Tom Ford Cherry Lush Lip Color

The last, perhaps, in my random series on colors you might have missed features Tom Ford's Cherry Lush Lip Color ($48). For me, Cherry Lush came in a deluxe mini size as a gift with purchase. I'm so pale and feel so uncomfortable in dark lipstick colors, I could not have invested $48 in it - no matter how trendy red is.

To Tom Ford, who himself is a fashion icon, there is no more dramatic accessory than a perfect lip. It is the focus of the face, and it has the power to define a woman's whole look. Each Lip Color is Tom Ford's modern ideal of an essential makeup shade. Rare and exotic ingredients, including soja seed extract, Brazilian murumuru butter, and chamomile flower oil, create an ultra-creamy texture with an incredibly smooth application. Specially treated color pigments are blended to deliver pure color with just the right balance of luminosity. The result is a creamy, luxurious lipstick with dramatic color.

I took swatch photos of this red shade in full, late-afternoon sunshine. The lush, opaque color displays the sexy glamour of red - cherry red, but red nonetheless.

This is a color one must apply precisely, and I'd advise a lip pencil to keep it in bounds, preventing bleeding. Make sure to put a clean finger in your mouth, purse your lips around it, and pull it out to remove excess color and avoid ending up with red teeth - a look that's far from sexy.

I can bring the color of Cherry Lush down by blotting it, treating it like a stain, and applying a light lip gloss over it. I'm not sure, given the number of lipstick I own, that I need to go to that much trouble to wear it, even if the color is gorgeous. It's long-lasting - the best reason I might find for bothering. If you can wear red, though, this is one of the prettiest I've seen in the last year.

Cherry Lush reminds me of an old friend who religiously followed her mother's advice. "No matter where you're going, never leave the house without lipstick." Marianne would have worn Cherry Lush.

You can find Tom Ford's Lip Color at Tom Ford counters, including the one at the John Barrett Salon in New York City, and online at stores where Tom Ford Beauty is sold.

Photo at top courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman; other photos by Best Things in Beauty