When it comes to couture fashion week, the hair and make-up can get a little out there... ok, a lot out there.
Normally, our inner fashion magpies would be all over the Bowie-esque face paint and sky scraping hair sculptures, but this season we're feeling a more understated beauty look.
Enter Dior's minimal make-up look that's less in your face, more how to enhance a really great face.
Inspired by the soft tones of dusty rose, peach and pastel greens in Maria-Grazia's latest couture AW18 collection, make-up artist and Creative and Image Director for Dior Make-Up, Peter Philips, created a whimsical but muted make-up look that holds every secret to looking like yourself but just a little better.
'We trialled doing a red lip before the show but it stole all the attention away from the collection,' Philips told ELLE exclusively backstage at the Musée Rodin in Paris.
'I decided on a look that was all about tonal make-up and natural skin, that didn't distract from the floating fantasy of Maria's dresses. I wanted the models to look like they were part of a soft tulle dream.'
Read on for how to recreate the look yourself (and the backstage secret to wearing no mascara without your eyes getting lost)...
How To Get The Dior Couture Make-Up Look
1. Prep skin with Dior Capture Youth Glow Booster Serum BUY
'I used no more than two drops on each girl's skin to help moisturise, give the skin some glow and keep their foundation on for longer.'
2. Apply Dior Backstage Foundation BUY
'Although there's 40 shades in the collection, I still like to mix bespoke colours to suit each model. The new Dior Backstage foundation has a soft, velvety finish.'
3. Dot concealer where needed
'If girls need a little extra touch up, I'll add a bit of concealer to any areas or spots that need it.'
4. Leave the mascara alone
'I'm not using any mascara on the models, instead I'm just curling their lashes then taking an angled eyeshadow brush, dipping it into matte brown eyeshadow and pushing it into the root of their lashes.
'It's an easy way to upgrade your eyelashes and make them look much fuller without wearing mascara or looking too "done".'
5. Brush up your brows
'We're leaving the eyebrows really natural and just brushing them up for a finish that isn't too feathery but not too neat either. Depending on the model, I'm leaving their natural eyebrow colour or bleaching some out.'
6. Go for nude-toned lipstick
'I used the Dior Backstage lip palette in No.001 Universal Neutrals and depending on the model's skin tone opted for either Gloss Pink, Gloss Beige or Gloss Blush for discreet and transparent plump lips.'
7. Add highlighter at the last minute
'I'm not using any blusher or bronzer, instead, before the models walk out, I'm sweeping on highlighter at the very last minute while they're lined up. I'm applying it to the sides of their faces and across their eyelids for a touch of light, glow and magic.
'It's key to do it last minute, otherwise the girls lean on their hands or touch their face and then it feels too lived in and set - I want it to have a weightlessness like the dresses in the collection.'
Dior Couture Autumn/Winter 2019
