Creamy, Silky, & Pigmented – Too Good to be True?

This July, Dior will launch five new shades of Serum de Rouge ($32.00 each, 0.07 oz. each): Pearly Pink (470), Radiant Pink (560), Pink Diva (670), Ruby (870), and Plum (880). I tested four of the five new shades, but I’ve reviewed the Serum de Rouge formula before (here and here). Everything about the Serum de Rouge formula is incredibly nice–except the wear. These creamy, glossy lipsticks slide off my lips in under two hours (usually just over an hour). Given the small amount of product you get (about half the size of your average lipstick), frequent reapplication can run you through one of these a lot faster than you’d think!

• Pearly Pink (470) is a semi-sheer rose pink with a glossy sheen. This is the sheerest shade of Serum de Rouge I’ve tried myself. It has subtle shimmer that’s really not noticeable. Pearly Pink is incredibly similar to Radiant Pink, though, except this shade is a little cooler in tone.
• Radiant Pink (560) is a semi-opaque medium rose pink with a glossy sheen. It’s not too milky, but it’s not bright or bold–it’s very soft, but it imparts a nice natural pinkness to my lips. It reminds me of a pinker MAC Angel. It’s a little brighter, pinker, and warmer than Pearly Pink, but the two are quite similar.
• Ruby (870) is a semi-opaque brightened, reddened plum with a soft glossy sheen. The glossiness in this shade seems a little more subdued in comparison to other shades in the formula, but it’s still there. The color itself is beautiful–very classy, perfect for fall, and sophisticated. Despite it not being full-color coverage, it applies smoothly and evenly.
• Plum (880) is a semi-opaque reddened plum with a glossy sheen. Wait, does that sound familiar? While there is a noticeable difference between this shade and Ruby, it’s very slight. This shade is darker, redder, but it applied a little streaky for me.

The Serum de Rouge formula is soft, creamy, and very lightweight. It feels like a lipstick, but it has the glossiness of a lipstick without feeling like one. It doesn’t dry out lips, and the color pay off is quite good. Not totally opaque, but pretty rich and typically not very sheer. The formula is comparable to Cle de Peau’s Extra Silky Lipstick, but not as stellar–but very close (and $20 less!).

I did notice that the darker shades like Ruby and Plum seemed to stay on a little longer (a full two hours) and both took longer to fade (another hour or so) entirely, while lighter shades like Pearly Pink were almost entirely gone by an hour and a half.

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• Product: 27/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: If you don’t mind frequent reapplication of your lip color, Dior’s fall Serum de Rouge shades are an interesting, even if a little redundant, mix of colors that go from soft and wearable to darker and vampier.

AVAILABILITY: July 2010

See more photos & swatches!

Dior Serum de Rouge: Pearly Pink (470), Radiant Pink (560), Ruby (870), Plum (880)

Dior Serum de Rouge: Pearly Pink (470), Radiant Pink (560), Ruby (870), Plum (880)

Dior Serum de Rouge: Pearly Pink (470), Radiant Pink (560), Ruby (870), Plum (880)

Dior Serum de Rouge: Pearly Pink (470), Radiant Pink (560), Ruby (870), Plum (880) (NC20 skin)

Dior Serum de Rouge: Pearly Pink (470), Radiant Pink (560), Ruby (870), Plum (880) (NC15/NW15 skin)

Dior Pearly Pink Serum de Rouge

Dior Serum de Rouge: Pearly Pink (470)

Dior Radiant Pink (560) Serum de Rouge

Dior Serum de Rouge: Radiant Pink (560)

Dior Ruby (870) Serum de Rouge

Dior Serum de Rouge: Ruby (870)

Dior Plum (880) Serum de Rouge

Dior Serum de Rouge: Plum (880)