Tom Ford She Wolf Ombré Eye Color Trio for Fall 2013

My favorite of the Tom Ford Eye Color Trios introduced for Fall 2013, She Wolf ($60) was an astounding gift to me from a dear, sweet friend in the industry. The hybrid brown-grey colors are perfect for fall, offering both daytime, modern shades and nighttime pizazz in one palette.

As you know, Tom Ford earned his eye color reputation with his quads. Now, with the introduction of two trios for fall, he is expanding options for us makeup addicts. I finally got a day with brilliant sunshine yesterday, giving me a chance to take swatch photos of this beauty.  I was so frustrated when it arrived last week, but the late-day lighting was all wrong for good photos. Then it rained the next day. Saturday was my salvation.

I swatched heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator. My photos were taken in late-morning sun.

I didn't need such a heavy application of the grey-brown hybrid shade on the trio's left side. It's an intense shade with a stain finish. I'll use it lightly for contouring or with a thin liner brush for a lovely liner. It's one of those in-between shades that goes with just about any look.

The shimmering middle shade, a blend of mocha or mushroom and grey, coordinates perfectly with the shade at the top of my arm. I've been wearing it (around the house so far) with the orchid shade in the Orchid Haze quad. I expect it to also blend nicely with the shades in In the Pink, Ford's other trio for fall.

The color of the third shade (at right in the palette) is a beautiful golden taupe - not at all like it looks in the compact. The color is beautiful, but it's a bear to apply.

The sparkly shades in the two new trios are very much like the sparkly shades in the new Guerlain duos. You have to apply them correctly to get pigment (color) to accompany the glitter. For my life - and age - they are way too sparkly to wear during the day. I will wear them during the evening if the occasion is right.

I'm going to repeat the advice I provided for Guerlain's sparkly new shades because it is exactly the same. I was able to achieve decent color for my photos because I swatched with a sponge-tipped applicator, which also lays down enough color if you pat the color in the compact and then pat or swipe it onto your eyelids. A regular eye shadow brush would not have laid down even color - just glitter. A friend who is a superb makeup artist told me that you must apply the uber-sparkly side with a short-haired, stiff eye shadow brush and pat the color on, stippling, making it one with your skin. It helps to use a primer. That way, you get the color, not just a bunch of glitter. (He works for another line, and is a superb artist.)

I love this color, so I will not let it languish in the compact with barely a dent. I'll have to make it a cause to go out more often so I can wear it.

She Wolf is scheduled to be available at all Tom Ford Counters in September. If you want one now, give Dustin Lujan a call at (212) 872-2714 at the John Barrett Salon in New York City. I'll publish In the Pink swatches next.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty