It’s not quite Halloween, but for many that mark the occasion, it’s certainly close enough to start embracing a spooky vibe.
On viewing the beauty look and overall vibe of the Dior’s Spring-Summer 2024 Ready-To-Wear collection, you might get the idea creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was in that mood too.
In reality, Chiuri has looked to female stereotypes in history, from witches and femme fatales to the Parisiennes of 19th-century France. Given that dark femininity offers a huge scope of ideas to pull from, so too there were plenty of different ideas sprinkled through the collection of black and white garments.
Like looking through old black and white photographs, Dior’s Spring-Summer 2024 range contrasted strong clean garment shapes, with crisp white shirts against oversized black blazers including one with a blurred depiction of the Eifel tower, with more delicate sheer pieces and and lace.
Peter Philips, creative and image director for Dior Beauty, ran with the inspiration, tasked with coming up with a ‘witchy’ lip look, but in a gothic way, rather than any scary-looking approach.
A surprise to beauty enthusiasts that know of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s love of a strong eye makeup look, the approach is at odds with many recent Dior fashion week presentations where a graphic eyeliner regularly reigned. That look was certainly found elsewhere this season but for Dior, a softly stained lip was the unique makeup approach.
Philips said the chic, minimalist, luminous translucent complexion was created to contrast with intense lips.
“They were darkened in the center, at the top as well as at the bottom, to give a very witch-like ‘bitten lip’ effect,” he explained.
”The lips, which are the focal point of this look, were given a ’bitten’ effect by emphasising the deep colour applied where the upper and lower lips mee, he says. “I then blended outwards from the centre until I reached the natural shade of the lips at the outer edges.”
Typically creative, he used Diorshow On Stage Crayon, a black eyeliner, to anchor the look, then topped with a touch of Rouge Dior Forever lipstick in a deep wine shade called Forever Night.
Balancing the focal point, perhaps a more desirable everyday element was the perfected, soft and luminous complexion, prepared with Dior Capture Totale Le Sérum.
“I then applied Dior Forever Glow Veil as a unifying base followed by Dior forever Skin glow foundation says Philips. “I corrected where necessary with a few touches of Dior Forever Skin Correct [concealer] finished by using Dior Forever Skin Cushion for touch-ups.”
Eyes were left bare save for subtly structuring the eyebrows with the Diorshow Brow Styler Pencil and Diorshow On Set Brow Gel for a natural effect.
The look was paired with a hair style that is another beacon of Parisienne chic, the French twist, created by legendary hairstylist Guido Palau.
Photographer: Olivier Rose For Christian Dior Parfums
