Beach chic – a summer makeover at Dior Beauty

While I have been busy showing you my DIY summer make-up looks with the likes of Benefit and Giorgio Armani, Dior offered to take the hassle out of my day by doing a summer makeover for me! Designed to showcase their new Summer Croisette Collection, plus some of their staple evergreen favourites, this was a full-on makeover… with a similarly full-on product selection, as you can see below!

In all honesty, this is probably WAY more product than I would use on a day-to-day basis but for someone like me who has had little experience with Dior’s cosmetics, it was a great introduction to the brand.

Dior’s Colour Stylist Tommy first fully prepped my face – cleansing off all existing make-up and applying various moisturisers and serums for my face and eyes before creating a radiant smooth complexion using a combination of Diorskin Radiant Base, Diorskin Forever Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear (both of which contain SPF), a range of concealers and a loose setting powder.

Then, it was onto the fun stuff – the new summer goodies! I really liked the Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder in 002 Sunlight ($460), which was dusted lightly over my face and gave a really healthy but light glow. This is a great option for paler-skinned girls like myself who find many bronzers a bit too brown and muddy.

The new 1-Couleur Eye Glosses ($250) were also pretty nifty… basically, lip gloss for the eye but thankfully without that dreaded sticky sensation! Tommy told me these were great for creating a more natural looking eye colour and although they are quite sheer, they do give a pretty wash of shimmery colour and due to their waterproof and long-lasting formula, would be great for something light to wear beach-bound in the sticky weather. I tried 750 Sunset and 560 Tan, both of which are lovely neutrals and would make for excellent day-to-day easy eye looks.

My absolute favourite product of the Croisette Collection is the Diorshow Waterproof Aquatic Liner in 258 Turquoise ($205). You all know how much I love my turquoises anyway so this was an instant win! It’s a twist-up liner and a little harder than your average kohl, meaning you can get a more precise defined line, but it isn’t too hard that it hurts to use (and it comes with an in-built Brucie bonus sharpener too)! I loved how Tommy lined my lash line and then blended it out for a super-pretty effect. This is a shade of turquoise that instantly sings summer – soft pretty beachy – and you’ll be unsurprised to learn this made its way back to mine!

My final picks from the collection were the two lip products Tommy chose for me – Dior Addict Lipstick in 544 Jetset ($260) and Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss in 542 Pareo ($240). Girls, they aren’t kidding when they say ‘Ultra-Gloss’ – this has to be one of the juiciest most luscious glosses I’ve ever used… I practically wanted to snog myself! These orange/coral/melon shades compliment each other awesomely and felt like a much more summery colour choice than your typical pinks and reds. Combined with the turquoise eyes, all that was missing was a brightly coloured summer cocktail with an umbrella sticking out!

There were a couple of elements of my makeover that I wasn’t overly fond of – I felt the heavy black liquid eyeliner and mascara detracted from the light summery daytime feel and whilst the 5 Couleurs Croisette Swimming Pool palette looked an absolutely delightful array of cool blues in the pan, it swatched very poorly – but overall, it was great to get an expert take on a summer look. Even though it did seem like a LOT of product, it actually felt very light and fresh on the face and thanks to Tommy’s stellar prep work, my skin felt particularly hydrated and moisturised afterwards!

So even if you don’t have a make-up artist to help you perfect your look, the Dior Croisette Collection offers tonnes of new products to help give you that summer spark!

The Dior Summer Croisette Collection is limited-edition and out now.

Dior Beauty, Shop 2113, 2/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 2735 5268. See all other Dior Beauty locations in Hong Kong here.