Tom Ford Cool (01) Winter 2016 Eye & Cheek Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Cool (01)

Tom Ford Cool (01) Winter Soleil Eye & Cheek Palette ($155.00 for 0.45 oz.) is one of two limited edition, holiday palettes from the brand, and it is the “cooler” of the two, though some shades are still warm-toned overall. The packaging is the signature white of the Soleil collections, and it comes with a large, interior mirror; it felt substantial to hold and clicked together nicely.

The eyeshadow colors applied well, lasted seven to eight hours, and despite having two glittery shades, had minimal fall out over time. The cheek colors were high-quality, pigmented, blendable, and long-wearing, though the more matte shade did not feel dense or as buttery as the more shimmery shade (not really unexpected, as that’s how it usually works out between textures). While pricey, it performed well, and you’d think that would be the norm for luxury products, but it isn’t, so I’m glad it did. I think that both the eyeshadow and blush formulas were comparable to their permanent formulas (though the eyeshadows are not the kind found in Nude Dip or Honeymoon, rather the brand’s other quads).

I wish the brand broke out how much eyeshadow/cheek color was in the palette (oh, and names), because then I could give you a more accurate assessment of total value. Typically, the Eye Color Quads retail for $82.00 and contain 0.35 oz., while the Cheek Colors retail for $60.00 and contain 0.28 oz. Based on that, even if you were getting a full-sized quad and two, half-sized blushes, it would only come to $142, and we know it is less than that, given the total weight is 0.45 oz. of the palette and a full-sized quad and two half-sized blushes would come to 0.63 oz. If you’re someone who likes using all-in-one palettes or would easily reach for and use it as a cohesive palette, it might still have more subjective value to you, but otherwise, you would be better off choosing a full-sized, permanent quad and one full-sized blush (or even the Skin Illuminating Powder Duo), as you’d get more for your money and have the ability to choose the coordinating shades.

Get a shade-by-shade breakdown of this palette, along with individual photos and swatches…

Cool (Winter 2016) Blush

Cool (Winter Soleil) Blush is a bright pop of medium pink with cool, blue undertones and a satin finish. The texture was soft, smooth, not too firm or too soft in the pan, and blendable on the skin. It had the type of satin finish that became more and more noticeable as the product was buffed and blended on the skin, which resulted in a soft sheen that added luminosity to the skin without emphasizing the skin’s natural texture. It wore well for eight and a half hours on me.

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Cool (Winter 2016) Eyeshadow #1

Cool (Winter Soleil) Eyeshadow #1 is a light-medium pink with warm, yellow undertones and a glittering finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation (and it was the same both wet and dry) with a smooth, slightly wet-like feel to the touch, though it wasn’t a cream product. This shade applied evenly to the lid, while the flecks of glitter seemed to adhere better to the skin. I did notice that when I blended out a non-glittery shade into this one, my brush inevitably pulled a noticeable amount out, too, so you might want to smaller brushes to minimize finishes mixing, if undesired. It lasted for eight hours with minor fallout.

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Cool (Winter 2016) Eyeshadow #2

Cool (Winter Soleil) Eyeshadow #2 is a medium, purply mauve with warm undertones and a glittery finish. The consistency was smooth, dense, and a little “wet” in a way, but again, it was not a cream product. I don’t think it was necessary for the brand to include two glittery shades in the palette (especially as they are not that different), but this shade performed similarly to the other one. It had good pigmentation on its own, but it did darken and intensify with a damp application. The color lasted for eight hours with minor fallout.

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Cool (Winter 2016) Eyeshadow #3

Cool (Winter Soleil) Eyeshadow #3 is a muted, medium-dark taupe brown with subtle, warmer undertones and a pearly sheen. The color payoff was fully opaque, and the eyeshadow had a soft, smooth, and blendable texture that wasn’t too soft or too firm. It applied well to bare skin and started to fade after eight hours of wear.

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Cool (Winter 2016) Eyeshadow #4

Cool (Winter Soleil) Eyeshadow #4 is a deep plum with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had great pigmentation with a soft, thinner texture that was a touch dry/dusty but did not seem to be problematic in practice, as it blended out easily and wore for eight hours before fading on me.

Cool (Winter 2016) Highlighter

Cool (Winter Soleil) Highlighter is a muted, light-medium rosy pink with warm undertones and a frosted sheen. The pigmentation was intense, so a little went a long way if you just wanted to add some luminosity to the skin! It had a soft, lightly dusty texture that was dense, buttery, and incredibly easy to blend out on the skin. It did add some color to my skin tone, so it would be more of a highlighting blush on those with similar coloring or are lighter, while it should work as a highlighter on deeper skin tones. This shade wore for just over nine hours before fading.

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