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When Tom Ford launched color cosmetics collection in 2010, it was limited to a luxurious line of lipsticks, which were an immediate hit. The designer now has a full range of makeup, but is making a wider Sephora makeup debut much the same way the brand did seven years ago — with (very expensive) lipstick only.
Previously, you could only buy Tom Ford lipsticks in Tom Ford stores and on the website, in department stores, or at high-end meccas like Net-a-Porter and Cos Bar. Now you can get them on Sephora.com, and they’ll be coming to “select” Sephora stores in March, according to a representative for the brand. (Sephora has carried Tom Ford fragrances and a smaller Soleil collection in the past.)
What this means for you, the lipstick consumer, is that you’re going to have less cash the next time you leave Sephora. Tom Ford is pricey. Bullets from the main lipstick collection, which come in a variety of finishes, cost a whopping $53 each.
This puts Tom Ford in the upper echelons of Sephora products, edged out only by Guerlain’s blinged-out lipstick tube for $56 and Christian Louboutin’s $90 (!!) version.
In addition to traditional bullets, you’ll find the very shiny and long-lasting Patent Finish collection, which all have a fun cushion applicator, and a lip kit of sorts, which includes a lip liner and lipstick all in one tube.
Thankfully, in addition to the pricey new products, Sephora is also now carrying Tom Ford’s lesser-priced lipstick collection, Lips and Boys. The tubes are smaller than those in the main collection and cost $36. Ford named every single color after a man in his life, so you can find Leonardo, Anderson, Jared, and, most importantly, Drake, a metallic purple. When Drake first launched in 2015, it sold out.
Why is Tom Ford finally taking the Sephora plunge? As fewer people shop in department stores, beauty brands are scrambling to find alternative strategies to get their goods out there. Stores like Sephora and Ulta are thriving now because customers still like to shop for beauty in person, so more brands, particularly in the high-end range, are considering these retail options now.
Whether or not shoppers will adapt to the high prices remains to be seen. But a $53 lipstick is definitely more accessible than, say, this $11,500 jacket.
This article has been updated to reflect that Sephora has carried Tom Ford products previously.