At Dior’s spring/summer 2022 couture show inside the Musée Rodin, there was a heavy emphasis on embroidery, from the set, which saw the runway flanked by intricate tapestries by Indian artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh, to the collection’s woven fabrics and glittering embellishments. In tandem with these elements, dramatic swooshes of white eyeliner served as the proverbial (and literal!) beauty through-line. “In a way, the white eyeliner is almost like thread,” said make-up artist Peter Philips backstage of how it furthered this season’s theme. “The lightness illuminates the face.”
In a fresh twist on Maria Grazia Chiuri’s beloved, season-to-season beauty signature, classic black was traded in for more ethereal white in the spirit of brightness and buoyancy—echoing both the collection’s colour palette (celestial whites, off-whites, and metallics), and the more sculpted, slinky lines of the sleek suiting and dresses. “The collection is a bit more fluid, less graphic,” continued Philips. “Black eye make-up would have made it more classic, and the white made it more luminous.”
To draw on the stark jolts of white, Philips used the Diorshow Khôl pencil in 009 White Khôl to tightline the waterlines and the roots of the lashes for a “white-grey veil”, then layered on felt-tip Diorshow Onstage Liner in 001 Matte White underneath in a sharp, hyper-extending line for that striking “block of white” effect. Philips opted to skip mascara in order to accent the blanched strokes, explaining: “On a naked eye, it becomes more conceptual.” That being said, he says in real life, a swipe of inky black mascara may just be the trick for translating the whitewashed eyeliner from the runway to the streets. “It makes it more wearable,” he noted. Beautiful, natural-looking skin enhanced with Forever Matte foundation, groomed brows filled in with the Diorshow Kabuki Brow Styler, and a pop of clear Rouge Dior balm on the mouth finished the fresh look.
At a time when we’re still yearning for brighter days, strokes of beaming white eyeliner feel like a chic and refreshing beauty strategy, whether for everyday or a more ephemeral reset. As Philips put it: “It’s very simple, but it really makes a statement.”
