Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink Review, Swatches and Comparisons

Tom Ford Eye Color Quads became available late 2011 and comes in 10 shades, the majority of which have several different textures including glittery, iridescent and matte. They retail for 75 USD at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus. 

I picked up a beige brown palette, 01 Golden Mink. It has two glittery shades in the top row and two iridescent shades in the bottom row.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

The packaging for Tom Ford Eye Quads is quite elegant,

dark brown leather-like cardboard box and a velvet brown protective sleeve.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

 Each quad contains 10g of eyeshadow, much more than other brands.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

Golden Mink under the sun. There is a big bright mirror with Tom Ford logo printed on the bottom.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

The sponge applicators are of good quality though the little brush could be better.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

The eyeshadow compact itself is elegantly low key. No logo on the top, only on the small golden plate at the front.  

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad

What makes Tom Ford makeup compacts different is that when open, the front golden plate stands taller than the rest of the compact, making a fashion statement for its brand name. 

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

 A close-up of Golden Mink under direct sunlight. The glitters are so shiny and beautiful!

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

Another look under the flash, the glittery top row stands out even more. 

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

Here are some macro pics of each color.
Top left.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink macro

Top right.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink macro

Lower left.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink macro

Lower right.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink macro

Swatches on my arm. Every color is pigmented and smooth to apply.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink Swatch

More close-ups.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink Swatch

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink Swatch

 A comparison with YSL Pure Chromatic Quad. The internal arrangement is very similar but Tom Ford is much larger and contains twice as much products, 10g vs 5g.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad vs YSL Pure Chromatic Eyeshadow

Comparing to Stila Jewel Eyeshadow Quad from 2010. The texture of the glittery eyeshadows of  the two brands are very similar.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad glitter eyeshadow vs Stila Jewel Eyeshadow

Swatching Golden Mink and Stila Jewel Eyeshadows together to compare them. The upper right golden glittery shade from Golden Mink looks identical to Golden Topaz from Stila Jewel Eyeshadow Palette.  

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad glitter eyeshadow vs Stila Jewel Eyeshadow

Close-ups of the swatches. 

Close-up of Stila Jewel Eyeshadow Golden Topaz and Rose Quartz Swatch

Comparing the lower row of Golden Mink to Dior Iridescent Eyeshadows in 542 and 682 (this pair is present in the 2009 and 2011 Dior Holiday Palette for Eyes). 

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad vs Dior Iridescent Eyeshadow

The two are quite similar. Golden Mink is more finely milled but Dior Iridescent is more shimmery and pleasing to my eyes. 

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad vs Dior Iridescent Eyeshadow Swatch

Here is a look done with Golden Mink:

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink EOTD

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink EOTD

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink EOTD

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink EOTD

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink EOTD

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink FOTD

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink FOTD

Overall, I highly recommend Golden Mink to most people as an everyday go-to palette. The colors of the lower row are appropriate for work and school. When nighttime comes you can just add some of that top row glitter to make it an instant nighttime look! The longevity, pigmentation, blendability are all excellent!