Dior has released 15 shades of their new Rouge Dior Baume Lip Treatment ($35 each for 3.2g/0.11 oz). They are currently exclusive to Saks, Sephora and Dior.com but will available at all retailers later in November. The Rouge Dior Baumes have medium-pigment like a natural lipstick but with a moisturizing formula. The ones I swatched in store seemed to have sheer to medium coverage on the hands but applied better on the lips. There is a diverse range of pinks, peaches, reds and plums. I picked out four of the neutral shades from Saks in Kew Gardens 258, Spring 468, Milly 640 and Escapade 740.
Dior describes these as being “created for a modern woman who loves the intense pigment of a traditional lipstick as well as the ease and moisturizing properties of a balm.” They are indeed a blend of the two. I found these to have less shine and gloss compared to other balm-like or sheer lipsticks (such as Chanel Rouge Coco Shine, YSL Rouge Volupte Shine, Tom Ford Lip Color Shine). They do have a dewy semi-glossy finish, but it gives more of a natural look compared to the glossy finish many other lipsticks do.
Kew Gardens is a sheer sparkling transparent peach shimmer. Spring is a sheer but brighter peach. Milly is a neutral beige pink with a shimmery sheen. Escapade is the perfect neutral pink-brown. I’m in the middle of a move so I have most of my things packed in boxes, I don’t have easy access to other lipsticks to compare but I do feel that Milly is a more wearable version of Tom Ford Bare and Escapade is a warmer version of Tom Ford Nubile. Spring reminds me of Insidious without the shimmer and with a bit more pink.
I initially thought Milly would be too pale for my lips and skin tone based on the counter rep’s advice. Many thanks to one of my readers Jo who suggested I give it a try anyways stating it didn’t wash her out. She was right. It’s a lovely pale beige that gives perfect nude pink lips with a slight shimmery silver sheen but doesn’t wash out your face. Milly has enough color in the base to give the lip balm some life.
As a lover of natural-looking lip products, I’m smitten with these. I do wish I had picked up a pink or plum shade instead of the two peaches for variation, but I tend to gravitate towards peaches anyways. I love that these have no detectable scent (good for my sensitive nose). They do have a moisturizing feel on my lips, but I didn’t really notice extra hydration like I do with lip balms like By Terry or Malin + Goetz. I definitely think they are worth a look, especially if you want something less glossy compared to Chanel Rouge Coco Shines and something less pricey compared to Tom Ford Lip Color Shines.
