It was agony getting a sneaky peek at Tom Ford's forthcoming Private Blend Lip Colour Collection earlier this month knowing I wouldn't be able to feature them for quite some time. But that time has now come, so lets get the luxury elephant in the room out of the way before I go into gush-mode: these lipsticks will be €45. Each. Yes. It's a lot of cash, so this launch not for everyone, purely based on price.
If, however, you're a Ford junkie (me) or a lipstick junkie (me), or, eh, both (me), then you might put away a few quid a week before the April 24th launch date to secure yourself one. A waiting list is in place in Brown Thomas Dublin, the sole Irish stockist, so confident are the brand that this line will be a success.
And y'know, I think they might be right, because this is Lipstick Index-stuff in spades. 12 luxurious formulations are grouped into three categories: the bolds, the nudes and (I think!) the darks. So they pretty much do what they say on the tin - if you're into pale shades, check out the neutrals, a bit of a lover of drama, look at the deep purples. Me? I go straight for the bolds as the really deep offerings at the other end of the spectrum are just too OTT for my bright-lovin' ways.
Packaging is simple and elegant with glossy finishes, clean lines and gold accents. Each shade has a TF stamped into the top of its satin-finished, pigment-packed bullet. These are very moisturising, very comfortable to wear on the lips and deliver a lovely finish in some equally truly lovely shades.
Lest we become too hysterical about these, let me just say I don't think Tom Ford has re-invented the wheel shade or formulation-wise. But what he has done is create a suite of great, classic colours (there's a particularly appealing coral I need to own) that have a beautiful formulation and a huge dose of bathroom real estate about them. In terms of packaging and texture, the closest luxe comparison I'd make would be YSL's Rouge Volupte, one of my favourite lipstick lines ever.
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What Tom Ford's offerings have over YSL's however, is that the depth of pigment ensures a measure of longevity that Rouge Volupte doesn't have. Private Blend Lip Colour lipsticks are also very satin-finished and sheeny on the lips, but the colour does stick about longer because they're so saturated, pigment-wise.
Want to see a shade lineup and a swatch of the one I currently have in my possession? Check after the cut, so!
Here's the full lineup, from nudes right up to very, very dark.
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This is cherry lush. In the bullet, it looks a lot more wine-toned. On the skin - and this was taken at night under flash, so not the best swatch I've ever done - it's a lot pinker, with a good bit of bluey-magenta in there, giving a fuschia-flushed finish to the lips. Very me, in other words.
A Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Colour lipstick is not something you're going to buy, throw into your handbag and not care if you loose. After paying €45, you'd have a shit-fit. So, you will be interested in splashing the cash if you're completely mad about lippy, want a statement shade for a big occasion - like a wedding - or just really love luxury beauty.
