Tom Ford Lipsticks: Ultra-Rich Purple Noon & MoistureCore Pipa

As my friend Josie was going through my box of "new stuff to photograph" she picked the box of new Tom Ford Moisturecore lipstick and game me a look. "You bought it because it's named 'Pipa'. Well, I sort of did, even though they spelled it wrong. And I was intrigued by the summery color. It's hard for me to find non-red warm lipstick colors that don't look ridiculous against my skin. I'm not entirely sure that Tom Ford's Pipa is the most flattering color I've ever worn, but it's nice, and it goes well with more summery makeup (what summer?). And, well, it is called Pipa.

Pippa

Pipa is a sheer coral with a pink core. The result on the lips is kind of a melon color that doesn't take over and feel exactly like a very luxurious lip balm, but with a good punch of color, so it's makeupy enough. I usually consider the core thing as a gimmick (Tom ford is most certainly not the first one to do this. I uses to have a similar  D&G product, and I'm pretty sure they haven't invented this technology, either). Still, it doesn't take away from neither the color nor the quality of this lipstick. I'd easily get more had there been a better selection of color (there are only six shades offered in the Moisturecore range).

My other Tom Ford pick was the Ultra-Rich lipstick formula in Purple Noon. Looking at the never-ending ingredient list on the boxes (perhaps the longest I've ever seen) proves that these are decidedly different formulas, but the Ultra-Rich lipstick is true to its name and feels incredibly moisturizing and comfortable. It's not completely full-coverage (the swatches are both a single swipe!), but the high impact pigment saturation is very satisfying and effective.

Both lipsticks are flavored with a touch of Vanillin. It doesn't bother me, and neither is the extra scent in the Ultra-Rich lipstick. The latter is also clearly not vegan (lanolin and beeswax), and also contains wheat. The Moisturecore seems to be free of the above, but it does contain carmine. I apologize for being unable to take a photo of the ingredients. The bleary white print over the shiny gold box was beyond my skills.

Bottom Line: Very very good.

Tom Ford Lipsticks: Ultra-Rich Purple Noon ($52, made in Belgium) & MoistureCore Pipa ($55, made in Italy) are available from select department stores as well as from Sephora.