No Winter Blues Here!

Even though the February weather is quite icy and grey, lately I've been feeling really warm and upbeat. I've been making the effort to clean and tidy up before going to bed (clutter and dirty dishes, I'm looking at you!), and I think it's making a big difference in how my day starts off. Waking up to everything neatly put away and a clean sink feels fresh, optimistic, and seems to put a positive spin on the day before it's even gotten properly started. My New Year's resolution (yes, in February, because it's never too late) is to see if I can keep it going!

Something else that never fails to perk me up is a pretty package in the mail. I'll admit, this is a bit of a cheat because I bought it for myself, but it makes me feel like the package is a present and I always greet my postlady with a smile. Recently I've been seeing all the PR packages sent to my favorite bloggers from Dior (one of my favorite cosmetics brands) to celebrate the launch of their new Dior Addict Lip Glow shades. Back when Lip Glow came in only one color option, a body-chemistry self adjusting pink, I tried it out but wasn't a fan. The packaging was gorgeous and the product really pretty, but I wasn't a fan of the shade of bright pink that I got when I applied it to my lips. So back to the store it went, although I did cast an eye over it every once in a while because the packaging was just so pretty.

With this new color release, Lip Glow now has 10 shades in different finishes, and I figured the time had come to try it again. I ordered the color 101, which is a sheer matte ballet pink. I was incredibly intrigued by the idea of a matte lipbalm. A matte lipstick is old hat, and I've tried (and disliked) many different formulas, but a matte lip balm struck me as something new and potentially awesome. While browsing the Dior website I also couldn't help but purchase a bottle of an old favorite perfume, Dior's Hypnotic Poison. Luckily, Dior was running a promotion for complimentary two-day shipping (no doubt aimed at those in a rush to purchase Valentine gifts) so I didn't have long to wait for my goodies to arrive.

In honor of Valentine's Day, my white Dior box was tied with a lovely pink Dior monogrammed ribbon shot through with gold metallic thread for a bit of sparkle. It's details like this that make it such a pleasure to open packages from Dior! Inside the tissue paper were nestled my purchases; the pink Lip Glow, the Hypnotic Poison perfume, and a couple lovely samples of the Blooming Bouquet perfume and Lip Maximizer plumping lip gloss (which I am already familiar with and love quite a bit).

First the bad news- I didn't like the perfume at all. I wore Hypnotic Poison over 10 years ago, but I'll never forget how it smelled. When I spritzed myself and took a sniff, it was not the same smell at all. Similar, but substantially different for me. I know that brands will sometimes reformulate perfumes but keep the old names (an unfortunate practice in my opinion!) but I'm hoping that's not the case. Upon closer inspection I realized that the bottle I had ordered is an Eau du Toilette, whereas the perfume I used to wear was an Eau du Parfum. Perhaps that's what accounts for the difference in scent. In any case, I will have to send it back because it doesn't work for me at all. Dior.com doesn't appear to currently offer the Eau du Parfum so I'll have to wait and see if it becomes available in the future.

Now for the good news! The Lip Glow was a winner! True to it's description, it's a matte lip balm and feels pretty much weightless on the lips. It glides on quite smoothly and leaves a rose-petal velvety finish that I am absolutely in love with. As a matte lip product, it does require exfoliated lips otherwise it can pick up the dead skin a bit, but a little extra attention is worth it for the beautiful soft effect. Glossy lips are pretty but they always make me think of smeary, sticky, staining kisses that the recipient of the kiss usually wipes away. Matte lips, of the rather drying variety that many matte liquid lipsticks result in, are no better; if you so much as think about puckering up you start to feel your lip color cracking and wrinkling.

No, the Dior Addict Lip Glow matte finish is in a league of its own. The petal-soft velvety texture is fully matte but soft and flexible at the same time. Very kissable indeed! While not exactly a hydrating lip product, the Lip Glow is not uncomfortable to wear (and this from a person who can't stand dry lips). In fact it has a subtle minty/vanilla-y fragrance and I could feel a little bit of a tingle when I put it on. Very pleasant to all the senses! The color is very much to my liking as well, initially a somewhat pale pink that deepens a little bit but is far from the hot pink I experienced with the original Lip Glow balm. Overall the effect is subtle but very pretty, and the matte finish is wonderful. I'm a fan!

**This post is not sponsored in any way and no affiliate links are used. The Dior links I provide are to show where I specifically bought the items.**