Dior Jelly Lip Pen L-R: Gaia 656, Carioca 636, Copacabana 516, Ilhabela 476
Jaded. That’s how I feel about a lot of makeup these days. “What’s new pussycat?” I yawn when another Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter release falls on my desk. “What makes you so special that I should fall in love?”
When I spotted the Dior Jelly Lip Pens in their Summer Bird of Paradise collection, I was interested, but I actually thought “Oh dear, another chubby type lip pencil thingy eh?” Lets face it eh? Its been done. What makes this special?
So really, ladies, I wasn’t expecting to fall head over heels in love with it. Isn’t that just how love is? It hits you when you expect it least! 😉 I will tell you however, that the love only extends to just 1 shade. Maybe 2. While I tell you which, why don’t you hazard a guess? 😉
Like other pen type lip products I’ve tried so far (Clinique, RMK, Barry M and Revlon) the Dior Jelly Lip Pen is a lip crayon in an easy to use twist up tube. It looks pretty much like a large crayon for the lips and most of us would be quite familiar with a product like this one.
The one from Dior comes in a sleek black tube with a silver cap. The silver base is the twisty bit and whilst this looks sleek, its actually quite a bother because if you have more than one (and chances are, you will want more than one!) you will find it hard to find the exact colour you want without first removing the cap.
That nitpicky complaint aside, here’s what I like about the Dior Jelly Lip Pen – its lovely, balmy and moisturising on my lips! Now I know many people love the Clinique Chubby Stick lip pencils but I find them drying. The Intense one is a lot better for me in terms of texture.
These Dior ones however, look and feel like a tinted lip balm on my lips. I took one with me on holiday and it kept my lips chap-free. For a non-lipbalm wearer, you might say that this is quite perfect. The texture is balmy and smooth and reminds me of the Dior Addict lipsticks, but sheerer. Dior says this is a “true beauty multitasker” and its true to the extent of lips only – shine of a gloss, hydration of a balm and pigment of a sheer lipstick.
Dior Jelly Lip Pen Top-Bottom: Carioca 636, Ilhabela 476, Copacabana 516, Gaia 656,
Yes, you read right. Sheer. The name “Jelly Lip” should pretty much give it away shouldn’t it? 😀 Think of a clear trembling cube of jelly and you will have an idea of the type of colour you will get. Clear, translucent, barely there, just a tint of colour on lips. Dior says its like the colour left behind after biting into a fruit i.e. sheer tint.
Not everyone’s cuppa tea, and I have to say, not mine either, but when you want something that looks just like a shine on your lips with a hint of colour, then this is the niche the Dior Jelly Lip Pen fills. Here are the swatches on my arm with a brief description of colour so you have an idea of colour and texture.
- Ilhabela 476 – A very light, clear pink with shimmer. It adds a shimmery shine to lips but I feel that it is a bit too glittery even if the base colour is quite pretty and girly.
- Copacabana 516 – A brown in the tube, it swatches a clear rose tinted nude brown with shimmer. It is a little less glittery than Ilhabela but there is glitter. The colour deepens your lip tone and if you have a more pigmented lip colour, this will give you a very natural shine and tint, nothing more.
- Carioca 636 – A coral tint with no glitter, Carioca tints lips a juicy orange/coral and is a fun and pretty colour to wear daily. On my pigmented lips, the noticeable orange tint blends with the red on my lips to turn out a pretty coral that brightens the complexion.
- Gaia 656 – A clear rose pink with no shimmer. Gaia, as you may have guessed, is my favourite colour of the lot. I liked how there was no shimmer yet when I applied it to my lips, it would impart a glossy shine that was at once natural yet offered a hint of jelly translucency. The colour appears on my lips as a healthy rosy pink and was perfect for vacation because it was never intrusive, always natural and brightened up my face when I had not a lick of other makeup on. I will be picking up a back up of Gaia because goshdarnit if these aren’t limited edition!
Here are the swatches on lips to give you an idea of what it looks like. Do note that the colour will show up better (or not) depending on how pigmented your lips naturally are.
You can probably tell just how glittery/shimmery Ilhabela and Copacabana are which I did not quite appreciate. On my lips, you can see that Ilhabela has a slight frosty pink touch while Copacabana has a more neutral/nude colour with some shimmer. It does enhance the lines or flakes on dry lips if you aren’t careful.
Carioca too has a slightly frostier tone to it although the colour is quite pretty and warm. Gaia is therefore my favourite as it looks the best on me. My lips look healthy and pink and there is no trace of shimmer or glitter which is how I like this one. My lips also look smoother don’t they? I think it would have been better had the rest of the Jelly Lip Pens had the texture of Gaia because that is near perfect!
When I was introduced to this, the Dior pro-team makeup artist Junior Cedeño taught me a little trick. He told me that because the colours were quite sheer, you can wear 2 different colours on both your lips for a snazzy effect, then blot them together to create a brand new shade!
I tried this by wearing Carioca on the top lip and Gaia on the lower lip. It isn’t very noticeable that you have 2 colours on and when you press your lips together, the warmth of Carioca blends with the pink of Gaia and turns it into a pretty coral-pink tone. I can’t duplicate this because its so subtle, but you can try this at home and see for yourself. For an idea of what the Jelly Lip Pens look in a full face shot, here I am wearing Carioca on the upper lip and Gaia on the lower lip and then pressed together to create the colour you see.
So my conclusion is, I like the Jelly Lip Pens and Dior’s take on them, but I do like some of them better than the others. Gaia and Carioca definitely deserve a second or third look but I’d personally pass on Ilhabela and Copacabana. You don’t have to agree though 🙂
In a nutshell
The Dior Jelly Lip Pens are a limited edition offering in the Bird of Paradise collection for Summer 2013. They are translucent, sheer lip crayons that have a very lovely balmy texture, like a more balmy Dior Addict lipstick. The colour is very sheer, in keeping with the general Summer feel and I found that the texture was actually very protective of my lips even in cold wind or hot sun, allowing them to remain chap-free. Some shades have more glitter than others and I personally prefer those that don’t have any shimmer to them so my personal picks are Carioca and Gaia. I’m getting a back up of Gaia because I think its absolutely worth having, for a healthy rosy pink tint to the lips when you just don’t want or feel like having anything else on.
Pros: Balmy and moisturising on lips, Sheer colour tints lips with a healthy glossy shine and natural colour, Portable and easy to use, Twist up mechanism means no sharpening required
Cons: Limited Edition, Some shades are more glittery than others
Who will like this: Anyone who likes sheer tinted balmy lip colours
You may notice I’ve made no mention of price. Usually, we’d all gasp at how pricey Dior makeup is, but this time, I won’t simply because at RM85, its cheaper than the other lip products from the brand (Lipsticks are already RM100! I remember buying them at RM80 … and complaining back then! *whimper*) and its on par with RMK and just a little more than a Clinique Chubby Stick. So comparing like with like, it isn’t that pricey.
One more small note. There’s a sweet candy scent which I think was to up the “jelly” factor. It doesn’t last and doesn’t bug me as much as I thought I would be but I do think it would be better off without.
Have you picked up a Dior Jelly Lip Pen? Which colour grabs at your heartstrings most?
My fave is Gaia and in one week of daily wear as a lip colour and as lip balm, I’ve worn it down quite a bit as you can tell from the photos. Definitely one to take a look at 😉
Paris B
Dior Jelly Lip Pens come in 4 shades – Carioca 636, Ilhabela 476, Copacabana 516, Gaia 656 Price: RM85 each Availability: Dior counters Limited Edition: Yes, Bird of Paradise collection, Summer 2013
Too bad that we didn’t get Ilhabela–it looks very pretty! I am happy with my purchase of Gaïa though. It’s sooo pretty and perfectly easy to wear for summer! I am still thinking about getting Carioca but then I tried these BITE Lush Lip Tints and fell in love so I’m thinking I’ll probably get a couple more of those instead. Still love the Jelly Lip Pen though–it’s definitely the best chubby lip pencil I’ve tried so far (but then, I haven’t tried the Clinique ones yet :/)
Ahhh you don’t get Ilhabela?! I wonder why! But I don’t think you’re missing anything, to be honest LOL! Gaia is gorgeous and I love how it looks so natural on lips and how well it worked as a lipbalm! Its a pity we don’t get Bite here but I’ll keep an eye out for it online or something. It sounds lovely!
I love Gaia, although my usual choice would have something with glitters (and lots of it). I have to pass on the ones with glitters because of my sensitive lips. Gaia is my choice. Will be going to the counter tomorrow.
Haha I think I’m getting old Angelina, I’m actually shying away from glitter/shimmer! :O That said, I do appreciate a touch of shimmer in lipstick or lipgloss. It just gives that 3D effect that’s very pretty isn’t it? I better get my Gaia back up before they’re cleaned out 😛
Phwoar these are pretty! Tempting, so so tempting 😛
Bloggers helping other bloggers empty their wallets eh? 😀
Gaia is lovely but would appear to sheer on highly pigmented lips. How does this range compare with a similar one from Revlon? I recently made my first purchase of Dior Addict lipstick and I really love the moisturising formula. I chose 972 Rose Shocking and it looks a lovely bright rose red on me. I plan to purchase more lipsticks from Dior in the future. Could you recommend a nice pink or peach-pink colour and perhaps in a different range (Dior Addict Extreme for example) for my medium tanned skin? I tried swatching the colours in Sephora recently but could not decide on a suitable colour. Thanks in advance PB and have a good long weekend!
Hi Victoria, I think on strongly pigmented lips these won’t show up very much as colour but only as shine or maybe just a hint of colour. Compared to Revlon, the Revlon one definitely is much more pigmented but I also find it much more drying. I’d put this as being close to the Clinique Chubby Stick in terms of colour (very sheer). I’m not sure of what other shades may be nice. You can consider Addict Extreme in Lucky or Plaza or I personally wear Icone almost daily but its more of a sheer red-rose. Lets see how we can find something for you 😉
Oh..I will just have to pick up Giai…..as usual, u are as usual a bad ‘influence’ lol…thanks for the great review..
Oops! 😛 I promise you won’t be disappointed if you like something sheer and balmy 😉
Gaia is definitely my favorite out of the 4! I don’t think I would be buying any of these..already have quite few lipstains from revlon
These are different from Revlon in that the Revlon is so much more pigmented! 🙂 But I’m aware the texture isn’t for everyone 😀
Looks like you got one shade we don’t get here. I tried them and wasn’t too convinced honestly, I just really prefer a bit more pigment. That aside though, it looks great on you and I like it a lot better when you mix two lip colours like you did here, it looks really pretty! Glad to hear that these are really a lot better when it comes to moisture! ^^
Was it Ilhabela that you don’t get Teri? I didn’t even know they didn’t release all 4 shades worldwide. Why do they do this to us again?! 😛 I can understand why people won’t like these because its just so sheer, but it is nice if you don’t want anything strong on. I like them not for daily wear but mostly for weekends or casual days 🙂 The texture did win me over big time also because I hadn’t had wonderful results with pencil type products before this
I wanted these initially, but after swatching them at the counter, I decided they’re not for me. I have naturally pink lips, and these are so sheer that everything will look the same on me. Furthermore, I have a few Chubby Sticks to last me for a while. I’m really tempted by the Pink Glow though. Resisting the urge to purchase!
Yeah, only 2 colours really showed up for me so it probably wouldn’t even show up on more pigmented lips. The Chubby Sticks don’t work for me sadly. Makes my lips dry although the Intense version is very nice! Pink Glow is very pretty though. Worth thinking over 😉
These look lovely on you! But I prefer more pigmented shades, so I think I’ll pass. Thanks for the review.
Thanks Gio 🙂 like many sheer lip colours these aren’t for everyone 🙂
They look gorgeous on u. 🙂 and the ‘jelly’ name sounds so yummy. But i don’t think these are worthy for my pigmented lips.
Actually Liyana I think you might be surprised. I have fairly pigmented lips too but as you can see, Gaia showed up quite well. It enhances your lip colour so it looks better and that’s what I think makes this work for that barely there tint of colour that many brands try for but few succeed. Still, it will come down to preference like everything else 🙂
I totally get what you mean. Thanks Paris. I might check this out soon. 🙂
Good luck! 😀
Oooh, Gaia would definitely be my choice too! Pinkish enough without too much glitter.
Its definitely the prettiest of the lot! Good eye! 😉
The new Chanel Rouge Coco Shine is waay better than there in terms of colour saturation me thinks. Also the colours actually shows up on the lips despite of how pigmented some ladies and gents lips are. And apparently they last up to 3-4 hours. Check out Dialogue . It is a sheer and yet impactful classic red. These Jelly Pen will not show up on lips that are a bit more pigmented no?
Rouge Coco shine is in a rather different category I feel, being more on par with the Dior Addict range in terms of texture and pigment. They’re pretty but just different. These would be more of the sheer tint found in Clinique Chubby Sticks or similar style translucent tints of colour or tinted lipbalm. I won’t say they won’t show up. Gaia and Carioca will potentially give a pink or coral glow to pigmented lips if not all out colour. I have fairly pigmented lips and the first 2 don’t show up well but the bottom 2 do 🙂 But it will come down to personal preference in the end as with all beauty products. I haven’t checked out the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine for ages. Anything good recently?
Really pretty on you Paris!!! I love lip pencils like these because they’re so easy to wear!
Thanks Tracy 😀 I am always a little wary because of my previous experience that left my lips feeling dry but this is pretty amazing as a tinted lipbalm!
Gorgeous – I have Gaia and like it, but more of a summer colour for me. With winter approaching, I have been into really bold lips lately.
Oh yeah, you’re having winter now! LOL! You’re absolutely right. These light shades will definitely work much better for warmer weather. I sometimes feel a bit awkward wearing bold or deep lips when the weather is so hot outside!
I love the colours and I love stains, but the pencil thing I don’t like. This because I love the stain pens, the packaging is better and doesn’t come off in my bag (I hate that). I received a stain/balm pencil today, a gorgeous colour from Jelly Pong Pong and I can’t wait to use it, but it’s a pencil and the almost always come with loos caps on them.
Hmm that’s rather interesting about the cap coming loose. I do tend to keep my lip products in a little makeup pouch in my bag (its the only makeup I carry around!) so I don’t have that problem, but I can see how it would be horrifying to open up your bag and see a mess in there! I do like the practicality for quick touch ups though 😀
I must stop reading your blog – every time I do, another item gets chucked into my already huge collection! >.< That said, Carioca and Gaia does look very tempting….I'll pass on the shimmer/ glitter ones altogether. 😛
Err… oops! Don’t stop reading please 😛
I am with beetrice … your blog is mucho hazardous to my bank account especially when you write about Dior. Sigh … Gaia is indeed a very, very, very pretty shade.
Must. Resist … Nope, ain’t working.
LOL!! Oops, sorry Jamie 😛 On the plus side, you probably only need Gaia, not the others… probably 😉
I caved. I literally drove like a mad woman to go get Gaia on Friday and now I’m twitching and itching to ALSO get Carioca and the turquoise half of the Samba duo because it’s just SO PRETTY! If only the beauty consultant at the Dior counter had stopped me from loitering around for so long I might have just escaped with Gaia and be done with it … Argh! Must. Resist … so hard!
Hahaha You crack me up Jamie 😀 I do hope you’re enjoying your Gaia because I’m still loving it loads! The shimmer turquoise in Samba is gorgeous isn’t it?! It would be nice if they sold it as a standalone instead of in the set. I’m not quite sure what to do with them as a set 😛 I guess from the Dior SA’s standpoint, she was doing the right thing stoking your lemmings eh? 😉
Oh yeah, she has her job cut out for her with me – NOT! All she had to do was just let me be and now … sigh, I have Carioca with me too. I am such a sucker. LOL! Now, I just need to find some super strong ductape because I’m close to getting Samba – the only thing stopping me is the minty twin. Sigh … what have you started, Paris? :-p
Golly, you move quickly! Carioca too?! 😀 But you got the 2 pretty ones, you can stop now hehe… Not crazy about the mint half of Samba either, Jamie although maybe you could keep it and then gift it later? 😉
I’m definitely going to get the Gaia one! I’m looking for a lippie that has a really natural look – hopefully this might be the perfect lippie with good staying power as well (since I have a terrible habit of biting my bottom lip when I’m stressed lol). Great review!
Gaia is pretty 🙂 But it doesn’t have wonderful staying power, since its light and balmy. Most of these emollient lip colours don’t have that sort of staying power you might be looking for, but on the upside, it might stop you from biting your lips – it can hurt the delicate skin! 😉