Editor’s Note: Boca Raton welcomes Jo Peswani to its full-time blog team. The lifestyle and fashion journalist will be covering the national style scene from New York City—with a focus on fashion and retail news as it pertains to our market. Look for Jo’s “Chic & The City” blogs every other Monday.
Tom Ford at Neiman: The idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder takes on buzz-worthy meaning when that beholder is Tom Ford. The news that the style icon was bringing his signature line of edgy, chic beauty products to Neiman Marcus at Town Center at Boca Raton (the counter just recently opened) prompted my visit to Tom Ford’s New York-based office—where I learned about his luscious fall 2013 collection and much more.
The Neiman launch marks the 25th Ford beauty counter in the United States and the second South Florida location (joining Bal Harbour, which debuted last year). Ford brings his beauty vision to life with a three-tiered approach: The first and second tiers are about skin, starting with detoxification, moisturizing and luminosity, followed by contour and definition (those model-like cheek bones you covet can now be yours!). The third aspect is a color component that includes nails, lips, cheeks and eyes.
Here’s the lowdown on the fall collection:
• The underlying theme is intense drama—I particularly love the ombré trio smoky-eye palettes for the day and night ($60 per palette). Ford’s idea is to figuratively color outside the lines and bend the rules this time. He’s about the “full” look, incorporating dramatic eyes and lips to create a chromatic fantasy. There’s also an eye primer that creates a 12-hour-long effect, along with mascara. The eye-defining pencil is a great tool ($55) to have because of the dual tip that can help create the wing tip or the doe eye in a jiffy.
• Two quintessential nude shades—and a decadent red and plum (his versions of the colors, of course)—highlight the lips. Ingredients like soja seed extract, Brazilian murumuru butter and jojoba oil, moisturize and condition the lips for a perfect finish (lipsticks run $49). To make the seasonal transition complete, there is a pink and plum bottle of nail lacquer in the collection. A student of ’70s and ‘80s favorite makeup man Way Bandy, Ford continues to reinvent looks fusing classic and modern sensibilities. (nail lacquers are $32 each)
• I also caught an alluring whiff of Ford’s Atelier d’ Orient, a collection of four private-blend fragrances. Notes include exotic florals, fruits, oils and spices. Lavish and fresh ingredients like the ume plum, Hualan flower, star magnolia, jasmine, rose, clove, peppercorn, amber and citrus fruits from the enigmatic East are creatively melded as four distinct scents christened Plum Japonais, Fleur de Chine (my personal favorite), Shanghai Lily and Rive d’Ambre.
If you’re a Tom Ford fan, you know he has a thing for the luminous, dewy look. His permanent line has a variety of skin-care luminators perfect for the New York chill. However, Floridians also can achieve the matte finish. Either way, I place my bet on the designer’s credo of being original no matter what the trends dictate. (Visit Neiman Marcus at 5860 Glades Road in Boca, or call 561/417-5151.)
About Jo
Jyoti “Jo” Peswani loves how fashion spices up life. A former Floridian, she’s a seasoned fashion and lifestyle journalist who recently relocated to the New York metro area. When she’s not writing about trends, designers and the vibrant NYC scene, she helps businesses with marketing, strategy and writing through her company The Idea Is {In}. Ideas are her business; fashion is her passion. Look for “Chic & the City” every third Monday at bocamag.com.
