The Best & Worst of Tom Ford Shadow Extremes

1 of 5
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme
Tom Ford Beauty Shadow Extreme

Tom Ford Shadow Extreme ($39.00 for 0.03 oz.) is split into two finishes–metallics (Foil) and glitters (Glitter)–and the performance depends largely on the finish. In general, the formula is supposed to “glide” on with an “ultra-thin, water-resistant gloss of color onto the lids.” Though each compact seemed to be the appropriate size for a standalone eyeshadow, they only contain 0.03 oz. a pop, which made them some of the smaller single eyeshadows on the market. There were some really lovely shades but enough inconsistency that for the price point, it never amounted to being an impressive range.

The Foil finishes have a softer, more yielding powder base that have moderate to high shine (some are actually metallic, some are more pearly) with better color payoff, easier application, and better wear. The Foils tended to be creamier and smoother with better adhesion and blending on the lid, though there were a few shades that seemed to have too much slip and a tendency to go on unevenly or blend out unevenly during application. For the most part, though, the Foils were good eyeshadows and were easy to work with.

The Glitter finish shades are supposed to have “micronized glitter” and find that they don’t really work as well as intended. They have more powdery base colors and larger flecks of micro-glitter, so that they tend not to bind as well and result in fallout during application or get lost in a brush. I tried applying with fingertips but the majority (like 90%!) of the glitter sticks to the fingertips and doesn’t budge. Due to the more powdery base, they did not work particularly well with a dampened brush either. Your best bet would be to pat them on top of a cream eyeshadow or tacky base.

3 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!