Tom Ford Arabesque Eye Color Quad Review & Swatches

Arabesque
Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque Eye Color Quad ($88.00 for 0.35 oz.) is a new quad that featured two more sparkly shades and two more satiny shades. The satin shades performed better, though they were not the best of the best, and at this price point, one definitely expects top notch formulations. The sparkly shades were sheer, difficult to build up, and suffered from a fair amount of fallout.
Ingredients

Arabesque
PPermanent. $90.00.

Arabesque #1
Arabesque #1 is a soft, yellowed gold with moderate, warm undertones and a satin sheen. It had good coverage in a single layer that had to be built up to get to full coverage. The texture felt smooth and finely-milled to the touch, but it was thin and seemed to lose some of its sheen when applied to bare skin. It wore well for seven and a half hours before fading noticeably.
Top Dupes
- MAC Fresh Blade (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- YSL Rosy Glow #2 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Becca Moonstone (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Snow (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Tarina Tarantino Taurella (DC, ) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- MAC What's the Pointilism (PiP, $17.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Viseart Champagne (PiP, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Zoeva Yet to Come (PiP, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Too Faced Eggnog Latte (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop High Tide (LE, $6.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
Arabesque #1
PiPPermanent in Palette.

Arabesque #2
Arabesque #2 is a light-medium gold with moderate, warm undertones and a sparkling finish. It was more shimmer and sparkle with a translucent base than particularly pigmented, so it was more “medium” coverage based on the shimmer/sparkle content. It did not get much more opaque when applied with a dampened brush. The texture was more firmly-pressed into the pan, but it picked up decently with a brush. When applied, there was moderate fallout and it was difficult to keep the shimmer/sparkle in place (even with patient blending!). There was a fair amount of fallout after seven hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- UOMA Beauty Gold Stacks (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Viseart Buillion (GPV2 #12) (P, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Green Lights #1 (LE, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- Huda Beauty Tiger #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Natasha Denona Aurum (PiP, $29.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Pat McGrath Refined Gold 002 (LE, $25.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Chanel Codes Elegants #1 (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar).
- Chanel Lumieres et Vibrations #2 (LE, ) is cooler (95% similar).
- Pat McGrath Incandescent Gold 003 (LE, $25.00) is more shimmery, lighter, more pigmented (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Eyes of a Star (Prime) (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
Arabesque #2
PiPPermanent in Palette.

Arabesque #3
Arabesque #3 is a medium-dark, reddish copper with warm undertones and a sparkling finish. It had a tinted base compared to the other sparkling shade in the quad, so it had a bit more pigment and better lay down of color on the lid, but it was still sheerer without being that buildable (whether by layering or using a dampened brush). The texture was firmer and on the thinner side, so it was hard to use with a brush and performed best with a fingertip. It had light fallout over seven hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- Laura Mercier Star Ruby (LE, ) is more shimmery, more pigmented, warmer (95% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Icon Day Eyes #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery, more pigmented, better quality (95% similar).
- KKW Beauty Samurai (PiP, ) is more shimmery, darker, more pigmented (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Naked Pink #4 (LE, ) is lighter, more pigmented (90% similar).
- ColourPop Misty (P, $4.50) is more shimmery, more pigmented, better quality (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Zone (Shortcut) (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker, more pigmented (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Azalea (PiP, $29.00) is more shimmery, more pigmented, better quality (90% similar).
- Anastasia Rose Quartz (Daytime) (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery, lighter, more pigmented (90% similar).
- ColourPop Arrow (P, $6.00) is more shimmery, darker, more pigmented (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Smokey Eyes are Forever Confident Eyes Prime (LE, ) is more pigmented (90% similar).
Arabesque #3
PiPPermanent in Palette.

Arabesque #4
Arabesque #4 is a deep, olive gold with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had opaque pigmentation with a soft, silky texture with light slip. The eyeshadow applied evenly to bare skin and blended out nicely. It stayed on well for seven and a half hours before fading visibly.
Top Dupes
- Urban Decay Smog (DC, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- LORAC Navy #4 (LE, $19.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Laura Mercier Golden Topaz (LE, ) is more shimmery, brighter (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Visionaire #3 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Blurry Green #4 (PiP, ) is lighter (90% similar).
- Bad Habit Sol (PiP, ) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
- YSL Avant Garde #4 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Coloured Raine Nightingale (LE, $6.99) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- NARS Tryst (DC, $25.00) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (80% similar).
- MAC Unwind (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (80% similar).
Arabesque #4
PiPPermanent in Palette.

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque Eye Color Quad

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque Eye Color Quad

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque Eye Color Quad

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque Eye Color Quad

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque Eye Color Quad

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque Eye Color Quad

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #1 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #1 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #2 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #2 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #2 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #3 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #3 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #3 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #4 Eye Color

Tom Ford Beauty Arabesque #4 Eye Color
I’ve got one word for this quad: Abysmal.
And a few others not fit to print here.
Gosh, this is not good at all – two of the four shades complete duds. Otherwise it would have been a very pretty quad.
Color story reminds me of Pat’s Iconic Illumination quad. Different texture, I know, but superior quality at a more palatable princepoint.
Sheesh, something must’ve been off in production…
I thought the color story looked so similar too!
I love the colors but the quality ….?
I’ll have to put this on my wish list for the day when I want to spend a small fortune on a really crummy eyeshadow quad!
LOL I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Kind of leaves you shaking your head, doesn’t it, Rachel???
Hahahaha, Mariella!
So many of his recent releases have been like this. In Canada, these quads sell for over $100. Even if the quality is good, the price is sort of hard to swallow (I find Chanel and Dior’s 4/5 pans sort of at the top end of what I’m willing to spend). But with such pathetic performance – you’d think the company would be embarrassed but I think there are plenty of people who buy his products for the name and the associated status.
Bingo
SHAMEFUL.
Man, I’ve been wanting a Tom Ford quad for some time and I’m ready to bite the bullet and get one…but…I must ask, are there any good ones left? It feels as though his recent release has performed poorly and frankly, for $88 I expect an A. Or higher.