Dior Voluptuous Care Lipstick: Rouge Zinnia

Rouge Dior 743 Rouge Zinnia

The search of a perfect winter red has been epic. I have a medium skin with yellow undertones and most reds don’t work with it. Usually I just avoid the Christmas red obsession altogether and wear my nude pink lipsticks but this year I decided that I do need an awesome red in my life. After a lot of research, I decided to go with Guerlain (I love their lip products) but both Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s failed me miserably: out of 6-7 existing Guerlain classic red shades they only carried 1 or 2 at the store. And, naturally, those two reds they had didn’t work for me at all.

Then I went to take a look at Dior’s reds. I have a very long relationship with Dior (I bought my very first high-end makeup from them), and love their lipsticks just a bit less than Guerlain’s.

Dior Rouge Voluptuous Care Lipstick line provides a wide range of full-coverage lip colors with satin finish and moisturizing effect. It costs $35 before tax. Rouge Zinnia, in my opinion, is the only truly red shade in this collection. From my experience, Dior usually concentrates on pinks and nudes of all shades (2014 Winter Collection is an exception).

Voluptuous Care lipsticks come in classic Dior packaging: dark blue tube with silver trim. Elegant and simple. The case is very light and convenient for carrying in a purse. Rouge Zinnia is my second lipstick from this line – the older one was soft coral.

Rouge Zinnia is very saturated strong red with powerful pink undertone. It looks a bit darker than classic Marilyn Monroe red and that’s why it works for me – bright scarlet red is too much for my skin color. This lip color will work wonderfully with black, dark grey or burgundy outfits.

You don’t need much lip preparation before you apply it (maybe a bit of lip scrub) and it goes on your lips very smoothly. The lipstick is creamy and moistuirizing, which is a huge plus (most lipsticks provide either color or hydration). Of course, before the application you’ll need to use a lip liner (I got Dior’s in Holiday Red). The application doesn’t require any special skill. This lipstick doesn’t stain teeth, doesn’t go beyond the lip line and overall is a great product. It doesn’t have any shimmer – the finish is satin as I said above. In my opinion, it is smart because that raspberry red is already so saturated that adding shimmer would make your lips excessively holidayish. For the same reason I wouldn’t recommend putting any lip gloss on top of it – it will look perfect as is.

My only complaint is its staying power. I wore it last week to a Christmas party – throughout the evening I had to re-apply it 4-5 times. Also, the color fades a bit unevenly – so, you really have to check you lips every hour or so, especially if you are drinking and/or eating.

Overall, I am happy with the purchase. Here is the short summary:

Pros:

• Packaging is amazing;
• Rouge Zinnia color is great – raspberry red will suit most complexions;
• This lipstick is creamy and moisturizing;
• It is easy to apply – you don’t need special brush;
• It doesn’t stain teeth;
• It doesn’t go over the lip line.

Cons:

• It fades quickly and unevenly.
• $35 price tag is a bit steep.

I bought this lipstick at Bloomingdale’s: Rouge Dior Voluptuous Care Lipstick (in 743 Rouge Zinnia)

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