Luxury makeup by Tom Ford is not something we normally splurge on, but this isn’t just an ordinary product review- we’re celebrating our 20-year Friendiversary! The modern gift for a 20-year anniversary is platinum, so in Best Coast Beauty style, we found a way to translate that into makeup and treat ourselves to Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in the shade Platinum.
Price: $46
Find it HERE
Tested September-October 2020
Liz:
It’s true: Lea and I have officially been friends for 20 years. We first met when we were 12 years old during the pinnacle of adolescent awkwardness that is seventh grade gym class. We wore maroon gym shorts with our last names written in Sharpie (I think I added a heart over my ‘i’…cue the eye roll), and bonded over our general distaste for Friday cross-country runs. That was it; we were instant friends.
Eventually, we went to different high schools, I moved across the country for college, and she wound her way up the West Coast to Seattle, but the thread of our friendship has run through every year of my life since seventh grade.
To mark our big friendiversary, we decided to get ourselves something Platinum and Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes found its way into our Sephora carts. Like our years long friendship, platinum symbolizes that which is strong and enduring…and this eyeshadow version is also sparkly. Bonus!
Described as a cool taupe with a metallic finish, Platinum has an interesting balance of cool and warm brown tones. I feel like it looks cool applied in a thicker layer, but when this shadow is blended and sheered out, it morphs into something warmer.
It has a whipped, lightweight, cream texture and is chock full of tiny silver shimmer that becomes increasingly visible the more the shadow blends out.
This cream eyeshadow fit right into my much reduced post-COVID morning makeup routine and I wore it every day for over a week. Applied directly onto the lid without primer, I got about four and a half hours of wear before I noticed it creasing. I had much better luck using a tacky primer underneath, and could get a full day of wear with very little fading and minor creasing.
My go-to application of this product involves tapping it onto the eyelid directly with my fingertip, concentrating the product near the lash line and lower half of the lid and swiping it across this area before blending the excess up toward the crease. The only thing I struggled with was getting this to blend out seamlessly along the edges. I felt like I had a visible start and stop line under my brow bone or the outer edge of the eye that I had to spend extra time tapping out with my finger or a clean shadow brush. Points deducted for this.
Once applied, it’s a very pretty shadow. Great for quick all-over lid color with a hint of shine. Indoors and in natural light, it adds dimension to the eyes with a natural and flattering shade of brown. In the sunlight, the shimmer really comes out to play and looks gorgeously glitzy (but never too much for day to day).
Here’s the catch. The price point on this is bonkers (to recap, $46). I understand that it has the words “Tom Ford” on it, and those letters alone instantly add dollar signs. Is it lovely and a nice eyeshadow that I will continue to use? Absolutely. Does the quality and shade set it apart and make it worth nearly fifty dollars? Not at all. Don’t buy this unless you have the disposable income or want to pick up a luxury treat. If you’re looking for an affordable dupe with less shimmer, try the Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow (Lea reviewed those here), or the ColourPop Jelly Much Shadows for a similar glittery option.
For me, this little jar now winks with sentiment because I see it on my vanity and think of being friends with Lea for more than half my life, which makes it kind of priceless. It reminds me that, during all the ups and downs, on the big days and the blah Mondays, having a friendship like Lea and I have, full of unconditional love, is one of the things that makes life rich.
Liz’s Verdict: A nice shadow, but think twice about the luxury price tag.
Lea:
The first few times I used the Tom Ford Cream Color in Platinum it stumped me. Platinum is a cool toned metal, so I expected something similar to silver or champagne. When I unscrewed the lid from this little glass jar and saw dark taupe, I was puzzled. To me this shade is too dark to be an all over lid color but too shimmery to be a crease color. Where then should I put $46 worth of eyeshadow?
To be fair, as much as the shade surprised me it is gorgeous and quite unique. The base color has some warmth, but the cool, silver shimmer counters that, making it a universally flattering neutral. The texture is so lightweight that the first few times I applied it, my finger picked up and applied far more than I needed. I found that a flat synthetic brush worked best for the initial application and a soft blending brush helped feather out the edges. Truthfully, because it is quite pigmented, this cream isn’t the easiest to blend. I used a tried-and-true transition shade from the Marc Jacobs Glambition palette called Seeking (read our reviews of those palettes here) to fade the edges and was pleased with the way powder shadow layered over the Cream Color.
Unfortunately, as often happens, my hooded eyes limit that ways in which I can wear this. No matter how I applied it almost all of the gorgeous shimmer transferred to my upper lid leaving a blank, dark space where I wanted most of the shadow to be. I tried using primer under the Cream Color, translucent powder over it, and even setting spray mixed with it but none of these methods prevented transfer and all of them dulled the sparkle.
When used sparingly around my lash line, the shimmer transfer is minimal and the effect quite pretty. I like this method for toning down overly smoky liner or just along the bottom lash line to add some intrigue. But I’ve used eye crayons from other brands that have better staying power for less money. I was able to make this work as an all over lid color when I went back at the end of application and pressed another, shimmery powder shadow into the blank space. But again, $46 for essentially a shadow primer. Tom Ford, you’re becoming a hard sell…
I will continue to use this since I already own it and the color is gorgeous. It just isn’t an easy all over lid color for me and doesn’t have the staying power I wish it did. If you’re looking for budge-proof cream shadow, the Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow pots are awesome and under $8 (check out my review of those here; I especially love the shades Bad to the Bronze and High Roller).
In some ways you get what you pay for with the Tom Ford Cream Color- the color is unique and has depth (much like our 20 years of friendship, Liz). The shimmer is special too, so finely milled and delicate it actually makes your lids look wet. It also doesn’t feel the least bit sticky. I’m not sorry we splurged on this shadow; I’ve always wanted to try Tom Ford products and this Cream Color is beautiful, I just don’t think it’s the most beautiful thing I could buy with $46.
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