I have been using Tom Ford eyeshadow quads for a while now and I am glad I waited before I shared my thoughts.

Now that the honeymoon phase is over I can speak with more objectivity 🙂

My profile

A few years ago it did not really matter if I was using a high quality eyeshadow, I could not really see that much difference on my lids, as long as I loved the color and the texture, I was very happy. Today I can clearly notice the difference since my eyelids are getting older.
I prefer to stay away from metallic, glitter and sparkles or too shimmery finishes, they don’t look great on me anymore and sometimes they make me look older and tacky.

First impressions

When I saw the Tom Ford quads, I saw the glitter and I thought I would not love them at all. It took me some time to want to have another look at them and it’s only when they convinced me to try them at the TF counter that I realized the glitter was actually gorgeous !

Wayne,  gossmakeupartist in Youtube calls this pressed glitter “grown-up sparkle” and I couldn’t agree more. There’s something different about it… it looks actually very beautiful and wearable.

Is it worth the price tag ?

Now, to see if the final price justifies the acquisition of one or more quads, you have to consider your expectations and your budget.

What I expect from make up is to be able to create an intense, sophisticated modern look, easily and that lasts all day, I don’t want to look tacky but I love to use daring shades or textures in a wearable way and on a daily basis.
My expectations are all met with TF, depending on the quads, with more or less accuracy.

Now let’s talk about the price. We need to put this into perspective, in Switzerland all make up items are awfully expensive, if you tell the price of a Tom Ford quad to someone here that usually buys Dior quints, YSL quads, or Chanel or any other high end brand, a Tom Ford quad is cheaper in comparison and they won’t be shocked.
His quads are expensive but you will have to pay for the luxury branding and the amount of product you get. That said, you pay when and if you are happy with what you get in return. If TF does not meet your expectations, it’s clearly not worth it.

You will get a fair amount of shadow for your money and it will last you a very long time, it’s clearly more worth it for someone who will use them on a regular basis and who will use ALL of the shadows in the quad.

The quad

I am sure you already know what they look like, but here they are :

A dark burgundy masculine heavy compact with 10g of eyeshadows. Two applicators, cute, but … well… not really useful unless you forgot your own brushes…

The eyeshadow collection

Here are seven of the ten quads of the Tom Ford collection, it took me a long time to collect them. Time is your best friend when you want to get expensive make up items… if you are patient, you can try swapping or using vouchers or special discount days like I did, not that it makes such a difference but it definitely helps.

TF Cocoa Mirage

My first purchase. This is a quad I can wear on a daily basis but it’s missing a bit of “oomph”.

The picture above has been taken with studio lighting, the one below has been taken with a flash.
The lightest shade is a little bit chalky,  I wanted to be able to wear it all over my lid as a base but I prefer to wear a Lutens, Suqqu or an Hourglass that would really melt on the skin and provide more luminosity without being shimmery.

TF Crushed Amethyst

The second quad I bought. This is the one they used on me at the counter. I told them I was always using neutral shades and I wanted to try something a bit different. I have dark green eyes and this is really stunning and flattering. I just had to get it ! The last shade on the bottom-right feels a bit chalky but it applies without any problem at all.

I also believe that if I hadn’t try Crushed Amethyst at the TF counter, I would never had bought it and I would not know how to make the most out of it. If you have the possibility, you should talk to a TF make up artist and get some tips on how you could wear their quads, it made a big difference for me.

TF Golden Mink

Golden Mink is one of my favorites, I wanted to get Silvered Topaz and they insisted I took this one instead, they said it would look much better on my eyes and they were right. The problem is that it only contains 2 non-glitter shadows so it does not give that many possibilities on the looks you can create with this quad.

I wear this quad on a daily basis, with just a tiny bit of glitter in the middle of the lid and a sparkle or two in the inner corner of the eye. I don’t like to wear glitter on the brow bone at all but some like to do that as well.
It really lasts all day, when I get back home it still looks perfect, the glitter stays put but sometimes you may find some on your cheeks… I don’t always notice that and I just apply a little bit so there is not much glitter flying around anyway.

TF Cognac Sable

I thought I would love Cognac Sable more than I do. I actually hate gold-coppery shades and this quad is not helping.
I only like the darkest shade, it’s not that pigmented but it melts onto my eyelids and gives a very sultry but natural “shadow” with a twist.

TF Burnished Amber

I am NW20-25. I tried this quad once, just a little bit of red above the crease blended with a very dark brown and it was “ok”, it was a daring look but wearable.
Then I tried to wear a look only with this quad… That day I was convinced this quad was not for me. I saw many girls wearing this quad and it looked stunning. On me, it makes me look like some kind of endangered species scared to death. If it’s supposed to look good on me, then I have no idea how to wear it 🙂 But I am pretty sure these shades are not meant for my eyes.
I will be in London soon, maybe I should ask how and if I could wear it, and if I am wrong, I will update this post !

TF Titanium Smoke

I often use the black eyeshadow as a liner or to set dark eyeliner, it’s so pigmented and lasts forever. The light grey shade is luminous and flattering on my eyelids, I often avoid grey shades but this one looks good.
The glitter is, again, grown-up glitter and I love to use this one on top of cream eyeshadows and pat it in the middle of the eyelid.
The dark grey with sparkles is not heavily pigmented but I think this is  what makes it so beautiful, that melting “shadow” full of sparkles, I love it. Since I love dark smokey looks, this is a quad that I often reach for.

TF Silvered Topaz

My latest acquisition. It was the first one I wanted but since they had told me I should get another one with more “extravagant” colours instead, I did not take it before.
The glitter is …glitter.. nothing to add except there are too many glitter pans in the TF quads, to me it’s a waste such a big amount of pressed glitter. I probably would have loved to buy it separately or just to have a little pan or a little corner in each quad…
I like to apply the grey and taupe shades sheer, the result is very sophisticated, very luminous and not tacky at all.
The dark brown is a matte shade, nicely pigmented.

Bottom line

I love how sophisticated I look when I wear Tom Ford eyeshadows, I don’t need to worry about touch ups and I am very happy to be able to wear shimmer and sparkles without looking tacky.
My favorite quad is Crushed Amethyst, but if I had the choice, I would love to have the two non-glitter shades from Golden Mink in the same quad as the black in Titanium Smoke and the dark matte brown in Silvered Topaz.

I did not experience fall outs with these quads.  Some shades look better as a sheer wash and some look great with a heavier application, it depends on the look you want to create and your personal preference. Except from Burnished Amber, I was always very happy with all the looks I did, really easy quads to use and the result is always beautiful no matter how long it took me to do it.

There are many other brands that I enjoy wearing even more than TF but I think they are more expensive, like Suqqu, Kose Addiction, Serge Lutens, Rouge Bunny Rouge, etc…
I also love Hourglass, this brand is probably a bit less expensive and I totally recommend it if you want beautiful, insanely pigmented, but wearable shadows that last all day long, even longer than Tom Ford.

Since I have been asked what I thought of the other TF eye products, I can add a few swatches and also share my experience with some cream colors and two eyeliners.

Tom Ford Platinum Cream Color for Eyes

I am always interested in new textures, when Tom Ford launched these Cream Colors for eyes I was curious. I got Platinum and Spice.
I did wear them a few times, unfortunately it was always hard-core testing. This week I applied Platinum, then I took my motorbike and rode for about 2 hours, my eyes were watering and it was really hot, then I spent the day at work, 9 hours later I rode back home, under heavy rain…
When I finally got home, my make up was still there, faded, and Platinum sparkles under my eyes and all over my face, but the “lid make up” was still there. I could clean up the edges and my face, and I was back to a wearable look again 🙂

I thought it was not fair to use this cream shadow on such a hard-core testing situation so I tried again, this time, after a very long day at work and 1 hour at the dentist, when I got back home it looked like that :

It had moved towards the edges… but it was still there. I love the color, the lasting power is good but I don’t like the sparkly metallic finish. Too much shine and sparkle for a day at the office and I don’t like how it looks on my lids, however, I love how it looks on others !
It’s easy to apply and to blend and you can build the color more easily and opaque than a Chanel Illusion d’Ombre, it also lasts much longer than the Chanel. I prefer the finish of the Chanel since it’s less metallic than the Tom Ford, I feel it looks better on me.
Now, the problem I have with the Chanel is that they don’t last a long time on my eyelids and that I end up with sparkles all over my face, that’s why I don’t wear them at the office. For a daily wear, I prefer the Shiseido Shimmering creams, they are extremely easy to use and luminous and I don’t have the sparkles transferring all over the place.

Tom Ford Noir Absolute for Eyes

Before I tell you what I think of it, here is the official description :

Tom Ford’s dramatic eye accessory: a black gel formula that sweeps over the entire lid for a smoldering eye or can be used to fluidly and boldly line the lid. Its highly enriched, blackened pigment is infused with a unique spark of blue optics that catch the light and brighten the eyes for an extremely dimensional effect.

I often wear a dark smokey look and I usually wear Mac Blackground painpot as a base. I have tried this gel as a liner and as a base for a smokey eye. As a liner, I could not build up the intensity of the color, I found the best way to use it is apply it with an eyeliner brush and smudge it, it will just add some definition but not very intense. Great for under the eye since you will be able to blend it and it will have just the right intensity for a soft under-eye application. This application lasted all day.

I also tried it as a base for a smokey eye, it works but it’s not my favorite. It’s a bit too difficult to work with and you have to act fast, I can manage to apply a sheer wash but again, not that easy to blend and to have the same wash intensity on both eyes… well… too much time consuming for me.

Tom Ford eyeliner in Metallic Mink

I love the color and I love how you can easily work with it. It does last all day but fades throughout the day, that’s not a problem with this eyeliner since the fading is “consistent”, your make up still looks freshly applied but just gets a bit less intense if you see what I mean… The swatch is with the cream swatches above.

If you have any questions or want to share your personal experience and your thoughts, please do so in the comments below 🙂

UPDATE Friday 13th, 2012

Tammy asked for a look with Silvered Topaz, so I have used it today and I upload some pictures for you Tammy 🙂

Please keep in mind the pics have been taken with flash, it looks way more frostier in the picture than it is in real life !

I am wearing the silver and the taupe in the lid (the taupe in the outer part). The dark brown in the crease and on top of a very very thin line of liquid liner. On the bottom lash line, some TF Metallic Mink and the taupe shadow on top. Some sparkles in the inner eye and a tiny bit of Burberry pearl shadow in the browbone. Also some Addiction Rabbit hole in the waterline…

I hope this helps 🙂