Neat and New to Me
Unlike my Unsung Heroes series, which features permanent collection products I’ve known and loved a long time, the Neat and New to Me series showcases permanent collection products that slipped under my radar for a while, but then I discovered them! — and now I think they’re neat and new to me.
The girl crawled along the hot sand as the relentless Novato sun beat down on her. “Water…” she croaked into the dry air, pulling herself forward by her fingertips, “or chocolate… Either one.”
Then she saw it, something in the distance — no, not a shimmering, but something…matte?
What was it, she wondered, sitting up to get a better look.
She squinted and focussed on the distant object. “Is that a…mirage?”
It was!
A Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage. 🙂
Well, look at you, eagle eye! Yes, this is the same quad I wore in my last couple of makeup tutorials. It’s the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage Eye Color Quad, and it’s…
Well, it’s redonkulously expensive (it’s $80).
I know! That’s redonkulous to the max, but please don’t start throwing rotten fruit at me, or if you do, please try to avoid my head, because I’m having a decent hair day, and my eyeshadow’s off the chain because, well, Cocoa Mirage.
There are no ifs ands or buts about it. Tom Ford is an expensive brand, and for the price of this quad you could probably buy a gold grill for your cat (shoot, maybe even one with diamonds), but hot damn! — if this isn’t THE BEST neutral matte eyeshadow quad I’ve ever worn, and yes, I’m stating that for the official makeup record.
At first, it seems hella basic and uninspired when you open it. There’s a matte warm beige, a matte neutral golden tan, a matte neutral dark chocolate brown and a warm, mid-toned reddish brown with extremely subtle shimmer. It’s also a very safe bet that you’ve seen these colors in some form or fashion before (I know I have), but the thing is, they’re executed so remarkably well here that I can’t find a single thing I don’t like about them. I think they’re the most perfect mattes to have ever graced my lids.
When I think about these shadows, I feel like a reality TV show star having a tearful breakdown on camera. *insert runny black mascara and ugly crying* “Why the hell are you so pigmented, you jack@ss!? And why don’t you have any fallout!? And why do you blend like butter and stay put for, like, 12 hours without creasing!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU HIDING!? No one is THAT perfect!”
But just when I start to have my doubts, I see the colors on my skin again, where they almost look like cream shadows. I think I’ve swatched them on the back of my hand (they look and feel like smooth ribbons of silk) about 300 times over the past two weeks just to stare and marvel.
Ah…Cocoa Mirage. Thank you for making matte shadow perfection a reality. 🙂
Additional makeup worn in this look
Primer — Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer and Benefit Air Patrol
Foundation — Dior Diorskin Nude Air in 040 Honey Beige
Powder — Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder in 40 Dore
Bronzer — Rimmel Sun Bronze
Blush — NARS Amour
Highlighter — Hourglass Luminous Light Ambient Powder
Lipgloss — MAC Vamplify Lipgloss in How Chic Is This?
Liners — Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen in Deeper (upper lash line), Chanel 88 Noir Intense (tightline), MAC Costa Riche (lower lash line)
Lashes — Eylure 117s
Brows — Urban Decay Brow Beater in Dark and Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel
You can find (and potentially fall in love with) the Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage quad at Tom Ford counters, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and online.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I definitely have to get it. The colors look so different in your pic than on the web site.
Hi Melissa,
They do! It’s that reddish, purplish shade in the lower left corner. There’s something about it that’s hard to capture in pics, but I really do think it looks much more accurate in the picture and swatches here than it does on the Tom Ford site (sorry, Tom!). There are definitely reddish, purplish tones in that color.
This is such a fantastic review- and I love the intro 🙂 This palette is on my TF wishlist for sure- love that it looks so unassuming, yet kicks a serious punch. Love the sultry look you created with it, Karen! xo
Wow – great look. I love how you paired it with that vibrant lip!
I do like that bottom left corner color. 🙂
It does look ordinary but everybody brags about the good quality of Tom Ford makeup. I just can’t see over spending so much. But I love the look you did with it and that lipgloss is the bomb!
I love this idea for a series!!! This article is hilariously written as always. To me, Cocoa Mirage is more an unsung hero, since I’ve been quietly using and loving it for a couple of years. This and Cognac Sable are my fave TF quads, with Nude Dip coming a close second.
I LOVE your eye look here.
I will not swatch them as I can not afford to fall in love. But you really look incredibly.
They do look great on you! Do you feel similarly about all his shadows? Or at least the quads?
I just wore this yesterday! Except instead of using that lower left burgundy brown shade, I used the top right shade from Nude Dip in the center of my mobile lid. It must have looked OK, because my daughter asked what I was wearing and she used that tone that hints around that she’d like one of whatever I happened to be wearing, too. I own three Tom Ford quads and I’d really like to add two more to my collection. Once I win the lottery that is.
Karen !
I die you killed it with this look
I love the blown out brown smoky eye trending lately.
And Dat lippie tho’!
I have to add it to my MAC wish list???
Oh yes, this is one of my fave quads. I treated myself to this quad and the Cognac Sable quad for my birthday back in February and never regretted the expense of either of them. They last forever on me and blend like a dream. 🙂 <3
You look gorgeous!!! Xx
You look gorgeous!!! Love your blog and your swatches and looks. Xx