How to Do the "French Flick" Eyeliner Trick From the Spring 2020 Dior Runway Show

Leave it to two legendary artists, makeup artist Peter Phillips (opens in new tab) and hairstylist Guido Palau (opens in new tab), to creatively conjure up a beauty look to complement 164 deciduous trees. For Dior's spring 2020 runway show yesterday, the Hippodrome de Paris Longchamp yesterday was transformed into an earthy, tree-lined oasis. (It even smelled like a forest!) Models walked through a spiraling maze of an "inclusive garden."

"The message is about sustainability and being as green as we can," Phillips said backstage, adding that each tree would later be replanted. Purely "natural" was the inspiration for the fresh-faced beauty vibe featuring supremely glowy skin and eyeliner done the French way (more on that in a moment). He used "as little product as possible." It was, in fact, a five-product-face. Phillips began by prepping the skin with Dior HydraLife Moisturizer (opens in new tab), then nailed the glow by cocktailing together a mix of Dior's Backstage Foundation (opens in new tab) with Dior Backstage Face & Body Primer (opens in new tab). Lightly groomed brows, glossy lips, and curled lashes were the next steps. Phillips made it a point to leave out mascara completely to avoid a too "made-up makeup" look, adding that no contouring and no blush was involved.

As for the "French flick," which Phillips demonstrated backstage and describes as "the toned-down version of a French woman's classic eyeliner," the trick is to start in the center of the lid instead of the inner corner and extend outwards for a subtle and smooth graphic line. Phillips used a micro angled eyeliner brush to apply a matte and highly-pigmented pitch-black shade from Dior's new Custom Eye Palette (opens in new tab). "Because you do less, what you do is much more visible," he emphasized. "You have to make sure the flick is balanced-out and really well-done."

Each model strutted down the greenery-garnished runway sporting straw cloche hats atop cascading dutch braids. "The silhouette is the hat and the hair is complementing that character," Palau explained. "We wanted to create a softness in the braid that profiles really beautifully, and brings youthfulness, naivety, and slight romance to the hair." To keep each dutch braid from slipping, Palau used Redken's Gripping Powder (opens in new tab). Models with naturally textured hair wore cornrow styles and afros.

The lesson: if you want to embody the Spring 2020 Dior Woman, go for a low-key, less-is-more beauty look.

Shop the Products Used to Create the Dior Runway Look

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

SUBSCRIBE HERE