Favorites: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

I know all about obsessions with Tom Ford Eye Color Quads. After all, I own 8 of them.

As far as favorites go, I definitely have to go with the neutrals. They're a big investment up-front but they last forever cos you get 10g of product, and the shades are silky smooth, high-quality and flattering even if you have mature skin.

Out of the quads I have, the most-used one of 2014 has got to be 01 Golden Mink. Oddly enough, it's not actually my favorite neutral TF palette. I think Cocoa Mirage has a better balance of dark to light shades, and Cognac Sable has a more interesting and glamorous mix of smoky colors.

But for some odd reason, Golden Mink is still the one I reach for most often. 

Tom Ford 01 Golden Mink swatches

Maybe it's the versatility. You get 2 very wearable and flattering iridescent brown-tones; one a taupe bronze, the other a rich cocoa. These 2 shades are my regular whisk-on-and-go daily colors. 

At the same time, there are 2 sparkle shades. Now if you've never tried Tom Ford's glitter shadows, you'll be interested to know these are semi-cream textures. The ultra-fine glittery mica particles are suspended in a translucent silicone base, so they go on feeling dry, but they adhere and smooth on like cream shadows. 

My only criticism is that the 2 sparkle shades look very similar once applied on the lids and blended with the other shadows (both vaguely pale beige-gold sparkles), and they probably only needed 1 in there, not 2. Having a 3rd satin shadow there - like a champagne highlight color - would have given a wider range of look possibilities.

But still, this is a nice palette to have, and by far the one I've gotten the most compliments on whenever I've worn it out or shared looks on Instagram, etc.

My favorite way of applying it is to blend the taupe-bronze on the inner half of lids, the deeper chocolate shade on the outer half of lids. This gives a subtle smoky neutral eye which is pearlescent but not overly metallic. 

Then to finish off, I like to apply a concentrated strip of one of the sparkle shades down the center of the lid, and just around the tear-duct area of the inner corners, to create a subtle gleaming "wet" look.

Tom Ford 01 Golden Mink on lids, Anna Sui Length & Separation Mascara 001

Most times I'll jazz it up further with dark brown liner, but in most cases, this is a very easy and grown-up way to wear glitter. And I DO wear it to work in a conservative environment. 

Sunday FOTD: Softer Take on Taupe and Oxblood

Face of the Day: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink, Cheek Color 02 Frantic Pink, and Burberry Lip Mist Oxblood No 214

Quick FOTD featuring a much softer take on a Burberry Beauty look done the other day. This is completely wearable for the day time. 

Base: 

• Tom Ford Traceless Foundation in Fawn, with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light just down the T-zone and under the eyes
• Benefit High Beam highlighter patted lightly along cheekbones

Cheeks:

• Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Bronze-03 just buffed just under the cheekbones to sculpt the face.
• Tom Ford Cheek Color in 02 Frantic Pink on peaks of cheeks for soft color

Eyes:

• Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 Pencil in Seal Brown to fill in sparse areas of brows
• Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in 01 Golden Mink; soft taupe on lids, rich brown in outer corners  and socket line, blonde glitter overcoat over inner half of lids
• Revlon Lash Potion Mascara in Black

Lips:

• Inglot AMC Lip Pencil 16 traced lightly along the outer edges of the lips
• Burberry Lip Mist in Oxblood No 214 applied over lips

Nails:

• Burberry Nail Color in Oxblood No 303

Burberry Beauty Oxblood Lip Mist and Oxblood Nail Color

Holiday Look #2: Neo-Pinup Tutorial (purple-taupe eyes and metallic red lips)!

The 50s look features full and arched brows. Here I emphasized the arched shape but kept the color quite soft instead of using a typical black-brown.

Polished skin was a big thing for pinups and it’s no different here. I used a dewy finish foundation and a radiant setting powder so there would be a soft-focus glow.

• The pinup eye features a very clean eye lid and some matte shading along the socket line, but I kept things smoky and luminous with a soft taupe shadow over the entire lid.
• Kitten liner is a must. But instead of hard black, I used a soft metallic taupe brown to keep the eye area very luminous and soft. (A grey or brown would work too.)
• To add dimension I used a metallic red lipstick instead of a regular creme or matte texture. But you still want to emphasize a slightly rounded upper lip by exaggerating the outer sides of the cupid’s bow just a little with red liner. (Not too much or it will look extremely unnatural.)

Products used:

1. Skin: MAC Face & Body foundation C2
2. Concealer: MAC Studiofinish concealer NW20
3. Setting powder: Bourjois Poudre de Riz de Java
4. Blush: TheBalm Hot Mama
5. Brows: Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 pencil in Seal Brown
6. Brown liner: (used as eyeshadow base) Bourjois Regard Effet Metallise in 52 Brun Inoxydable
7. Eyeshadow: Givenchy Le Prisme Yeux Mono #14 Elegant Taupe
8. Liner: Lancôme Hypnse Star Eyes cream shadow in ST 211 Quartz Taupe
9. Mascara: Lancôme Hypnôse mascara 
10. Lip liner: MAC Cherry lip liner (to fill in and shape the cupid’s bow)
11. Lipstick: Kat von D Foiled Love 
12. Gloss: Any clear gloss