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This is an excerpt from June 2025 Artist Confidential
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Peter’s legacy is defined by balance: a work that is witty yet always refined, extraordinarily imaginative yet masterfully executed, artfully layered even in its most daring expressions. There’s tenderness in his approach, a quiet devotion that makes his visions — from dramatic, artistic statements to perfectly executed classicism — that still feel intimate. “You can do anything with makeup,” he says and through his hands, it becomes a kind of truth the world can wear.
In March 2014, Peter was appointed as Creative and Image Director for Dior Makeup, a role that positioned him at the helm of the house’s beauty vision. “Over the years I’ve been working on a regular basis with the fashion Creative Directors of the House, mainly for the shows and fashion campaigns,” he tells MEGA. “In that context my role is to complete their vision, together with the hairstylist, the stylist, the set designer, we all work together to that end.”
Beyond crafting runway looks and campaign imagery, he remains intimately involved in developing the products themselves, making sure that every innovation honors the brand’s visionary spirit while offering a way to reveal and enhance the unique beauty of every person who wears it.
“When I work on Dior’s makeup line, I get a lot of inspiration from the complete Dior DNA pool, and I translate that inspiration into products that will appeal to all women, also the women that aren’t necessarily aware of what the latest trends in fashion are,” Peter shares, “Not every woman feels the need to be a fashionista, but every woman wants to be beautiful.”
You work across many creative fronts — shows, campaigns, and product development. How does your process adapt to each one, and where do they intersect?
“There are many different ways to approach the creative process to launch a product or a look, for a shoot or for a show, for editorial or for commercial, for a campaign or for a friend going to a wedding for example. The context is always different. But creating products is a totally different ball game” he says. “There are a lot of restrictions and limitations: technically and also legally. And so they all have an impact on the way we work.”
He continues, “But in essence, what’s behind my personal point of view, my personal approach is I know I don’t make the products for me, or for my ego. I always have to consider that it’s for somebody else. And I can’t impose the products. I have to make sure the products and the things that we create seduce and are desirable. So that’s the point of view. In a very simple, simple way, it means that we have to push ourselves to really deliver the best on every aspect of the product, which means formula, claims, packaging, communication and make sure that the product delivers to the standards of a luxury house.”
The Dior Backstage line is known for its innovation and boundary-pushing approach — something you’ve helped shape from the start. How do you ensure the line stays relevant and continues to speak to the needs of today’s beauty lovers?
“The Dior Backstage Line has been, since the day it was launched, a door to let new generations discover the world of Dior Beauty in a chilled, unpretentious way,” Peter emphasizes. “I believe that by regularly updating our Dior Backstage line we show the world that Dior is very attentive towards beauty consumers and even more, it shows the relevance of Dior’s beauty products. This is why we keep standing strong, we are always at the service of our loyal clients and our potential future clients”
In this chapter, Peter goes further with his behind-the-scenes expertise, drawing inspiration from shows, photo shoots and red-carpet events. Dior Backstage recently introduced a new range of playful, transformative products that decode pro tips for a backstage glow-up experience.
The Rosy Glow Stick (PHP 3,300) makes its debut as Dior Backstage’s first dewy glow blush. “A beautiful blush formula that reacts to the ph level of your skin, just like the iconic Dior Addict Lip Glow and Rosy Glow—technology and creativity at the service of your beauty,” Peter describes, championing the product’s ability to adapt to the skin’s ph to create a custom flush that ranges from fresh pink to sunlit coral.
With its creamy, innovative formula, the blush leaves behind a luminous sheen that subtly sculpts the cheekbones, delivering that coveted lit-from-within glow. Neither sticky nor greasy, the texture glides on and fuses seamlessly with skin for a weightless, second-skin finish. It is also infused with nourishing cherry oil, leaving skin looking plump, fresh, and beautifully radiant.
Dior Backstage also introduces a new generation of the viral Rosy Glow Blush (PHP 3,200) for a stronger impact. Now housed in a new case inspired by Dior’s iconic softly curved square and signed with an oversized silver Dior Oblique, Rosy Glow takes on a fashionable, covetable new form. Available in seven buildable shades, the blush blends effortlessly and evenly, melting into the skin for a seamless, second-skin finish.
Lastly, the line turns its spotlight to a luminous new treasure: Dior Addict Lip Glow Butter (PHP 2,550) — a sensorial hybrid that fuses the house’s expertise in lip care, colour, and shine. Inspired by the Dior Addict spirit, this buttery balm glides on with a juicy veil of color and a glossy, mirror-like finish. Infused with peptides and ceramides to support the skin barrier and boost collagen production, the formula leaves lips feeling nourished, smooth, and visibly plumper. Multi-functional and indulgent, Lip Glow Butter doubles as an overnight lip mask, delivering lasting comfort and care while you sleep.
What’s one expert-approved way to wear the newest additions to the Dior Backstage line?
“They are all playful products. You can combine them. You can wear them individually,” he says. “ As you can see, they come in different shades. So there are different ways to play with them. You can combine also, what I love to do when I’m shooting is combine two or three different colors of the stick foundation to do like a degradé, almost like a rainbow effect.”
You work closely with Dior Global Ambassadors Haerin and JISOO — what’s that creative relationship like? And which pieces from the Dior Backstage line are their personal favorites?
“The advantage of working with amazing women like Haerin and JISOO is that they know what they want because they are real experts,” he answers. “They also have beautiful faces, beautiful features. They are not afraid to play around in terms of makeup. But they also know exactly what they want to make them look their best. In a way, it makes my job easy, because they are true to themselves. It’s always a pleasure to work with these ladies.”
“Our ambassadors and models also incredibly work well together. They hang out like a bunch of cool girls, like they have known each other for years. And the best thing about it is that you can actually see, during the filming of the video, that they really like the product,” Peter reveals. “All of them discover the product on set, so the reactions are very authentic and spontaneous. It’s a conversation between makeup lovers.”
“Jisoo loved all the products from the Dior Backstage line,” he says. “But one product that she was really fascinated with was the Dior Addict Lip Glow Butter.”
The new Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush and Stick, and the Dior Addict Lip Butters will be available in Dior Beauty Boutiques & Counters this June 27, 2025
Read more about Peter Philips’ artistic journey in MEGA’s June 2025 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Written by MARA GO. Images from BRIGITTE LACOMBE and DIOR BEAUTY. Special Thanks to DIOR BEAUTY PHILIPPINES.
