Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director for Dior Beauty, guides us through the newest Dior Forever collection and shares expert tips you might never have considered.
There are few hard and fast rules about make-up. It’s a realm where creative control is left entirely to the devices of the women and men who use it and thus, for Peter Philips, a man who’s spent much of his career developing beauty lines for the biggest fashion houses
– he’s now at Dior after spells at Chanel and Louis Vuitton – there are only a few rules he’s stayed true to over the years.
“Everyone wants to be beautiful, but not everyone wants to be fashionable,” he says. “Even if you don’t care about what’s on the latest catwalk or what’s the latest It-bag, you still want to look good.”
And making us look good is what Philips does best. This summer, Dior launched an entirely new routine comprising Dior Forever foundations in matte and glow finishes, two primers called Glow Veil and Velvet Veil, a Skin Correct creamy concealer in 10 shades, a cushion foundation available in two finishes, and a new-generation powder texture Rouge Blush that comes in four finishes to heighten the complexion for the long summer days.
And here to teach us how to use them all, as well as share pro tips on combating our infamous heat and humidity, is the man himself. We pose all of our most pressing questions.
Peter Philips shows us how to achieve a summer glow look using Dior Beauty make-up below.
During summer in Hong Kong, should I be using a foundation with a glow or matte finish? Should I always finish with a powder?
When you apply a glow finish, I find it contradictory to then apply a powder. If it’s cooler or you’re staying indoors, the glow foundation can be the most beautiful make-up result. But you know your climate best and you can take control. Our no-transfer matte isn’t a pure matte, it’s luminous. For our models in the Mumbai show, I started with the Capture Totale skincare routine, which is nicely moisturising, then used a bit of cream under the eye, followed by the Velvet Veil and then the matte foundation. I only powdered the sides of the nose, because we don’t want a shiny nose. You can also add a bit on the top of the eyebrows and on the centre of your forehead. But if I’d used the Skin Glow Foundation, then in that humidity and that spotlight it could have looked borderline sweaty. So always work with the elements and access the situation before you choose your routine.
Should I always use a primer before I put on foundation? Does it really give more long-lasting effects?
I think it helps, but the important thing is to apply really thin layers. Don’t use too much moisturiser, just enough. And then a thin layer of the Veil primer, then just a little bit
of foundation. And if you need more coverage – for blemishes, for example – use
a little bit of skin correct and when you apply it make sure it sits nicely on the face.
If you’re using a matte foundation, you can dab with a bit of powder on some zones. And for the glow, it works without the powder. The Dior Forever Cushion Powder is a fairly fine finish and you can balance out your look with a bit of it.
SPF is so important for protecting the skin from UV rays. Where does this step come in?
We have an exciting new launch in the Prestige skincare line called the Light-in-White Le Protecteur UV Sheer Glow. It gives you an almost pearlescent make-up result and it’s fantastic. It’s a SPF 50 and if you layer that in between your Veil primer and your foundation, it’ll add glow and protection.
You’ve also developed a cushion puff for Dior Beauty that comes with the new cushion foundation.
The make-up cushion puffs are adapted for different make-up results and are texturally
a bit different. One is for the matte finish and one is for the glow finish. The cushion puff
is designed to be a bit pointier, so it can really reach the inner corner of the eyes and allow you to be more precise. It’s a bit like in the old days when you applied power with silk powder puffs and used cotton powder puffs to give you a more matte finish. It’s the same principle.
When should we use a cushion foundation and when should we use a liquid? Can you mix and match?
That’s a good question. The cushion is more of an on-the-go concept. I’d keep to my routine in the morning and use a liquid foundation, which we talked about earlier. And then I’ll take the cushion with me on the job during the day. It’s much easier to put your cushion foundation into your bag than a whole bottle. It’s literally a compact product that you can easily use for touch-ups or, for example, if you’re travelling.
Asian skins tend to have a yellow undertone that makes it a bit difficult to decide what blush colour goes on naturally. Can you share some tips?
The new blush is a really great formula and, again, it’s full of skincare elements. But the great thing about this formula is that it’s buildable. So when you apply it, you know you aren’t going to overdo it and you can build it up slowly. You can place the blush where you want to concentrate and blend it out and get this beautiful flushed look. We also have these beautiful finishes like satin, matte and holographic, and a range of colours from beige to corals to pinks and reds.
Should you mix and match different colours of blush?
Yes, and I do it quite often. If I’m applying a full face of make-up, I quite often start on the side of where the eyeshadow ends, use a soft pink on the side of the face, like a halo for the blush that I’m going to apply later, which could be a more intense pink. You could also do a soft coral on the side of the face and a pink in the centre of your blush, which is also really good. I also like to put a highlight on top of that. For example, from our Backstage line I use the Glow Palette and a bit of extra Glow essence, which can blend beautifully with the eyeshadow and the face. Sometimes when you have heavy eye make-up and you have a blush and lip, they become fragmented. So I like to connect them and the blush helps to connect them.
Dior Beauty currently has 42 shades of foundation. How do I pick a foundation that works best for my skin tone?
It’s not a two-minute purchase, so you have to take the time and space. A classic trick
is to always open up your T-shirt or blouse a bit so you can see the whole picture. It’s important to find a shade that blends in with the rest of your body. Then the next question to ask yourself is whether you want to enhance or correct your tone. That’s also a very individual approach. If, let’s say, you’re an olive undertone but you want to correct that, then a peach shade might be good. There are so many possibilities, and when you add to the equation it always becomes more complicated. The more diverse your range is, the more complicated it becomes. The less diverse your range is, the more controversial it becomes because you don’t serve everybody. So what we try to do is make it as easily approachable as possible. First of all, you should decide if you want a glossy finish or a matte finish. That already eliminates half the products. Then you find your colour. OK, I’m sure I’m not above a number 4. Then now you have fewer products in front of you. Once you find your core range you then decide if you want to enhance or correct, and try it on your skin.
You’ve done so many fashion shows and beauty looks, what trends do you forecast for this summer?
There used to be a time when catwalks dictated beauty trends, but now the make-up is in service of the looks presented on the catwalk, and the beauty trends are coming more from the streets and from social media. That’s where beauty is alive and is its own catwalk almost. Definitely anything glowy is still going strong. In your make-up, there should be an element of glow, whether it’s your skin or in your eyeshadow, or maybe even the whole face – but glow is key this season. It gives it that extra dimension.
Has anything you’ve seen on social media really surprised you in terms of technique or tricks?
Not really, but I’m sometimes surprised about the return of old tricks. There was a huge hype about a year ago about the under eyeliner. It’s such an old trick but suddenly it’s become the invention of the century. But that’s also the great thing about make-up and social media. There’s nothing really new under the sun but it’s been reinvented over and over again, in new contexts, in new colours, new combinations and new faces, so that’s surprising. Social media has allowed the young generation to quickly become aware of what’s possible.
You can discover more about the new Dior Forever collection here.