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Rant & Rave: Tom Ford Beauty
Tell us what you love and hate about...
Tom Ford Beauty
In the last year or so, I have encountered more misses than in the past, and I’d like to see that corrected, as before, the majority of products were pretty good or at least “I can see why people would want this” kind of products. I think the brand could expand their permanent offerings more often (like their blush range hasn’t grown since launch, I don’t think!) – but they don’t release tons of stuff each year either, so maybe that’s why.
— Christine
I feel that recently, TF has been a crap shoot – you never know whether you’re buying a winner or loser. And honestly, his line is too expensive to take chances like that. I feel that he’s a designer with a vision but possibly stretched so thin with his movies (writing, directing, producing) that his beauty line is suffering.
Rave: I love Tom Ford lipsticks, the beautiful colors, the formula, everything about them. I hadn’t used any blushes until this year and found them beautiful. I don’t have a counter any where within 400 miles from me so I do find it difficult to try things before buying but that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the brand.
Rant: I purchased the Honeymoon palette because everyone raved about how perfect it was and I haven’t been all that impressed. The colors are beautiful and the palette works well as a whole but I find that by about the 5 hour mark everything seems to muddy into a nothingness. I have tried it with every primer I have and still not great. I think the prices for many of the products are just ridiculously high. I know it is a high end luxury brand, I get it but still feel like many of the products are way over priced for the size and quality that you get. I do have lower end brands and drugstore brands that perform just as well.
Gorgeous brand and especially the lipsticks are always fab!
I’ve only tried one product – a lipstick from the Lips and Boys collection in the shade Michael and was so thoroughly impressed with the formula I feel like it is one of the most beautiful lipsticks I’ve ever owned. It’s so comfortable to wear and the staying power is phenomenal so I want to buy more but they are hard to find in a store to swatch/try on first.
Michael is a stunner!
I love that TF releases cohesive, well-edited seasonal collections that have a clear color story or inspiration. I’ve never been a huge fan of summer collections and am generally unmoved by them–except for Tom Ford. His summer collections are the best of the best for my coloring and lifestyle and I find myself looking forward to them. Like Christine, I’d love to see his blushers updated and I’d like to see his very successful products join the permanent lineup–the formulation if not the actual colors. I do understand, though, that it is the nature of the fashion industry to constantly change and offer something new (look at the anticipation and excitement that swirls around all the fashion weeks). It makes sense to me that a fashion oriented cosmetic line would do the same.
I agree that there have been some missteps in the last year or so from the brand. The one that bugged me the most was the A/W 2016 eyeshadow duo since the shades were very very similar to two of the shades in the Nude Dip quad. The duo was LE so people buy without any swatches and might be stuck with something they already have (depending on retailer).
I also saw one of the Night Bloom Powders on Tarababyz youtube channel and she could barely pick up any product when she swatched it. It remindied me of those terrible ombre blushes of the past.
On a positive note I love the Tom Ford 13 Eyeshadow Blend Brush. I own 3 of them and would buy more if 3 wasn’t a crazy amount already. None of the natural, uncut bristle brands offer a brush that is as dense and fluffy as that brush. My favorite crease brush.
I would disagree on the duo a bit – you could tell from the online pictures that it was going to be in the same vein as Nude Dip and they’re very similar – but not exactly the same (as someone else mentioned). I can see why that might bug some people, but I love the duo colors (I do have Nude Dip too) and don’t regret it at all.
Love the colors, formula and staying power of their blushes and lipstick. Love that their products are super expensive BUT are so high in grams. Not so much of a fan of their eyeshadow quads color selections.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed this — You’ve been really shining some light on the more inconsistent qualities within in the Tom Ford cosmetics range. I used to hold them in such high esteem, and now, thanks to you, I am able to see the makeup for what it is (which is //just makeup//) instead of being blinded by packaging, brand appeal, etc. I know for a fact that you saved me from the Soleil Contouring Palette, which, looking back, I am thankful to have passed on. If that palette had scored a solid 100% A+, history may have told a different tale, but I’m definitely not looking back!
*Rave – I like his cream shadows – I have Spring, Sphinx, and Siren Blue. Also like his Lips & Boys lipsticks, although they are small — Guillermo, Jay, Daniel. And his Velvet Orchid lipstick is super pricey but pretty color
*Rant – his already sky high prices seem to be going up with every new collection/release, and pretty soon, I’m not going to be able to buy any more stuff 🙁 Also noticed some QC issues – a couple of you tubers complained that they couldn’t get any pigment out of the pink Nightbloom powders, and the Tom Ford website won’t accept returns either. I swatched in store and had the same problem. And the gold BlackBloom powder that I swatched in store seemed to be completely different color than anything I saw online, it swatched champagne beige while everyone else’s was yellow gold. So at that price point, I won’t buy his stuff unless I can return it easily.
Ha – I would have preferred champagne gold. Mine is sooooo yellow!
LOL, so ironic, because everyone’s been complaining about how Black Bloom is waaaay too yellow, but I like my highlighters very yellow and had high hopes for Black Bloom, so what happens?? I find one in store, and it’s probably the only one that’s NOT yellow! The makeup gods must be laughing like crazy….
I’m so pink, it’s all I can focus on when I try it. It’s now my uber expensive eyeshadow/corner highlight! Ironically, I have no problem with my pink version – but maybe I’m just that pale that it works for me! We’re definitely being mocked.
Personally, I think all his stuff is way overpriced. I know it’s the cachet and exclusivity and all that rot but, sorry – it’s just “rot”. Because TF cosmetics aren’t available near me (and I’m not willing to drive out of my comfort zone to buy his stuff), I’ve mostly only learned about his products through this blog and a few others and, given his prices, I think there are too many things that really aren’t deserving of their high prices, based on their performance (or lack thereof). ‘Course, if I could get my hands on his products more easily, I’d probably have purchased one or twelve of his better performing eye products and a lippie or 2.
My first TF product was a lipstick and I was completely blown away by the quality, wear time, unique at the time muted colour choices (Vanilla Suede, Blush Nude, Pink Dusk,). My second TF product was a blush and I was awestruck. I haven’t had as many other moments like this with other products in the line; particularly within the last few years. That is not to say there are not other completely respectable products: I really love the original Platinum cream eye colour. That said, I hate the crazy prices, the lack of accessibility (arguably, this has improved over the years), the oft times super snob appeal, and I just cannot will not don’t want to relate to the label’s aesthetic ’cause it’s not my schtick.. never will be.. do not remotely aspire it… love being the AntiTom. For all my ranting, I’m so guilty of still buying products (usually lipsticks) ..so I’m a hypocrite too.
I guess my biggest rant is their pricing is too high for my budget. lol The only thing I have from TF is a mini lipstick in Stavros. It’s one of those shades that never fails to get compliments and people asking what I’m wearing. I really love it.
I know, right, Stavros ?!!!
Only TF on my wish list, except maybe savage.
I’ve had few experiences with Tom Ford, so take this for what it’s worth…
Rave: The one item I have, Honeymoon eyeshadow quad is nice for me.
Rant: expensive; not available in my area and at this price, I’d rather not experiment by online order; sometimes offensive advertising at least to my view; short availability for LEs (I went for a Boys lipstick about a year after it was introduced, I guess I should have known).
Rave: I love their cream shadow formula. Easiest to apply, blend and super opaque.
Rant: TF is always overpriced. Too overpriced.
Ditto.
Double ditto!
He had me hooked with the pink glow palette. Then I HAD to have the duo powder/cream shadows and the limited edition cream shadows. I am a sucker for the thrill of the hunt– and these , I felt, were covetable, so I hunted them down. I was hoping they would release the same format as Pink glow, except a different color palette, but it was not in the cards, so was disappointed with the summer and fall offerings. When I heard about the holiday palette, I was hopeful. But $155? Uh .. no!
I have replaced my obsession with TF with ABH and Charlotte Tilbury these days, and those brands don’t drain the wallet like TF, so I am happy about that!!
Oh I do love my “Honeymoon” palette too!
Rave, – – – – – I only have two TF products, and I don’t really like them.
Rant, I have an eyeshadow quad, and even using the tips I got here I can’t make the shimmer shadows work. I forced myself to use it for week, thinking I’d not given it a fair chance, still don’t like it. I also have one of the Boys lipsticks. It was ridiculously expensive, and it doesn’t last long on my lips. The colour hardly shows up on my lips though that’s my own fault for not forcing the sales person to try it on me before I bought it. I also think there’s something in the lipstick that I find mildly irritating, it’s just not comfortable. I think it’s Malik if there were such a one, I can’t find it right now, so I can’t check.
I should add that I really want to like the products I have and the brand, but it’s just not happening.
Quality does seem to have slipped on new products.
Rave: Gorgeous packaging with old school glamour — makes me feel special every time I open it. Ticks all the boxes that make me love makeup. Some beautiful lipsticks like Forbidden Pink that are special and unusual. A few gorgeous eye quads with excellent formulas. Celestial shades that work as grown up sparkle. When TF gets it right, they really do. Appreciate that they seem to no longer be doing the “blink and you miss it” LE releases (although the holiday collection may prove me wrong).
Rant: A brand this expensive shouldn’t have any misses and they do. I’ve had Casablanca and Negligee lipsticks both turn bad within a year. The nightbloom pink powder this summer/fall was terrible — no color payoff at all. What’s with releasing two of the colors in Nude Dip in a duo as part of the Runway collection along with a concealerish lipstick/lipliner duo that may have worked on the runway but I have yet to hear anyone outside of that say they liked it? I loved the Toasted Sugar polish in the bottle but on the nails it was a streaky mess.
Wow, I didn’t realize I was this conflicted on any brand!
As much as I love some of the fragrances, the cosmetics seem quite pricey considering the quality; it like the company assumes the consumer will be so enamored with the prestige-factor they won’t realize that the item is lacking in execution. (Kinda like Mercedes & BMW charging $$$ for a car that comes standard with synthetic leather; you want the real stuff, it’s costing extra.) Also I’ve heard numerous instances of the lipsticks going rancid in a short period of time. In a $6 Maybelline I’d find that unacceptable, let alone a $55 (or has it gone up even more?) Tom Ford.
I honestly can’t stand Tom Ford’s advertising aesthetic. It has literally ruined the brand for me as I don’t want to support it by purchasing anything from the line. There are some nice products, but nothing that isn’t dupeable from a company with ads that don’t turn my stomach.
I made my first Tom Ford purchases this year, and have been really happy with what I bought (eyeshadow quad and a lipstick). The lipstick shades are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, and the formula is beautiful!
I’m sure the price is a “rant” for many, including myself. Sometimes I’m okay with the hefty price tag (like with the eyshadow quad), but for other products I find it absolutely ridiculous. Like the eyeliner, it’s nearly $70(CAD). $70 for liquid eyeliner?! You’ve got to be kidding me! If it lasted an entire year then I could justify it, but I’m not going to shell out $70 several times a year just for liquid liner.
Rave: When Tom Ford gets it right, they (is it he or they??) really get it right. I love the eye creams and the quads that I’ve gotten – thank you Christine for the reviews – and I love the amount of product you get (the old eye color cream packaging). I also like the overlapping of products for collections; I don’t mind a re-release of last year’s creams or colors with some new thrown into the mix because if I didn’t pick it up last time, I can get it now. Also, with whatever new is thrown in, it gives me another way to use the product(s). Lately LE products seem to stick around for quite awhile and I really like that, especially considering his prices – if I’m planning a haul, it’s nice to know that the product will probably be around by the time I have enough money saved up for it (I’ve seen this with the last 2 collections).
Rant: They eye creams shrank in volume but went up in price. I also don’t like that every time there is a new release, there is an uptick in price. I don’t find the lipsticks to be all that impressive (yet – perhaps I have not tried the right color or texture?) and the marketing can be a turn off at times, also.
I only became aware of this brand a year or so ago.
Rave: I love the products that I’ve purchased to date, like Moodlight, cream shadows (Sphinx, original Platinum, both cream & sparkle duos), lipsticks (most from CCO), Pink Sand & Pieno Soleil blush, Love Lust blush (beyond gorgeous), the Afternooner palette, Bicoastal palette, the waterproof mascara and the Honeymoon palette.
Rant: prices have increased to the point where I question how long I will be able to afford this brand… and I’m pretty crafty at getting discounts. Quality inconsistencies cause me to wait for reviews vs. placing a pre-order. I wish TF would expand the blush line, figure out what is causing certain lipstick shades to go rancid within a short period of ownership, and consistently produce high quality product across the brand.
Rave: Some of their quads are fabulous.
Rant: Very, very expensive and some of their products are hard to get: Eg The Emerald Lust quad. Also for the price, they should be A+
Raves: the packaging is seriously gorgeous and minimal, which I always expect from a HE brand (any HE brands, to be exact). I like the formulations of most of the line’s products and of course from a more delusional side, I feel prettier and classier whenever using a TF product even though visually nobody can tell what brands I’ve put on my face.
Rants: sky-high prices, nearby impossible accessibility in my area and the color selections (except for the lip products) are quite boring, it seems like repeating itself by pulling out an old color and put a slight twist on it and call it a day. Also, the eyeshadows are mostly shimmery, which is fine, but I don’t feel comfortable having to reach for too many products when I don’t want my eyelids to look like a mirror.
ugh it’s such a frustrating subject! everything he makes looks SO beautiful that it’s hard to resist; the problem comes when the product doesn’t live up to the presentation, which at these prices is unacceptable!
One of my biggest complaints is that I don’t have a Tom Ford counter anywhere even remotely near me, and it isn’t like I live in the middle of nowhere! (Pittsburgh, here, hi!) Our one Nordstrom has a very limited amount of products, mostly just a handful of the lipsticks and maybe his mascara, and even when they have a tester available to swatch a lippie, there usually isn’t any stock to actually purchase.
When I’m going to spend so much on something like a bronzer or an eyeshadow quad or anything, really, I need to be able to swatch it! Either that or he needs to get better with his stock product photos! (come on, that last shadow duo was not as it appeared! lol) And that goes triple for foundations and concealers!
Maybe my very biggest complaint though, (and keep in mind, I still absolutely love the brand!) is that they make it so difficult to even buy new products. He announces a collection, and his site offers a pre sale, which promptly sells out. Then you have to play a game of constant vigilance, trying to figure out what store will get it first, did it actually get released yet, did they add more to the presale, is it going to come to Nordstrom, or just Bergdorf? Neiman or Saks or Bloomingdales?? it’s like a really overpriced shell game!
ughh and even through all of that… they’re still some of my favorite items in my collection! (even tho it pains me to use them for the first time… argh, messing up that shiny embossing… ? ha! )