Tom Ford Lilac Dream Eye Color Quad
I am taking a mini-breather from Instagramming, not for lack of inspiration (after all, when in doubt, just choose a brand and SPAM at will isn’t it?!) but I’m anti-establishment. The latest change in algorithm favours those who just keep spamming feed over those who are genuinely building community. Call it old-school blogger sensibilities perhaps, but where has the real interest in people’s opinions gone? It’s all wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am these days.
But i’m still very much there, just testing out my theory that investing in relationships will lead me farther in the long run. So feel free to DM me or leave me a good ole-comment, and let’s get a real conversation going! Meanwhile, I’ve gone back and forth, experimenting with some Tom Fords. I know, it’s all about those sexy Soleil Collection [reviewed here, here & here!] at the moment, and I’m even ogling at the coming Fall sneak…. but I still have at least 2 more of the recently released Tom Ford Eye Color Quads to show you. And I thought it’d be nice to talk about getting some cool eyes with Lilac Dream!
I think when Tom Ford designed Lilac Dream, it was meant to be an Instagram killer. I mean, pink + purple + taupe + shimmer!! This, along with Honeymoon, is probably the most Instagrammed out of all the 5 new Eye Color Quads that were released. You simply can’t take a bad photo of Lilac Dream, it is that pretty!
I always love a good mix of textures, and at first glance it seems that Tom Ford has given us precisely that in Lilac Dream. And for the everyday makeup user, I can definitely see the taupe being very well used. Even the lilac shade is very wearable and not so purple that it requires hours of blending.
Here’s another perfunctory frontal view of Lilac Dream before it was unsullied by my curious fingers and brushes. Now let’s take a look at some swatches, shall we?
I would say right off the bat that individually, the taupe and purple, are spectacular shades. But the swatches did not correspond to what I had instinctively thought I’d get from Lilac Dream, and the finishes were much more frosty then I had expected.
The swatches from top right to bottom left of picture are:
- Bottom left of palette – light-medium cool-toned taupe with a metallic finish
- Top left of palette – light very pale pink that has a strong white base with a frosty finish
- Top right of palette – silver glitter with a semi-translucent base. As I’ve often stated, such glitters are very common in Tom Ford Eye Color Quads, and are designed to be patted onto the other shades to add some oomph.
- Bottom right of palette – medium purple with some micro-shimmers
I will just be upfront about my thoughts on these shades when I first used it. Firstly, the taupe comes across much lighter in color than it appears in the pan, and this has to do in large part with its metallic finish. If you were hoping to use this as a crease blending shade you will be disappointed. I typically like to keep my colors on the center of my lid and the neutral on the outer wing, but since this applies lighter than the purple on my skin, that arrangement is not possible. And the “pink” really disappears into my skin, giving me just a flash of frost, so it only serves as an inner corner highlight. I can’t even apply it under my brow bone as it is way too frosty for that. Lastly, there is not much range of color intensity from light to dark which limits the use of this palette.
As you all know, I tend to live in my own head quite a fair bit and overanalyse things. I simply refused to believe that Tom Ford had retired a very popular Lavender Lust [reviewed here] and replaced it with a dud. So I pulled both out for a comparison, and along the way stumbled upon Chanel Tisse Rhapsodie [reviewed here] which looked very similar in the pan so I included that in the great swatch-a-thon.
I had bought Lavender Lust in the past because I love purple eyeshadows, but even then, I thought it was too monotonal a palette. On the other hand, the pink shade in Lavender Lust is much more true to a pink than the one in Lilac Dream, and the range of intensities and finishes are wider for greater versatility.
Even though Tisse Rhapsodie looked so similar to Lilac Dream in the pan, it swatches completely different. There is much better range of colors, and I’m crazy about that dark shimmery charcoal. Where Lilac Dream erred on the side of frost, Tisse Rhapsodie chose to go more satin with micro-shimmers. It is all a matter of preferences, and in fact, Lilac Dream is ultra wearable!
Us beauty bloggers tend to overthink things sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to “dumb it down” a little right? Whoever said you needed to wear all the shades every single time? So I just went with the flow, and dusted the purple shade all over my lid, letting it sheer out and then dabbed a little of the silver glitter on the center. Lined lower lash line with taupe and added the pink to my inner corner. I could have added a touch of black liner, but I went without just to show you how Lilac Dream really looks like unaided. And to put the look into context:
Tom Ford Lilac Dream does work indeed, and gives that very soft and pretty look effortlessly. Probably not the most versatile Eye Color Quad I own, and when you have as vast a collection as I do, there isn’t 1 killer shade in there that makes me jump up and want it straight away. But it is a nice one for those who are just starting to venture into high-end makeup, and for those looking for an easy Spring-to-Summer palette. Wear the purple all over for spring, and then the taupe all over for summer! Or use a darkening base to get an evening look. I do think it is easier to use than Lavender Lust, and a nice addition to Nude Dip. In terms of quality, I feel Lilac Dream is on par with the rest of the Tom Ford eyeshadows, but I always use a primer anyway as my lids tend to be oily.
Have you picked up Lilac Dream, if so what are your thoughts?
This post featured a product that was kindly provided for my consideration. Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.
Linda, I have always appreciated your sense of writing style and your genuine honesty. The algorithm has affected us all, and though discouraging, we must push on. I know what you mean about the spammers. There are some people that float in and out. I try to be as supportive as possible and believe in the rule of reciprocity. Support those who support you! Great review of TF’s Lilac Dream. It is one quad that I’ve missed!
Xo, Dom
http://www.calibeaute.com
Dear Dom, I’m so sorry for missing out on your comment from such a long time ago! Thank you for the sweetest words you have left me, and I really appreciate your friendship. I love your blog and IG accounts, so let’s keep each other on!!
Really glad you reviewed this quad. I had Lavender Lust but sold it because it just wasn’t doing anything for me. Lilac Dream is one of the few quads from the new (5) that came out that piqued my interest. Mainly for the taupe shade. But I see that its pretty versatile. I don’t believe you have to use every shadow in a quad every time you use one, so I think this is a good one for everyday looks. As far as IG goes, thank you for following me and liking/commenting. I keep my account real. It’s not only beauty and brushes, although I love that, but I love sharing my lovely chihuahua and food I make. In fact, I think I follow more chi lovers from all over the world than anything, lol. But I did start to notice a lot of spam on my posts, that I just delete as soon as I see it. I don’t follow for follow and I don’t expect a million likes. I just want to share the things I love and have fun meeting real people too. <3
Hi Cristy, I’m so sorry for missing out on your comment! Thank you so much for leaving me some love, and I’m also very grateful that you follow me back and are always so kind & supportive. Yes you are right, we don’t always have to wear every single shade… this quad sure is a nicely wearable one if you deconstruct it!
The thing I don’t like about Instagram is the spamming. Some follow you just to expect a follow back (which I never do by the way) and some just leave senseless comments just for you to notice them. I’m irregular in my postings anyway, and I’ve been slacking in all media fronts so what the heck. LOL!
This palette doesn’t look like much when swatched, but you wear it beautifully, Linda.
Yes the spamming!! I usually am quite good about returning likes or comments just out of courtesy, but along the way I built relationships with some really cool people. The problem is, people seem to just float in and out of IG, some people are super nice and active for awhile and then they just disappear into thin air. And then there are these other groups of people who seems to define their entire beings based on their follower counts and number of likes…. and all those perfect lives are all fake.
I’m a big fan of Lavender Lust and this palette is too much about the glitter. Does nothing for me. It was the most likely one of the new eye quads since I wear cool and purple a lot. But will be giving it a pass. The big disappointment is the pink shade. Had that been different, I would have considered it.
Hi Alison, you are right, the pink shade was very disappointing for me too. And I wished the taupe wasn’t quite so flashy. But i do think the texture of these shades are better than Lavender Lust. That said, Lavender Lust wasn’t my favorite because it was just too monotonal.
Lilac Dream is gorgeous!! I’m a big fan of taupes and purples so this is right up my alley. Oh and I agree with you about Instagram. It just isn’t the same anymore.
xoxo
Regina
http://mybeautymusings.com
Glad i’m not the only one feeling this way, Regina!
Not really the kind of colors that I often reach for but they look lovely on you. I’ve never tried Tom Ford eyeshadow. So far only lippies and one bronzer.
It’s interesting because this was not my top choice from the 5 new palettes either, but it seemed to be very popular on my Instagram feed! So I went for it out of curiosity. I am still a big fan of TF eyeshadows though, and I hope you get to try some soon!
Hi there, I just visited TF corner and was debating between choosing the Lilac Dream or Orchid Haze, so I could use to office/on weekends/in general… I think my skin color is like yours… I left buying nothing and wanted to read reviews. Would appreciate your opinion 🌸
Hi, the 2 palettes are very different. If I had to choose, I would pick Orchid Haze over Lilac Dream, just because I don’t wear pastels on the eyes very often.
Pretty, but I really wish the pink would have showed up more. As much of a purple lover as I am, this palette looks absolutely boring to me. LOL! It’s Tom Ford, and I don’t expect crazy colors from him, but there is just something about this palette that I don’t like. I also don’t like frosty eyeshadows, so it looks like this palette won’t be added to my collection after all!
Hi Christina, i mirror your sentiments completely. It is a rather linear palette in that sense, and so it becomes a love or hate. I think lots of people bought it for the pretty, and realistically will only use 1-2 shades.