The latest makeup launch from Tom Ford are the Private Shadows, a collection of thirty shades in five different finishes. I went to swatch these in Nordstrom just before Christmas and my husband, who was with me at the time, memorized all the shades I liked and surprised me with them on Christmas Day (#husbandgoals)! Each shadow comes luxuriously packaged in the cutest mini compact complete with mirror, they really are beautiful.
The shades I have are (L-R): Body Double (Vinyl Finish), Warm Leatherette (Vinyl Finish), Agenda Rouge (Suede Finish) and Videotape (Suede Finish).
I opted for only two of the five finishes (Vinyl and Suede), for reasons I’ll explain shortly, but the five finishes are as follows:
Ultra Suede Finish – completely matte, no pearl.
Suede Finish – demi-matte with subtle pearl.
Sateen Finish – lustrous Pearl with a glowing sheen
Vinyl Finish – highly pearlized, metallic chrome.
Paillette Finish – sequined, glittery pearl
I selected the shades mainly on color, and which ones swatched the best when I tried them in-store and these just happenend to be the Vinyl and Suede finishes. The Vinyl finish is beautifully pearlized, so think of an elegant shimmer shadow that glistens rather sparkles. I chose the lightest shades in this finish as this it the type of shadow that I like to wear on the across the lid, either alone, or paired with a more matte shade through the crease. I love this finish as it blends and wears beautiful and gives the lids a beautiful light to them.
The Suede finish is demi-matte, so therefore more suited to shades I would use in the crease and outer corner of the eye. Again, these shadows blend with ease and deliver a beautiful finish.
Personally, I do not really wear highly glittered shadows that often to warrant buying the Paillette finish, even though they looked so beautiful. I loved two of the Sateen finish shadows, Iris Bronze and Infrared but the color payoff was very weak from these, they were a very subtle wash of color that I did not think was worth the money. I think if I were to purchase any more, I would try one of the Ultra Matte finishes as I love matte shadows but I am extremely happy with the four that I have for now.
The shades I have are (L-R):
Body Double (Vinyl) – a very pretty champagne shade, perfect for everyday and a shadow that will complement a lot of looks.
Warm Leatherette (Vinyl) – a stunning warm bronze gold, my go-to shade for the lid, so one that I will get a lot of use from.
Agenda Rouge (Suede) – a burnt red that looks stunning with green eyes, it really makes them pop. It is much more wearable than other red shades I have tried in the past, so this is probably the stand-out shade for me.
Videotape (Suede) – a deep aubergine which looks amazing when used to intensify a smokey eye.
If you are familiar with Tom Ford shadows you will appreciate the quality of them, they apply and blend beautifully, never crease and have amazing longevity. I would suggest you swatch at a Tom Ford counter before you buy if you can, due to the different finishes, as at $36 a piece they are definitely an investment, but other than that I highly recommend these Tom Ford Private Shadows. I believe they are limited edition though, so it is worth snapping them up soon!
Have you bought any of the Tom Ford Private Shadows? What shades did you get?
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