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Tom Ford Winter Soleil Masterclass

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend a Tom Ford Masterclass hosted at my local Neiman Marcus. This was the first time my local Tom Ford counter has done a makeup related event and I was so excited to see what it was all about. I was able to reserve a spot for the class by purchasing a $50 gift card at my local counter.

My boyfriend asked me why I wanted to go to a makeup class when already knew how to apply makeup. My response was, it wasn't about learning to apply makeup but about learning the intended way to apply the products. Every line manufactures their makeup with the intention that it will be applied a particular way. Although I have my own way of applying makeup, it very interesting to see how the brand wants you to use the makeup. 

The event was in an intimate and small space with small round tables set with one of Tom Ford's new Private Blend candles and a face chart, The event served us champagne and little bites throughout the session. Let me say, they were generous with the champagne and I was able to have several glasses. As with all Tom Ford events the aesthetic was very luxurious and classy. 

For this Masterclass, they brought in National Artistry Executive,  Allan Aponte to show us techniques and give us tips on makeup application. This Masterclass was focused on their recent collection, Winter Soleil. This collection included two face palettes in warm and cool (reviewed here and here) and five shades of metallic lipsticks. The collection, as well as some of the permanent line items were beautifully displayed in the front of the room. Allan used one of the attendees as a model and because the room was small all the attendees were able to get a good luck at his techniques.

We started out by going around the room and sharing our favorite Tom Ford product. I ended up going first and of course I couldn't possible choose one favorite... but I went with Moodlight Illuminating Duo. It was really interesting to hear everyone share their favorites. Many people said foundation, lipsticks, primer... etc. Then we proceeded to the makeup application. 

Allan explained that there are 10 steps to the Tom Ford method of makeup application. 

1. Prepping the skin: Allan began by prepping the skin with the Radiant Moisture Souffle, one of my hero skincare products (full review here.), mixed with the Intensive Fusion Face Oil. He messages the mixture into her skin until it glows. The Moisture Souffle contains European basil oil that helps hydrate the skin without leaving a residue. Then he went on and applied a pump of  the Intensive Infusion Eye Treatment with a light tapping motion around her eyes. When Tom Ford created this product he wanted it to be in a packaging that wouldn't require his customers to dip their fingers into the product to keep the product sanitary. This explains the beautiful pump packaging of this eye cream. Also, all the "Infusion" products contain caffeine infused with other nourishing ingredients to hydrate and lift the skin.  At this point, the model's skin was very radiant and hydrated, ready for the makeup application.

2. Foundation: As a architect, Tom Ford looks at beauty in the same way he looks at architecture. That is, foundation is the most important part of a makeup because it is the foundation for everything else to sit on.  He believes in applying everything with a brush, in order to achieve a truly flawless and soft finish to the skin. So Allan applies a pump of the Illuminating Primer, with the Foundation Brush , a classic flat paddle shaped foundation brush. 

Then, using the Cream Foundation Brush and a squeeze of the Waterproof Foundation and Concealer, he works the product into his brush from his hand. He then begins applying the foundation is short wispy motions. Allan's tip for foundation is applying a light layer all over to correct the skin, then going in with more foundation to spot conceal. The foundation is meant to be the line's first full coverage foundation. Allan's tip helps maintain a natural look and finish to skin, which suits in with the Tom Ford style. For those of you looking for something lighter, Allan recommends mixing the foundation with some moisturizer and he swears it will still last all day.

3. Concealer: Allan uses the Concealing Pen and the Shadow/Concealer Brush to go in under the eyes and conceal. He applies the concealer with the brush, then goes in with his finger and a light tapping motion to blend. Allan said he loved this concealer because the applicator is so soft, it is made with silk fibers. How luxe!

4. Shade and Illuminate: Not only is this a step but the product, as well! Back to Tom Ford's architectural view to beauty, this step is to begin to build the structure on top of the foundation. In other words, it brings back the shape and structure to your face because the foundation make your face one tone and removes any dimension or flaws from the skin. Using the Shade and Illuminate palette in Intensity 01 and the Shade and Illuminate Brush, Allan sculpts the models face. His technique is he creates three lines, one under the cheek bone, one at the temples, and one on the jawline. The Shade and Illuminate Brush helps him create sharp and precise lines because the brush is a flat and firm, allowing the user to be able to feel the bone structure in their face by pressing down while applying product. Switching back to the Cream Foundation Brush, Allan blends the lines of product into skin for a seamless contour. 

Which shade? I think the most interesting thing I learned at this Masterclass was how to choose your Shade and Illuminate shade. The difference between Intensity 01 and 02 is not that one is deeper than the other but that 01 is for yellow or warm skin tones and 02 is for pink/cool skin tones. Now that I know this, I can see the difference in the tones of the product. 01 does have yellow tones whereas, 02 had a lot red tones in it. I love that Mr. Ford created these based off of skin tones and not skin color. 

5. Eyebrows: Both Tom Ford and Allan believe that starting with the brows first before eye makeup is the best way to create a cohesive look. Allan says that the best way to create boundaries for your eye makeup is to fill in your brows. It prevents you from applying too much eye makeup and blending it out too far. Also, Allan says its the best way to lift your face without surgery! So starting with the Brow Sculptor , Allan brushes the eyebrows up and back. He begins shaping the brow from the front and then outlining the top of the brows. This is one of the most important things he did. Creating clean and crisp strokes on the top of the brow will ensure you have a good structure and shape you your brows. He then uses the Brow Sculpting Kit to softly fill in any sparse areas and finally, finishing the brows with the Fiber Brow Gel.  The magical thing about this fiber brow get is that you can't see the fibers, they just make your brows look fuller. 

6. Eyes: Starting with Eye Primer Duo, Allan used the Shadow/Concealer Brush to apply a thin layer of the cream primer all over the lids and then a thin layer of the finely milled pressed powder on top to set it. The primer minimizes lines on the lids, neutralizes discoloration, and primes the lids for color. 

Allan then pulled out the beautiful Winter Soleil Warm Palette (full review here.). This palette contains four jet-milled eyeshadows, meaning the particles of powder are milled until they are 100 times smaller than a hair! Now we know how they get their shadows to be so pigmented, blendable, and how they minimize any fallout!

• Starting with the Rose Bronze shade and the Eye Shadow Brush, Allan brushes the shade across the whole lid  and using the tip of the brush, places some shadow underneath. 

• Then going in with the Deep Brown shade and the Eye shadow Blend Brush , he feels for the socket bone with his brush and places color into the crease and just half way under the eyes. Allan always places some shadow under the eyes because he believes in "connecting all the lines", that is, making your look continuous and flawless around the eyes by having a continuous color placement.  

• To highlight the inner corner of the eye, Allan uses the Light Gold shade and the Eye Shadow Contour Brush  to place it in the inner corners. 

• Finally, to finish the look off, Allan uses the Bronze Glitter shade with his finger and patting it over the lid. He says this is the best way to apply the Sheer Sparkle shades and minimize fallout.