I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I was in Frankfurt yesterday to join a blogger event/fair. I am going to tell more about that later on. If you remember, I wrote that Friday I started exercising again after a break. After Friday's exercise, Saturday came as a weight lifting part because I didn't know I had to bring a suitcase with me. That is to put all the samples *chuckles*. I had to carry two big bags with me all the way home. It was mostly skin care and I got to know very innovative and interesting products. More on that soon...
Today it is a quick post of me failing to resist. Tom Ford released four Cream and Powder Duo Eye Colors for Summer 2015 Soleil Collection. After reviewing Golden Peach (here) and Black Oyster (here) I was convinced that I was done. Then I started dreaming about Midnight Sea and decided to stalk it at an online shop but somehow it never made it there. I had to order it from another online shop in Germany, which charged me 8 € for shipping. Now that is really not ok and normally I wouldn't support something like that but there was no other option and I was so obsessed. Fast forward to today, after wearing it to Frankfurt yesterday, I would like to share my thoughts with you.
Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duo #04 Midnight Sea |
I have to admit although I like everything about Tom Ford beauty line, I find their names always a bit generic. It is like as if they have a program which combines two words in random. The vocabulary is usually a little limited, such words appear more than twice: Crushed, Nude, Haze, Smoked, Dip, Golden, Violet, Orchid, Bronze. That said Midnight Sea is one of the most unique and interesting names I have seen in Tom Ford line so far. It also describes the product so perfectly. If you like going to beach at night you know that in the darkness sometimes the surface reflects light in the most wonderful way. Midnight Sea captures this beauty.
Just like the rest of the collection, Midnight Sea comes in limited edition white packaging. The top layer has a glitter/metallic shade while the bottom layer houses a cream eye shadow. The cream part of Midnight Shade duo is a repromote from their Spring 2015 Runway Collection, reviewed here. The glitter shade is very pigmented, very different than the other glitter shades of the duos. I would describe it as having a hybrid texture between glitter and metallic. Since the cream is khaki/cool brown, the combination of these two shades is very unique and lovely.
Close-up: Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duo #04 Midnight Sea |
Swatch: Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duo #04 Midnight Sea |
The glitter shade is very intense and opaque so if you apply it densely, you may end up with glittery blue eyes. I think the best way to use this duo is the following:
1) Apply the cream shade, I do it with my fingers and blend with a crease brush over the crease. Easy on the cream shade though, it is insanely pigmented, get a very very small amount or it might be way too much.
2) Take some glitter shade with your finger and tap it in the middle of the lid. You can build up the intensity if needed.
3) Take the tiniest bit of the cream and go over the parts with glitter to give the "lit within" kind of Midnight Sea look.
In-action: Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duo #04 Midnight Sea |
Below I combined Tom Ford Midnight Sea with Tom Ford Spanish Pink on the lips, Cheek Color Frantic Pink and Bronzer Terra on the cheeks. Right now I am loving Spanish Pink with smoky eyes.
FOTD: Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duo #04 Midnight Sea |
Midnight Sea is quite a splurge so you may want to make sure you don't have anything close in your collection before committing. Here are some comparisons of the top shade. There are quiet a few turquoise/aqua colors released for this summer. Chanel Stylo Eye Shadow in Azulejo (reviewed here) is bluer and has less shimmer. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Peacock which I am also loving right now is more green. Clarins Ombre Iridescent #02 Aquatic Green (reviewed here) is the closest shade I have. If you already have the cream Tom Ford eye shadow from Spring 2013, I would suggest you to get Aquatic Green. You can get a similar effect by layering this one on top. Armani Eye Tint in Emeraude (reviewed here) is deeper and more green. There is another Eye Tint which I didn't get, that one might be closer.
Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duo #04 Midnight Sea, comparison of glitter shade |
I have already reviewed the cream part of the duo here. For your convenience, I am adding the following comparison here as well. Cream part of the duo is quiet unique to my collection but it is not the easiest to work with among other Tom Ford cream eye shadows. Its dense pigmentation and deep color makes it tricky. Still I am loving it for a smoky eye.
Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duo #04 Midnight Sea, comparison of cream shade (Spring 2015) |
Also check out Sunny's review of Midnight Sea here, her eye makeup is beautiful. I love the eye make-up of Christine from Temptalia with this duo too.
Final thoughts: So appropriate to its name, Midnight Sea gives a blue glow on a dark smoky eye. I would be so sorry if I would miss this one. It wears like iron and I haven't experienced any fall out. That might have to do with the technique I used though, I sandwiched the glitter between two cream layers. Recommended in case you pick it up.
Do you like wearing turquoise in summer? What is your favorite turquoise eye shadow?
Disclaimer: The product in this post was purchased by me.
You got it!! It looks great on you - I can't tell you how bad it pulled on me - and it is a very distinctive and lovely shade. Susan, London
ReplyDeleteOh yay, I'm so glad you laid your hands on it! I HATE having to pay for shipping, but TF is only carried by that many stores and I think they all agreed on not shipping anything for free :p
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link love! This looks great on you, and I agree the name is better than average for TF lol
I love the look you created with this and I do love these kinds of blues for summer. For me, the GA Eye Tint # 3 fills that bill. It can be worked either very lightly or more richly. And the addition of a dark canvas is not a plus given my eye shape. I also still use the Dior Garden of Pastels palette, which harkens back to a better formula and has this shade as well as other pretty spring and summer colors.
ReplyDeleteI love the blues on you! Blues are not normally my thing, but you rock it xx
ReplyDeletethebeautybloss.com
Oh that's a lot to pay for a tiny product!! But Midnight Sea is definitely the most interesting of the 4, i'm so glad you finally got it!
ReplyDeleteI love turquoise on my nails and that's about it. I do love the combo though, and I agree with Linda that it's the most interesting of the 4 :-)
ReplyDeleteYou rock!! :) I had some hesitation to purchase this one but then I decided to give in and I really did not regret it! But now I want the Laura Mercier peacock stick also!! OMG!!
ReplyDeleteI bought Spring 2015 and love it, but it's definitely one of the most crazy pigmented cream shadows ever! One jar will probably last me 10-15 years, if it doesn't dry out first. So no way would I need another jar. I will just pop a sparkly teal shadow on top (maybe Milani Bella Shadow in Teal) and get the look of Midnight Sea.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteyes I did, I couldn't resist.
I can't imagine this one pulling so bad on anyone, maybe the application was not right (I am letting your inner Tom Ford daemon out!) ;-)
I know, I was expecting it to pop up at Douglas, which had the Spring Collection and Summer collection was listed as "coming soon". Then suddenly they removed it from their website. I ordered it straight away from the other one not to miss it. So very bad but at least I really love it!
ReplyDeleteHi Alison, thanks! Yes GA Tint #3 which I didn't get but it is close to those shown here. I love Garden of Pastels, it has warmer greens in there. And yes, back at the time Dior had great formula. I wish they wouldn't have changed it *sigh*
ReplyDeleteThanks so much :-*
ReplyDeleteActually blues are usually not my thing either but I am loving them this summer.
Yes I think this one will be the most used out of three I own. I couldn't justify getting Naked Bronze because I have Golden Mink and Spice.
ReplyDeleteOh I love it on my nails too. I wear it more often on my nails then I do on my eyes, so agreed.
ReplyDeleteHi Hara, thanks. Hahaha you gave in too. Let me know how you like it!
ReplyDeletePeacock is really nice, much better on then it looks as a stick.
Hahaha yes 15 years is a pessimistic guess. I think you can even give it to your grand children ;-)
ReplyDeleteI don't think those dry out like Chanel Illusion d'Ombre ones because they are not water based but we will see. It is a great idea to put your teals in use and combine them to make it a summer shade!