| Review | Tom Ford Extreme Lip Lacquers
This year, Tom Ford has been rolling out new products and collections like crazy! I can hardly keep up! I felt like I literally just finished reviewing the regular Lip Lacquers (read my review and see swatches here), when this collection dropped a couple weeks later! Anyways, being the Tom Ford-loving-fiend I am, I had to grab a couple shades to try and review!
The Tom Ford Extreme Lip Lacquers retail for $54.00 USD and are available at Tom Ford and Neiman Marcus. Like the Extreme Eyeshadows (reviewed here), these are a limited release collection. I bought mine from a local Tom Ford counter in Neiman Marcus, these lip lacquers were exclusive to the luxury retailer but can now be found at Nordstrom and other retailers.
These Lip Lacquers, like the Extreme Shadows, are packaged in a reflective metallic chrome package. This has be come the iconic packaging for the "Extreme" product line. Like the original Lacquers, they have an angled doe-foot applicator for precision application. The finish of these is described by the Tom Ford website as:
LIQUID. PRISMATIC. IRIDESCENT.
SLEEK SOPHISTICATED METAL COLLIDES WITH PRISTINE VELVET MATTE. RICH AND CREAMY UPON APPLICATION, THE LUXE FORMULA TRANSFORMS INTO FEATHER-LIGHT, CONCENTRATED COLOR IN A FADE-RESISTANT, FULL-COVERAGE BRUSHED CHROME EFFECT.
TOM FORD LIP LACQUER EXTREME DELIVERS PURE, UNADULTERATED LIQUID LIP COLOR IN SCINTILLATING LIQUID METAL MATTE. DRENCHED IN LONGWEARING, LIGHTWEIGHT, STAY-TRUE VIBRANT COLOR, LIPS DELIGHT IN TWO-TONE PEARL WITH MICRO-FINE PIGMENT.
It appears this collection contains duo-chrome reflective particles, like the Extreme Shadows! These are also confusingly describe as "metal collided with velvet", which seems to imply a mixture between a matte finish with shimmering pigment running through it. This collection contains 8 shades all with a duo-chrome finish. Essentially these are matte liquid lipsticks with a iridescent pigment infused into the formula. The shades are not as they appear in the tube, on the lips, the shimmering pigment is a lot stronger.
SHADES
These swatches were taken on different days with different cameras, one is to show the color and one is to show the texture of my lips. There is something seriously wrong with this formula!
These swatches were taken on different days with different cameras, one is to show the color and one is to show the texture of my lips. There is something seriously wrong with this formula!
Cameo - This pale peachy-beige has a pink reflect to it and looks stunning in the tube but it's awful on the lips! This was the WORST shade of all the ones I bought. It has a white base to it, so it looks kind of chalky when applied opaque and I could not get it to apply evenly! It was the patchiest and look horrible no matter what I did! Read more about it down below.
Only Cameo
Only Cameo
Cameo over lip liner
Cameo under gloss
Slicker - This red-coral shade has a bit of a pink reflect and some gold and silver shimmers. This one applied the least unevenly and layered much better than the other shades. The color is quite stunning especially for summer.
Only Slicker
Only Slicker
Slicker under gloss
Panty Pink - This electric pink has a strong purple shimmer, giving it quite a cool tone. It is actually fairly close to Loveshock but much more pink. This on had a decent consistency and applied fairly evenly, when layered.
Only Panty Pink
Only Panty Pink
Loveshock - This magenta has a very strong blue reflect to it. It is actually quite stunning on the lips because you can really see both the base shade and the duochrome. This one applied fairly evenly, I think the darker shades apply much more evenly and they seems to not emphasize texture as much.
Only Loveshock
Only Loveshock
WOAH.... and this isn't the good kind of exclamation. The first time I applied these Lip Lacquers my lips were a little dry in the center but not flaky, so I though it was no big deal. BIG MISTAKE! (see the 2nd panty pink swatch for the swatch) I thought the original matte lacquers emphasized texture a little, well this formula takes it to the next level!
First of all, the formula is a similar to the original matte lacquers in that the product is very light and mousse-like. Unfortunately, these don't apply as opaque or evenly as the mattes. They require layering and while the formula layers well, it doesn't layer well over texture and it's not perfect. Even the slightest bit of texture! If I had applied one of the matte lacquers, it would not emphasize my dryness and it isn't just due to the shimmer, it's the formula! Anyways, it takes several layers for a full-opacity look but even when my lips are in the best condition, I still can't manage to get the color perfectly even. There still seems to be some spots that are not as opaque as others. I recommend applying it like a lip paint, swiping on light coats and building it up. DO NOT press your lips together while this formula is drying, it will leave patches and marks on your lips! This is incredibly hard to do, the first layer this is not as crucial but as you begin to build up the opacity, you need to use the applicator to work the product into the lips, so you don't get an uneven application. The other method I tried for Cameo. since it applies horrendously, is patting the color in with my finger before it sets, which seemed to somewhat work.
The important conclusion: YOU MUST PREP YOUR LIPS! Heed these words of wisdom otherwise, you will have a miserable time applying this product. After my first attempt at applying the product, I decided for my second test to actually exfoliate my lips. HUGE DIFFERENCE in application! It actually went on a lot smoother but unfortunately, there were still some very minor areas that didn't look as opaque and even.
After it dries, it is actually a very beautiful matte finish with a soft metallic sheen and it feels quite comfortable. I have to say, the finish is very unique and really is bold and extreme! These finishes are very cool, I just think the formula was poorly executed. Like the lacquers in the permanent line, they are extremely long-wearing and can really live through a fair amount of eating and drinking, so long as you don't saturate the lips with too much liquid or oils. They don't transfer at all once they have set, which makes them ideal for long day and nights but the finish emphasizes texture so much!
REDEMPTION?
The one thing I thought would redeem this formula was that it really adheres to the lips, which means when you apply a gloss on top, it looked incredible, for a brief time! The gloss helps even out the look of the product and it helps reduce the texture emphasizing effect. Adding a gloss really made the lip color pop and helps it look much fresher and juicier, but about an hour in without drinking, eating, or talking, it began to almost "melt" the lip color and the color began to gather at the edges. Apparently I applied too much gloss in my attempt to fix the patchiness, so the second time around I patted a little bit in the center of my lips only, ensuring a very thing layer was on my lips and that worked a lot better. Better but not perfect! I'm so annoyed because I thought I had found a way to redeem this product but sadly, there seems to be no redemption for it.
The other means of redeeming this product was applying it over a lip liner. For the shade Cameo, that made it significantly better but it still applied very unevenly! I just could not make this shade work. The deeper shades seem to apply much more evenly and don't look as bad. I finally gave up and applied Cameo very lightly over a lip liner, patting it in to even out the color, and patted on a pinch of gloss. That seemed to be the only way it didn't look completely horrendous! But its also doesn't really show the color for what it is, it is a very diluted and transformed version of it's former self.
I find that the finish of these lip lacquers is beautiful but it honestly makes my lips look dry and old. Not the most appealing look for someone who's still in their 20's, so I can't imagine what it looks like on someone older.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm quite torn, while the finish and colors are stunning, the formula is TERRIBLE! You really have to prep your lips very well to prevent uneven and patchy application! Even then, there still seems to be some uneven areas! I think I would have loved these if they had a slightly glossy finish, as opposed to being matte. This would have made these much more wearable and significantly easier to apply! The application takes too much time to get an unsatisfactory result and the finish of these emphasizes texture like no other lip color in the world ever has! Yes, you can put a gloss on top to make it good, but is it worth it? No, the Tom Ford Metal Lip Lacquers are essentially the glossy version of these and their formula is exceptional! If you want something similar but actually looks amazing on your lips, go for their metal formula, it is amazing! You can take a look at my review and swatches here. This product is a serious flop! I don't think I've actually hated a Tom Ford product this much before!
Shop Tom Ford Lip Lacquers (the good ones!):
First of all, the formula is a similar to the original matte lacquers in that the product is very light and mousse-like. Unfortunately, these don't apply as opaque or evenly as the mattes. They require layering and while the formula layers well, it doesn't layer well over texture and it's not perfect. Even the slightest bit of texture! If I had applied one of the matte lacquers, it would not emphasize my dryness and it isn't just due to the shimmer, it's the formula! Anyways, it takes several layers for a full-opacity look but even when my lips are in the best condition, I still can't manage to get the color perfectly even. There still seems to be some spots that are not as opaque as others. I recommend applying it like a lip paint, swiping on light coats and building it up. DO NOT press your lips together while this formula is drying, it will leave patches and marks on your lips! This is incredibly hard to do, the first layer this is not as crucial but as you begin to build up the opacity, you need to use the applicator to work the product into the lips, so you don't get an uneven application. The other method I tried for Cameo. since it applies horrendously, is patting the color in with my finger before it sets, which seemed to somewhat work.
The important conclusion: YOU MUST PREP YOUR LIPS! Heed these words of wisdom otherwise, you will have a miserable time applying this product. After my first attempt at applying the product, I decided for my second test to actually exfoliate my lips. HUGE DIFFERENCE in application! It actually went on a lot smoother but unfortunately, there were still some very minor areas that didn't look as opaque and even.
After it dries, it is actually a very beautiful matte finish with a soft metallic sheen and it feels quite comfortable. I have to say, the finish is very unique and really is bold and extreme! These finishes are very cool, I just think the formula was poorly executed. Like the lacquers in the permanent line, they are extremely long-wearing and can really live through a fair amount of eating and drinking, so long as you don't saturate the lips with too much liquid or oils. They don't transfer at all once they have set, which makes them ideal for long day and nights but the finish emphasizes texture so much!
REDEMPTION?
The one thing I thought would redeem this formula was that it really adheres to the lips, which means when you apply a gloss on top, it looked incredible, for a brief time! The gloss helps even out the look of the product and it helps reduce the texture emphasizing effect. Adding a gloss really made the lip color pop and helps it look much fresher and juicier, but about an hour in without drinking, eating, or talking, it began to almost "melt" the lip color and the color began to gather at the edges. Apparently I applied too much gloss in my attempt to fix the patchiness, so the second time around I patted a little bit in the center of my lips only, ensuring a very thing layer was on my lips and that worked a lot better. Better but not perfect! I'm so annoyed because I thought I had found a way to redeem this product but sadly, there seems to be no redemption for it.
The other means of redeeming this product was applying it over a lip liner. For the shade Cameo, that made it significantly better but it still applied very unevenly! I just could not make this shade work. The deeper shades seem to apply much more evenly and don't look as bad. I finally gave up and applied Cameo very lightly over a lip liner, patting it in to even out the color, and patted on a pinch of gloss. That seemed to be the only way it didn't look completely horrendous! But its also doesn't really show the color for what it is, it is a very diluted and transformed version of it's former self.
I find that the finish of these lip lacquers is beautiful but it honestly makes my lips look dry and old. Not the most appealing look for someone who's still in their 20's, so I can't imagine what it looks like on someone older.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm quite torn, while the finish and colors are stunning, the formula is TERRIBLE! You really have to prep your lips very well to prevent uneven and patchy application! Even then, there still seems to be some uneven areas! I think I would have loved these if they had a slightly glossy finish, as opposed to being matte. This would have made these much more wearable and significantly easier to apply! The application takes too much time to get an unsatisfactory result and the finish of these emphasizes texture like no other lip color in the world ever has! Yes, you can put a gloss on top to make it good, but is it worth it? No, the Tom Ford Metal Lip Lacquers are essentially the glossy version of these and their formula is exceptional! If you want something similar but actually looks amazing on your lips, go for their metal formula, it is amazing! You can take a look at my review and swatches here. This product is a serious flop! I don't think I've actually hated a Tom Ford product this much before!
Shop Tom Ford Lip Lacquers (the good ones!):
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