You may associate Tom Ford with the man, with ready-to-wear, or even with the best Tom Ford fragrances (I'm personally partial to Soliel Blanc, which is a great summer fragrance). But I strongly urge you not to overlook the designer brand’s makeup offerings. With complexion products, color cosmetics, and hybrid skin-makeup products under the Tom Ford beauty umbrella, the luxury brand can (and should) see you through every single step of your makeup routine. High quality ingredients, gorgeous finishes, and long-lasting pigment are part of the beauty brand’s DNA—and you truly can’t go wrong with any products in the line.
That in mind, these products do have a higher price tag and only certain items are without a doubt worth the splurge. Lucky for you, I’ve tried each and every one, from the OG palettes and foundations to the newest launches.
My top contenders run the gamut: There’s the Shade & Illuminate Radiant Foundation that I always grab before a night out, and the bronzer-highlighter duo that’s miraculously able to create the appearance of a chiseled cheekbone. (The latter is also one of Hailey Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter's favorites, too.)
But don't take my word for it; watch these makeup staples in action. To see the texture, finish, and color impact of my eight favorite Tom Ford makeup products, I decided to take step-by-step photos of my makeup routine. Enjoy a virtual get-ready-with-me, ahead.
Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Foundation SPF 50
When I tell you this foundation quite literally feels expensive as it goes onto your skin, I'm not joking. I put about two pumps on the back of my hand and saturated a foundation brush in product before softly applying the product to my skin. The color match was perfect (I'm shade 0.4 rose) and I loved how I couldn't tell where my skin stopped and the foundation started. It instantly evened out my skin tone, covering slight redness on my cheeks. The end result was glowy and natural, but still more amped up than my everyday, barely-there foundation. It's what I would reach for a night out or a big event. It also wore phenomenally throughout the day—no oxidizing, separating, or fading.
Finish: Radiant
Coverage: Medium to full
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, blend of natural oils
What I Love: Wears phenomenally; can be built up or sheered out in terms of coverage; lasts all day; only need a little bit of product
What I Don't: Expensive; too glam for me personally on normal day
Shade & Illuminate Concealer
I have a handful of concealers that I really, truly, genuinely love. Despite how well they cover my dark circles or brighten my complexion however, I continuously find that the formula ends up creasing into the little fine lines in my under eye. That pain point is exactly what makes this particular product so special. It floats on top of my fine lines for the entirety of the day. It’s truly crease-proof. I also intentionally chose a shade that was a hint more orange than one I needed. It ended up covering up my dark circles and leaving me with a bright finish that feigned the look of a good night's sleep. That said, I would go for a more true-to-skin-tone color if I planned on using this to brighten other areas of my face.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, dimethicone
What I Loved: Really canceled out dark circles; no creasing at all throughout the day—even without setting powder
What I Don't: Nothing, truly one of the best concealers I've ever used
Shade & Illuminate Contour Duo
I’ll never forget the first time a makeup artist used this particular palette on my skin. The final look had me looking contoured and glowy to a degree I had never experienced—so I immediately added the duo to my everyday rotation. Since that fateful day, I’ve had this cream-to-satin couture and highlighter duo by my side.
The formula blends and diffuses in such a natural manner, while leaving my makeup looking supple and healthy without a greasy glow. I love how buildable the bronzer is, too. A gentle application is soft and natural, but I can also layer it up for a more intense sculpt. The highlighter on the other hand is the epitome of glass skin. I go crazy with it—heavy on the cheekbones, some on my nose, and a bit right under my brow bone. Sometimes, I'll even dab it on my lips.
Finish: Satin
Shade Range: Five shades
Key Ingredients: Botanical oils, light diffusing pearls
What I Love: Intuitive application (you really can't mess it up); gorgeous finish; layers well with powder and cream products; creamy texture that has play time and melts right into the skin
What I Don't: While the shades are versatile, I wish there were more to find a better match for every undertone
Shade & Illuminate Foundation Brush 2.5
I get it: A makeup brush might not be the sexiest product in the world, but trust me on this one. This brush will change your life. As the name implies, you can use this to apply foundation. But, I've been reaching for it when applying my cream bronzer. I've always struggled in the bronzer department. My blending is incomplete. I'm too heavy handed. Not heavy enough. But this brush makes me feel like a makeup artist. It takes every bit of guesswork out of the equation. I stipple the product into the hollow of my cheek and then blend upward. The unique design of the brush ensure that there's no streaks or clumping and deposits the perfect concentration of product onto the skin.
Type of Bristle: Synthetic
What It's For: Cream and Liquid complexion products
What I Love: Multi-purpose; makes application easy and intuitive; streak-free
What I Don't: Have to be very diligent about cleaning the brush; the product gets really deep down into the bristles, so you may feel like you're wasting product
Brow Sculptor in Taupe
For soft, everyday brows that are groomed and tamed, but still natural-looking, this pencil is my go-to. I brush my brow hair up with the spoolie, fill in any sparse areas with the taupe pencil (this color works on just about everyone) and spoolie once again for good measure. It’s extremely easy-to-use, waterproof, and fade-resistant, so my brows end up looking just as good in the evening as they did in the morning. This particular shade provides a done-but-not-too-intense finish. I personally like to go in with a clear brow gel to really seal the deal.
Shade Range: Four shades (taupe, chestnut, espresso, blonde)
What I Love: There's a build in sharpener on the spoolie end that makes sharpening convenient; taupe is the perfect subtle shade; any mistakes can be blurred out with the spoolie
What I Dont: I love the product, but there are cheaper alternatives that do a comparable job
Eye Color Quad Crème Eyeshadow Palette in Rose Topaz
Tom Ford’s Eye Color Quad is a staple. With a sheer sparkle, satin, shimmer, and matte in every single palette, it truly is a fool-proof formula to create both subtle daytime eye looks and smokey (or sparkly) nighttime glam. I have shade Rose Topaz on hand, and while the color depiction online isn't really accurate, it's a beautiful palette. The brows are standard, but the shimmery tone is almost reminiscent of fish scales (in a good way). Depending on the lighting, it will pick up green, grey, pink, or even hints of blue.
I use a fluffy blending blush to swipe the upper left shade across my lid as a base. Then, I put the dark brown in my crease and under my lower lash line. To add a pop, I applied the bottom left sparkly shade with a domed brush in the center of my lid. People constantly ask me what I have on my eyes when I wear this palette. The impact is unmatched and the wear is flawless.
Shade Range: Eight palettes to choose from
Finish: Two mattes, one shimmer, one satin
What I Love: Versatility; great pigment payoff; no creasing
What I Don't: There's a decent amount of fall out with the eye shadow, so you might want to consider applying it before foundation; colors not accurately depicted on website
Emotionproof Mascara
For dark, intense, blackest black lashes, this Tom Ford formula truly can’t be beat. The wand and pigment have found the sweet spot, and somehow manage to be high impact without being clumpy. This wand lengthens and volumizes to an equal degree, leaving my lashes full, dense, and quite frankly, the best they’ll ever look. There’s no dripping or smudging either. It's a waterproof formula, so the pigment stays adhered to my lashes remarkably well. If you have a habit of touching your eyes, the formula will flake, so just be cognizant.
Color: Carbon black
Benefits: Waterproof, volumizes, lengthens
What I Love: Deep black shade; volumizes and lengthens at once; buildable in intensity
What I Don't: Wand is a little bulky for the lower lashes; formula sometimes flakes
Lip Color Lipstick in Indian Rose
I’m a satin lipstick girl through and through—so believe me when I say that this particular formula is top of the line. I’ve tried hundreds of bullets through the years, but this elegant Tom Ford option is one of the only options that has a silky glide, nourishing feel, and also somehow maintains its color payoff for eight hours. I’m partial to the shade Indian Rose, but the range is filled with everything from bold reds to deep browns. I did dab a little gloss on top, so just know that finish is a bit more matte than that pictured below.
Finish: Satin
Key Ingredients: Brazilian murumuru butter, chamomilla flower oil
Shade Range: Nine shades
What I Love: Applies smoothly; great color payoff; long-lasting color
What I Don't: The packaging is a little bulky
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