Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Palette, Summer 2014 Collection, Swatches, Photos and Review

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact in studio lighting

If Tom Ford's Spring Collection was about intense hues and subdued neutrals, then the Summer Collection is about sensual, golden skin, highlighted by pops of brilliant color and a lustrous glow.

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact in studio lighting

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact in studio lighting

Presented in the same retro-chic ivory and gold packaging as spring, the summer line isn't particularly extensive. Consisting of only four pieces, a rerelease of last year's best-selling illuminator Fire Lust, Lip Shimmers - a brand new product in two shades, and the piece that's got everyone talking, the Eye & Cheek Compact in Unabashed.

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact in studio lighting

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact in studio lighting

Unabashed is Tom Ford's first time fashioning a multi-product palette and is packaged in the same size compact as the Bronzing Powders. Inside, the design of Unabashed is reminiscent of an art style developed by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian called neoplasticism, which consisted of white ground, upon which he painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the three primary colors.

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact in studio lighting

With three eyeshadows, one blush and one bronzer, the limited edition Eye & Cheek Compact ($95 for .47oz/13.5g) contains everything you need to create a sizzling, carefree look for summer.

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact Eyeshadow Swatches in studio lighting

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact Eyeshadow Swatches with forced flash in studio lighting

The eyeshadows:

• The glitter shade is a pale, warm butterscotch/sandy brown, with silver, gold and pink glitter, making this shade appear more cool toned than it actually is. It has a ridged surface, though the actual shadow is very smooth once used. It's mostly sheer, though the opacity can be built up for semi-sheer coverage. Out of all the Tom Ford glitter shades, this has to be my favorite.
• The taupe shade is a medium, somewhat cool toned, coffee brown matte. It's quite a bit warmer than She Wolf's middle shade. I always think I've seen the best from Tom Ford, but then something new comes out and blows me away. It has a luxuriously soft, satiny, smooth as glass texture. It's somewhat sheer with one pass, though it can be built up for mostly opaque coverage. It's also just a touch dry.
• That blue. The blue that we've all been hearing so much about. It's more of a Royal Blue than a Cobalt Blue. It's deep, dark, rich, intense, vivid and pigmented. Extremely pigmented. So pigmented, that it has a predisposition to stain the skin. I tested this shade alone and over various primers (Edward Bess, Nars, Dior) and while it was far easier to remove over primer, it still was somewhat of a chore. It doesn't have quite the same formula as the taupe, but close - creamy, buttery, silky. It's semi-opaque in one pass and can be layered for full opacity. It's also moderately powdery. As I've been using it, some of the blue has had a tendency to go into the blush color. Which isn't that big of a deal, as I can simply blow the powder away, but still cumbersome.

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact Bronzer and Blush Swatches in studio lighting

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact Bronzer and Blush Swatches with forced flash in studio lighting

The cheeks:

• The blush is a light medium to medium, bright, warm strawberry pink with heavy gold shimmer. It has an almost frosty, metallic finish. It's lighter and less red with more gold shimmer than Frantic Pink. It's smooth and velvety and doesn't kick up a lot of excess powder.
• The bronzer is a similar in tone, finish and texture to the blush. It's a light medium to medium, warm, cinnamon bronze with abundant golden sheen. The finish is almost frosty and metallic. It's plush, silky and pigmented. For someone that's not a fan of bronzers, this shade could also be used as an eyeshadow.

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact Swatches in studio lighting

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact Swatches with forced flash in studio lighting

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye & Cheek Compact in studio lighting

I have heard some talk about how pricey Unabashed is. It's not as expensive as it first might seem, when you factor in that you are getting three eyeshadows, a blush and a bronzer, all in one. In reality, you are getting a smaller amount of product, than if you were to purchase each of these items individually, but what you are really getting is a chance to try a variety of Tom Ford products at a fraction of the cost.

Tom Ford products are always among the highest quality pieces I pick up, and Unabashed shines in every way possible. From the substantial polished case to the rich pigmented colors, I would be hard pressed to find a fault with this palette. Possibly the only guilt this palette suffers from is that the blue is a bit too intense and pigmented. Possibly. If you have no problem taking the time removing the shadows after wearing Unabashed, and want an exceptional palette with a unique color combination, from the master of lust, then you will want this.

For more swatches and reviews, check out Color Me Loud.

Unabashed is a limited edition that is selling out very quickly. I purchased mine from Saks, where it is already sold out. It is currently available at Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus.

What do you think of Unabashed? Will you be picking one up?