I'm sure Mister Ford needs no introduction, but if you haven't heard of the man or the brand before (have you been living under a rock?) I highly suggest you watch this documentary - be prepared to fall in love. I remember first seeing the film in class, last summer in London, in a room packed with young women who, by the time Tom Ford had made his last appearance on the screen, all gasped and watched with loving eyes the prodigious King of fashion. I had been itching to make my first Ford purchase at a beauty counter for a long time - you bet that the second the class was over, I rushed out straight to Selfridges and took the plunge. Ever since that day, I have invested in Tom Ford products as often as my bank balance allows it and have yet to regret any of it. The lipstick you can spot here, is Black Dahlia, a dark burgundy vampy red that has my name written all over it. The packaging is as seductive as the man (that had to be said) the pigment doesn't disappoint and the finish is matte-ish although the formula isn't drying. Needless to say I adore it. The purpose of this post however, isn't so much to give a review of this particular lipstick, nor to urge you to add it to you collection. Is it mind-blowingly superior to any other lipstick ? No. (Note: some products from the line genuinely are - but more about that in another post.) Should you really make the splurge? I guess not. Is it worth its hefty price tag ? Now, that's up to you. Yes, I am unconditionally admirative of the empire Tom Ford has built over the decades and yes, it did attract me to the counter that day of July and still does - but there's more to the story. People sometimes find themselves struggling with their conscience when making a purchase, wondering whether they're buying a product for its inherent worth or for it's name. I'll be the first to say that some products are definitely not worth their hype and trusting blindly a brand's heritage isn't always the way to go. I also believe, however, that it's okay to invest in a brand you believe in, a brand that resonates with you for whatever personal reason.
Don't let anyone tell you what to buy. This is your money, never forget that. With the overwhelming growth of social medias' influence it's easy to forget who's in charge and to simply bend to what Instagram tells you to buy. Every social platform is throwing at us hundreds of filtered and marketed posts every living minute we spend with our eyes riveted on a screen, so much that we tend to lose ground and get sucked into a spiral of conditioned shopping behavior. Now don't get me wrong, I love social medias as much as the next person - in fact, probably more considering the hours that thumb of mine spends browsing down Instagram - but my point is that it's easier than you might think to fall down the rabbit hole and confuse your own personal choices and identity for the one offered on a silver platter online. Remember what you love, what matters to you. If that Bourgeois foundation is your gem and you wouldn't swap it for the world, not even for that Armani Luminous Silk everyone is raving about (ehm, guilty) don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And if you think that a Tom Ford lipstick is worth the investment solely because it will make you happy every single time you take a glimpse at it, then by all means, buy it. I believe that in the end, no matter the trends, what people might advertise here and there, nor even the quality of a product, some purchases must be enabled by the heart (cringey, I know). God knows we're now facing a never-ending landscape of beauty brands, so if you ever encounter one that you can relate you or that makes you feel something real , you shouldn't overlook it. We're only human, as much as we love to associate ourselves with tech-savy career-driven superhumans, it's alright to give in to our emotions and feelings sometimes - even if it is (only) toward a lipstick.
