shimmery shell pink and a sheer, silvery pinkish glitter — were designed to be worn together for an ombre effect.

Of course, you could break that rule and wear the colors alone, or create interesting effects by layering the glitter atop or beneath the matte or shimmer.

It would be our little secret. Tom would never know. 🙂

In the Pink lights up my lids without announcing to the world, “She’s wearing eye makeup!” And that’s what I like about it. It’s understated and sophisticated.

Lighter lovelies who don’t mind paying extra for luxury lines, and who like the way they look in neutral and cool-toned shades, might find it particularly appealing. Pair it with cat eye liner and your favorite berry lip, and you’re ready for fall.

Tom Ford In The Pink Swatches — Tabs, and swatches from the left in matte light pink, shimmery seashell pink and the sheer, silvery pinkish glitter…

I like In the Pink well enough but, truth be told, if I were forced to Sophie’s Choice it and had to pick one of Tom’s two trios this fall, I wouldn’t hesitate to join She Wolf’s pack.

Sure, In the Pink is a solid trio of everyday eye makeup, but its colors are more dupe-able — and probably for less than $60. She Wolf, on the other hand, is something that doesn’t come along every day.

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Dark, Like Midnight at the Center of the Earth, Is Tom Ford Beauty’s Eye Defining Pen in Deeper

September 17th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Tom Ford Defining Pen in Deeper — I don’t want to get too deep on you here, since it’s still early and we’re just talking about makeup, but I’m wearing the new Tom Ford Beauty Eye Defining Pen in Deeper on my upper lash lines…

Consider Tom Ford’s Eye Defining Pen in Deeper if…

You regularly hang out with Jay-Z, Bey and their entourage and frequently say things like, “This round of Cristal is on me, guys!”
You have yet to find your end-all, be-all perfect liquid liner, and money is no object in your ongoing quest.

At $55, this bad boy requires serious beauty budget wiggle room.

Yep, you read that right — $55 for a black liquid liner.

Deep breaths. I know, it’s effing outrageous, but it’s typical of Tom “Too Expensive” Ford.

For that many tacos, it better perform.

So does it? Will it blow your highlighted ombre hair back?

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Three Different Finishes Howl in Tom Ford’s Ombre Eye Color in She Wolf

September 16th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Tom Ford She Wolf — Hungry like the (she) wolllllf! That’s Duran Duran’s — err, I mean Tom Ford’s new She Wolf eyeshadow palette on my eyes, by the way.

Heart pounding in her chest, she moved silently, low to the ground, her predatory senses extending out around her in search of her prey…

The alpha female had dreamt of this moment for days while she tracked her target, visualizing the attack and playing it over and over in her mind. Closing her eyes, she could almost feel her fangs crunching down in that first intoxicating bite…

As she rounded a corner, the hair on the back of her neck bristled. It was time. She locked eyes with a lanky, Bieber-haired teen behind the counter and growled, “One medium popcorn, please. Hold the butter.”

Wait — what?

Oh, yeah! I wore Tom Ford’s Ombre Eye Color in She Wolf ($60) to the movies last Friday (saw Riddick), and yes, I felt like a predator on the prowl… Never mind that I was hunting popcorn. 🙂

I can’t be sure if it was due to the delicious, salty popcorn or the grayish taupe on my eyes, but in the middle of the movie theater, the urge to stand up and howl was strong.

Thankfully, I resisted.

Wassup, ombre?

This new trio from Tom’s fall collection takes the idea of “three” in an interesting direction, with three powder shadows in three similar shades and three different finishes. Worn together, the shadows create a complex ombre effect that transitions from one shade to the next.

A big surprise

I wasn’t sure what to expect from these shadows or how they’d work with my warm skin tone. The trio includes a matte grayish brown (the darkest color), a grayish taupe with a light sheen (the middle shade) and a sheer, glittery silvery gray (the lightest of the three).

Gorgeous! There isn’t a throwaway in the bunch, and while the colors really do look like a gray wolf’s fur, I think they’re probably best suited to light-skinned lady humanoids and cool skin tones.

Not that they shouldn’t also work well on warm skin tones. They actually do, which I didn’t expect at all. She Wolf just might be one of those rare wolves that gets along well with almost everyone.

Kind of makes up a little for the $60 price tag (that’s Tom Ford for ya!)…

How to wear it

Each of this palette’s shadows can stand on its own, but She Wolf’s true power comes to bear when you wear all three of them together to create that awesome ombre effect. By themselves, the colors are cubs, but together they’re a wolf pack. 🙂

I like patting the darkest color in the outer corners of my eyes, the mid-toned one in the center of my lids and the glitter on the inner side for a gradient that moves from dark to light, and from matte to sheen to sparkling glitter.

TrÃ© cool.

Another thing? The palette loves layering. Try applying the glitter first as a base all over your lids, and then pat either the medium or darkest shade (or a mix of both) right on top. The glitter will peek through the other colors, but slightly toned down.

Just another fun way to wear it.

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The New Tom Ford Beauty Lipsticks in Crimson Noir, Bruised Plum, Sable Smoke and Vanilla Suede Lavish Lips in Luxury This Fall

August 29th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

Tom Ford Crimson Noir — Wearing Tom Ford’s new Crimson Noir Lipstick ($49), one of four new shades available for fall 2013

“Do you have any idea haw many cans of gravy that is?!”

— What Tabs says (inside voice) every time we talk about Tom Ford Lipsticks being almost $50 each.

The price is completely redonk, but as far as spendy splurges go, at least Tom Ford Beauty’s new $49 lippies make you feel like a million bucks.

Tom’s Lipsticks are like cooking a meal on Le Creuset pans and serving it on fine china. Or like looking into your dream closet and trying to decide between the Louis or Chanel bag…right after you grab the Choos.

This fall, Tom’s shades have that “You have arrived” vibe. The two nudes and two bolds make me feel grand — like I finally got that corner office I always wanted here at Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC. 🙂

The shades are re-promoted colors in the new fall 2013 line.

Tom Ford Crimson Noir Lipstick — Crimson Noir Lipstick

Of these four, Crimson Noir is my favorite, but not by far. All it takes to brighten my look is a single layer of this intense red with its supernaturally smooth, satiny finish. It’s one of those reds guaranteed to turns heads.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Tom Ford Sable Smoke Lipstick — Sable Smoke Lipstick

Sable Smoke, the peachy beige, runs a close second. When you have pigmented lips like I do, light beige shades like Sable Smoke are often hard to pull off, but Tom got this one totally right. Smooth, opaque and just plain elegant, it’s a red carpet color and already a new resident of my purse.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Tom Ford Bruised Plum Lipstick — Bruised Plum Lipstick

Bruised Plum, to me the most dramatic color of the bunch, should flat-out sing on light and dark skin tones. Like Sable Smoke, Crimson Noir and Ryan Gosling, it’s smoooooove. Would love to see this on a very pale princess and a dark damsel. I bet it would look really hot. I love it! — I just wish it were a little more unique. MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Tom Ford Vanilla Suede Lipstick — Vanilla Suede Lipstick

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Ultra Long Lashes Are Ultra Pricey With Tom Ford Ultra Length Mascara in Raven

August 29th, 2013 by Karen 27 Comments

Wait — what? Tom Ford’s Ultra Length Mascara in Raven is $42?

Daaayuuum!

I’ve seen the future, girl, and it’s a world where mascaras cost almost $50 a pop.

Cats also roam free in supersonic airline cabins and Nutella-flavored Pop Tarts are free, and those are pretty cool, but I don’t know if they make up for the price of this mascara… Maybe.

Ultra Length Mascara is new to Tom Ford’s line. It’s designed to stretch and lengthen lashes while adding a deep, dark carbon-black color.

I’ve been wearing it a few days now, and I like what I seen. Two coats and my lashes look crazy long and dark. Plus, it doesn’t flake or smudge.

But truth be told…I was expecting even more considering the price. The formula stretches my lashes out so much that I also lose much of my lash curl, and I see lumps when I apply multiple coats, which I want to do to squeeze out more thickness and definition.

If Raven’s piqued your interest, it’s available now on Neiman Marcus Tom Ford counters and coming soon to neimanmarcus.com.