Tom Ford Beauty's new Private Blend Lip Color, shown in Cherry Lush, retails for $45.

We admit we’ve been in a lip color rut of late, usually sticking to glosses in sheer pinks or corals and putting emphasis on creating dramatic eyes. But Tom Ford Beauty’s new Private Blend Lip Color might just infuse some new lip-life into our routine. The fashion designer’s dozen shades — from nude to deep burgundy — are embossed with Ford’s initials and sheathed in elegant cases. “There is no more dramatic accessory than a perfect lip,” Ford says. “It is the focus of the face and it has the power to define a woman’s whole look.”

Shades include the light Vanilla Suede and Blush Nude, as well as rosier shades of Pink Dusk, Warm Sable and Pure Pink. Bolder are Ginger Fawn, True Coral, Smoke Red and the vivid Cherry Lush, while Moroccan Rouge, Bruised Plum and Black Orchid are for women who prefer deeper lip shades.

It’s the eyebrows, however, that may be raised at the $45 price tag. But, according to Tom Ford Beauty, the colors are designed to be “universally flattering” and to help define a woman’s signature style. Soybean-seed extract, as well as exotic Brazilian murumuru butter and chamomile-flower oil create a creamy texture designed for smooth application. (In other words, this isn’t the kind of lipstick we’re going to throw in our purse with its cap askew.) Private Blend Lip Color is available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

This isn’t the first foray into makeup creation for the multitalented designer — who made his film directorial debut with A Single Man last year. Before the launch of the stand-alone Tom Ford Beauty brand, known for men’s and women’s fragrances, Ford teamed up with Estée Lauder to create a line of limited-edition makeup and fragrance products — a reinterpretation of the Youth Dew products favored by his grandmother — for the 2005 holiday season.

Actor Vera Farmiga recently showed off a red-carpet look that emphasized her lips and rosy cheeks, shown in “A Fresh Take” in VIV’s May/June issue. Do you agree with Ford that lip color can be a defining feature in a woman’s look — or do you think that the eyes have it?

Tags: A Single Man, actor, Anatomy, Biology, Blend Lip, chamomile-flower oil, Cherry Lush, Cosmetics, designer, Entertainment/Culture, Fashion, fashion designer, Ford Motor Company, fragrance products, Ginger Fawn, Lip, Lipstick, Private, Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises, THE NEIMAN MARCUS GROUP INC., Tom Ford, Tom Ford Beauty, USD, Vera Farmiga