Tom Ford: Eye Shadow & Blending Brush.

i'm not a huge fan of Tom Ford and i'm not exactly excited about Estée Lauder's new super-prestige line they stamped his name on. i kind of don't trust their expertise when it comes to step up the game because it's their first time doing so (except from a few La Mer base make up products). and my doubts have proven to be justified since i've heard of many mixed reviews. maybe a few product generations later when they have defined themselves a bit more than what they are now thanks to the name embossed on the packaging and regular Estée Lauder quality inside some fancier compacts, bottles and tubes; when they found better production partners to fulfill the needs of the ladies and gents who willingly toss out their cash for some prestige products but also expect to be blown out of the water - maybe then i will also dip my antennae into the colour make up. i don't mean to defame the quality of EL products, but if you charge 50%+ more on the pieces, you have to deliver.
BUT. i'm a huge fan of brushes, and i'm willing to experiment in this area and since rumour has it that the brushes are manufactured by Hakuhodo (which is not absurd to assume since they produce most of the MAC brushes also - plus, they launched a line with similar brushes of white goat hair for their home brand at the IMATS shows), the risk is nonexistant - low. i was eager to try some of TF's brushes because they looked promising on sneak peek photos and you can't do much wrong with white goat hair. it's softer than black/dyed goat since naturally the hair is thinner (lack of pigment and so on) and there won't be any problems with bleeding out.
well, long story short, it was my friend Maureen again who helped me to get my hands on two Tom Ford brushes.

Eye Shadow Brush #11

the brushes are sleek and edgy with long resin/plastic handles in a deep brown with seamlessly connected golden ferrules. all are made with either white goat hair or white synthetic fibres. prices start from 45$ for the Lip Brush up to 110$ for the Bronzer Brush.

to start off, i chose the Eye Shadow Brush (55$) to try. i found the shape to be very interesting and it truly is. it's not too flat and firm like your regular lay-down brush but has long bristles which give it a certain volume. its shape is a hybrid of MAC 217 and a bigger flat filbert eyeshadow brush (e.g. Hakuhodo S121G), it's flatter and more tapered than the MAC and fluffier and less dense but more resilient than the Hakuhodo.
the white goat hair is soft but has some resilience so the brush is not floppy. it's most movable at the tip of the brush, i love to apply soft colour generously onto the lids with the belly of this brush and blend out the eyeshadow with the tip. it's also nice to apply highlight shades, highlighting the nose and small areas or setting undereye concealer with brightening powders. i have washed it many times until now and never had any issues with it, it keeps the shape nicely.
i think this is a very versatile brush, i use it almost every day so i can justify the very steep price.

pre-wash

post-wash

comparison

SUQQU Eyeshadow Brush L - IPSA Brush Squirrel M - Hakuhodo S121G - Tom Ford Eye Shadow Brush - MAC 217

SUQQU Eyeshadow Brush L - IPSA Brush Squirrel M - Hakuhodo S121G - Tom Ford Eye Shadow Brush - MAC 217

comparison on the side: Tom Ford Eye Shadow Brush - MAC 217

Eye Shadow Blend Brush #13

the other brush i purchased is the classic round blending brush. why did i choose this? well, it looks quite similar to my beloved HG blending brush: Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush, dense and directional - so i was curious if this could perform as well.
the Tom Ford Eye Shadow Blend Brush (55$) reminds of MAC's 222 and Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush, it's more dense and resilient than MAC and is more tapered than both. it doesn't blend out eyeshadows as well as my workhorse by Edward Bess, the brush hair is thinner and the tapered shape provides less contact surface. so this is less of a pure blending brush for me but more of a application brush. it's lovely to apply crease colours or to blend out dark lid shades with another colour when you do a smokey eye. this brush also washes well and keeps its shape very nicely.
although i don't use it quite as often as the Eye Shadow Brush, i still think this is an excellent brush. i prefer it over MAC 224 or 222 because it allows better control and precision.

pre-wash

post-wash

comparison

MAC 224 - MAC 222 - Tom Ford Eye Shadow Blend Brush - Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush

MAC 224 - MAC 222 - Tom Ford Eye Shadow Blend Brush - Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush

all in all the Tom Ford brush line is excellent from what i have tried, i really really want to get the Cream Foundation Brush - it looks amazing, similar but seems even better than Shu Uemura or Cover Fx white goat foundation brushes. but it's 70$ and i rarely use such brushes for my foundation application these days... maybe some day.
or maybe i'll wait until Hakuhodo release their white goat brushes which surely will contain a similar model at a better price. and that's the general problem with these TF brushes - they are too expensive and the PR makes it too obvious that you pay for a certain lifestyle image instead of purely investing in quality.