Dior Holiday 2013 Collection - Golden Winter

Yesterday we looked at the YSL Parisian Night collection and today we are continuing this season's obsession with Parisian-inspired holiday collections.  Dior has released the Golden Winter collection, a group of holiday products that are inspired by the gold grandeur of Versailles.  Nearly every surface in Versailles is covered in gold or mirrors, this was grand palace of the royal family before the French Revolution and one of the most visited places in the city today.  I have not yet been to Versailles but have seen many pictures of the beauty and splendor of the buildings and grounds, I want to visit Versailles very much and this collection from Dior has me very excited!

I am not sure how much of this collection will work for my cool pink-toned skin, gold tones (with the exception of eye makeup) tend not to be flattering on me.  I might not be attracted to as many products from Golden Winter as I was from the YSL collection yesterday but I love the idea of this collection and it is time for us to start checking it out.

Dior's holiday collection!

5 Couleurs Eye Palette - Dior reinvents the 5 Couleurs legend.  True to the bold colour creation from the House of Dior, each harmony explores a unique world of colour. Based on a central shade, the signature of the palette, 4 accessory shades are used to create a multi-faceted look.  Like a couture wardrobe for the eyes, 5 Couleurs gives free rein to your creativity to achieve custom makeup results. Dior has also created two ready-to-wear looks for the eyes—natural and sophisticated—based on the central shade. 
- Golden Flower - shades of golds, bronzes, and roses
- Golden Snow - shades of grays, purples, and pinks

Diorblush - The iconic blush from the House of Dior: the new colour accessory for face makeup with style. 
Diorblush boasts a wide palette of shades available in 4 colour groupings (pink, red, coral and nude) and 3 finishes (iridescent, matte, satiny). Red, pink, coral and nude—an explosion of colour for the finishing touch to your makeup look.
- Gold Addict - warm deep rose with subtle gold shimmer
- My Rose - cool deep rose with a matte finish

Diorific Haute Couture Lipstick - Diorific, the legendary lip accessory with an Haute Couture finish, holds the signature of Dior glamour in its jewel-like gold case.  A unique formula in rich shades with a luminous, long-lasting matte finish and perfectly shaped and defined lips to create a captivating, sophisticated look.
- Diva – ruby red cream
- Etoile – frosted beige satin
- Joy – neutral glossy pink
- Royale – rose gold shimmer
- Winter – warm raspberry cream
- Midnight – fuchsia cream

Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss - More than just a gloss, Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss is a lip plumper and gloss all in one.  For the first time at Dior, an Ultra-Gloss with a hydra-plumping texture that offers 3 benefits: Ultra-Plumping:  +14% immediate volume. Its plumping formula gives lips a supple, plump shape bursting with freshness; Ultra-glossy: 97% of women say lips are glossed with an incredibly thin and easy-wearing mirror-shine film; Ultra-hydrating: 6 hours of continuous, deep moisturisation for smoothed, plumped lips.
- Enchanted Rose - deep rose cream with silver shimmer
- Pink Fantasy - pale sheer pink with gold shimmer

Diorific Vernis Nail Lacquer - Ultra-shiny, long wearing and sensational gel shape… Discover the new Dior Vernis range: alluring shades that team true colour with professional results and a new expert brush that makes it easy to achieve that "just-stepped-out-of-the-salon" finish.
- Winter – milky pink with lots of gold shimmer
- Marylin – ruby red cream
- Royale – pure fuchsia cream
- Midnight  – vibrant plum with lots of silver shimmer

I like this collection a lot but I do think that I prefer the YSL collection over this one.  I preferred the YSL collection because it contained a wider range of lip products but I do prefer the eye makeup palettes contained in the Dior collection.  I will be purchasing products from both of these collections but I do think that I will end up with more from the YSL collection.  I think my biggest issue with the Dior collection is that so many of the products are loaded with shimmer and this limits my ability to make them work for more occasions than just going out at night.  I understand that holiday makeup is supposed to be about dressing up and having fun however it can be very hard to work many of these shades into more subtle makeup looks. 

One of my favorite aspects about Dior collections is the special packaging, this brand always has the best packaging and product presentation but what is contained on the inside has doesn't always live up to expectations.  This is a brand that has some of the hugest variances in quality and pigmentation, an issue that I would love to see get sorted out because I would buy more from them if the products were of a more consistent quality. 

I would like the 5 Couleurs Eye Palette in Golden Flowers, this is a pretty palette with warm shimmering tones that will complement my blue eyes.  I should be able to use these shades well past this holiday season and they should be able to work with many of the shades that I already love in my Urban Decay Naked Palettes.  I also want the Diorblush in the matte pink shade, this is one of the most wearable pieces of this whole collection and I don't wear shimmer on my face if I am doing a dramatic eye or lip look.  I like the Diorific lipsticks in Diva, Joy, and Midnight but I can pass on the others.  None of the lip glosses are impressive to me and I am not interested in any of the nail polishes.  I wanted to like the nail polishes because the packaging is so pretty but the shades are pretty generic and I don't love any of them.

Dior isn't one of my favorite brands and I haven't fond any products or collections to change this around.  This company does packaging very well but the products and formulas are all over the place and I haven't been in love with any of their past few seasonal collections. 

photo courtesy of Dior