Tom Ford Beauty

[mrsjamesdean]

We hyperventilated just a little bit when we saw the lead beauty story in WWD this morning. Tom Ford, arbiter of all things crave-worthy, is launching a full color cosmetics collection, available this September. It is a whopping 132-piece collection and also includes skin care.

Ford told WWD that he’d wanted to do a color collection since his days at Gucci, but that people were not “convinced that I had a voice in color until the lipsticks started selling out again and again.” (That would be his 12-piece Private Blend Lip Color Collection, now legendary.) He recounts a lifelong interest in beauty, which is not that shocking for someone so dedicated to aesthetic perfection. One of his first experiments with beauty resulted in a trip to the ER after he suffered an allergic reaction from putting cucumbers on his eyes, according to WWD.

Ford continues to work with the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. to produce this expanded line, so it’s going to be a powerhouse brand. Expect to see it in limited (read: very high end) numbers of stores at first; it will be at Tom Ford and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as some Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue stores. However, the lipsticks, which will be beefed up from 12 colors to 18, will be more widely available.

Expect to see a lot of color and strong pigment in the collection. Ford told WWD that he likes a strong eye and mouth for night, and the look is Studio 54 in 1978. There’s attention to detail, like the calligraphy tip brow pens that allow you to draw on individual brow hairs. “A nice thick brow is the key to a youthful look,” Ford said. And expect some raciness, like a lipgloss called Lost Cherry.
As if all this wasn’t enough, he’s also adding two fragrances to his multiple-FiFi-winning Private Blend collection: Santal Blush and Jasmin Rouge. The fragrances range in price from $195 to $475. The color collection will range from $30 to $250; lipsticks are $48.

The icing on the cake? Tom Ford himself stars with Lara Stone in the ads, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. “I’m not in the ads because I’m vain…the product sells better with me in the ads,” he told the paper. We think it’s going to sell just fine, regardless.

fashionista.com

stylecaster.com

I just had a heart attack and its not because of the prices (my poor bank account)

 

[The_Ida]

Holy mother. The packaging is even more beautiful than Chanel's

 

[tifa]

absolutely gorgeous, this is going to be hard to resist in the duty free.

 

[Berryciaga]

They sell Tom Ford makeup in duty frees? Woot woot

 

[sealfeathers]

I have two Tom Ford lipsticks and I love them ... excited for this!

 

[Meg]

That article certainly doesn't lack in being over the top. I'm not quite sure I would call his lipsticks "now legendary" but it will be interesting. I like the idea of the brow pens that are fine enough to do individual hairs (although several lines already do this) - I would just need to be convinced that the quality is there for the price.

 

[tigerrouge]

These products would really need to perform miracles, or else it's YSL with a bit more black thrown into the packaging, then sold at twice the price.

 

[CherryLicorice]

I can't wait to try the eyeshadows! The packaging is gorgeous.

 

[mrsjamesdean]

Tom Ford Preview: Colour Collection

So complex and secretive were the arrangements for the Irish press around the preview of Tom Ford’s forthcoming Colour Collection that the building the show and tell was held in in July had many mysterious doors which led to nowhere*, thus adding to the general skulduggery of the affair. Promises were also extracted from Aisling and myself not to breathe a word until today, which we pinky-swore on, and once we actually got inside, what greeted us was everything laid out beautifully, just aching for kid-in-a-sweetshop swatch-happy fingers to get busy.

This line takes up where the lipsticks tantalisingly left off. Arriving exclusively at Brown Thomas Dublin on September 3rd (Ireland and the UK get the line before the US, amazingly) will be 10 Eye Colour Quads, €75, six Cheek Colours, €55, 10 Lip Lacquers, €30, 10 Foundation Sticks, Traceless Foundation SPF15, €70, as well as products to contour, highlight, accentuate brows, mascara, some basic (and yet super-luxe) skincare – and more. Please note, prices are to follow and they will be high.

Some of the lineup: eyes, brushes, blush and contour

A collection for lovers of luxury, it’s all got a strong 70s sensibility, with his signature brown and gold packaging accents, lush, shimmery textures, saturated colour and an emphasis on contouring and flawless skin. Like so many other designers – Christian Dior’s a famous example and the brand’s perfumes still heavily reference the flower garden at his childhood home – Ford’s recalling the utter fabulosity of his mother’s makeup application when he was a child. It’s not much of a leap to imagine that he had a pretty glam mam, is it?


But lets get real for a second. Makeup in the 70s was hideous. Foundation was frikkin’ terrible, eyeshadow was an eyesore and lipstick was very less than lovely. No one would want to go back there. This is Ford’s utopian reworking of the glamour of his memories using modern technologies, materials and colours. Even the model shots starring Lara Stone are a very definite nod to that. Less blue shadow to the brow bone and more modern, uber-blended and refined purple with a dripping fuchsia lip are Ford’s Noughties take – and lets breathe a sigh for that. You will want, (you’ll have to) save for and covet this stuff.

Speaking of which, lets get to a low-down of what’s going to be on counter, shall we?

Currently, shadow is all about palettes with no singles or duos on offer. The Eye Colour Quads are not surprisingly, pretty standout looking. They really reminded me of YSL’s style and guess what – Ford was Gucci and YSL’s creative director between 1994 and 2004, so no real surprise there. There’s enough here to interest most of us but bargain hunters definitely need not apply. Textures are fabulous as is pigmentation, the shade choices in each palette are well considered and yes – that’s all as it should be for the price.

The one thing I was a bit disappointed about with the quads is the packaging. It certainly looks good but it lacks the heft you want from such an expensive piece of beauty kit. Brands often put weights into compacts like these to add grammes; perhaps it’s more handbag-friendly to leave them out, but it leaves the palettes feeling a little flimsy – I’d prefer to feel the extra strain, to be honest. I think I may not have seen the final packaging so it may be different by the time it hits counters – fingers crossed on that.

Also for eyes there’ll be an Eye Defining Pencil in six shades, a black gel liner, Noir Absolute for Eyes, which has “a unique spark of blue optics to catch the light and brighten the eyes,” Brow Sculptor in four shades and Extreme Mascara in deep black.

Next up, cheeks.

Six shades of Cheek Colour will also be landing in shades from rosewood to peach, pale pink and that hot-looking coral. Again, expensive, as a compensation, the pan sizes are very generous.

The existing lipstick line, Lip Colour, €45, which launched in 2010, gets a reworking: some shades will be discontinued and the packaging changes from white to brown, so if you’ve got a white, hang on to it – it’s about to become a collectors item.

Lipsticks will be joined by Ultra Shine Lip Gloss, high-shine, colour-saturated gloss in 10 shades. Looks yum, eh? For lips there’s also a Lip Lacquer, a tube of clear gloss that can be worn over the lipsticks or used solo.

16 Nail Lacquer shades will also form part of the lineup but they won’t be launching straight away. Look for these on counter in December – here’s a taste of ‘em above.

 

[mrsjamesdean]

Tom Ford Preview: Colour Collection Continued...

I was eager to see how Tom Ford would do face: one of the things you do observe about this line is that while there’s lots to look at – and certainly enough choice – there’s not a bewildering amount of ‘stuff’. To begin, he’s just done one mascara, for example, six blushers in one texture and a solo gel eyeliner.

The face routine’s not a lot more complex either, with 10 (or possibly 11) shades of Traceless Foundation SPF15, which is the liquid offering, and a stick version, which is super-creamy and might appeal to a more mature customer or to someone who likes that bit of extra coverage. It comes in ten shades and both myself and Aisling were impressed at how emollient it was – Max Factor Panstick this ain’t.

There’ll be Translucent Finishing Powders on offer, in four shades.

And this interesting-looking little feller, top: it’s Shade and Illuminate, €65. A duo product, one end contains a cream shader (the darker end) which you use to contour cheekbones, nose, temples and chin, while the white end is designed for use as a highlighter. This will come in two shade offerings.

For face, we’ll also be seeing an Illuminating Highlight Pen in eight tones and an Illuminating Powder.

Lastly – of course he’s done brushes. These are beautiful, super-soft, fine, natural hair tools that feel gorgeous on the skin. What’s on offer here? Eyeshadow, eyeshadow blend, eyeshadow contour, smokey eye, eyeliner and definer, shadow and concealer, foundation, cream foundation, cheek, shade and illuminate, bronzer and lip.

Check back tomorrow because I’ll have some swatches! Yes – I will indeed. I’ve had a play with a palette, blusher, eyebrow definer and foundation and have the shots prepped and ready to go for your viewing edification.

In the meantime, let us know in a comment what you think of the forthcoming Tom Ford Beauty Colour Collection, and given €500 to spend guilt free and free gratis, what would you buy?

*Might be exaggerating slightly; it might also be that we went to the wrong one initially and had to be found and brought in the right entrance.

beaut.ie

 

[HeatherAnne]

I want all of those gold makeup brushes, so beautiful! The eyeshadows look perfect, not too much shimmer and gorgeous colors. I'm so excited about this line, already a huge fan of his lipsticks and fragrances.

Thanks for posting mrsjamesdean

 

[CherryLicorice]

So excited for this!

 

[lifeistiffanyblu]

wow that case with the 4 shimmery brown shades of shadow looks so amazing.

 

[Belowen]

I just fell in LOVE with one of the cheek colours. NEED.

 

[bangkokdoll]

I work for Tom Ford beauty and the make up is absolutely amazing. The eyeshadow quads are perfection. From packaging, colors, textures, blending, it's just amazing make up.

Cheek colors are also fantastic, they are powder but go on the face like a cream, incredible!

Also the lip glosses give so much color, you can layer them over any lipsticks, sooo many different looks you can create, which is amazing because the make up range is quite focused..

Anyway if you ladies get a chance to check out Tom Ford make up, you should, definitely worth a look!

 

[thesiren]

does anyone work in beauty and can rationalize the prices?

for a name as well-known as ford's, beauty is usually an aspirational buy/gimmick. not to say fashion houses with their own makeup lines are always junk, but obviously the 17 year old girls on youtube collection hoards of chanel makeup are not typically the same people buying suits and shoes on a regular basis. with ford's price points, you aren't really looking at the aspirational customer...so who are we looking at? even those who are the true luxury consumer may not spend $80 on a quad unless they are a makeup fanatic. his $80 makes chanel's $50 quads look downright reasonable (can the quality be THAT much better?). i'd love for someone from the beauty industry to chime in.

 

[Mirik]

Instyle UK - December 2011 ebook30.com

 

[roisin]

i can't believe how expensive it all is! I walked by a counter today and was too scared to even touch the samples

 

[D A N A]

I hear the quality is really good, I have tried the "Shade and Illuminate" and it works magically for sculpting the face.

The foundation sticks I really disliked but then again I am not too familiar working with sticks.

 

[Mocha_Love]

I am in love with the packaging. I especially want to purchase a couple of the lipsticks, nail lacquer and blush! But they are a little out of my budget..