| Review | Tom Ford Arabesque Eye Color Quad
Sophisticated shimmering shadows paired with soft neutrals, this palette is a Tom Ford classic when you're talking about textures and finishes. The color combination of this palette is an interesting one and it's certainly not one many people would expect to see. This recent batch of eyeshadows from the brand was quite soft and neutral, different from their classic configuration, which looks a lot like this palette. I've actually enjoyed the direction the brand is going in, as far as eyeshadows go, so I'm finding this particular palette less enjoyable than the other new releases.
The Tom Ford Arabesque Eye Color Quad retails for $88.00 USD and is available at Sephora and other retailers. Housed in the classic slim cognac and gold compact with a magnetic closure. It includes some applicators and the compact has a large mirror, both of which are handy when you're on-the-go.
SHADES
This palette is warm toned with one surprisingly cool-toned shade but overall all the shades are very mid-toned, leaving very little room for contrast or dimension. This does, however, make the palette very wearable and easy to use overall for novices and skilled makeup users, alike.
Golden Champagne (top left) - This shade is a white gold champagne shimmer with a pearlized finish. This shimmering shade doesn't have detectable particles of shimmer and offers a frightening glow to the eyes.
Gold Sparkle (top right) - This sheer yellow gold sparkle is a nice eyeshadow topper or a pretty sheer wash over the lids. There also seems to be some fine silver flecks in this eyeshadow.
This quad is reminiscent of a few quads released in the past. The two that have the most similar shades are Leopard Sun (full review here) and Honeymoon, although neither have sparkly finishes.
Leopard Sun has the closest color theme to Arabesque. You can see that instead of the sparkling finish for the gold and red, Leopard Sun has a soft satin finish for these shades.
Honeymoon is very different in texture and colors than Arabesque. The shades in Honeymoon lean much rosier and more bronze.
FORMULA
All the eyeshadows adhere well on the skin and last beyond 8 hours without a primer. The combination of shade and textures makes this eyeshadow palette very limited in look options. I think this palette is best used for "three-eyeshadow looks". What I mean is using the Champagne and Bronze shade and just altering the sparkle shade. Even then, the lack of a variety of finishes, makes the looks very one-note.
Sparkle/Celestial Eyeshadow
The sparkle finish eyeshadows in this palette are both very sheer and don't offer a ton of pigment, which is beautiful as a topper but other than that, these eyeshadows are slightly underwhelming. Especially, when you consider the other shades in the palette, these sparkling shadows don't add much to the quad other than a different texture. Even then, the other eyeshadows are shimmery, which detracts and just blends into these other sparkling shades. The lack of variety in the finishes of the eyeshadows makes for a very one-dimensional look. I think these sparkle eyeshadows are beautiful when paired with the right shadows but I think the other shades are too similar and mid-toned to enhance each other.
Shimmer Eyeshadows
These shimmering eyeshadows have a very fine shimmer throughout the shadow and create a pearlized finish to the eyes. This is the most flattering shimmer texture for all ages because it doesn't emphasize texture on the eyes and it's very softly light reflective. These shadows are smooth and pigmented. They blend out easily on the eyes and they have a buttery texture.
The soft texture of these eyeshadows can cause a bit of a dusting of fallout but they're quite creamy, so they adhere to the eyes very well. I have yet to have an issue with fallout with these eyeshadows. This eyeshadow formula is pigmented and rich, providing almost full impact upon first application but it is also very buildable, depending on how much you pick up on your brush.
THE LOOK
I attempted to use all four shades in this look. I used the Bronze on the outer corner, the Red Sparkle on the center of the lid, the Gold Sparkle toward the inner corner, and the Golden Champagne in the very inner corner.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This eyeshadow palette is a little lack-luster compared to others in the recent launch and even the permanent range. The colors and the textures of the shadows don't offer a multidimensional look. The shades are beautiful and the formula is great quality but when used together, they don't make an incredible impact. I feel that I need other eyeshadows to pair with this palette to create a cohesive and interesting look. The sparkling shades are so sheer and don't supply much substance to the palette, which accounts for half of the palette. I would much prefer to give up one of the sparkling shades for a matte or satin shad that would compliment the rest of the shades. Additionally, I don't find any of these shades particularly unique that makes it worth spending the money on this pricey quad. You can find shades like this for much less in other brands.
Shop Tom Ford Beauty:
The Tom Ford Arabesque Eye Color Quad retails for $88.00 USD and is available at Sephora and other retailers. Housed in the classic slim cognac and gold compact with a magnetic closure. It includes some applicators and the compact has a large mirror, both of which are handy when you're on-the-go.
SHADES
This palette is warm toned with one surprisingly cool-toned shade but overall all the shades are very mid-toned, leaving very little room for contrast or dimension. This does, however, make the palette very wearable and easy to use overall for novices and skilled makeup users, alike.
Golden Champagne (top left) - This shade is a white gold champagne shimmer with a pearlized finish. This shimmering shade doesn't have detectable particles of shimmer and offers a frightening glow to the eyes.
Gold Sparkle (top right) - This sheer yellow gold sparkle is a nice eyeshadow topper or a pretty sheer wash over the lids. There also seems to be some fine silver flecks in this eyeshadow.
Red Sparkle (bottom left) - This sheer soft red sparkle is very wearable and unique. The red pigment is very soft and learns slightly pink. Like the other sparkle shade, this one has some fine flecks of silver.
Bronze (bottom right) - This bronze shade is quite cool-toned and contrasts against all these warm tones. This shade borders between bronze and a taupe with complimenting silver flecks to the other shadows.
Bronze (bottom right) - This bronze shade is quite cool-toned and contrasts against all these warm tones. This shade borders between bronze and a taupe with complimenting silver flecks to the other shadows.
Swatches from left to right: Golden Champagne, Gold Sparkle, Red Sparkle, Bronze
COMPARISON SWATCHES
This quad is reminiscent of a few quads released in the past. The two that have the most similar shades are Leopard Sun (full review here) and Honeymoon, although neither have sparkly finishes.
Leopard Sun & Arabesque
Swatches from left to right: Arabesque, Leopard Sun
Leopard Sun has the closest color theme to Arabesque. You can see that instead of the sparkling finish for the gold and red, Leopard Sun has a soft satin finish for these shades.
Leopard Sun & Honeymoon
Swatches from left to right: Arabesque, Honeymoon
Honeymoon is very different in texture and colors than Arabesque. The shades in Honeymoon lean much rosier and more bronze.
FORMULA
All the eyeshadows adhere well on the skin and last beyond 8 hours without a primer. The combination of shade and textures makes this eyeshadow palette very limited in look options. I think this palette is best used for "three-eyeshadow looks". What I mean is using the Champagne and Bronze shade and just altering the sparkle shade. Even then, the lack of a variety of finishes, makes the looks very one-note.
Sparkle/Celestial Eyeshadow
The sparkle finish eyeshadows in this palette are both very sheer and don't offer a ton of pigment, which is beautiful as a topper but other than that, these eyeshadows are slightly underwhelming. Especially, when you consider the other shades in the palette, these sparkling shadows don't add much to the quad other than a different texture. Even then, the other eyeshadows are shimmery, which detracts and just blends into these other sparkling shades. The lack of variety in the finishes of the eyeshadows makes for a very one-dimensional look. I think these sparkle eyeshadows are beautiful when paired with the right shadows but I think the other shades are too similar and mid-toned to enhance each other.
These shimmering eyeshadows have a very fine shimmer throughout the shadow and create a pearlized finish to the eyes. This is the most flattering shimmer texture for all ages because it doesn't emphasize texture on the eyes and it's very softly light reflective. These shadows are smooth and pigmented. They blend out easily on the eyes and they have a buttery texture.
The soft texture of these eyeshadows can cause a bit of a dusting of fallout but they're quite creamy, so they adhere to the eyes very well. I have yet to have an issue with fallout with these eyeshadows. This eyeshadow formula is pigmented and rich, providing almost full impact upon first application but it is also very buildable, depending on how much you pick up on your brush.
I attempted to use all four shades in this look. I used the Bronze on the outer corner, the Red Sparkle on the center of the lid, the Gold Sparkle toward the inner corner, and the Golden Champagne in the very inner corner.
This eyeshadow palette is a little lack-luster compared to others in the recent launch and even the permanent range. The colors and the textures of the shadows don't offer a multidimensional look. The shades are beautiful and the formula is great quality but when used together, they don't make an incredible impact. I feel that I need other eyeshadows to pair with this palette to create a cohesive and interesting look. The sparkling shades are so sheer and don't supply much substance to the palette, which accounts for half of the palette. I would much prefer to give up one of the sparkling shades for a matte or satin shad that would compliment the rest of the shades. Additionally, I don't find any of these shades particularly unique that makes it worth spending the money on this pricey quad. You can find shades like this for much less in other brands.
Shop Tom Ford Beauty:
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