Tom Ford Lip Contour Duo from the Runway Color Pre-Autumn-Winter 2016 Collection

Tom Ford introduced eight new Lip Contour Duos ($53) in his Pre-Autumn-Winter Runway Color 2016 Collection. I found them intriguing. "Innovation meets lip artistry with a dual lip color and shaping tool" in one wand.

On one end, the slim and sleek pencil features a lip shaper (pencil) to enhance and define the lips. On the other end, a full-coverage slim stick lip color is concealed inside. The packaging is clever.

Use the lighter shade of the lip shaper together with the deeper lip color to add dimension and shape and create an ombre effect to your lips as you please - from a subtle contour to a high-definition contrast, however you like. For those of you who plan to wear red and orange this fall (the trend), there are two perfect duos for you.

I selected three duos for myself: #02, Fling It On, #3 Dream Obscene, and #4, Show It Off. I purchased Fling It On online from the Tom Ford Beauty online site, and when I saw the other two at Neiman Marcus (while playing with Debbie O'Malley, the product specialist), I purchased them too. It was too hard to make up my mind and limit my selections to only two - a goal this season.

I had a hard time placing the round tubes on my blue paper. If you look closely, you'll see my blurred color between the duos. I decided to use it anyhow because I didn't want to ruin another piece of the cover stock. It has been discontinued, and each time I ruin a piece, I get closer to "the end" of my recognizable backgrounds.

Fling It On is shown on the left, with Dream Obscene in the middle and Show It Off on the right above. My photos were taken in full, bright, late-morning sunshine, and I applied each shade to my arm directly from the tubes.

I'm sorry that my swatches weren't perfectly placed. Once I got going, I didn't want to try to straighten the edges of each color because I knew they would blur on my arm. I've considered making stencils, but I never get around to it. #02 is shown at top left, #03 at top right, and #04 below the others.

I like all three duos I purchased, but my favorite is, without question, #04 Show It Off. That mauve/rose shade is one of my all-time favorites. The slim stick has a slight shimmer the other colors don't offer, and it wasn't simply from the sun's reflection. I tested it inside in a dark room to ensure that it shimmers a bit. The shimmer is not as bright as it appears above; there's just enough to brighten and plump my lips. If I had to name the general finish of these duos, I'd call them satin.

Fling It On is the warmest duo I selected. It's perfect for this late-summer season. Dream Obscene is the most blue of the three - but not so blue that I look like an iceberg. One extra-added benefit of these duos is that you don't have to pair them. You can wear the shaper all over the lips and achieve a single color, which means you really get two lip colors for one price.

I have found that these Lip Contour Duos have excellent longevity. They have a very light fragrance, but it's much lighter than the usual Tom Ford Lip Color fragrance. It dissipates almost immediately.

If you'd like some help selecting a duo color, give Debbie O'Malley a call at Neiman Marcus at (202) 966-9700. Ask for her at Tom Ford Cosmetics. Or go to the Tom Ford Web site and check out the duo shades there.

Photos at top courtesy of Tom Ford; other photos by Best Things in Beauty