What no one on TikTok is telling you about the Viral Dior stick foundation

The description of Dior’s new foundation reads like a prime CV. The Forever Skin Perfect Multi-Use Foundation Stick’s strengths include:

• A soft focus effect
• 24 hours of coverage
• Moisturising properties
• Buildable coverage
• Practical stick format
• Heat and moisture resistant, non-comedogenic (link in German) formula

Bought it! At the airport. In the duty-free store. Why there of all places? Because the 10 grammes of luxury foundation are anything but cheap, running you around 40 or 50 francs, depending on the supplier. Dior itself sets the price at 67 francs. As always, I blame TikTok for the purchase and deny any responsibility.

The thing is, now that I’ve tried the foundation myself, I can confirm it ticks off every point on the list above. Well, except for the 24 hours of coverage part. In my case it lasted a solid seven hours, which I think is still pretty good. But there are a few things I wish I’d known before spending so much money, because the foundation didn’t quite deliver what I expected based on TikTok and the like. That would first and foremost be flawless, radiant skin – in line with the Korean glass skin trend (link in German). I’d like to paint a more realistic picture of the foundation here.

What (almost) nobody talks about

• The foundation is highly perfumed.

• The finish isn’t as glowy as some reviews would have you believe. Have you noticed that most of the people reviewing the Dior stick already start off with very shiny skin? This means they thoroughly exfoliated and excessively moisturised in advance with serums, creams, oils and primers. This makes the stick appear to glide, creamy and buttery, over the skin and distorts the actual finish. I’d describe it as a matt satin at most.

• There’s very little product in the tube. Fully unscrewed, you get just under two centimetres. My experience is that these sticks are used up more quickly than a standard 30-millilitre bottle of liquid make-up.

• As is so often the case with luxury beauty products, the packaging is extra heavy. This is meant to remind consumers they’re holding a high-quality product in their hands. I find this annoying in what would be a super handy stick I’d like to keep in my handbag for touch-ups.

• Most people apply the foundation directly to the face. That looks cool, but is the opposite of hygienic. You can achieve a natural look by working some product thoroughly into the tips of a clean brush and only then applying it to the skin. It saves you product and, most importantly, is more hygienic.

• The formula accentuates dry patches, texture and pores. The foundation’s softening finish isn’t some magical skin revamper. Rather, it’s a bonus for already near-perfect skin.

Ok, that all sounds rather «meh». But to my own surprise, I still really enjoy using the Dior stick foundation. I just had to adjust my expectations a tad and invest a little more time into prepping my skin. What I now appreciate about the formula is that it stays on my skin very well, looks natural and keeps my T-zone matte.

What I put the foundation through in one day

• A leisurely Pilates class
• A collision with my boyfriend’s sweater (the garment was stained, my make-up remained visually unscathed)
• A lunch that explored my face beyond the corners of my mouth (who has time to cut their salad leaves into bite-sized pieces?!)
• An intense yoga class
• The steam from a hot shower

So, would I buy the Dior foundation again? At this price, probably not. It’s just not justified; I’m missing the magic promised to me in all the TikTok videos.

The Dior Forever Skin Perfect Multi-Use Foundation Stick will soon be available in our shop. I'll keep you posted.