Tom Ford Orchid Haze Eye Color Quad for Fall 2013

I showed you a quick photo of Tom Ford's new Eye Color Quad, Orchid Haze (#13, $78), a few days ago. Now I have swatches. I did not want to put up bad swatch photos earlier, so I waited until today, a beautiful day with gleaming, brilliant sunshine.

This is a new quad. There are two Asia exclusives that have been introduced with the fall collection: Lavender Lust and Seductive Rose. Dustin Lujan at the John Barrett Salon selected the best of the three for me. I trust him completely. I bought Orchid Haze without seeing a photo.

Like Tom Ford's other quads, the eye shadows in this beauty offer top-notch quality. The powders feel like cream as I run my applicators over them. There is no fallout on my face, and the colors color-true all day. That said, I will rave over the shades in this quad. I was afraid it might be too lavendar-licious for me - way too purple - based on the name. It's not, in fact I got two beloved taupe-toned shades with it.

I swatched in clockwise order, starting with the beautiful, shimmering peach-taupe blend in the upper-left corner of the quad at the top of my arm.  Is that color gorgeous or am I delusional? I nearly jumped for joy when I applied it. In the same color family, but darker, the complex taupe-peach-chestnut hybrid shade is equally gorgeous. After I swatched these two colors, I declared the quad entirely worth the $78. I'll be wearing these shade to work.

The third shade (lower-right corner in the quad) is a liner shade for me. The eggplant color looks good with the other shades when used as a liner nestled into my lash line. I cannot wear this color when applied sheerly and used as a contour shade. It makes me look like I have a wicked hangover or fatal disease. Those of you who can wear eggplant shades will love its vibrancy.

The only shade that merits the use of the term "orchid" is shown at the bottom of my arm. It's a lovely blend of heathered lavender, pink, and taupe. I can wear it - yea! It does not look ghastly pink on my eyelids. It's beautiful when used as a base "hazy" shade with the "brown" shade in the quad. I won't limit its use with other shades in the quad. It is everyday useful.

I expect, but have not verified, that this quad is a "permanent" addition to Tom Ford's stable of quads - as permanent as anything can be in makeup. I'll let you know if I guessed incorrectly. It is scheduled to be available at all Tom Ford Counters in September. If you want one now, give Dustin a call at (212) 872-2714.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty