As a testament to my love of fashion and beauty.. I have a "Beauty" hero that I have followed for eons...but this past month.. my hero fell..and fell hard. Back when I worked retail.. I had a saying taped up on my mirror..and when things got tough..as they often did in retail...I would stare at it looking for guidance.. that saying was: "WWTD?" or "What would Tom do?" The Tom of course, being the one and only Tom Ford. Tom Ford was crazy, sexy cool and the leading expert on all things cool. I held firm to this belief when he quit Gucci and went into movies (anyone see it? me either). I continued to hold him on a pedestal when he dabbled in cosmetics with Estee Lauder (yeah..). I even went to look at his Sunglasses when he decided sunglass design was his new thing. However, most recently, he took a step too far...and I was...disappointed.. to say the least.
Tom has a new cosmetics line out.. that has been getting TONS of rock solid reviews from all my favorite beauty editors. I was reading one review of his new lipstick line (not available in the US) and how it was going to be released in the US at a few top secret Nordstrom locations only. Well.....as you all know.. I HAD TO HAVE IT. I researched.. called stores..and found a make up artists as in love with Tom as I was, who gave up the first U.S. location. I called the day of it's release and ordered the most popular color ( a ruby red) in the line. $60 for the one tube..but it could have been $160..I was going to have it. Two weeks later..my little box arrived and I ceremoniously unwrapped it. The casing was a GLORIOUS black onyx and gold. It was sooo pretty. I sat in front of the tube and just looked at the outside clapping with glee for a few moments before I decided to unsheathe my prize. The color, once exposed, was more like a hot pink than a ruby red.. I was confused. I checked the bottom of the container with what I had ordered..they matched. The color in person.. looked nothing like it had in the magazine or on the Nordstrom website. I have never, ever worn a hot pink lipstick in my life. Hmmm. Maybe it changed colors once it was on? You know, like that lipstick from Wet and Wild in the early 80's?
I cautiously went to the bathroom mirror and applied the lipstick slowly. It felt smooth, had no smell.. which was good..but the color? OMG the color was AWFUL. Still not wanting to believe that Tom could make something so hideous.. I went to show my husband. His expression said it all. "Lisa.. that is the most obnoxious pink I have ever seen. Is it a joke?" I just walked back in to wipe the lipstick off. I decided to call the other super fan I had met in my pursuit of the lipstick.. and see what her thoughts were. She too.. was flabbergasted at how bad the color was. She told me the whole line was like that. The make-up with the big price tags.. "was like cheap grocery store make-up..the quality is just terrible". I was so bummed as packaged up my tube to be returned to Nordstroms.
Later that week..yet another Tom article came out where he was going on and on about his success. Apparently, he also takes 5 baths a day. Now.. that's is just weird. Oh.. and I also read the article twice looking for the part where Tom begs my forgiveness for letting me down and creating such a crappy product. No such luck. Boo.
Like most of us, I would spend hours reading fashion magazines and in particular the "beauty editor" recommendations. After being enchanted by the glowing(and sponsored) accolades, I would run out and buy the products, only then to learn that they were useless and expensive. I have drawers filled with such products. So instead, I decided to write my own product reviews. I will tell you what works, what doesn’t and what you cannot live without.
