"25 best selling favourites return alongside the arrival of 25 new boys, debuting in a luxurious metallic finish."
Meet my new boys! ^_^ Above are the ones that I picked up from the new Tom Ford Lips & Boys Lipsticks for 2015 (left to right): Austin (54), Malik (58), Theo (74) and Kingston (55). These are a welcome addition to the two I picked up last year: Pablo (43) and Justin (27), which were reviewed and swatched in this post. These are adorable, smaller clutch sized lipsticks at 2g / 0.07 oz compared to the 2.8 g / 0.01 oz full-sized Tom Ford Lip Color Lipsticks (you can see a photo comparing the two lipstick sizes on my previous post). I believe these are now permanent rather than limited editions, which is great. All the new shades contain shimmer with various finishes - luminous, pearly, frosty and metallic. Here's a closer look at the shades I purchased as well as some swatches and comparison swatches further down below.
Austin (54) is a warm, rosy pink nude with a pearly to frosty shimmer finish. Similar to the Spring 2014 Lip Color Sheers (reviewed here), when the lip colour wears off or you wipe it off, the shimmer particles do get left behind, which unfortunately I don't personally find too attractive (I look like I've just been eating shimmers! ;) ).
Malik (58) is a lovely and truly unique shade that's great for every day wear. It's a dusty lavender rose nude with warm pink and gold frosty finish. A beautiful shade, but unfortunately does leave shimmer particles behind as well.
Kingston (55) is an intensely bright fuchsia with a luminous, cool-toned fuchsia pearly finish. Do I need another bright fuchsia? Probably not...LOL..., but it does have a pearly finish that I don't think I have in my stash (they are either luminous or matte). Excuses, excuses. ;-)
Theo (74) is a dark, cool-toned berry-purple with a luminous, violet pearl finish.
Swatches
For reference, I've swatched them on my current summer complexion - medium to tan (~NC30-35), olive skin tone and all were photographed indoors using a strobe.
Comparison Swatches
On My Lips...
For reference, my lips naturally have dark, blue-toned pigmentation - particularly around the lip line. I applied all shades straight from the lipstick bullet (no lip brush or primer used).
Scent, Pigmentation & Application
I noticed all the four new shades I purchased had a slightly sweeter scent compared to the previously released Tom Ford Lipsticks - still vanilla scented though of a much nicer kind in my opinion compared to the Mac lipsticks for instance. Both Kingston and Theo applied most evenly and smoothly, and with the best pigmentation and wear out of the four shades. Malik and Austin were a little sheerer and didn't cling onto the lips as easily (they felt more buttery and slid more easily), so the finish wasn't quite as flattering and even as I'd hoped. Still, they are workable because they are lighter in colour and allow the natural lip colour to show through more.
Overall
It's hard to resist these clutch-sized lipsticks. They are truly tiny luxuries that every lipstick lover must have and they are more affordable than the full-sized lippies. The challenge is choosing a shade/shades! If I had to choose based on performance then obviously Kingston or Theo are the way to go. Definitely, Theo for those who dare to wear something more bold! But, do also check out Malik for its uniqueness. ;) For me personally, I'm most excited by the purple-hued deliciousness in Malik and Theo. ^_^ (I just wish those pesky shimmers wouldn't hang around though!)
Availability
I purchased mine from David Jones two to three weeks ago. Contact your local Tom Ford counter to check their stock as sometimes they only have a handful of each shade!
Hope this was helpful. Try not to stress too much at the shops this Christmas! ;-)
[For more: Christine from Temptalia.com has the full set of brand new lips & boys lipsticks reviewed and swatched in her post].
What's your pick of boys for 2015?