Beauty Care: Tom Ford Tanlight Shade and Illuminating Duo Review & Swatches

Tanlight

Tom Ford Beauty Tanlight Shade and Illuminating Duo ($89.00 for 0.42 oz.) is a new highlighting duo that included a medium-dark, yellowy gold with a deeper copper. They could be used individually or together to add shine and warmth to the skin. Both shades were more pigmented than marketed, but they were blendable, easy to work with, and forgiving to use otherwise.

Ingredients

Dimethicone, Silica, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Ozokerite, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Methicone, Isohexadecane, Synthetic Beeswax, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499)].

Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.

Tanlight

PPermanent. $89.00.

A-

9.5

Product

Pigmentation

9.5

Texture

Longevity

Application

91%

Total

Tanlight (Top)

Tanlight (Top) is a rich gold with warmer, more orange-leaning undertones paired with a luminous finish.

Opaque pigmentation (more than marketed)
Gel-powder formula, so dense and firm to touch, best with dense brush
Applied evenly and blended out easily, “melted” on skin, did not emphasize skin texture
Long-wearing (8.5 hours before fading visibly)

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

Charlotte Tilbury Gold Bullion (LE, ) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
Catrice Warm Embrace (P, $6.99) is more shimmery (95% similar).
Marc Jacobs Beauty Tantalize (54) (P, $45.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
ColourPop Minted (LE, $8.00) is lighter (90% similar).
Milani Bronze Splendore (P, $10.99) is darker (90% similar).

View Swatches

Possible Dupes

These are likely to be very similar shades based on our duping algorithm.

Makeup Revolution Gold Addict (P, $6.00).
ColourPop Blow Me Out (LE, $10.00).
Becca Gradient Glow (P, $38.00).
ColourPop Meet Me on the Other Side (LE, $10.00).
Pat McGrath Golden Majesty (LE, $52.00).

Formula Overview

The formula is supposed to have "one-stroke luminosity" with the "payoff of a liquid highlighter." The "lighter shade to highlight and the darker shade to bronze" to get "buildable radiance." It is a gel-powder hybrid formula, which means that the feel of the powder was smooth to the touch but firmer and denser, though not stiff to work with, but was best paired with a moderately-dense brush in order to pick up product evenly.

The advantage of the gel-powder formula is in how the product applies, as the powder goes on evenly and almost blends itself as it "melts" on the skin, which results in a more seamless, luminous finish that doesn't accentuate skin texture. Most of the shades were mostly opaque to opaque in coverage, though could be used readily with a lighter hand for sheerer, more buildable coverage, whereas the luminosity was buildable as the more product layered, the more intense the shine/highlight effect was.

From the limited description by the brand, it did seem like the payoff wasn't intended to be as opaque as it ended up being, so it was rated downward primarily for that purpose, as the shades blendable, easy to work with, and long-wearing otherwise.

On my skin, most shades lasted around eight to eight and a half hours before fading visibly.

Browse all of our Tom Ford Beauty Shade and Illuminate Highlighter swatches.