The latest release from Dior - Dior Addict Fluid Stick

In a very short amount of time I've gone from having almost a dislike towards lip glosses and owning only one or two, to become a complete afficionado with a decent little collection. A new addition to this growing collection is the latest product launch from Dior - the Dior Addict Fluid Stick (£26). This is another one of these "difficult to define" lip products; is it a lipstick, is it a lipgloss, is it a stain? that have become so popular and we've seen L'Oréal, Sleek, Hourglass and lots of other brands do versions of these. For me the original really is the YSL Glossy Stain, which is a product I absolutely love, so the Fluid Stick certainly had a lot to live up to. The packaging is just what you would expect from Dior - it's shiny, sleek and modern and really shows off each of the beautiful 16 colors in the range. I was immediately drawn to shade 551 Aventure which is a lovely bright and zesty coral, that looks almost orange in the tube, but it's a very wearable and summery color. that I think would work really well with many skin tones. 

Unlike a lot of lip products the Fluid Stick doesn't contain any wax, and instead the formula uses water, making the texture very smooth, slick, completely non sticky and it's so light and pleasant that it feels as if you're not wearing anything at all on your lips - it's quite a strange and refreshing sensation. The Fluid Stick comes with a doe foot applicator which is nice and firm for defining the lip contours but it's also flexible and bendy for a soft and easy one sweep application.

Dior Addict Fluid Stick - 551 Aventure

When you first apply the product it's a very high shine glossy look, and I would actually almost call it a wet look, but that sets after just a few minutes and turns into a much more sophisticated and muted highly pigmented look with a stylish glossy finish. After another few mins the color has set fully and developed into a stain and the formula then starts to feel a little bit thicker on the lips, but still with a nice and hydrating feeling which should be very soothing if you've got dry lips. The Fluid Stick turns into a stain very quickly but it also loses the glossiness, and personally I would have preferred it if the gloss lasted longer. It also transfers quite a lot as soon as you have a drink, which also chips away at the pigmentation so I wouldn't call this a long lasting formula. On me this only lasts with intense pigmentation for about an hr or so, and you can see pictures here on my Instagram of how it wears (photos from straight after application, after 1 hr and after 2 hrs).

I really like the smoothness and of the formula and how lovely and lightweight it feels on the lips - so from a consistency point of view it's even lovelier than the YSL Glossy Stain and I also like the initial strong pigmentation, however for me the wear unfortunately let's it down and the Fluid Stick comes nowhere close to the long wear I get from the YSL Glossy Stain. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations, but from a wear point of view it doesn't quite do it for me, especially not considering the price. I really love the shade 551 Aventure but that's as far as the adventure with Fluid Stick goes for me and I don't think I'll pick up any of the other shades. If you've tried this, please let me know what you think - perhaps it's just this shade that's not working out...?