| Review | Tom Ford Virgin Orchid Eyeshadow Quad
Okay if you have been a big fan of Tom Ford for as long as I have, you will remember the highly coveted Enchanted Quad that was limited edition and everyone went nuts for it! While I don't own this quad, this new Virgin Orchid Quad looks very similar to the Enchanted Quad. Check out some of these swatches I found on google. From what I have heard, Tom Ford is releasing 6 new quads with many of them in the wet/dry gel-powder formula that we all know and love from the Honeymoon and Nude Dip quads. After this, can we have a slow down on new releases? I don't think I keep up anymore.
The Tom Ford Virgin Orchid Eyeshadow Quad retails for $88.00 USD and is available at Nordstrom and other retailers. It's great to see Tom Ford bring out more quads in their baked gel-powder shadow formula. This formula has been wildly popular with many brands but only just starting to become a large part of the Tom Ford range. These shadows can be used wet or dry and are known for their silky texture and luminous finish.
THE SHADES
So the thing about this palette is, SURPRISE, IT'S A TAUPE PALETTE! No, I'm not color-blind. This palette literally turns very taupe on the eyes! I don't know how or why but the Soft Taupe shade and the Deep Plum get muddy over time when placed together and turn into a taupe smokey eye, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just extremely unexpected considering the shades. I'm not really sure how It is even possible considering the shades in this palette but it definitely has something to do with the fact that the Deep Plum shade has some grey and taupe undertones. While this palette creates a beautiful taupe smokey eye, it is not what I really wanted out of a palette that is supposed to be "orchid shades".
In this look, I used the Rose Gold in the crease, the Deep Plum in the outer corner and out crease, the Soft Taupe as the lid shade, and the Shimmering White as the inner corner highlight. You can see the overall look is very gray-taupe.
The closest I could get to a true "orchid look" was when I placed the Rose Gold all over the lid and blended Deep Plum into the inner corner. This look looked the most purple-pink toned but it was still very neutral. Over time, I found the Deep Plum began to neutralize some more and it gave me a taupe-brown look. Below is the finished look, you can see it still has a soft rose-lavender tone but it looks quite neutral.
The other thing is I would prefer this palette to contain an actual crease shade because without a solid blending or crease shade, it makes it difficult to create dimension and complexity in the look. The best shade to use as a crease shade is the Rose Gold however, because it is quite light and contains shimmer, which isn't ideal. The eyeshadows in this palette are best placed on the eyes without a traditional crease shade but more of a light to dark kind of placement horizontally across the lid. This type of eye shadow placement is great for beginners and those who have hooded or Asian eyes. This palette definitely works best as a simple 3-shadow look: placing the Shimmering White as an inner comer highlight, placing either the Rose Gold or the Soft Taupe as your lid shade, and using the Deep Plum in the outer corner or crease for depth.
Depending on which shade you choose as a lid color, you will get a different overall look. If you choose the Rose Gold as your lid color, you will get more of a brown-taupe with a soft rose-lavender toned look. If you choose the Soft Taupe shade, you will get more of a grey-taupe look. The palette is quite versatile in that way but using all the shades together, you will get a grey-taupe look. This is not at all what I would consider an "orchid look".
FINAL THOUGHTS
That being said, the quality of all the shadows is excellent. They are all extremely pigmented and creamy. They blend very well into on another an adhere very well to the lid. This palette is great for an everyday quick shadow look. Although I am slightly disappointed that the overall look isn't exactly "orchid" looking, I do love the quality of these eyeshadows. I love the wet/dry formula because you can really play with the finishes and intensity. I highly recommend this formula and this palette. I think the shades are universally flattering and a great everyday palette.
Shop Tom Ford Beauty:
The Tom Ford Virgin Orchid Eyeshadow Quad retails for $88.00 USD and is available at Nordstrom and other retailers. It's great to see Tom Ford bring out more quads in their baked gel-powder shadow formula. This formula has been wildly popular with many brands but only just starting to become a large part of the Tom Ford range. These shadows can be used wet or dry and are known for their silky texture and luminous finish.
THE SHADES
Let's talk about the shades in this palette:
Swatches from Left to Right: Dry Swatch, Wet Swatch
You can see that the wet swatches are obviously more intense but they also bring out the soft purple undertone in the shades, with the exception of the white shade.
Shimmering Ivory (Top Left): This is a a true shimmering white shade that is almost perfectly neutral. It doesn't lean too cool or warm at all. It is great inner corner shade for brightening and highlighting the eyes.
Rose Gold (Top Right): This shade is a soft rose shade with a very subtle purple undertone and gold shimmer throughout it. It remind me a lot of many blushes, like NARS Orgasm, but much softer. This shade is the closest shade to a transition or crease shade in this palette however, it looks beautiful as an all-over lid color. I recommend using the shade wet for more intensity.
Soft Taupe (Bottom Left): This soft taupe shade is quite metallic and applies much cooler on the eyes than it appears in the pan. This shade has a tint of lavender and is a very grey-based taupe. This shade has more of a metallic finish.
Deep Plum (Bottom Right): This shade is a deep shimmering plum with a strong brown base and a soft shimmer finish. The strange thing about this shade is that it applied true to color but as it wears throughout the day, it becomes more of a taupe or a brown shade depending on which shade it is being paired with. It's very bizarre and significantly affects the overall look from this palette. This shade does produce very minimal fallout.
VIRGIN ORCHID VS. ENCHANTED
Based on quality swatches I have seen online of Enchanted:
The lightest (Shimmering White) and the deepest shade (Deep Plum) of the Virgin Orchid Quad are quite similar to the Enchanted Quad. The Shimmering White in the Virgin Orchid Quad may actually be more shimmery than the one in the Enchanted. As far as the Rose Gold shade goes, it is quite different from the Soft Pink shade in the Enchanted Quad. The Soft Taupe in the Virgin Orchid Quad also seems more metallic than that of the taupe in the Enchanted Quad however, they both seem to have that gray-lavender tone. I would say they're close enough however, I think that Tom Ford has significantly improved his formula over the years and this one is probably better quality.
OTHER COMPARISONS
For those who are curious how these shades compare to existing quads, here are some comparison swatches to shades in quads that I felt looked close to those in the Virgin Orchid Quad. With the exception of the Deep Plum in the Honeymoon palette, all shades are quite different. The Deep Plum in the Honeymoon Quad has a touch more purple to it but they are close.
THE OVERALL LOOK
Based on quality swatches I have seen online of Enchanted:
The lightest (Shimmering White) and the deepest shade (Deep Plum) of the Virgin Orchid Quad are quite similar to the Enchanted Quad. The Shimmering White in the Virgin Orchid Quad may actually be more shimmery than the one in the Enchanted. As far as the Rose Gold shade goes, it is quite different from the Soft Pink shade in the Enchanted Quad. The Soft Taupe in the Virgin Orchid Quad also seems more metallic than that of the taupe in the Enchanted Quad however, they both seem to have that gray-lavender tone. I would say they're close enough however, I think that Tom Ford has significantly improved his formula over the years and this one is probably better quality.
OTHER COMPARISONS
For those who are curious how these shades compare to existing quads, here are some comparison swatches to shades in quads that I felt looked close to those in the Virgin Orchid Quad. With the exception of the Deep Plum in the Honeymoon palette, all shades are quite different. The Deep Plum in the Honeymoon Quad has a touch more purple to it but they are close.
Swatches Left to Right: Rose Gold (Virgin Orchid), Soft Pink (Nude Dip), Soft Taupe (Virgin Orchid), Metallic Taupe (Nude Dip), Deep Plum (Virgin Orchid), Deep Plum Honeymoon
THE OVERALL LOOK
So the thing about this palette is, SURPRISE, IT'S A TAUPE PALETTE! No, I'm not color-blind. This palette literally turns very taupe on the eyes! I don't know how or why but the Soft Taupe shade and the Deep Plum get muddy over time when placed together and turn into a taupe smokey eye, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just extremely unexpected considering the shades. I'm not really sure how It is even possible considering the shades in this palette but it definitely has something to do with the fact that the Deep Plum shade has some grey and taupe undertones. While this palette creates a beautiful taupe smokey eye, it is not what I really wanted out of a palette that is supposed to be "orchid shades".
In this look, I used the Rose Gold in the crease, the Deep Plum in the outer corner and out crease, the Soft Taupe as the lid shade, and the Shimmering White as the inner corner highlight. You can see the overall look is very gray-taupe.
The other thing is I would prefer this palette to contain an actual crease shade because without a solid blending or crease shade, it makes it difficult to create dimension and complexity in the look. The best shade to use as a crease shade is the Rose Gold however, because it is quite light and contains shimmer, which isn't ideal. The eyeshadows in this palette are best placed on the eyes without a traditional crease shade but more of a light to dark kind of placement horizontally across the lid. This type of eye shadow placement is great for beginners and those who have hooded or Asian eyes. This palette definitely works best as a simple 3-shadow look: placing the Shimmering White as an inner comer highlight, placing either the Rose Gold or the Soft Taupe as your lid shade, and using the Deep Plum in the outer corner or crease for depth.
Depending on which shade you choose as a lid color, you will get a different overall look. If you choose the Rose Gold as your lid color, you will get more of a brown-taupe with a soft rose-lavender toned look. If you choose the Soft Taupe shade, you will get more of a grey-taupe look. The palette is quite versatile in that way but using all the shades together, you will get a grey-taupe look. This is not at all what I would consider an "orchid look".
That being said, the quality of all the shadows is excellent. They are all extremely pigmented and creamy. They blend very well into on another an adhere very well to the lid. This palette is great for an everyday quick shadow look. Although I am slightly disappointed that the overall look isn't exactly "orchid" looking, I do love the quality of these eyeshadows. I love the wet/dry formula because you can really play with the finishes and intensity. I highly recommend this formula and this palette. I think the shades are universally flattering and a great everyday palette.
Shop Tom Ford Beauty:
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