BEHIND THE SCENES with PETER PHILIPS

An intimate backstage moment with the legendary creative and image director for Dior Makeup

Where do you find inspiration?

I always start with the woman who will wear this makeup. Of course I’m also inspired by art, photos and movies but I stay grounded in reality. If my work was just about my inspirations and obsessions it would be too niche, too pretentious. I don’t work to satisfy myself but to please women all over the world. This collection is all natural colours – even the brightest ones: brown, taupe, brick, beige, nude. I gave a lot of thought as to what natural means. A nude look isn’t the same in the US as in France, Korea or the Middle East. It’s not even a question of skin tone. It’s about culture, climate, lifestyle. That is why this new Rouge Dior collection has 70 colours.

The new lipstick textures are amazing. What has changed?

Women nowadays want something natural, easy, moisturising and comforting. We’ve been putting more and more caring elements in our makeup for years. We work hand in hand with the chemists: if the lab develops the use of a new flower extract for a serum, they offer it to us and the results are incredible. Their scientific creativity gives us new textures and new formulations that make our products feel better, look better and stay longer. There is constant research and innovation behind every re-launch of our lipstick and foundation lines.

How did you approach each model in this shoot?