Have you ever seen a makeup product and simply from the packaging alone you want to pick it up? That was the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Palette for me. Just with the packaging alone and the appearance of the product, I wanted to get my hands on this.
The price made me wobble because I had to wonder if it could really be worth £64. But I put that to one side, logged onto the Selfridges website and invested in this stunning item. So, after putting this Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Palette through its paces for a few months, here are my final thoughts…
Why I wanted this item.
As I mentioned above, I wanted this Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Palette because of the packaging. But beyond that, I also wanted this because I was intrigued by Tom Ford beauty. I have tried a few lipsticks from Tom Ford previous and they are beautiful, but I was never sure if they deserved the high price tag. Which is why I wanted to know if their base products were the same. Could this really deserve the incredibly expensive price tag? I’m trying to tell myself that I spend this much on a highlight and contour palette to save others peoples money if it wasn’t fantastic.
How I use this item.
I try to utilize both parts of this product, both the highlight and the contour. The contour I like to pick up on a short, natural hair brush and then I stipple that into position where I want some added definition. The highlight I like to apply with my finger. I will pick up some product and then lightly tap that into the highest points of my face. The highlight shade I have also found to be a great eyelid topper that gives a wonderful sheen.
The coverage.
Normally when I opt for cream products such as this, I want them to have a certain amount of coverage to them. That is because on my cheeks I have hyperpigmentation and the added coverage can often be a benefit. Especially if my foundation happens to get displaced underneath. However, I have to say that the coverage of this Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Palette is incredibly sheer and that much was obvious when I swatched it for the first time. That lack of pigmentation has actually been quite refreshing because it has been encouraging me to go with a lighter style of makeup.
The consistency.
As soon as I received this item, I did what anybody would do, I swatched it. I took my finger, swirled it into the product and within an instant it was easy to see how creamy and slick this item is. To a degree it even had a high level of sheen to it because it was so creamy. However, I think that this is an enormous benefit. It makes it incredibly easy to apply, it blends out with effortlessness and then looks completely seamless. The consistency did concern me to begin with, but I know that I have nothing to worry about when it comes to the consistency of this item.
The staying power.
One thing that I love with this product is that it is a very slick product that as I mentioned above, makes it fantastic for application and blending. However, normally products with so much movement can often mean that staying powder is compromised. However, after putting this through its paces it is obvious that once it is set with powder, this is locked into position and I am good to go. With this set, I know that it is going to look just as good in an evening as it did first thing in the morning when it was first applied.
Would I repurchase?
When I first began using this, I didn’t know if this would be a winner in my book. I thought that it was too soft for my normal makeup looks. However, the more I have used this, the more I have fallen in love with it. Everything that I have mentioned above just shows how wonderful this item is. For that reason, I know that I will absolutely repurchase this. Even if I use up the contour shade twice as fast as I do the highlighting shade. The contour makes this worth the money alone. However, I do want to stress that at the moment there are so many other amazing cream contours on the market and if £64 isn’t in your budget there will be something amazing out there that is.
