Lovely Lipstick Review: Rouge Dior #786, Mysterious Mauve

So I went to the Dior counter the other day with every intention of picking up some sort of magnificent fuschia for summer. Fuschia--possibly even a pinky-coral. I was very set on my goal, and wasn't to be deterred. I approached the counter and my favorite Dior MA Trae, and we started talking and gossiping, and I got distracted by all the pretty quints, and next thing I knew I was looking at about 35 lipstick colors, reveling in their glory. I reached out my hand, intending with all my heart to grab the aforementioned pink shade, and came away instead with...purple. Yes, purple. Of course, Dior doesn't call it purple, they call it Mysterious Mauve, but in the tube it looks purple, and I'm not one to mince words--so there you have it. There I was, standing in the middle of Macy's contemplating putting purple freaking lipstick on my lips. They should call this stuff Magical Mauve, because there had to have been otherworldly powers at work to even get this lipstick into my hands, much less onto my face. But I'm glad I tried it, because I've found a new gem to add to my collection.

Christian Dior Rouge Dior #786, Mysterious Mauve

Now, as I stated above, one of the things you need to know about this lipstick is that it is NOT mauve. It's a crazy-weird lip color, as a matter of fact...a gorgeous purple that leans slightly towards pink, infused with just enough shimmer to add some depth, but not enough to be really noticeable on the lips. In the tube, it's flat-out scary, as you can see above from the picture, which was taken in indirect sunlight. Below is a picture taken in bright direct sunlight, which looks even more frightening:

Yeah, I know...it's still inconceivable to me that I was actually drawn to this color. In arm swatches, it looks similarly, ummm, bizarre:

Bright sunlight Scariest of all, indirect sunlight.  However, as I was saying about the magical thing...somehow, once applied to the lips, this formula miraculously transforms into a very wearable color...at least for me. Now remember, I'm the girl who wears full-on red lips to work each day IN A KITCHEN. Like, where I have to wear a hair net and everything. So my standards for wearable may be a little different than yours. However, take a look at the lip shot below, which is of Mysterious Mauve applied alone:  See? Not nearly what you thought it would be, is it? Given the shocking pictures above, are you as amazed as I am to see that I don't look like an alien? On the lips, Mysterious Mauve pulls slightly pinker than in the tube, giving a vibrant but not off-putting effect. So, assuming you're agreeing with me so far (and hopefully you are), wait until you see what's coming. As you know, I love to "franken" my lips each day, so I topped Mysterious Mauve with Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in Extravagant Grenadine, a very warm, very shimmery, very lightweight pink. Here's what happened: See? The color is warmed up, muted the tiniest bit, and becomes a lovely shade almost anyone can wear! You can't quite see the soft shimmery highlights added by the Ultra Gloss in this picture (I couldn't capture the effect with my camera), but it's there and it's gorgeous.  Finally, there's the formula. Rouge Dior lipsticks are simply amazing. They are creamy and hydrating but last for hours without feathering, fading or migrating. Even with gloss on top, I can go several hours without a touchup. Loving that! So my insanity paid off. Despite the fact that every sensical cell in my body was screaming "NO!" when I picked up Mysterious Mauve, my bravery has  opened up a potential new avenue for many of you who would otherwise never have even attempted to make it work. It's dramatic, yes, but it also looks amazing against my pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes...and I'd imagine it would complement darker skin tones as well. I love to wear this lipstick when I wear cooler-toned clothing. It's a great, colorful alternative to the summer norms of pinks and corals! Grade: A   This post is courtesy of the Lipstick Musings Blog at http://www.lipstickmusings.com