Dior Bird of Paradise: Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo in Coral Glow

Dior released their Summer 2013 collection this month, called Bird of Paradise. It features 27 products in total, but not all retailers will carry the full range (I think select items are exclusive at certain stores). When my friend who works at Dior gave me a sneak preview of this collection a few weeks back, I knew immediately that I had to pick up the Coral Glow Paradise Duo. I didn't know all the hype that this product was going to receive, but the moment I swatched it, it was instant love. The Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo is "a collector's edition powder that combines the sunny shades of a powder and the bright pearly tones of a blush in a single palette to highlight and sculpt tanned, summer skin. The skin is illuminated with a sunkissed effect, as if glowing in the sunlight." There are two shades of Paradise Duo, each one packaged in a silver metal mirrored compact featuring Dior's signature quilt pattern. Each compact comes with a kabuki brush, contains 9.5 grams of product, and retails for $56.


Coral Glow consists of four "quadrants" of colour, each one with a different letter to spell out the word, "NUDE." The "N" quadrant is a medium-dark orange-toned tan with in a natural matte finish. The "D" quadrant is a medium yellow-toned peach tan in a natural matte finish. The "U" quadrant is a medium pink-coral with red undertones in a satin finish. The "E" quadrant is a medium pink-coral in a satin finish that is slightly less reddened than the "U" quadrant. For its purposes, the "N" and "D" quadrants are meant to be swirled together to use as a bronzer, and the "U" and "E" quadrants are meant to be swirled together to use as a blush.

Swatches of each individual "quadrant"
Swatches of bronzer "quadrants" blended together and blush "quadrants" blended together

Coral Glow Bronzer is a medium-dark orange-toned tan brown in a natural matte finish. The texture is silky and very finely-milled, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more orange than MAC Refined Golden Bronzing Powder, slightly darker and warmer than MAC Give Me Sun! Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, and lighter and less red than MAC Bronze Bronzing Powder.

Coral Glow Blush is a medium-dark brightened pink-coral with red undertones in a satin finish. The texture is silky and very finely-milled, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more reddened than MAC Fleur Power, brighter and more pink than NARS Torrid, similar but less shimmery than Tarte Blissful, and much less red than Tarte Frisky.

At $56, this compact is definitely a splurge, but it is truly gorgeous — it sits beautifully on the skin, has amazing colour pay-off, and layers and blends out incredibly well. Coral Glow definitely leans warm, so it is generally more suitable for those with warmer undertones, but it's a nice option for those with cooler undertones looking to add warmth to their complexion. Surprisingly, I find that this duo would work well on all skintones from fair to dark. What I love most about this is that the finish on both the bronzer and the blush isn't too matte and not shimmery at all — it leaves a naturally luminous finish to the skin without being shiny. Seriously, everything from the silky, soft, finely-milled texture to the weighty silver compact screams "luxury!" Plus, having both a bronzer and a blush in one compact makes it handy for travel, too. If there's one thing to splurge on from Dior's Bird of Paradise collection, it's Coral Glow.