Review - Diorskin Nude BB Creme

The ingenious combination of makeup-like features combined with beneficial skincare ingredients along with SPF protection is the essence of the miraculous BB Cream formula. Despite my obvious appreciation of all beauty products, skincare has always been my first love so the unique nature of the BB Cream, skin-loving makeup hybrid, was very appealing for someone like me.

I have discussed in the past that Asian beauty brands have a rich history when it comes to focusing on skin first and makeup a close second, so it's no wonder that the BB Cream concept was hugely successful in the Far East before gaining any kind of attention from the more traditionally western brand. North America has a lot of catching up to do but I am happy to say that there are now several excellent BB Cream choices available and the formulations are only getting better.

The original concept of the BB Cream (BB stands for blemish balm) was developed by a German Dermatologist, Christine Schrammek, in the 1960's and then further refined and perfected by the Korean cosmetic industry in the 1980's. Today's BB Cream formula and branding is a result of years or research, various re-formulation experiments and most importantly a consumer demand for a product that will treat, heal and enhance the complexion all-in-one. 

My favorite pick as of late has been a BB cream that has finally allowed me to completely disregard any reliance on primer and that is the Diorskin Nude BB Creme. 

Official Description; 

A dream combination of skin care and make-up, Diorskin Nude BB Creme is the new generation complexion enhancer. Its light, melting texture enriched with natural origin skin care ingredients conceals only the undesirable and adjusts perfectly to all skin tones. In a single step, Diorskin Nude BB Creme combines 5 indispensable actions in order to accentuate a fresh complexion with an astoundingly natural finish: - corrects transparently - lights the skin up with a fresh glow - gently hydrates - instantly smoothes - protects, day after day For skin as fresh and radiant as a Rose, by Dior

The first thing I am going to say about this BB cream is that the shades can be sketchy so first-hand swatching or even being color-matched by a qualified brand-specialist (I can't stress qualified enough!). I am the Fair 002 but based on online swatches I was positive the Medium 003 was my match. 

Aside from that the formula works like a dream - it feels very airy and fresh on the skin surface, delivering kind of a glowy sheen finish that makes me look and almost feel healthy! It has that illuminating effect without making it look like makeup which is what the appeal of the BB cream really is and Dior delivers that beautifully. 

The addition of mineralized flower water (hence all the rose tones and theme!) is meant to effectively moisturize and antioxidants with SPF add further protection to this already multiple skin-perfecting and literally skin-loving formulation. 

This is a BB Cream so the coverage is a little bit heavier than a tinted moisturizer but with particular Dior formula it will the texture will feel even lighter. I  believe it might be due to the lower SPF 10 but I didn't notice any oxidation on the skin throughout the day even when I didn't use any of my usual, light dusting of translucent powder. It lasted all day, didnt break down or look caky during the humidity and looked lovely after eight hours of wear. I pretty much fell in love with it! 

I know it's a pricy pick ($48.00 for 1 oz) but I have to say its a worthy investment if you are looking for a great BB Cream! 

Diorskin Nude BB Cream didn't let me down and it's been almost a daily choice now so that's as big of an endorsement as the Princeza can give! Plus I have a weakness for anything with any kind of rose associations - maybe it should be a blog theme? :-)

You can get all Christian Dior products on their site, various Dior beauty counters or as usual our trusty Sephora. 

Have you tried the Diorskin Nude BB Cream? What's your favorite BB Cream?

XOXO

ANJA

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Dior Addict Lip Glow Lives Up To Its Name

I don't repurchase many beauty products! There are always so many new things out there that I want to try, new lemmings that call out my name and whisper sweet promises directly to the all-believing wide-eyed girl, always looking for that new it-item...What I am trying to say is that things can get very overwhelming in The Canadian Principessa beauty world so if something wants to make a repeat appearance then it has to be basically amazing from start to finish!

The Dior Addict Lip Glow has now been repurchased three times so that fact alone means that this somewhat pricy "lip balm" has managed to impress me to a point that despite the fact that i am surrounded by things my lips love I just had to find a way to make it mine again and again. 

The Dior fancies at Sephora describe the Lip Glow like this;

A sheer balm that enhances your natural lip color while moisturizing and protecting the skin.

What it "promises" to do for us;

Awaken and enhance the natural beauty of your lips with this unique balm that promises the perfect pout. Formulated with color reviver technology, this silky lipstick reacts with the chemistry of your lips to create a special shade that will last all day. The addition of SPF 10 will keep you protected, while hydrating mango butter and loofah extract nourish for beautiful luscious lips. 

Despite the fact that I have purchased exactly 3 tubes of this pink, girly perfection, I have some specific problems with the description given by Dior and subsequently endorsed by Sephora and other retailers. Personally I feel that the official spiel is kind of misleading for anyone purchasing this sight-unseen, for example on line or anyone who takes company jargon too literally. This is the perfect example of a product where personal reviews and blog posts are significantly more useful than any amount of item information found on actual retail sites. 

Lets start with the fact that this is initially introduced as a "sheer balm" that is suppose to moisturize your lips and at the same time "enhance" the natural lip color of the wearer. Now enhancing a color is kind of an abstract term - at least for me! Does it mean it will brighten my natural lip color? Or add tint and shine to give it more of a "pretty" look? For me i have to say that the brightening is most prominent and the effect gets stronger the longer the balm stays on my lips, hence the correct labeling it as a "lip glow". However a balm this is not, maybe a very-very sheer one but if your lips are in need of any amount of moisturization then this is not going to help at all. The good news is that a light layer of any non-waxy lip balm underneath the Dior Addict will not interfere with it's intended "glow" feature. 

If you continue reading the official description the Lip Glow is also refereed to as a "silky lipstick" that is suppose to "last all day" and lets not forget about the protection claims given to the low SPF 10 included in the formulation. Well after having used this for so long I can confidently disagree with the "lipstick" label, simply because the added tint does not contain any pure pigments and the graduation of color is supposedly produced by a chemical reaction triggered by your own body temperature. Calling it a lipstick is just silly and can mislead first-time buyers into thinking they are getting an altogether different product type, which can easily result in disappointment and inevitably complaints! And it does not last all day, 4-5 hours without eating is its limit! 

Since most of you lovelies already know about importance of SPF then I don't need to comment too loudly about the fact that almost all dermatologists now recommend a minimum of SPF 15 for adequate protection, meaning that the SPF 10 in the Dior Addict Lip Glow is just not going to cut it. I would expect a high-end company like Dior to improve basics like that in the future and at least consider revising some of the "claims" promised in their eloquently written description. 

For those of you dedicated enough to have made it this far, it must be puzzling why I would repurchase a product so many times if I found so many things that I disagree with. 

Well, the short answer is that I am addicted to the "lip glow"! Dior nailed that part perfectly - my lips look brighter, lusciously supple, comfortable and finished with a very subtle, sophisticated glossy sheen. The main attraction of course is that promised "lip glow" - the tint starts off as a subtle English rose, slowly blooming into that very fresh bright Barbie pink that really pops and compliments my fair undertones like no other "regular" pink lipstick. Most conventional pink lipsticks usually end up washing me out,resulting into a very sallow skin tone or they are so bright that i end up feeling kind of "trashy" or self-conscious, which inevitably leads to short wear-time anyways. 

If you need any more evidence that i am hopelessly girly in every aspect of what that means then i will also point out that the Dior Lip Addict Lip Glow comes in a beautiful,  feminine but also classy PINK tube, which in itself was a major factor in the initial tube purchase. The pattern will continue :-) Sad, I know!

You can guys can purchase your very own Lip Glow here. 

This seems to be one of their bestsellers since they are often sold out, so if you want it I would suggest pouncing on it as soon as it comes in stock.  

Dior released some additional items to the "Dior Addict Lip Glow" line up just to tempt me -  Addict Lip Glow ($30) and Dior Nail Glow ($24). I hope to bring their reviews to you soon!

Recently I discovered that the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Pink Satin is a great quality but also significantly more wallet friendly "dupe-like" alternative to the Dior Lip Glow. You can check out my review on the L'Oreal version here.   

Have you tried any of the Dior Lip/Nail Glow products? What did you think? 

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

My Summer Beauty Heroes

My Summer Beauty Heroes with Antipodes, Omorovicza, Make Up Forever

I wanted to share my very own "Summer Beauty Essentials" post. These are products that I have been using almost daily and are the things I would gladly recommend to anyone.
They all have some hero qualities and help me in my endless quest of pursuing my girliness to the highest degree. I tried to cover each category, face, body, hair with little bits of color thrown in.
I hope you enjoy my little collection - please let me know if you want to see a review of any product in particular.

I would love to hear about your summer essentials as well!

XOXO

Anja

The Blushing Wardrobe The Pink Edition

If an "outside" person came to look at and attempt to scrutinize my makeup collection, I already know which issue would be #1 topic of discussion...

Blushes! Glorious Blushes! How many blushes does one girl need? Well apparently according to me - at least 10 of each shade! Unfortunately even though i am aware of this rather uncomfortable fact, I know myself well enough to know that I will once again be powerless at the allure of getting that new flush maker. 

I love bright colors, pink makes me happy, shimmer makes me pretty, cute packaging makes me giddy and even though i don't see the point of all these Limited Edition pieces designed to get us into a frenzy, I will admit that some of my favorites happen to be long discontinued. 

A few months ago I decided to go ahead and clean out my vanity, take inventory and do a bit of a purge of the things that i wasn't using at all and see if there are holes in my collection that may need to be filled. 

Upon realizing that i had 20+ pink blushes and not a lot of variation in the other shades I came up with the concept of Blush Wardrobe. 

I believe that just as there is a red lipstick shade for each girl there is also a blush in each color family that flatters specific skin tones. There is a "correct" pink, a red, a peach, a coral and a neutral blush for everyone's coloring; its all a matter of trial and error, swatching, testing and application technique. Trying and swatching is the only way to make sure that a particular shade works for your own Blush Wardrobe - especially since the color of the blush in the pan can sometimes be extremely different from what it will actually look like on your skin. And don't even bother trying to rely on shade pictures online since more often than not the color shown is nothing like the real thing. Shimmer or glitter in blushes is another reason why a blush needs to be swatched  first - the amount of these "sparkles" is highly subjective since something shimmery to me can translate to chunky glitter on someone else. 

The Blushing Wardrobe will obviously take a long time to complete and since there are constant new brands & new collections to try, the blush wardrobe much like your fashion one is always evolving. 

Here are my picks - blushes i use often and colors that seem to flatter my pale Mediterranean skin tone!

*My Signature Pink Choices: 

Christian Dior Rosy Glow Awakening Blush: bright, awakening pink blush whose depth depends on the individuals moisture levels. It starts off as pale pastel pink, evolves into a rosy flush and finishes with pinky glow.

NARS Gaiety Powder Blush is simply described as bright candy pink and i really couldn't agree more. What I love about this particular shade is that even though the pigmentation is very strong, the color itself remains true to its nature - pale but prominant barbie pink.

Rock & Republic Contrived Blush in Tease 

Rock & Republic makeup line is now long gone and I for one miss it. The line had amazing quality, packaging to die for, strong pigmentation, trendy shades and was relatively affordable. Why they discontinued it I'll never understand! R&R cool factor was definitively represented by their line up of beautiful blushes, bronzers and highlighters. I am seriously kicking myself for not having them ALL! 

My third pick for my  Blush  Wardrobe is one of their less celebrated shades - Tease! This little gem looks like its a cross between a lilac and baby pink peonies, resulting in a very unique mauve shade that makes my cheeks glow in a very understated way.

By Terry Rose De Rose Sheer Liquid Blush in Fresh Rose (01)

By Terry is one of my favorite brands when it comes to both makeup and skin care and this blush was my introduction to their Rose world! The beautiful pink pigment in this blush comes from actual rose petals, which is confirmed by the true rose scent - there isn't anything artificial about this kind of radiance. I love using this on the weekends with minimal makeup to produce healthy glow with my rose cheeks

I will be adding swatches to this post very shortly so come back if you are interested
The Blushing Wardrobe the Berry Edition coming soon

What are your favorite pink blushes?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-)

The Little Luxuries of My Life - Chistian Dior Creme de Rose 001 Lip Treatment

Hi everybody - my name is Anja and i am a lip balm addict!
It gets worse - i am a high end lip treatment junkie and i am too far gone...interventions will not work BUT new brands might :) You may know me from all the other lip balm posts...

I am ashamed to count all the little fancy jars around my house - By Terry, Nuxe, La Mer, Givenchy, Dior...I have pretty much tried them all and cringed at the checkout each time but obviously not enough since the little pots are multiplying & taking over my humble home.

Dior's Creme de Rose was a no-brainer for me because i adore rose scents and the vintage pot made me feel all warm & fuzzy...The texture is very balm-like, there is no stickiness or waxy feel, no weird flavor, the lips feel nourished and the lovely rose scent doesn't linger for too long (boo for me!). Instead of the typical glossy finish i would describe this as more of a matte subdued shine, making it ideal as a lipstick or gloss base.

One issue i had with this was the unexpected & surprising color change in the pot itself. When i first purchased it, the balm was a rosy pink shade but after a few months the color transformed to bright yellow! I was told that the reason was oxidation of the rose oils, which are key in the formulation...There were no other changes - the scent, texture, feel and performance stayed the same but i cant deny that i was a little disturbed by the neon yellow shade.

It might seem like i am being petty but that's the only reason i wouldn't repurchase this again. Even though the color change didn't affect the effectiveness of the balm, I was put off to say the least. The price tag, the brand and rave reviews made me expect more. So even though i am happy i bought it, i wasn't completely wowed so i found myself using it less and less. Then again a few things can compete with my HERO By Terry Baume de Rose :)

Dior Creme de Rose Lip Balm can be purchased at Sephora here

Did your Dior Crème de Rose change colour too? Maybe mine was a "dud"!



Do you have a favorite lip treatment?  Any suggestion for my next lip balm hunt?

XOXO

ANJA

L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm - Dior Lip Glow Dupe?

Hi Everybody!

My name is Anja and I am a Lip Balm addict! The Canadian Principessa will slowly reveal This is one of my least-guilt inducing purchases but quite possibly the most rewarding one.


The Colour Riche Balm is what i wanted the Revlon Lip Butters to be - moisturizing, shiny, soothing, lovely...basically prettiness in a tube :) The Best Part - since i discovered these little gems, the urge to continue repurchasing the magical Dior Lip Glow has subsided to say the least. I am not saying that i wont buy it again but it may take a while because i find myself using the Riche Balm in Pink Satin a lot more. The funny thing is that the Lip Glow and the Riche Balm tubes are fairly similar in design - the luxury look was certainly achieved by L'Oreal this time around.


The texture of this is sublime - it glides on so easily, almost melting into the lips. I am happy to say that there is no detectable chemical taste and the fragrance is very faint so i don't think it would bother those with scent issues. The shades are soft but always detectable - after all this is a balm not a lipstick so it wouldn't be fair to judge the lack of pigmentation.

I will say that the color payoff is excellent for a lip treatment even in the lighter shades with a finish that isn't so much glossy as it is a sheen. Pink Satin is one of the lightest ones available and it makes my lips light up with a such a beautiful girly glow - compliments and inquiries galore :)


I am hoarding backups as we speak - L'oreal will discontinue this and then what am i going to do?

For more information about Colour Riche Balm and other L'Oreal cosmetics click here
These are all readily available in any of your local drug and grocery stores, including - Shoppers Drug Mart, Lawtons, Walmart, Target, Wal-Greens, Boots etc.



Have you tried the Colour Riche Balms? Which shade should I try next?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-)