Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Review: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad No 3 Cocoa Mirage


You probably know already that I have a thing for Tom Ford Beauty. I like the master mind behind it and the products speak to me. I trust the brand with its brilliantly executed shimmer/glitter powder products. The promo pictures always features dramatic makeup. It took me by a huge surprise that I would go crazy about a matte neutral understated chic eyeshadow palette by Tom Ford. Cocoa Mirage, in my opinion, is the very best Tom Ford's eye color quad, although it doesn't contain a Ford signature glitter shade nor the high-shine shimmer. By the way, I raved about Tom Ford shimmer and glitter in every post of the brand and why I, a self-diagnosed anti-shimmer-eyeshadow gal, love to wear them. So please don't let the word shimmer worry you!

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 03 Cocoa Mirage ($78 for 0.35 oz) comes in the signature golden-rimmed brown case with a large mirrors and double-ended applicators which turned out quite good. It offers four stunning neutrals: a matte ivory, a matte medium brown, a matte deep brown and a rich cocoa brown with a hint of plum/bronze shimmer. The shimmer is so fine that you don't actually see it on the lids. What detectable is just the sheen that adds interesting twist to the rather basic color palette. I've found matte eyeshadows tend to have dry texture and look chalky on the skin. The three matte shades of Cocoa Mirage are however incredibly soft and pigmented. The shimmery cocoa brown is less pigmented than the other three yet it's still an opaque shade. 

Capturing the true tone of Cocoa Mirage was a heck of a challenge. Under the direct sunlight, the palette looks rather warm. I took the pictures under different lighting to show you the sophisticated colors.

Warm lighting

Brighter and cooler lighting

Like other Tom Ford powder products, all four shades of Cocoa Mirage are velvet smooth and melt into the skin seamlessly. What I really adore about this particular quad is that all four shades work unbelievably harmoniously that you won't be able to tell where one color ends and another starts. It's a truly fool-proof quad. Cocoa Mirage is therefore ideal for professional settings but you can definitely smoke it up for edgier looks.

Cocoa Mirage will also complement all skin tones. The neutral browns that work for both cool and warm tone without making us look bruised and swollen. I have loads of neutrals brown, taupe, grey, mauve, and the likes but none is as neutral as Cocoa Mirage. For your reference, Tom Ford Cognac Sable is considerably warmer and Golden Mink is slightly cooler. 

Cocoa Mirage stays put for 8 hours straight without a primer and looks fresh past hour 12 with a standard primer. I tested it out during the 115F temperature and 80% humidity weather in Houston. The colors didn't fall out or fade but creased a little after 8 hours on my bare lids. 

(Click to enlarge) Neutral lighting

(Click to enlarge) Warm lighting

(Click to enlarge) Cool lighting

All four shades on my lids. Very subtle yet flattering. 

Tom Ford Beauty comes with huge price tag. I did a calculation on the eyeshadow here. Price per ounce, Tom Ford eyeshadow quad is actually more affordable than Dior and about the same as Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscope Eye Kit. The eyeshadow turns out to be the least overpriced in the line :D. For me, Cocoa Mirage is well worth the investment. I've been wearing it non-stop for the past month. It now sits the top 3 all time favorite eyeshadow palettes besides Dior 5-color Beige Massai and Chanel 4-color Kaska Beige, both were discontinued. 

Last but not least, the ingredients
(Click to enlarge) The ingredients

Bottom line. All around a phenomenal quad! Neutral eyeshadows fanatics, you must check out Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage, I insist. 

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