After my previous dispute with Tom Ford, we have since reunited and I’m back with a full on rave.

The Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage Eyeshadow Quad stands out among the line; not because of the colour combination (which some may consider flat out boring), but due to the fact that it contains mostly matte eyeshadows (3 out of 4, to be exact). I own a stupid number of matte brown eyeshadows so the quad never appealed to me… until I touched them.

Artificial Light

Sunlight

…and me getting overexcited with my new camera equipment

I’ve said time and time again that my favourite matte formula is the Rouge Bunny Rouge Matte Eyeshadow line. It pains me a little to say it but Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage is as good if not better – exceptionally smooth, pigmented and buttery. If you’re trying to resist the 75USD/99AUD price tag, for heavens sake, DO NOT TOUCH IT. These must have been in the binding stage for 12 years (give or take); the pigment is so soft and silky that the lightest of brush strokes picks up a bucket load of product. Application wise, I dare you to try stuff it up, they blend so seamlessly that even a novice armed with a sponge tip applicator and no mirror could achieve a perfect gradient.

Like…what in the actual shet.

My inner arm reads at N15. I put on my articulate hat for these shade descriptions:
Matte Cream-Bone
Matte Medium Chestnut
Chocolate Shimmer
Matte Deep Bark Brown

You can see here that Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage shadows sit close to the skin, more like a cream and less like a powdery matte.

All shades lean warm, especially in sunlight. The Chocolate Shimmer shade has a whisper of reddened tones. If you really struggle with warm eyeshadows, I imagine it will be a problematic pairing. Personally, warm shades are harmonious on my skintone so I’m cheering!

I shopped my stash for comparisons, to both contextualise the shades and provide possible alternatives for those of you who like the idea but not the price.

Tom Ford Matte Cream-Bone runs warmer than MAC Blanc Type and is more pigmented than MAC Vanilla. In terms of texture, I think the swatches speak volumes; Blanc Type and Vanilla look awfully powdery in comparison.

Matte Medium Chestnut… I haz no close alternatives.

I was so sure that I would already own a dead-on dupe for the chocolate shimmer shade but NOPE! Burberry Midnight Brown is cooler and more shimmery. Rouge Bunny Rouge Bejewelled Skylark has reddened-burgungy flecks and is deeper. MAC Antiqued has a lotta golden shimmer. Out of the bunch, Tom Ford has the most understated sheen. Daytime appropriate? Tick.

I swear these looked similar in pan. D’oh! Tom Ford Matte Deep Bark Brown lacks the peachiness of MAC Swiss Chocolate. Inglot mattes are VERY hit and miss, 326 Matte is a winner; it looks almost aubergine against the subtle khaki tones of Tom Ford.

My long-time readers (who have become my friends <3) will know that I’ve abstained from wearing eye makeup for 6 or so months after complications from an elective eye surgery. I’m an ‘alien specimen’ according to my eye specialist, who assured me that albeit ugly, my eye issues are not dangerous. So I made an executive decision.

I’m wearing eye makeup dammit!

Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage lends itself to a) daytime-appropriate definition and b) warm grungey hazes. I met the two themes halfway for a quick daytime grunge. Awkward angles to shelter you from my extraterrestrial eye.

For the rest of the face, I went with the grain: a monochromatic palette of warm, sandy-beiges because I’m cool and effortless and didn’t actually spend 3 days planning this look… mmk?

Armani Lasting Silk #4.5 // Applied sparingly on the nose, chin and between the brows.
Rouge Bunny Rouge Starina // Biscuity blush to introduce some subtle warmth into the cheeks.
SUQQU Brow Pen – Brown // My go-to for warmer looks.
Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage // You sexy beast, you.
Rouge Bunny Rouge – Feline Gaze Retractable Eyeliner in Black // Absolutely bulletproof, on my upper waterline.
Illamasqua Eye Pencil – Vow // Nude for the lower waterline, to make grunge more wearable.
YSL Baby Doll Mascara // Sample, no concrete opinions yet.
NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil – Belle Du Jour // Care to suggest a similar shade that doesn’t make my lips look like old carpet?

Feels good to be back, f’real.

xxkarima