A Dior Addict Going Incognito and hoping to get Extreme-ly Lucky at the Plaza down by the Riviera

In case the waves of Dior Addict-icm has swept past you without your knowing, Dior has launched a new range of Addict lipsticks which they call Dior Addict Iconic Extreme. I’m suddenly reminded of the old ranges of Addict Ultra Sheer and Addict Ultra Shine – anyone remember those? I used to have them (Might still do!) and they certainly live up to their names.

So with a name like Addict Extreme, it makes me wonder just how “extreme” they are. Dior Addict lipsticks are the sheerer more moisturizing sisters of Rouge Dior. I cut my teeth on Dior Addict lipsticks back when they were in a deep blue translucent case. I was and still am a huge fan of the range, because I like my lipsticks with that translucent sheer yet pigmented moisturizing look. I blame it on my obsession with Japanese lipsticks. The Dior Addict texture comes the closest to that of Japanese lipsticks.

But I digress. Addict Extreme is Dior taking the revamped Addict Iconic lipsticks and infusing them with more colour, more moisture, more extreme goodness. In the process, they made the signature Dior Addict cover an opaque blue-black, and came out with 4 distinct colour families – nude, pink, red and coral – and 4 distinct stand out shades – Incognito (nude), Lucky (red), Plaza (pink) and Riviera (coral).

Left-Right: Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick Plaza #476 and Dior Vernis Plaza #579; Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick Lucky #536 and Dior Vernis Lucky #659; Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick Riviera #639 and Dior Vernis Riviera #537; Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick Incognito #326 and Dior Vernis Incognito #257

Oh and 4 matching nail polishes of the same name so you can get all matchy matchy 🙂 Please settle back for quite a few photos. I didn’t want to split this one up too much because otherwise I couldn’t come up with a clever title like I did *ahem* 😛

If you’re wondering which is the color used on Kate Moss in the promotional pictures, its Lucky.

LUCKY is a lovely bright red-pink that is fairly pigmented and on me, is quite a bright punchy colour. Its such a bright colour, you’d want to have the lipstick as your focal point of your face, so I’d keep the rest of your makeup light. I went for a defined eye with interesting winged liner and a fairly toned down face. The colour of the lipstick in the photo is quite close to its real colour on me.

Lucky applies opaque with 2 layers which I was surprised with, and which lives up to the Addict Extreme name. One layer gives a pretty light red-pink and 2 is very punchy. It matches well with the nail polish of the same name, also a bright red-pink on nails. 1 coat of polish is enough although 2 coats gives a more opaque finish. Wear this combo, and you might just get lucky 😉

INCOGNITO is, as the name implies, a nude shade for both lips and nails. Of all the 4 combinations I found this one the least matching in terms of the colour in the lipstick and nail polish.

INCOGNITO is your regulation nude lipstick, which pairs well with a deep smokey eye because you will risk looking washed out otherwise. On my more pigmented lips, I found that the slightly sheer formula allowed for the red in my lips to mix with the nude beige of Incognito, to give a more wearable sort of nude lip. I pull a pinky nude colour which I was thankful about because I cannot wear nude lip colours without looking like I just crawled out of an open grave. I surprisingly found myself liking Incognito very much!

The matching nail polish in Incognito is a very lady like, work friendly sort of pink-nude shade which I will say isn’t my cup of tea. I’ve never been one for nude tones and I don’t plan to start. I’m all about colour! 😀 I found the polish a bit sheer. After 3 coats, I could still see the white of my nail tips and the warm colour clashed with my skintone. Incognito the lipstick gets the thumbs up from me, but the nail polish does not.

PLAZA is a bright pink combination for lips and nails. Both colours are quite close to each other so you can just imagine the sort of pink it is.

PLAZA is a bright fuchsia pink that is a fun, young colour for lips. One layer gives you pretty sweet pink lips and 2 layers gives you opaque bright pink lips. Its a colour I believe most people can carry off, and its a fun colour you can wear on its own. I wore this with a simple bronze eye and its quite surprisingly lovely!

On nails, Plaza is an almost neon pink at times, and very vibrant. I think it would look pretty for both fingers and toes. Plaza was inspired by the Hotel Plaza Athenee Paris and bright as it is, there is a sweet elegance about it. It is a colour you will wear strolling about the city because it is at once polished yet casual, depending on  how many layers you slick on. Don’t forget your sun hat – strolling around cities can be a hot affair.

And to round off the quartet is RIVIERA, a similarly matching tone of coral both in the lipstick and in the nail polish. However, as you will see below, once worn, the shade is markedly more toned down in the lipstick (thankfully!) and much brighter on nails!

RIVIERA is a lovely reddened coral that brings to my mind a resort town or a warm sunny day with the crystal blue sea glinting in the distance. Coral on lips and coral on my nails is just perfect as you zip around in your little convertible, hair stylishly wrapped up against the wind.

On lips, Riviera is a coral-pink that is bright if you layer it on but is otherwise very wearable for the most part. On nails, Riviera was an almost-neon orange for me that is very bright. Its a very bright holiday colour that would look very pretty on toes, if you aren’t into bright colours on fingers. All in all, I’d say that Riviera is a gorgeous complexion-brightening colour that is fun fun fun! 😀

In a nutshell

Dior Addict Be Iconic Extreme lipsticks are a spin off the popular Dior Addict Be Iconic lipsticks launched in 2011. The colours are supposed to be more pigmented and longer lasting on lips, without sacrificing the moisturizing balm-like properties that Dior Addict lipsticks are known for. I personally do not find the lipsticks much more pigmented than the regular Dior Addict lipsticks although the colours are a little more vibrant. I also do not find them much longer lasting than the normal ones. If you are looking for something more pigmented and longer lasting I suggest Rouge Dior. The nail polishes in this collection are beautifully vibrant. I found that of the 4, Incognito fell short of expectations in terms of texture but the rest were pretty on nails.

Pros: Pretty vibrant colours, Moisturizing on lips, Not shimmery but gives a nice glow to the lips, Nail colours are bright and vibrantly coloured except Incognito

Cons: Pricey, Not as pigmented as the name implies, Not much longer lasting than normal Dior Addict lipsticks, Incognito nail polish is a bit sheer and needs more layers and has warm tones that clash against my skin

As I have noted above, the colours are pretty but when compared with the normal Dior Addict lipsticks, I do not find them particularly more pigmented nor more long lasting. In fact, I find them comparable although the new colours are more vibrant. In line with the Dior Addict lipstick line, the texture is balmy and moisturizing on lips which is my favourite sort of lipstick texture. I am a huge fan of Dior Addict lipsticks from way back, and I like these; but if you are looking for something stronger, more pigmented and opaque and longer lasting, I’ll nudge you in the direction of Rouge Dior – the slightly more grown up range of Dior lipsticks 🙂

Does any of the 4 key new Dior Addict Extreme colours attract you? I do like all 4 colours but if I have to choose, I would pick Riviera, Incognito, Lucky and Plaza in that order. Plaza is the least interesting colour for me while I love Riviera and Incognito, one for being bright and the other for being a wearable nude. I know some of you have already picked up a couple so do share! Which should I be looking at next? 🙂

Paris B

Dior Addict Be Iconic Extreme lipsticks come in 12 shades locally. Dior Vernis comes in 4 shades to complement the new lipsticks Price: RM98 (Addict Extreme) / RM72 (Vernis) Availability: Dior counters nationwide, permanent