Pamela Anderson, star of a fashion campaign at 56 years old and without a drop of makeup: "It's a return to origins"
Jared Leto's incredible transformations: from 'just' dyeing his hair crazy colors to being the king of makeup
Do your parents know that I sneak into your bedroom every night?" The phrase, uttered by presenter
Vince Fontaine
at the 'Grease' high school dance
,
echoes in my head as I sit across from
Peter Philips
on a sunny Parisian morning. That his name is not as well-known as that of
Christian Dior
or that of the designer currently at the head of the 'maison',
Maria Grazia Chiuri,
does not mean that he who is now celebrating
10 years
as
director of Creation and Image of the Dior makeup
is not part of our daily lives.
His role in the brand is that of
a one-man band.
He is
a makeup artist,
responsible for the looks of the shows.
He is an artist when it comes to capturing
the brand's image in the campaigns,
where he works with
Natalie Portman or Anya Taylor-Joy.
But it is its active role in the creation and development of the product that makes it sneak into our lives - even Queen
Letizia
uses a lipstick that was reformulated under the leadership of Philips - with
foundations
that look like a second skin, colored eyeliners that They delight makeup crazy people - I raise my hand - or
lipsticks.
The latter are what bring us to Paris, where this calm and good-humoured Belgian presents the renewal of
Rouge Dior,
the first makeup product created by the couturier in 1953.
What power does a lipstick like Rouge Dior have, which was successful 70 years ago and is also successful today? Everyone remembers the feeling of putting on lipstick for the first time.
I see it in young models: some are shocked, there are those who don't even move, others feel more powerful... As a male makeup artist, I perceive that adding color to the lips is one more layer of being a woman. Do you have a lipstick more effect than other elements of makeup? Yes, because it is easy to apply.
An eyeliner is very technical, but applying makeup to the lips is simple, even fun, and a rouge is so pleasant to wear... Even when it fades, it leaves a beautiful effect.
An eyeliner can be a stress factor, never your lipstick. Is it your essential basic? No, it is not always necessary.
Good skin is essential, you can make up the most beautiful look that if the base is not good, whoever observes will be left with that memory, not with the eye or mouth being impeccable.
But there are women who don't need anything to have it, eh?
Peter Philips 'in action' at Dior's spring-summer 2024 show, where a dark lip took center stage. COURTESY OF DIOR
From fashion to makeup: fun makes the profession
Peter Philips was not going to be a makeup artist.
The effervescent cultural panorama that his native Antwerp
experienced
in the 80s led him to study
design at the Academy of Fine Arts.
In that crazy decade she dared to do makeup and hair for her friends with
punk looks,
always as an
amateur.
It wasn't until at a show in Paris that she attended as a fashion assistant, while she was busy ironing the clothes, she noticed
the makeup and hair team:
"They were working with music, they were hanging out! And the models came out transformed, wonderful...
'This is much more fun than making clothes,'
I told myself."
Said and done,
he has spent 30 years between brushes and color.
In his role as the creator of the makeup for the Dior shows, he remains close to fashion.
How are these disciplines similar? They are not similar.
Makeup is linked to beauty, all women want to look beautiful, but not all want to be fashionable.
That is the big difference.
It is a very small audience that knows the latest trends or which designer has done what.
On the other hand, the people who want to be beautiful are these [spreads her arms as far as they can].
In makeup, there are those who go on the hunt for the latest product like someone who buys a seasonal bag, but the vast majority are faithful to what they like and favor. In her fashion shows, Maria Grazia Chiuri vindicates feminism through clothing. her.
Is her makeup also feminist? I am, but I never use it as a statement of intent because I speak from the position of man that I am.
I make products to seduce, so that the public gains confidence.
We could say that I believe from a human point of view.
A lip made up in nude and clearly outlined, with a contemporary touch, the work of Peter PHilips with the new Rouge Dior lipstick. DIOR CURTAINS.
Global makeup or how to learn from mistakes
Precisely, knowing how to decipher human beings, together with a good eye and ear, has allowed Peter Philips to understand
what the public wants
anywhere in the world; not all cultures have the same attitudes.
For this reason, more than as an artist, he defines himself as
"a makeup chameleon
who seeks to make everyone feel seduced by a product."
Making mistakes to learn is what has led him, he says, to
that global vision.
He remembers an anecdote that stayed with him and made him change his chip.
In the 90s he had to do
Jennifer Lopez
's makeup for a photo shoot in New York.
"I landed with my European underground culture and he asked me for
natural makeup.
I, Belgian style,
cover imperfections,
apply a little
gloss,
a pinch of
mascara.
She looks in the mirror and exclaims: 'Excuse me? I'm Latina, natural is
contouring,
illuminating, powerful eyelashes,
lip outlining...'".
In contrast to this no make-up taken to the extreme that you mention, there is the current trend of freeing yourself from makeup, as in the case of Pamela Anderson, who at 56 years old has decided not to cover her skin at big events.
Is makeup friend or enemy? Her case is particular, her makeup defined an era and was widely copied, but at the same time she was a victim of that look, her choice to free herself has been very brave.
Anderson is not the first woman nor the only one to be seen with a washed face.
It is true that makeup should never be a stress factor, but rather a companion.
As it is also true that each individual has their own insecurities and fights against them, and that is where she can help. She celebrates a decade at Dior.
Does she keep any memories above others? She's been a roller coaster, up and down [she gestures and laughs], so it's hard to find the best one.
Parades are very stressful, but it's great to celebrate the result as a team.
Dior is a tough school, but it creates a unique team spirit, like in an Olympic Games. Do you still enjoy your work?
If a friend goes to her house tonight and asks her to do her makeup... Of course I enjoy it!
Doing makeup for shootings is not as satisfying as when I do it to a friend.
With her I can have fun, we both end up very happy.
Enjoyment is what made me dedicate myself to this.
That, and there are no errors, you are not a tattoo artist, it is ephemeral.
"To make women not only more beautiful, but happier,"
was one of the mantras in Christian Dior's life and profession.
A philosophy that Peter Philips follows to the letter and that
also makes him happier.
68 shades, in satin and matte versions, presents the new Rouge Dior formulation.
A new lipstick
Peter Philips estimates that the reformulation of the classic
Rouge Dior that was born in 1953
is the third or fourth he has done since he worked for the house.
Why is it necessary to update this classic every so often?
"After Covid there has been a global movement that seeks, above all, quality in formulas," explains Philips.
Thus, this new rouge is infused with
red peony extract
that hydrates and revitalizes the skin of the lips, it is a makeup that treats and ensures long-lasting and comfort.
The aesthetic part is not far behind,
there are 68 colors, plus a balm,
from classic reds to a wide variety of nudes, which adapt to all skin types - like the one seen in the image of the outlined lip made up by the artist himself. Philips-, in matte and satin versions (49 euros).
beauty