Tom Ford Beauty Haul - First Impression

From dislike to doubt to adore and total addiction! Heck yes, I find the entire Tom Ford Beauty including his fabulous fragrances more than tempting. Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would enjoy Tom Ford Beauty. I detest his provocative perfume ads in the past. And I still do. The price tag of the line, my goodness, really put me off. So I didn't follow any raves or rants about the brand around the world wide web.

Until I saw this documentary film. His way of life, the inner peace and the life he lives fully and completely have inspired me to make changes in my life (another looong story) and of course to own some of his products. Watching the film feels like sitting in a yoga workshop where people at higher spiritual state share their thoughts. That's how I feel. ;;)

Long for short, I made a couple of trips to Neiman Marcus at Houston Galleria, which by the way means huge deal. Parking and walking in that mall drives me insane. I usually feel like a victim of consumerism then loose interests quickly, and just go home. Fortunately, I had a good time at Tom Ford counter and did a huge damage to my wallet. As a result, I'm beauty sober until next year (no regrets :D)! I also tested the mascara, foundations (liquid and stick), and eyeliner pencil at the counter. Reviews of my orders are coming!

First thing first, the Shade and Illuminate Intensity 2 ($75 for 0.49 oz) is the target of my trip. I'm an highlighter sucker and especially love the cream formula (like Edward Bess All over seduction). Naturally I have to try this. The price is steep, no doubt, but for a huge amount of product. It does require some blending practice but is worth every penny. 

I also got the Shade and Illuminate brush ($70). Seriously overpriced I must say. Nonetheless, it applies the product incredibly easy! I can also use it for other cream blushes and highlighters. Plus, I wasn't able to find a substitute for this brush. So for my skills and conditions, the dollars were well invested. 

Now comes the wildly popular Narcissist blush ($55 for 0.28 oz), the new limited edition for Fall 2012. It scared me away from the picture and even in person at first. However, none of Tom Ford permanent blushes really scream at me. They all have frosty finish, though subtle. Narcisssit has subdued satin finish that looks matte without drying on my cheeks. And the color is OMG, lovely pink flush to bright bold fuchsia. LOVE! Another wisely-spent. 

Then I certainly need some eyeshadow quads ($75 for 0.35 oz), the star products of the line. I picked up Cognac Sable the first trip and had to come back for Golden Mink. Phenomenal! The color, the texture, the wearing, the finish and the style blow me away. They all suit me so unbelievably well. I swatched most of eye color quads at the counter and they were all excellent, no dryness or fall-out. The question is which color theme/finish responses to your style. The two I purchased are versatile, wearable and have my name written all over them :D. More on how they work for me will be coming soon.

And there is a compulsive procurement, the brow sculptor in Espresso ($42 for 0.01 oz). It's beautiful, natural, user-friendly and uh over priced. I don't own any mechanic brown pencil, only have tried some in store. So my opinion is probably biased. In any case, this is an excellent product. 

No, I didn't forget about his lipsticks. The formula really moved me so much so that I almost got Indian Rose. The shades aren't that special (even deeper shades like Cherry Lush) beside the fact that they're seriously overpriced. The girls told me Jasmine Rouge lipsticks are of deeper shades, promising more interesting colors. For now I decided to wait.

Finally, the generous samples of Tom Ford fragrances. Gotta love the customer service!

The good news is I love all the fragrances. For years I fell for big brand names like Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, Bvlgari, etc... and never got intrigued enough to purchase a single full-sized bottle from them. Tom Ford perfumes stays put all day and lingers a unique scent that isn't overwhelming on my skin. And they express different selves of me. BIG LOVE!

The bad news is I love all the fragrances. Tough call to pick one.  They'll break my wallet too. I'm still looking for the one that has the power to withdraw $200 for 1.7 oz from my budget. Maybe there's none but the huge samples should last a while.

That's all guys. I was extremely exhausted after work and a sleepless night before visiting the counter. I made a mental note "to try not to buy" and was ready to bitch down any sale associate who tried too hard to sell. The girls at Tom Ford counter treated me well. They provided me with the information, chatted about the line and helped me to test and apply the products. I really appreciated they tried to make my trip fun and kept an open mind to the customers' knowledge. You know sometimes SAs talk you down to push/create needs for purchases. I hate that (Macy's Chanel counter at Mermorial City). If you live in Houston area, you must visit Tom Ford counter at Neiman Marcus. It's so much easier to decide which items to purchase, especially with Tom Ford's price. Plus the girls there are helpful and polite.