Photo: Stefania D’Alessandro / WireImage
How do you touch other people’s faces during the coronavirus pandemic? The easy answer is that you shouldn’t. But if you are a makeup artist and your livelihood depends on physical contact, you must find a new way to do your job.
The beauty team at yesterday’s Dior Cruise 2021 show in Lecce, Italy, prepared 47 models for the brand’s first live fashion show since the COVID-19 crisis began. He was seen in person, by a small team of Dior employees and local artisans from Puglia who contributed to the show, and by virtually 20 million other people. (You can see everything here.) Led by Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director for Christian Dior Makeup, the beauty team applied a relatively simple look without makeup, which turned out to be a good thing.
While their techniques may not have changed, makeup artists worked differently thanks to the addition of PPE. “We do makeup with a mask and a mask. I wear glasses to put on makeup, and this makes the shield blur. You can also see a reflection in the shield, ”said Philips in a Zoom call. “[Doing makeup this way] it’s hard. I’m thankful that the makeup wasn’t too complicated. “
Photo: Vanni BASSETTI for Christian Dior Parfums
Good makeup artists are already hygienic; they have to be due to the nature of the work they do. But additional behind-the-scenes safety protocols at the show included hand sanitizer (luckily, LVMH does its thing now), plenty of temperature monitoring, and enough room to practice social distancing. And no makeup was shared between the models, not even the mascara. (Makeup artists used the recently redesigned iconic Diorshow mascara, which came out in September, and each model had their own personal-labeled tube.)
Photo: Vanni BASSETTI for Christian Dior Parfums
While the models walking through the show looked natural-toned, the makeup artists worked carefully and slowly to give the handful of local dancers who performed during the show a spectacular Maria Callas-inspired eyeliner. Both men and women received strong, broad arches of black eyeliner at the upper and lower lash lines that rose like a wave toward the corner of the eye. The Moody Guyliner was a particular achievement in men’s makeup and a complement to Sharon Eyal’s haunting choreography.
Photo: Stefania D’Alessandro / WireImage
