| Review | Tom Ford Visionaire Eye Color Quad

| Review | Tom Ford Visionaire Eye Color Quad 

This color combination looks incredibly reminiscent of a couple quads released previously, which is pretty disappointing. I'd like to see something new and some more variety from the brand. I'm not asking for anything crazy like a neon eyeshadow palette but once you see this palette swatched next to some previously released ones, you'll understand. It's also been a while since we've seen the celestial or sparkle eyeshadows in their palettes but they've made a comeback. These sparkle shadows aren't for everyone but their sophistication makes them much more appealing to a wider audience. 

The Tom Ford Visionaire Eye Color Quad retails for $88.00 USD and is available at Sephora and other retailers. The quad is housed in the classic sleek cognac compact with gold detailing. The compact has a magnetic closure and comes with two dual-ended applicators. As with most Tom Ford pieces, it comes with a soft faux suede dust bag. I have a box of these somewhere but I don't ever really use them. 

SHADES 

The shades in this quad aren't the most unique combination, in fact, there's really only one unique shade in the whole quad. However, the shades have mass appeal, as they are very wearable everyday colors.

Gold Sparkle (top left) - This shade is a very sheer light gold sparkle shade. You will really only get a hint of gold from this shade, it's mostly shimmer particles. 

Rusty Pink (top right) - This shade is a beautiful and unique pink shade with a red-rust tone to it. It has a quite pearly almost-metallic finish but it's has a softer finish than a metallic. 

Taupe Bronze (bottom left) - This bronze shade leans quite cool and has a very obvious taupe undertone. This shade has a very soft satin finish with a very subtle pearl to it. This shade appears darker in the pan than it does on the eyes. 

Chocolate Bronze (bottom right) - Like the Taupe Bronze shade, this deeper bronze appears lighter on the eyes than it does in the pan. This shade is a truer bronze shade with a warm undertone. 

COMPARISON SWATCHES

This palette is very reminiscent of a few recently released palettes. Here, I am comparing Tom Ford Arabesque (full review here) and Tom Ford Leopard Sun (full review here) with this quad. 

Palettes from left to right: Visionaire, Arabesque, Leopard Sun

Palettes from left to right: Visionaire, Arabesque

Swatches from left to right: Visionaire, Arabesque

Palettes from left to right: Visionaire, Leopard Sun

Swatches from left to right: Visionaire, Leopard Sun

Palettes from left to right: Visionaire, Burnished Amber

Swatches from left to right: Visionaire, Burnished Amber

FORMULA 

This palette is personally a little lackluster and it's not just the color combination. I do feel strongly that the color combination is very overdone and uninspired because it is extremely similar to previous palettes and other palettes on the market. The formula of this palette is a bit hit or miss as well. I find the sparkle shade to be as expected, as a sheer shade with lots of fine shimmers. No surprises here, this is a finish that we've seen in the brand again and again. he fine shimmers are sophisticated and will give you the look of an almost glossy or wet eyelid look. 

The Rusty Pink shade, which has a very strong pearly finish has the best quality of all the shades in the palette. This shade is very pigmented, has a very soft texture, and applies very evenly. It has a very smooth and silky texture that glides onto the lids effortlessly. 

The two bronze shades, which make up half of this palette, lack the quality I expect from the brand. The texture of the eyeshadows doesn't pick up well on a brush and they don't adhere well to the lids. You have to layer the eyeshadows quite a bit to get intensity and color. They also don't layer well on top of each other. Again, they take a lot of effort to layer and to build the color on the eyes but it does eventually apply onto the lids evenly. Even when swatching them, you can feel the texture is a bit waxier than the typical Tom Ford eyeshadow.

Not to mention, these two shades are very similar one being only slightly deeper than the other. When it comes to an eyeshadow palette, particularly a quad, you want all the eyeshadows to work cohesively with each other and you want the eyeshadows to create a look with dimension and depth. Since the two shades are so similar, there's a lack of depth that could have been accomplished by including a deeper shade than the Chocolate Bronze one offered. The Chocolate Bronze shade is too similar to the Taupe Bronze. 

These eyeshadows, despite their issues during the application, still applied evenly and lasted on the eyes all day. I didn't have issues with creasing, transferring, or the shades getting muddy. Overall, the finished look was beautiful and successful. The actual application was just left more to be desired. 

THE LOOK 

For this look, I used the Rusty Pink shade in my crease blending up toward the brow bone. Then I applied the Gold Sparkle on the inner two-thirds on my lid. On the outer corner, I placed the Taupe Bronze and I blended it up to the outer crease. Then I applied the Chocolate Bronze shade on the very outer corner to add depth. I also applied some dark brown liquid liner very close to the lashline for more definition. I was shocked at how much I liked this finished look. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Unfortunately, half of this palette doesn't meet the quality you'd expect from a luxury eyeshadow palette. The deeper shades in this palette do not perform as well and take a lot of effort to use. While in the end, they applied smoothly and evenly, it took a lot more effort than necessary. For how expensive these palettes are, I just can't recommend this one. It isn't a bad palette but it's not great either and for the price, it really should be phenomenal. 

I like the look you can create with this palette but again, the colors could be so much better! The two bronze shades were much too similar and on the eyes, they may as well be the same eyeshadow. This is a palette that doesn't stand alone well enough for anyone to justify the price. It's a shame really because the Rusty Pink shade is an incredible formula and unique shade! I just wished they paired it with some better shades to really make this color the star. If you enjoy these shades, this palette is by no means a bad palette but it had the potential to be so much better than it actually is in color selection and formula. Personally, I would pass on this one and look to other brands for shades like this. 

Shop Tom Ford Beauty: