Here’s the face I made multiple times while watching last night’s episode of The Walking Dead…
And here’s the face I made today a few hours after applying Tom Ford Plum Absolute For Eyes ($35)…
Notice the similarities. They aren’t identical, but in both pics I appear fussy and discombobulated.
When my mood turned sour this afternoon, it was due to Tom’s annoyingly expensive, limited edition gel liner (new for holiday 2012) completely vanishing from my upper lash lines about five hours after I applied it.
Super. Cranky.
And on top of the disappearing act it pulled on me, it wasn’t the easiest gel liner in the world to work with. The surprisingly dry, patchy formula just isn’t anywhere near as smooth as I expected it to be — not after the crazy good Tom Ford pieces I’ve come across lately.
Bummer… With that gorgeous matte plum color going for it, I had pretty high hopes, but I guess you can’t win ’em all, not even with Tom.
PRICE: $35
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Neiman Marcus stores and neimanmarcus.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: C- (I love the color, but I don’t love the price, dry texture or uninspiring wear time.)
I’ve got the blues…the paint chip blues!
The paint swatches I picked up at Home Depot yesterday have been sitting on my desk all day long, and I’ve been hoping that by staring at them long enough, I’ll figure out which color I should use to paint my dining room. Buuuuut, that hasn’t worked out. I still have no idea…
I’m afraid I’m going to do what I usually do when it comes time to make a decision about home decorating, which is FREAK THE EFF OUT! And then nothing.
That’s usually what happens… I get overwhelmed by all the choices and end up not making any decision at all.
I’m pretty sure I’m over-thinking it (wouldn’t be the first time for that, LOL!)… I just have to remind myself that walls can be repainted.
But oh! Then I think of another possible color, like a blue that would go with my dream china, the Chirp pattern by Lennox…
Wait — did I just type the words, “dream china”? That’s gotta be a first for me, LOL!
So how was your Monday? Peachy keen, I hope. What was the best thing that happened to you today? 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Lily says
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll stay far far away from it! On another note, how can you look so utterly cute when you’re cranky?
Valerie says
Wow, bummer about the eyeliner, but the dream china!! Gorgeous! I vote for Ocean Kiss if I have to pick one color of paint. Also I love that lipstick on you. Very pretty!
Katrina says
Tropical Breeze for sure! And you’re right, you can always paint over it. I’ve done that many times, it’s no big deal.
Heidi says
Another vote for Tropical Breeze, and that dream china (I completely relate to the concept) is so beautiful!
TOHNIA says
Another vote for tropical breeze! I love that lipstick on you also! 🙂 And I totally understand the concept of dream china…I have a dream everything! Dream house, bed, china…etc.
breyerchic04 says
I painted my bedroom Tropical Breeze in june. LOVE IT!
Tracy@Beauty Reflections says
Dang. So not cool that it disappears!
I think I was making the same face while watching The Walking Dead too. Especially at the end. Man, that was a hack job, hey?
Becca @ The Beauty Sample says
Arrrghh I haven’t gotten a chance to watch the Walking Dead premier yet, but I will be tomorrow–can’t wait!!
Also that’s too bad about the TF formula. The color is pretty, but I wish it were slightly less red because it can kind of make the eye look swollen. Still either way, I’m not getting it anyway because it’s so dang expensive and because the formula isn’t 100% there
Sunny @ Mostly Sunny says
Phew, that’s one thing I don’t have to put on my TF wish list! There are too many great formulas out there to suffer through this after paying the hefty price. No go!
My dream china will probably come from Villeroy & Boch, though that’ll have to wait (lemme put it on my wedding registry list when/if I have one LOL)! Love the flowers and birdies on yours!
Marina says
I was waiting for this review, thanks! How disappointing but the colour is pretty.
Marla says
Way too pricey for me.
Sandra says
Beautiful China! Tropical Breeze!
Nina says
Dream china, indeed! 🙂
Jennifer says
My bedroom is a light blue. I love it… it’s super relaxing and amazing to look at!
Disappointing about Tom. For $35 that stuff should be tattooed on until you choose to remove it.
Jen B says
At this price point, there is little room for error! Too bad since its a stunning color.
Chris25 says
Maybe you can use this as a base for smokey eyes?
Karen says
I tried it –it’s too dry, unfortunately.
NeenaJ says
Too bad about the TF. The products seem to be hit or miss. But, at that pricepoint, they should really all be hits.
I would paint to coordinate with your dream china. But, blue can be a really overwhelming color. Have you thought about chair rail to divide the wall? You can mount it low and paint the bright color above or below (your choice) with a neutral on the other side (maybe a very light cool gray). That way, you don’t have a solid wall of blue staring you down.
In our former office – now my 3 year old’s room – we mounted the chair rail quite high (maybe 3 feet below the ceiling) and painted the wall above it a bright grass green. The walls below are white. It brings a lovely pop of color to the room without taking over everything.
Karen says
Hi Neena,
Nope, haven’t thought about doing anything fancy with the walls. I’m not very talented when it comes to home improvement stuff and can only handle the basics. Hmmm…do you think one blue wall would be okay? Or would it look weird?
Kate & Zena says
Here’s what I would do with your paint chips, take the ones that you’re liking (the ones that remind you of Hawaii) and see if you can’t get sample paint sizes (most stores will have these.) Paint them on swatchboards (no bigger than what the paint can will allow, but make sure you can move them!) and put them in different areas of your dining room. Keep them in that one spot for a day and see how the color changes in that one spot because the color DOES change depending on light source; after it being in that area, switch that board with another board so you can see each color against each wall. It will prevent painter’s remorse!
Otherwise, bummer on the TF color! However, it does remind me of a certain Benefit creaseless cream color. Not a dupe, but it sure is a cousin.
Kate & Zena says
I think the color is called Stiletto. (My strut is on its last legs…it’s pretty dried out. *sad*)
Karen says
Thanks for the idea, Kate. I will have to go back to Home Depot on the weekend and pick up a few sample cans. 🙂 The room faces north so it’s very shaded throughout the day, and it’s probably the darkest part of the house. I just hope the color that I pick doesn’t make the room feel darker or smaller, you know? I love the idea of having a bright, welcoming room for our dining table. We don’t have a formal dining room so it’s going to be where we have most of our meals.
Kate & Zena says
I’m pretty indecisive too, but when I’m trying to pick a nail polish and I’m on an indecisive night, I’ll leave them bare and leave the shades I’m switching between on my desk where most of the light hits and watch them throughout the day watching the shades change color. I usually have a pick after that as I normally am stuck between colors that are sisters of each other (I am one of those people that keep sisters, not bring one back because I go by my mood!) It’s a commonly used interior design trick I use for nail polishes (sans sample as I know what they look like so I use the bottle!)
Any hey, if I’m still stuck, it’s probably the colors bugging me so I hunt deeper into my trove for other colors and do a traditional nail ombre if I really just can’t find the IT color of the week–paint each nail a sister or a cousin color of the next one or staying within the same color family and going lighter or darker (which tends to be easier for me.) XD Yes, I can be THAT indecisive.
Krisabelle says
This is coming from someone who has painted almost every shade of the rainbow on the walls of my homes over the years AND helped my father paint other people’s homes: just pick one you like, don’t over-obsess and put it on the walls. If you hate it – which for me has never happened in my life, and only once happened to my mom – you can repaint. Esp. since it’s a dining room which is a smaller space. I do recommend with blues going with a warm-toned one as cool-toned blues feel cold and sometimes institutional unless you have a ton of natural light flowing in and most of your decor is white. Also, warm-toned blues will look gorge with the dining room table you want! So narrow it down to a few chips you like, stick em on the wall for a day or two so you can see how they look throughout the day with different light coming in, and then pick your winner. I promise you won’t regret just getting ‘er done – the sooner you select the one you like best, the sooner you can paint the walls and start enjoying your room! Good luck, love!
Krisabelle says
Ooh check it: http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/color-north-facing-rooms#slide-3
“I like north-facing rooms the best. You don’t have the glare of the morning or the heat of the afternoon sun. It’s a calmer, quieter light. In a private room, I might go dark, but in a living room I’d want it light and open and airy. This pale blue is ephemeral, with a sense of sky and water. The atmosphere is almost aquatic.”
Stef Smith says
Walls can be repainted!!! It’s easy and fairly cheap! We moved into a brand new house a few years ago and the walls were white. We bought paint for them, and it sat in the garage for a couple of months, because I was freaking out over it. The walls looked pretty, so clean! But one night I got a bee in my bonnet (lame phrase, but it fits) and I started taping the walls up. We painted the walls the next day and I loooooooved it! I couldn’t believe I lived with boring white walls for so long! Listen to your gut, pick a beautiful blue, and go for it!
Vanessa says
I <3 all of you here at MMB. Just saying.
M J Webster says
Maybe Coastal Breeze. Colors reflect off each other on all four walls, as I’m sure you know. So unless you want a pretty intense blue, which you may, you have to go considerably lighter. We painted my twin grandson’s room a beautiful blue color by Benjamin Moore called In Your Eyes. It looked almost white on the color chip, but painted a lovely, soft, but quite BLUE once on all four walls. One thing I always do now is buy a small sample jar, or if they don’t have a sample in chosen color, buy a quart and paint a large poster board. You can tape it up or lean against the wall. Do more than one and you can compare. It’s a good thing and saves you paint money and lots of hard work!
By the way, would not have expected that poor quality from Tom Ford, but that’s why you’re a good thing!
Tina C says
What lippie is that Karen?
Christine says
My God, what lipstick are you wearing on your lips? I WANT that color. It looks fantastic!
shelley says
I was sucker and bought the plum eye-liner and agree. It’s dry and not as pigmented as expected considering the price. Very disappointing. I also bought the black/blue gel/cream eye-liner on eBay. Also disappointing. Sometimes, I’m a sap when it comes to high-end cosmetic lines. This was definitely one of those situations. I’m wondering if I should try to return the plum one with the above complaints? Any thoughts?