Dior Makeup creative and image director Peter Philips was given a two-word brief ahead of the French fashion house’s Spring/Summer 2024 show: witchy lips. Going off the inspiration, matte black lipstick, like the look Philips created for the fashion house’s F/W ‘16 show, probably comes to mind. But instead, the makeup artist went the less obvious route and nodded to the goth girl aesthetic by creating a soft, wine-stained effect on bare lips.
“This look is a take on what she [creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri] wanted to say [with this collection] about women being seen as witches in a male-dominated world for many generations,” Philips said backstage at Place de la Concorde in Paris. “There’s a gothic element to the story.”
The key to creating the gothic lip was actually black eyeliner. After prepping the models’ lips with balm and wiping it off to create a dry canvas, Philips added a rough line of Dior’s On Stage Crayon in 099 Black to the line the separates the top and bottom lips, then blended it out quickly with a Q-tip. “It’s a combination of a waterproof liner and a kohl liner,” he said of the pencil. “I used it because it stays the best.” Next he used Rouge Dior lipstick in a red or rosewood shade (111 Forever Night or 500 Forever Nude Soul) to balance the contrast between the black liner and the natural lip color. He also added a touch of foundation to the edges of the lips, if needed.
With the focus on the lips, the rest of makeup was minimal — brows were groomed and skin was bare and luminous, thanks to a combination of Dior’s Forever Skin Correct Concealer and Forever Cushion Powder. “The set has pink and yellow lights, so we didn’t want anything on the skin like a contour; just a flat, luminous base,” Philips said. “There’s also no mascara because it would [make the look] a little bit more sexy and Halloween-y.”
Lead hairstylist Guido Palau gave models a slightly damp French twist to complement the gothic-inspired makeup. To get the slightly wet (but not drenched texture) he raked mousse through the hair and let it air-dry before twisting it up, leaving the ends out for an effortless finish.“There’s classic-ness to the shape, but it has some ease with the ends out,” Palau said backstage, adding that he put a headband on the models while their hair dried to add a little height to the finished look.
Dark, moody makeup isn’t typically associated with spring, but with its subtle take on gothic glamour, Dior has demonstrated how to embrace your inner witch without looking off-season.
