Tom Ford Golden Mink Eye Color Quad Review & Swatches
Golden Mink
Tom Ford Beauty Golden Mink Eye Color Quad ($75.00 for 0.35 oz.) has returned for the holidays in new, gold-hued packaging and with a softer price point–a mere $75 instead of the typical $88. While I don’t have the specially-packaged version, this is a newly-received palette, so it should be comparable to what is currently being sold on the market (apparently, I did not review it years ago!).
For those who are typically fan of the brand’s usual eyeshadow formula–not the more gel-powder version–this is in line with that. For those who prefer the intensity and depth of the gel-powder formula, this may be a little dustier, plus it contains two of the more emollient, sparkling shades (that tend to pop a little more with a dampened brush).
Ingredients
Look Using this Product
Golden Mink
PPermanent. $75.00.
Golden Mink #1
Golden Mink #1 is a light gold with moderate, warm undertones and a sparkling, metallic finish. It had good pigmentation applied dry as well as wet with the dampened application yielding a slightly shinier finish overall. The consistency felt lightly emollient to the touch, almost wet, but it picked up well with a dry brush as well as fingertips. There was minimal fallout when I applied it using a dry brush. It stayed on well for eight hours and didn’t seem prone to fallout over time.
Top Dupes
- Viseart Starlight (GPV2 #2) (P, ) is less shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Morphe Stonewall (LE, ) is warmer (95% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Visionaire #1 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, warmer (95% similar).
- Clionadh Klondike Gold Rush (P, $6.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Chanel No 5 #3 (LE, ) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Sephora Blonde Ambition (211) (P, $9.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Astral Pink Moon (LE, $25.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Metallic Denim #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Banana Frost (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Guerlain Petrouchka #1 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
Look Using this Product
Golden Mink #1
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Golden Mink #2
Golden Mink #2 is a light, peachy copper with strong, warm undertones and a sparkling, metallic finish. The color coverage was opaque in a single layer regardless of whether it was applied dry or with a dampened brush, but the latter yielded a slightly richer color and more intense sparkle/sheen. The consistency was lightly emollient without being thick or too firmly packed into the pan, so it was easy to apply and work with. There was slight fallout when I blended out the edges, but there was only a smidgen of additional fallout after eight hours of wear.
Top Dupes
- Sephora Demanding (31) (P, $9.00) is darker, warmer (95% similar).
- Moira Showtime (P, $7.50) is warmer (95% similar).
- elf Champagne Crystal (P, $5.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace Beach Bum (P, $6.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Dominique Cosmetics Crème Brulee (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Snow Bank (LE, $4.50) is warmer (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Steady (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- NARS Morongo (LE, $19.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace Star Struck (P, $8.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Laura Mercier Rosegold (PiP, $29.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Look Using this Product
Golden Mink #2
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Golden Mink #3
Golden Mink #3 is a soft brown with moderate, warm undertones and a pearly sheen. It had opaque color coverage that applied evenly to bare skin and blended out nicely, but the texture was slightly thinner and a touch dusty, so I felt like it had a tendency to look less shimmery after a few minutes on my lid. It wore well for seven and a half hours before fading visibly.
Top Dupes
- MAC Arena (P, $17.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- NARS Mahe #1 (PiP, $19.00) is darker, more muted (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty White Suede (Nordstrom) #2 (LE, ) is darker (90% similar).
- Dior Rivage #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Smashbox Doe (PiP, ) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- MAC Era (P, $17.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- NARS Bonifacio (DC, $25.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Skin (75S) (PiP, $29.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Plunge (LE, $6.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Giorgio Armani Stardust (04) (P, $36.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
Look Using this Product
Golden Mink #3
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Golden Mink #4
Golden Mink #4 is a medium brown with soft, warm undertones and a pearly sheen. The eyeshadow had opaque pigmentation in a single layer, which adhered well to bare skin and blended out easily. The texture was soft, finely-milled, and slightly dusty in the pan, but it wasn’t prone to sheering out nor was fallout a concern. It stayed on nicely for seven and a half hours before fading noticeably.
Top Dupes
- Too Faced Power Couple (LE, $16.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Bronze (P, $17.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Guerlain Ors et Merveilles #1 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Seductive Beauty (Smoke) (LE, ) is darker (90% similar).
- Too Faced Tout Suite (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- KVD Beauty Synergy (DC, $21.00) is more shimmery, cooler (85% similar).
- MAC Mulch (P, $17.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- Dior Eden-Roc #5 (LE, ) is cooler (85% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita #4 (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Visionaire #4 (PiP, ) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
Very easy to like little quad to pop on for an everyday/work appropriate eye! But do I love it? Nah, I already have plenty of dupes to cover me. Very tempted to wear them today for some reason.
A very subtle, sophisticated quad – which reminds me of some of the shades living in Nakeds 1 & 2.
Which means that these colours are easily dupeable. A very pretty eye look Christine.
It’s nice to read about the lower price point (though in Canada, this quad will still be over $100) but it’s still too pricey for my wallet for a B+ quad. It’s a bit warmer than I like ideally but I’m sure I’ve still got dupes up the wazoo.
I have this palette and I really enjoy it. I receive compliments every time I wear it ! It’s an elegant shimmery look
I love these colors which is why I have tons of close dupes. Again, even with the lower price point, it’s expensive for a B+. Looks great on you.
I own this palette and I hate to admit that I spend this amount on a quad.. but I love it. I have 3 Tom Ford Quads and I love them all. They create beautiful wearable looks and I get many compliments. I am a glutton for glitter and shimmer and they deliver. I love the baked formula and will buy more.
I just bought this in the limited edition packaging and I saw a review saying that the ingredients are very different compared to the original. She said that the limited edition version contains talc and other cheap fillers so the quality is poorer? Would it be possible for you to review the new one to compare? I’ve been contemplating whether or not I should return it and pay extra to get the original 🙁
Hi Anne,
Please see above for the ingredient list of the palette I reviewed… you will see talc is included, which is common in other Tom Ford quads (it’s not specific to one!). The ingredient list is very similar to the one listed on Sephora for the specially packaged edition of it based on reading the first few lines. Talc has been included high up on the ingredient lists’ of most of the recent quads (non-baked formula), so my guess is whoever you’re referring to has a very old version – what I have was just sent over by Tom Ford PR and likely is what is currently being sold (in general) currently. I’m not entirely sure the age of that person’s product but even in 2015, Cocoa Mirage’s ingredient list starts with talc.
I even went back to my Tom Ford reviews and started from oldest to newest… in 2012, Cobalt Rush Eye Color Quad also included talc as the first ingredient, which is the oldest review I found for a quad by TF that I’ve done.
Ah I see. Good to know! Thank you Christine! <3
I am also still confused. I thought I might make this cheaper version my first from the brand with the holiday coupon. But i also saw the same thing, and clicked on both of these palettes on the sephora website. They do indeed have many differences. Carmine is in both, but this LE has many more ingredients. The original also does not say talc. I wonder if this LE is the same size? The original lists the grams, the gold package does not. I am starting to think even with the coupon, this may not be something I want. Any more information you can give to help me decide? The sephora website lists both separately and the information is not the same, so if you have one of each to compare, that would be the biggest help.
Everything I have is posted in this review – I have no additional information or insight – sorry for not being able to help you!
Thanks! I think I have talked myself out of it. I don’t need any eyeshadow, but I figured with the coupon I would see what the hype was about. But the more of your reviews I read, it seems like his brand isn’t worth the price. I have a cosmetics company store near me so maybe if I ever see a great bargain I’ll give it a shot. Otherwise, yay for saving money! ☺️
It seems that this release is very different from the original. The first 2 shades in the original are technically glitters whereas the new version seems to have changed them to shimmers. I love the original version as the glitters are very sophisticated and therefore can be built up from a subtle look to a dramatic look. The change to shimmers make it boring tbh.