How One Model’s Bedroom Selfie Inspired the Makeup on the Dior Runway

How to subvert the classic feline flick? Follow makeup artist Peter Philips’s lead at Dior’s spring 2023 show, where a smoldering stare was given an artisanal upgrade. While eyeliner was ringed across the upper and lower lash lines, it met in the inner corners in a subtle, but striking cross formation, which Philips described as “symbolic.”

“Old artisans used to mark their stones with crosses and things, but it’s also a very practical way to draw lines on your eyes,” he says, which felt relevant given the collection was inspired by Catherine de Medici, who was Queen of France in the 16th century. “The other reason behind it comes from Stella Lucia, who is one of the girls walking in the show.”

The story goes that Maria Grazia Chiuri showed Philips a picture from Lucia’s social media, and the pair decided to adapt the look for all of the models in the show. “It’s kind of cool to have these two totally opposite female characters as an inspiration for the look,” he says. “You have a historic figure and then a girl who is very contemporary, taking selfies in her bedroom and uploading to social media.”

To create the lived-in, slightly imperfect liner, Philips used Dior’s Diorshow Khôl in the waterline and then the brand’s Diorshow 24H Stylo, a waterproof gel-based eyeliner, around the eyes. Crucially, they swerved traditional liquid eyeliner because the finish was “too clean, too ’60s”— while the 24H Stylo created a “rougher, more smudged effect”.

Along with the brushed-up brows, nude, natural skin, and moisturized lips, there was one other key star of the makeup show. Inspired by the spring 2023 collection, the 5 Couleurs Couture eyeshadow palette in 349 Prêt-à-Porter was used across eyelids on some models. It features an array of shades that are perfect for the autumnal months and beyond. “If you want to adapt this look for every day, it’s nice to finish with one of the nude shades on the eyelids,” says Phillips. “It completes the whole look.”