Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
Pretty and pure were two of the key words Raf Simons mentioned in discussing the Dior Couture beauty look with makeup maestro Peter Philips. But the notion was actually more nuanced than that; Hieronymus Bosch’s famous triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights was also in the mix—lending am element of darkness to the rather angelic concept. “You’ve got innocence, sin, and punishment all together there,” said Philips of the prominent piece of art. The result was Botticelli girl-meets-the “glow of sin.” The pro based models’ complexions with Diorskin Star Foundation and added a quick sweep of apricot-hued Diorshow Mono Eyeshadow in Pareo (a shade available only in Europe). “Botticelli [women] don’t wear mascara or liner,” Philips pointed out of the intentionally undefined eyes and lashes. On lips, he applied Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in Pink for a glossy finish. The magic touch—the actual “glow of sin”—didn’t go on until just before the girls stepped onto the catwalk. “It’s a professional product [consisting] of just purified glycerin,” he said, brandishing the unmarked white tube. “It’s not pearly like normal glycerin, and it’s not greasy, it just sits nicely on the skin. You tap it onto the face and eyelids to make them nice and shiny,” he explained. The effect was more of a gentle glisten than a detectable highlight: “She doesn’t sweat, she glows,” said Philips. (We’d expect nothing less from the Dior woman wearing couture.)
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
The Botticelli reference was present, though not literal, for the hair. “I think the set and the clothes really needed hair that looks very natural, with a little bit of wave,” noted Guido Palau, who employed Redken Fashion Waves sea salt spray to encourage natural movement. “With all these beautiful, rich fabrics, designers are asking for a bit of softness to the girl,” he said. “There’s something about real beauty at the moment—even if we’re using extensions for almost all of the girls—in that it has to look natural, clean, and romantic. No hairspray—nothing. The minute hair starts looking fake, it’s all wrong.” Similar to the virginal dresses that floated down the runway atop dazzling platform sandals, this pared-down package (at least from the neck up) was all about ease.
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
Photo: Michele Morosi / Indigitalimages.com
—Tina Isaac-Goizé
