Thursday, February 14, 2013

Mermaid Glimmer

Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad in Emerald Lust is a departure from my usual neutrals, but with emerald as Pantone’s 2013 Colour of the Year, now is as good a time as ever to experiment. When it comes to green, I normally opt for goldish khaki shades or deeper, metallic olive greens with a touch of bronze, but rarely venture out of my comfort zone to wear unadulterated, bright colour.






Emerald Lust is one of two new eyeshadow quads from the Tom Ford Fall 2012 collection, the other being the neutral Enchanted. These new quads have been reformulated for wet and dry application, and contain 6g of product compared to 10g in the original release.

Can we take a minute to just admire the packaging? Architectural, slightly masculine and very serious. There’s no cheap frivolity or tacky excess here. In short, it feels and looks expensive.

The quad contains a silvery white with a touch of champagne, a light emerald green with silver sparkles, a blueish teal, and a deep navy with sapphire shimmer. The shadows are imbued with a kind of diamond dust that makes them multifaceted and richly saturated, though I did take 2-3 swipes of each for the opacity pictured. Applied wet, I’m sure they’d be even more intense.

Rather than using all the shades at once, I’d be inclined to concentrate either of the two middle shades on the lid, then blend the edges or crease with a softer neutral for a more wearable look. Lisa Eldridge also showed the colours worn over a darkened navy or black base for a colourful smoky eye. There’s always the option to just use the shadows as green or blue eyeliner for a more understated pop of colour.

Yes, it costs a a small fortune ($100 from David Jones, or £62 less VAT from Harrods), and I’m sure there are plenty of inexpensive near dupes (Wet n Wild Blue Had Me at Hello comes to mind), but there’s no substitute for the undeniable luxe factor of Emerald Lust. That’s the funny thing about pricing — the more prohibitive, the more seemingly attractive and desirable a product becomes. I haven’t ventured very far into the world of prestige cosmetics, but until my next splurge, I can always fantasise about the Cheek Brush, Golden Mink Eye Colour Quad or a Tom Ford lipstick.

(Product was provided to me for review.)

47 comments:

  1. These colours are stunning, I don't mind paying extra for the quality!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love these colours, and they definitely do have a mermaid vibe to them! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. The colours are really beautiful and the pigmentation looks just right. The price is quite high but those colours are too striking to pass up!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I got so excited when I heard Pantone's colour for 2013 was emerald! These shadows are gorgeous, but of course you'd expect nothing less from Tom Ford. You're such a lucky girl- to get sent such a beautiful palette to try... and Tom Ford, no less?! Wow. It's high time I try a high end palette- I'm tossing up between a MAC quad and the UD Naked palette. I'm just afraid I won't use the darker shades in the Naked palette often enough to justify it. :/ Help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I reckon go for UD Naked palette. A MAC quad sounds expensive and you only get 4 colours, whereas the UD is $50 for 12. For me, it's worth it just for half the colours if you get decent use out of most, and a lot of use out of say, 4 (like me and Toasted, Hustle, Smog and Darkhorse). Go for it! I think UD make some of the best eyeshadows out there and they're relatively affordable if bought in palette form.

      Also I still can't access your blog - it's saying open to invited readers only :(

      Delete
  5. I could never bring myself to splurge on a palette like that for now, but hopefully in the future! The colors and packaging are so gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The packaging is so beautiful and the eyeshadows look amazing. It sure is a splurge but would be perfect for any makeup collector : ) Enjoy it Lena xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is absolutely beautiful - I just can't justify the cost right now sadly x

    lamourjosie.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I need to get my hands on a Tom Ford quad! I'm a huge sucker for packaging

    ReplyDelete
  9. OMG This is stunning! I've been wanting the famous cognac sable, but the 75€ price tag scares me, because I am afraid I'll want more and more! lol
    blue and emerald are not really my cup of tea, but they look beautiful and gorgeous!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have Blue Had Me at Hello and I agree the colours seem similar, however Tom Ford's packaging is to die for :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. These colours are stunning, and so pigmented.
    But even my eyeshadow obsession couldn't justify these haha!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  12. what a gorgeous quad! Love the emerald shades. Just the packaging and details of this luxury quad is to die for.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The packaging is gorgeous! I really love the colours too xx

    http://lucycole.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  14. what an amazing palette! Tom Ford's products are so pricey but definitely worth trying out:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow sweetie that palette of eyeshadow has beautiful shimmering and pigmented colors and blue shades.
    (^∇^)ゞ

    http://www.sakuranko.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Gorgeous! I love all the shades in the palette. And you're description of the packaging couldn't be more true - it certainly looks expensive. I don't think I could justify spending $100 on an eyeshadow palette, but it is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  17. These shades are incredibly gorgeous! They are just strikingly beautiful :D

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love how vibrant and rich these colors are! Just gorgeous! :-)

    ~ Yun

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh my what a combination of ultra beautiful shades! Amazing pigmentation. x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Gorgeosu colours, especially the dark blue, but they are insanely expensive, I could never spend that much money one an eye shadow palette :-)

    http://wwwclairabelle.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gorgeous palette! Tom Ford is a bit out of my price range, but I saw a similar color scheme in the new Nyx palettes. :)
    xoxo Chris
    My Fashion Trendencies

    ReplyDelete
  22. The navy blue makes the whole palette worth it. Stunning x

    ReplyDelete
  23. Absolutely gorgeous colours & the packaging is so nice :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I have been looking at Emerald Lust for sometime and haven't picked it up yet. Since emerald is the 2013 pantone color, it makes me wanting it even more!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Though green don't suit me t ll I find that this palette has gorgeous eyeshadows!!

    xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love Tom Ford's packaging, it's so simple but so luxurious.

    The colours are gorgeous. I'm so tempted by it...

    ReplyDelete
  27. The swatches look amazing!
    Love the TF imprint in it, very classy :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. This is so beautiful. Dying to get my hands on some TF products; just can't pick what I want to try first!
    S xx

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a stunning palette, just look at those emerald shades! Definitely a luxurious looking product, sturdy and elegant. Absolutely gorgeous and the swatches look fantastic! Although I can only wish for the money to be able to purchase something like this :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. mmmm this palette looks amazing! I wish I could own something so luxurious! I was going to ask if this is what Lisa Eldridge used but you answered that already, my love of teals & blues has me wanting it so bad although I have heaps of similar colours.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Soooo beautiful! Seen so much about these online and they are truly amazing shades but I wont be getting these too soon, out of my budget~! Do enjoy them!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow, beautiful quad...it just seems so luxe, I bet its a pleasure to use! I have never seen tom ford in person where I live, but if I ever come across him on my travels I am sure I'll have to pick up something!

    ReplyDelete
  33. lovely shades, wish I could pull colours like this off! x

    http://thebeautyvisual.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  34. Wow, definitely the most beautiful aqua colors I've seen in a long while! I love the packaging too. - Boho Vanity

    ReplyDelete
  35. i love anything tom ford and would buy anything of his if i could afford it!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I want a TF eyeshadow too but I think I couldn't afford them just yet! thanks for sharing! super nice colors ^_~

    ReplyDelete
  37. Such a gorgeous quad! I've had my eye on the neutral quad but I know I can't afford it (yet XD).

    ReplyDelete
  38. Whenever I see Tom Ford make-up, I'm always mesmerized by the sheer luxury of the packaging. The colours in this quad look so beautiful! x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

    ReplyDelete
  39. *jaw drops* O_O i agree, the packaging/presentation is really gorgeous....it does look simple yet expensive. classy ;) i love it! i feel many things go overboard with the decorating :(

    as per usual, thanks for the review! i'd love to see it on you!

    alex @ carouselstreet.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. All I'm going to say is *drools* :)
    I understand there are pretty much dups of absolutely everything but no dupe will make you feel as fancy as this quad. This smells luxury!

    I'm absolutely jealous !

    ReplyDelete
  41. these are such fabulous colors. just so pretty. unfortunately i have a really hard time working with blues but this makes me want to try. i have never seen tom ford makeup sold anywhere either though.

    http://www.lovefromberlin.net/
    xx rae

    ReplyDelete
  42. God, that's beautiful. That last colour in your swatch is just insane.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Wow talk about mermaid! So gorgeous, I adore it! :D

    www.chochalistas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  44. Aw so nice :) i reviewed a tom ford lippy but i didnt realise the eyeshadows were so pigmented as welll xx

    ReplyDelete
  45. That is such a gorgeous palette!
    I want to try something from Tom Ford, everything looks so luxurious!
    - Andrea Marie xx
    frominsidemycloset.com

    ReplyDelete
  46. These colours are absolutely goooorgeous! The high price point certainly does make it seem all the more alluring ;)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...