The Dior Spring Lipstick Shade We Should All Wear

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If you try one lipstick color this spring, Peter Philips says it should be red.

And not just any red.

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Philips, creative and image director of Dior Makeup over the past decade, she’s quick to point out one of the French luxury brand’s shades that will fit right in with just about everyone.

Phillips said: “999 is our cult tone that we use in all of our formulas. It looks beautiful on everyone,” at a launch event in Los Angeles for Dior blush.

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Available in the newly revamped lipstick collection with satin and velvety finish, the iconic red shade is a combination of the first two lipsticks launched by Christian Dior in 1953. A warm red intensified with a touch of blue, 999 promises a “perfect color.” balance” for all women.

“It’s a control color,” Philips said of the lipstick’s bold shade. “When you wear red lipstick, you are in control. And I think that’s the secret of why our 999 is so successful.”

A deep red is not a new shade for lipstick. In fact, the first red lipsticks are said to date back to the Mesopotamian region over 5,000 years ago, when crushed gemstones were used to add color to lips.

Since then, red has become synonymous with lipstick. In French, for example, Philips notes that the word makeup product translates as rouge à lèvres, or lip red.

The strong tone is one of almost 70 tones in the new dior blush collection, featuring the original formula with an ingredient and color review. Also released with the launch was a collection of 20 complementary lip liners.

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“We fine-tuned the formula and tailored most of the collection for a global audience,” Philips said. The formula contains plant extracts and oils including: red peony, pomegranate, prickly pear, hibiscus extract and shea butter.

“That combination that the lab magically created provides a very smooth application and a great reward. It feels like a second skin. “It is very light,” says Philips.

The collection features the Dior Cannage print adorning the lacquered lipstick case.

“We made a very thin belt at the waist,” explains Philips, drawing a parallel with the luxury brand’s fashion and accessory designs. “And on top, like a little hat.”

The collection features wearable shades that can work on a wide variety of skin tones.

“There are no shocking pinks, no extreme corals. It’s all soft and natural.”

Philips worked alongside makeup formulators Dior and said: “In a way, the color range reflects our new formula: it’s youthful, natural and effortless feeling.”

Although bold reds mark the lipstick line, the creation of the collection had the Dior Beauty The team embarks on a quest to create the perfect nude shades.

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“It was based on research we did on bare lips. What is nudity? How do people around the world view nudity? I got a little frustrated because some people think nude means beige lips,” says Philips. “Nude is not beige.”

Pushing the definition of being “bigger than beige,” Philips and her team approached the concept of a skin tone that complements colors the same way they would match another makeup pillar: foundation.

“For our bases, we have a very diverse range, from very light to extremely dark. We investigate worldwide, knowing nuances and tones. And then we did the same thing with the lips,” says Philips. “In my experience as a makeup artist, there is a wide variety of lip shades. Some people have light lips, some have mixed colors, and some have dark lips. Some women want to correct their tone or want to enhance their tone.

“In combination with skin tone, it’s a very complex thing.”

To create the perfect selection of inclusive nudes, the Dior Beauty team gathered information from the US, Asia and Europe to achieve a refined definition of nude. The sample size amounted to 1,150 women, according to Philips.

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The Dior Beauty team asked respondents to bring their favorite lipsticks, regardless of brand, to better understand color and formulation preferences. “And we also asked them how they apply it,” she recalls.

The Dior team found that while many preferences varied across different locations, there were also several crossovers.

“Nude is the shadow in which a woman feels that she has woken up like this in the morning. “It’s a good nude,” says Philips. Another area of ​​interest among the research results was the application approach.

“Most of them are not looking for perfection,” says Philips. A perfectly drawn lip, he points out, is more for special occasions.

“And it’s not for everyone,” he adds. “Instead, they are applied with a simple gesture and, very often, without a mirror. They have little tricks. And it somehow blends in with his own appearance.

“And that was really interesting because we always think that (lipstick) has to be perfect. But in real life, it’s more of a coincidence.”

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