Backstage At The Dior Haute Couture AW23/24 Show With The Mastermind Behind The Beauty: Peter Philips

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Dior

Earlier this week, Dior presented the Autumn-Winter 2023-2024 Haute Couture Collection. Held in the breathtaking gardens of Musée Rodin in Paris. The room was filled with famous faces, from Natalie Portman to Alexandra Daddario and Rosamund Pike, just to name a few. This season, Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s primary influence derives from the elegant simplicity of the Greco-Roman era. The collection was described as “archetypal” simple pieces meticulously crafted using the finest materials, exemplifying a woman who embodies sophistication and refinement. The collection would not be complete without the perfect beauty look. We spoke to Peter Philips, Creative & Image Director of Dior Makeup, about how he achieved the look for the show.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Dior Beauty

Ahead of the show, we had the opportunity to go backstage, gaining an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse to learn more about the inspiration behind the beauty concept. Philips describes the look he created as strong yet fragile, with a strong emphasis on luminosity. “The main focus is skin; the look I designed focused on a radiant, luminous, and dewy complexion, the skin needed to be immaculate, especially with the catwalk light.”

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Dior Beauty

In order to achieve this flawless finish, Philips used Dior Prestige La Micro-Huile de Rose Advanced Serum, Dior Prestige Le Micro-Sérum de Rose Yeux, and Dior Forever Glow Veil Primer to prep the skin and give it that glowy look. Philips evened out the complexion with Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation, which provides a natural, luminous finish. Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer was added for the girls who needed extra coverage.

As for eyes, he detailed, “I just curled the lashes, framed the eyes with natural eyebrows using Diorshow Brow Styler and Diorshow On Set Brow, and dusted gold shadow all over the eyes from the Diorshow 5 Couleurs 539 Grand Bal Palette.” Philips then went on to explain how “there’s no blush, no highlighting or contouring because the glow is in the foundation.” Maria Grazia did not want any pearlescence besides the eye. There is no extra highlight on anything. Lips, like the rest of the face, were kept incredibly simple. Philips used Rouge Dior Satin Balm 000 Diornatural.

All in all, the look was “simple, efficient and pure, all about glow and luminosity.” The glam mirrored the garments featured in the collection. Philips elaborated on the correlation between the two, highlighting how there was a lot of luminosity and light in the clothes. The color palette of the collection was predominantly neutral, with muted tones with metallic finishes, with no pops of color, and overall very delicate. We asked Peter Philips about the level of collaboration involved between him and Maria Grazia Chiuri in developing the makeup for the show. “There wasn’t a specific brief; I was focused on a certain finish. We wanted to create something really beautiful. Maria Grazia wanted almost nothing, leading us to emphasize radiant and luminous skin.”