Happy Monday, beauty fans!  Today I have for you an item that is: much more fabulous than Monday, just as gorgeous as a California summer and as luxe as Tom Ford, himself; The Tom Ford Beauty Soleil Contouring Compact – The Afternooner.  (Love the name)

First of all; I want to give a huge thank you to the gorgeous (both inside and out) Janine, for hosting this amazing giveaway which I was so lucky to have won!  I’m seriously still pinching myself.  If you are not already following her blog,  A Beautiful Whim; you simply must check it out for her reviews on must have products [and others you’ve been drooling over], her friendly interaction and recommendations, her many amazing giveaways and beauty inspiration for everyone. xx

And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for…  😉

Tom Ford Beauty ‘The Afternooner’ Soleil Contouring Compact: $108.00

I honestly must admit; I took an obscene number of photos of this gorgeous compact, just trying to capture its beauty as it appeared before my own eyes.  The compact itself is quite large and heavy, in a way of quality, and features an ivory enamel and gold trimmed finish, logo stamping and a mirror.  In true luxury fashion, the compact also comes stored in its own logo stamped, ivory dust bag to prevent scratching when stored or traveling as well as vanity dust, of course.

The product itself boasts three velvet smooth shades; a warm & sultry bronzer, a vibrant coral blush and a nude highlighter designed to mimic the look of the sun reflecting off of the skin.

What did I think?

With the very first swipe of my finger across these gorgeous shades I found the texture to be a velvet smooth, almost creamy like powder with a sheer consistency.  While these shades definitely build easily to a deeper, medium consistency; one or two swipes gives you a gorgeous, natural, sheer look that I absolutely love.  At the advice of Janine, I tried mixing the bronzer and the blusher together to create the most gorgeous cheek look, mimicking that of the look captured in Tom Ford’s Soleil Collection ads.  It’s honestly stunning.  The highlighter shade is a beautiful, more natural highlighter devoid sparkle and glitter imparting a gorgeous glow with a radiant finish.  The bronzer & Blush are both matte finish.  It can be quite hard to find matte finish bronzers, especially versions sheer enough to work on lighter complexions.  I love that I can apply this without fear of immediately applying too much bronzer, resulting in a ‘dirty’ look.  I really dig the finish of these 3 shades.  Below, I’ve provided multiple swatches as well as some basic ‘looks’ using this palette.

the top 2 photos depict swatching with a significant pick up of product on your brush, while the bottom two photos show just how sheer it can be with a light swipe of your brush for those with porcelain or other very light skin tones.

As you can see, I went for a sheer, natural look with the palette on this occasion.

And for your reading and swooning pleasure; here is a bit more about the Tom Ford Soleil collection:

Private blend Soleil Blanc intoxicates with seductive refinement and refreshing decadence. The solar floral amber unapologetically exudes the endless pursuit of sun and luxury that defines TOM FORD Soleil. Presented in ivory- and gold-colored TOM FORD Soleil packaging.

*Courtesy of Neiman Marcus’ site

And one more for the road…

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-Kelli xoxo