Tom Ford Bronzer Brush Review

 Bronzers, Tom Ford  13 Responses »
Oct 222012
 

Tom Ford’s Bronzer Brush ($110) is a luxurious investment. Rather than attempting to create a brush that might mimic others, this brush is lovingly made to deliver incredible results, albeit with the price tag to match. The bristle end is soft as kitten fur, lush and thick.

 The handle is balanced without being too heavy.

Of course, the brush is designed to work with the large, luxurious pan of the Tom Ford Bronzer. Below is Gold Dust, which is a beautifully shimmered glowing-with-gold powder perfect for light, warm skin tones. It has a very large, flat pan.

In fact, the bristle head of the Tom Ford Bronzer brush is far larger than the pan of a Chanel Joues Contraste blush. Of course, most bronzers are on the larger side. Some of the Guerlain special edition pans are almost the size of European dinner plate. However, if your favorite bronzer has a small pan, the Tom Ford Bronzer Brush might actually be too large for it.

Together, the combination of the Tom Ford Bronzer Brush and Gold Dust is a wonderful experience that delivers beautiful, transformative results. Another option is to put this Tom Ford Five-Piece Brush Set from Neiman’s on your holiday list (thank you to Sabrina at The Beauty Look Book for pointing this out to me!).

 

Holiday Makeup for the Rest of Us, Part 1

 Dior, Giorgio Armani, Highlighter, MAC  2 Responses »
Dec 182009
 

Picture 5 I love the idea of fantastic makeup looks, like this one at the left from Sephora.  It’s so artistic and glamorous!  But to be honest, I’m not confident in my ability to pull off something so dramatic.  Even so, there are evenings when we all want to have a special look.  Here are a few ideas that can give you a little glamour and glow, without going over the top.

First, sometimes I line the eye area with a bright metallic using a very thin brush.  In this picture, I’m using Shu Uemura’s 2R, which sells for $14.  The brush is so tiny that it’s easy to draw a very thin line  that doesn’t overwhelm.  One can draw a soft line under the eye, or dab a bit near the inner corner.  Another look is to add a line of silver or gold just above a black liquid liner on the upper lashline.  I dampen the brush first, to intensify the color.Platinum 3

Second, one can add some sparkle to the shoulders using a product like MAC Reflects Glitter. This product has the same effect as the fairy dust — it catches the light in a very dramatic way.  For that reason, it can look over the top when applied to the face.  It’s sort of fun to wear sprinkled on the shoulders or decolletage for  New Year’s Eve.  The product is a little unusual and hard to control–it seems to jump around, well, like fairy dust.  To make it “stick,” it should be placed over a thin layer of something emollient, such as Vaseline or MAC’s cream color base (Pearl and Hush are nice choices).  Keep in mind that the MAC Reflects are not considered eye safe, you really don’t want one of these glitter bits to get into your eye.  Pictured here is MAC Reflects Silver.  The product comes in a variety of colors, sells for $19.50.  There are a very few colors on MAC’s online site, although more colors are available at MAC’s Pro Stores (there is a list of these on MAC’s website) or by calling  1-800-588-0070 (U.S.).

Mac Reflects Silver 5 Mac Reflects Silver 3

Third, especially if MAC’s Reflects seem a little too dramatic, there are a lot of beautiful highlighters that provide glamour without the glitter.  My favorites include Dior’s Star Shimmer Powders ($43), Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors ($41) and Armani’s Fluid Sheers in #1 or #7 ($58).  Highlighters add light and a glowy texture to the skin. Any of these can confidently be worn on the face or body without concern that one is going over the top.  A touch of the Armani can be added to foundation for a little extra subtle glow.

More about this topic in the days that follow…. In the meantime, enjoy every moment that you can this season!