4.19.2012

Dior Croisette Summer 2012 Make-up Collection Review, Photos, Swatches




I adore the Summer 2012 make-up by Dior. The campaign ad above only shows the gorgeous turquoises of the Croisette collection, but it is actually a beautiful mix of warm and cool tones. The products are growing on me with each use, absolutely adore my purchases! There is something for everyone, and I will go through all the products that were available at my local Nordstrom, as well as outline my top picks below.



The tester unit for the summer collection had not arrived when I got to Nordstrom, but the SA generously encouraged me to swatch all the fresh testers! I apologize for the disarray in the photos, and unfortunately, the bronzer tester unit had not been properly put together, either.



All the bronzers have been reformulated to mineral-based compacts and according to one of my regular Dior SAs, the Matte and Original bronzing powders will be discontinued. All of the new Nude Glow (6 shades) and Healthy Glow (2 shades) bronzers, $46, will now come in the round cannage metal packaging, which I actually much prefer anyway. I may go back to purchase the Honey 001 shade in the Nude Glow, but the slight shimmer still makes me reluctant. The DiorSkin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powders for summer are the two on the bottom left, and I purchased the lighter of the two, called Sunlight 002. I will be dedicating a separate post for the bronzer later on, as I love it! Sunlight is smooth, not too shimmery and surprisingly long-lasting, the perfect golden color. I applied it, compared it to Aurora from last Summer, and reviewed the bronzer thoroughly in my tutorial video for the collection here:



Now for the Summer nail polishes, $23. I purchased Saint Tropez about a month before the rest of the collection launched, since my local Nordstrom received a backed-up second order of it from a previous launch. I love the Robin's Egg blue! It is bright but deepens under fluorescent lighting. I tried to resist Bikini, but the formula is Dior perfection. The color is a pale coral with a red lean. I know pale is a strange adjective to use in contrast with coral, but I am reluctant to use muted because Bikini is not that! It just has a softer touch than truly loud red-tinged corals. Both shades wear like iron, no chips and perfect in two coats. I wish the brush were a little less dense, but I can live with it because I adore the curved edge.



The 5 Couleurs Croisette Edition Eyeshadow Quints are $60 each, but I only think Aurora is worth the money. I wanted to love Swimming Pool, as pastel blues are totally on trend this season, but the shadows swatched a bit chalky in comparison to Aurora. I think the light color scheme will suit porcelain and fair ladies best, a very natural look with a bit of color! Aurora is best for those with warm complexions, very enhancing. The orange/tangerine in Aurora (please see the video for close-up shots) is great for both brown and blue eyes, but I know not everyone is willing to wear the color, as popular as it may be at the moment.


I wanted to add as many shots of Swimming Pool as possible, since I did not purchase it.  I humbly believe my video tutorial is an ideal look at how smoothly the shades in Aurora apply to the eye. The shadows wear well without a primer, too, and they are not nearly as frosty as the usual Dior eyeshadow fare. Swimming Pool is slightly more glittery than the Aurora palette, though.. just something to keep in mind. It also coordinates beautifully with the Turquoise pencil!


Oh, Addict lipsticks! How you tempt me so. At $30 a pop, they are definitely a splurge, but I think this line-up is worthy of draining your pocket book. I would have brought all three home with me, but I resisted! Casual gold is a nude-brown with tons of gold shimmer. In fact, they are all shimmery but there is no grittiness and they last about three hours of drinking and talking (no eating). Palace is a sheer medium warm-pink, just a touch peach, and the base color reminds me of the Sephora-exclusive Addict Extreme Lipstick in St. Tropez. And to round out the line-up, JetSet is a gorgeous tangerine with shimmer. It is a touch reminiscent of last summer's Fire, except more wearable and universally flattering. I want to go back and pick up this shade.. I must resist!



The Addict Ultra Glosses are $28, and coordinate perfectly with the Addict lipsticks. I was in a rush and picked up the least unique of the bunch, Pink Croisette. It is the one purchase I regret because I have so many glosses that look identical to it on my lips! Orange Pareo is so beautiful and pigmented, one of the best tangerine glosses I have ever encountered. I am also tempted to pick this up and wear it with JetSet, but I just know it will not flatter my skin tone. Light-medium skintones work best with peaches, but that is just my personal preference! Brown Panama is one of those bronze glosses with so much shimmer, it makes you stop in your tracks. This shade is beautiful, will enhance olive and darker skintones so well! 




And last but not least, the newly reformulated Waterproof Eyeliner pencil, $29, in Turquoise. The packaging is the same as before, retractable with a sharpener at the end (see the video). The original version of this pencil was dry and brittle, but the new one is even longer-wearing and smoother. While the formula is creamy, it sets quickly. There are silver glitter bits in this pencil, however, so I don't wholeheartedly recommend you use this in the waterline if you have very sensitive eyes.



Now, my recommendations:

My Top 5, in order of preference: Nude Glow Bronzer (to be reviewed later), Aurora Eyeshadow Quint, Turquoise Waterproof Pencil, Bikini and Saint Tropez Nail Polishes (sorry, I had to group them together), and the Casual Gold Addict Lipstick.

If you do not need a new bronzer and are on a budget, stick to the Turquoise waterproof pencil or St. Tropez nail polish! Casual Gold is a great lipstick, but I have similar shades from Armani and Chanel.

*The grey [Gris Montaigne] and navy [Tuxedo] nail polishes were just restocked at South Coast Plaza Nordstrom!

Bottom Line: Dior Summer 2012 is a winner (minus the nondescript pink gloss I purchased), and you ought to visit a counter soon! Splurge on the good stuff!

11 comments:

  1. Help Rae I cannot look at your review says the video is private noramally I can also watch your video's?? Help I dying to see it!!

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  2. Wow the colors are really pretty! loving the coral and turquoise trend!

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  3. Really like that turquoise eyeliner!! :) love how detail you are with these reviews!!

    sheerloving.blogspot.com

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  4. Thanks for reviewing the collection! Guess what- I typed raeviewer in google and your blog is now popping up as the first result! That means more people are becoming aware of and searching for your blog, congrats!! You deserve every single follower :)

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  5. I am so excited for the new bronzers, they look beautiful!

    I have read other blog posts that say it includes a mini kabuki brush too, I was wondering if you could possibly clarify?

    Thanks :D!

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  6. Aww everything looks so perfectly spring-y. I like that blue nail polish the best. But I already have too many nail polishes. Thanks for swatching & sharing!

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  7. How does dior sunlight compare to edward bess monte carlo (if you have it?)

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  8. i love this collection! thanks for the wonderful post, so helpful!

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  9. Lovely overview, Rae! Need to stop by a counter to look at the Healthy Glow bronzer - have you had a chance to look at the new bronzer releases from Chanel and Guerlain? Interested to know your thoughts on which is the "must have"!

    Best,
    Judy

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  10. Beautiful review Rae thank you very much. How come you did not review the new 1 eyeglosses? And if you do not have the pink coloured lipgloss would you recommend it or pass anyway?

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  11. great review! could you please tell me which out of the two new bronzer formulars has the least amount of shimmmer? thanks x

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