AnOther went backstage at Maria Grazia Chiuri’s A/W19 show to speak with Dior Beauty’s creative and image director
The dorsal side of world-renowned make-up artist Peter Philips’ left hand was caked in inky black liner as he greeted me backstage at Dior’s A/W19 show at the Musée Rodin in Paris yesterday. This was an indication of the kind of beauty look we’d soon be seeing on the runway – sure enough, models began to meander in after their rehearsal, eyes heavily framed in drawn on, Polly Magoo-like kohl. “Maria Grazia’s research is always amazing,” Philips says. “I’ve been creative and image director of Dior Beauty for five years and I’m still discovering new things thanks to her! It’s truly amazing what she finds.”
This season, it was grainy, black and white images of the Teddy Girls of 1950s and 60s London pinned to Chiuri’s mood board, alongside the 1970s series of self-portraits by 88-year-old Italian artist Tomaso Binga, titled Naked Alphabet. (The latter also formed the show’s set, with monochromatic cut-outs of Binga affixed around the space, and the artist herself even introducing the collection by reciting a short poem.) Here, Philips talks through how the beauty look grew from these inspirations, and how to re-create it yourself.
1. Prep the skin...
“The idea of the paired back, glowing skin – and a slight luminosity on the lips – is because the collection contains a lot of hats by Stephen Jones, which frame the face. Here, the shadow falls to create a natural contour on the face, so there is no contouring or blush in this look. Therefore, skin prep is key. If you have dry skin I like to use our Prestige Oil, or I like to use Hydra Life moisturiser on oilier skin, because it’s water-based. The Dream Skin serum is amazing – it evens out your skin and makes your foundation have a better grip. And I use our Capture Youth Glow Booster – you just need a few drops over your face. We used Dior Face and Body foundation, which is our most lightweight, and then a touch of Backstage Glow Powder on the cheekbones. We then used our new product on the lips – Dior Stellar Shine in the shade Mirage – to finish.”
2. Keep the focus on the eyes...
“When I was devising the make-up look, I knew Maria Grazia isn’t a lip girl – she’s definitely an eye girl! I predicted that’s where the focus would be. In the hair and make-up test with Guido [Palau] there were four different girls with four different skin tones. She wanted the hair to be kept very natural and the make-up to just enhance what was already there, which is why the skin ended up being so simple. Sure enough, she said: ‘I want one strong look around the eye.’ As it was about keeping things monochrome – like a grainy black and white image – I tried four different versions of the 1960s-inspired eye you see now, using Dior Onstage Liner, in a matte black, and she picked the one she liked. This look is something that can work on everyone because you apply it to the lids with a heavy hand, following the natural shape of your eye – it doesn’t have to be perfect.”
3. Finally, apply exactly three coats of mascara...
“I drew the lashes on the lower lid and in chunky blocks – but you can draw them more feathery, more retro, more romantically if you prefer. For the real lashes, no false ones were applied to the natural lash line. This kept it contemporary. Instead, I curled the lashes, used one coat of Diorshow Maximiser 3D lash base and then exactly two coats of waterproof Pump ’N’ Noir mascara on top to really thicken the lashes. A good tip for holding the curl in lashes is to use waterproof mascara. Be careful not to apply too much, though. This look is not about a spidery lash – it’s a good chunky lash with lots of volume.”