Dior Blue Tie Collection Rouge Dior Lip Color for Fall 2011

Dior's Blue Tie Collection for Fall 2011 started to sell out the moment it hit the counters. One week after the collection arrived at Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria, the dual-toned blushes were gone. While most of the attention has been focused on the Blue Tie Palette for eyes and lips, my eyes were instantly drawn by the lip colors. I came home with two Rouge Dior shades and two new Rouge Sérum shades.

Haute couture color and a new ultra-nourishing, long-wearing formula, luxuriously packaged in the House of Dior's signature cannage pattern with a jeweled emblem.

Four shades of Rouge Dior ($30) grace the fall display.

• Allegro Pink #741
• Angelique Beige #314
• Pasanelle Pink #428
• Tourbillon Pink #651

They are all pretty, but I had to exercise some self-restraint. Pasalelle Pink and Allegro Pink came home with me. Pasalelle Pink is shown at left, and Allegro Pink is shown below right.

I debated with myself in the store over their similarities. They appeared on my skin to be members of the same "warm rosewood" family, but with different intensities. I couldn't decide between them, so - you guessed it - I bought both. I need to become more decisive.

My in-store impression was correct. On my lips, they are both warm rose shades - much warmer than you might expect from their appearance in the tubes. My swatch photos were taken in sunlight filtered by high clouds.

Pasalelle Pink is shown at the top of my arm, with Allegro Pink below it. Now that I've had a chance to wear each, I think Pasalelle Pink is the best shade for me. I like it! It's cooler than Allegro Pink, which shows its coral hue clearly on my lips. I can wear that warmer tone, but not in an intense lipstick. Rouge Dior is opaque; I need a sheer look to pull off warmer shades. I'll have to trade Allegro Pink with one of my trading friends - or send it to one of my blogger buddies. I'm not sure I'll wear it.

Looks in the tube can be deceiving - as we all know. Normally, I test on my fingertips, which have color approximating my lip color, but I didn't the day I was shopping. I skipped that step because I was in a hurry. I also skipped my normal trip to a skylight to see the shades in a realistic light.

Don't let my preferences influence you, though. We all have our peculiarities (in opinion and looks!), and what's not perfect for me may be your holy grail. All four shades appear to have been designed to offset a dramatic eye perfectly.

Rouge Dior is long-lasting and does have a perfumy fragrance. The fragrance is not troublesome to my nose and dissipates quickly.

I purchased my new Dior shades for fall at Neiman Marcus. I'm sure all the Dior counters have the fall collection now. You can see it online at Nordstrom if you'd like to armchair shop.

Photos courtesy of Nordstrom and by Best Things in Beauty