Diorshow Mascara Gets a Makeover—and We've Got All the Details

I knew about Diorshow mascara before I even wore mascara. And when I finally saved up enough of my allowance in high school, it was the first non-drugstore mascara I ever bought. Diorshow is one of the most recognizable, well-known beauty products in the world; when it launched in 2002, it was such a hit that retailers couldn't keep it in stock. "It's a great mascara," says makeup artist and Dior Makeup's creative director Peter Philips. "Before it launched, you couldn't find a brush that big. I would actually use a hair mascara that Dior sold back then, clean the product off of the wand, and use it to apply mascara to the lashes." But after 13 years, the popular lash-lengthener was in need of an update. "It's such an iconic product with a huge and loyal fan base, so I didn't want to change too much and disappoint them," says Philips. "I just wanted to answer some of the complaints we've had over the years—that it dried out fast in the tube and sometimes you got too much product on the wand." And to celebrate the new and improved formula, Philips went to work on an entirely new collection of makeup for the brand. Here, in an exclusive interview with Allure, Philips takes us through how he updated the classic mascara—and shares all of the details behind the new Diorshow line of products.

Can you give a little more detail on how you updated the Diorshow mascara?"Working with the innovation team, we came up with a new wiper system that has two different benefits: When you take the wand out of the tube, you get the perfect amount of product because the wiper removes any of the excess from the bristles. Then when you return the brush back into the tube, you don't push as much air inside, which helps the mascara stay fresh for longer. As for the formula, like I said, we didn't change much. It's the same exact base, but we added fibers so you get even richer, more beautiful-looking lashes. You'll notice that we also changed the packaging a little bit, but just to make it look sleeker and more professional. It's a product that was created to be used backstage at a runway show, so we wanted it to look that way."

In the video you mentioned calligraphy when talking about the new__Dior Pro Liner. Were you inspired by calligraphy brushes when creating it?__"Yes, I was, and the way that you can change the thickness and thinness of the line depending on how you hold your brush or pen. Apply the Pro Liner flat against the lashes and you get a thick line, almost like an eye shadow, if you want. But the more you twist and turn the pen, the thinner the line becomes. With pointy felt-tip liners, you only get one kind of line, which is great if that's all you want."

I know you went to art school before becoming a makeup artist. How does that help you when developing products?"When I create collections, there's one part of me that's thinking about the aesthetics and the colors and how they match together, and that's thanks to my art-school background. But then there's another part of me that's thinking as a makeup artist and seeing how combinations of certain products can help a woman create a total look. For the formulas, I count on the development team behind me because I'm not a chemist, but the fact I'm a makeup artist helps because I can give them a different kind of feedback."

Speaking of colors, how did you update the shadows in the Designer Eyeshadow Palettes in the line?"The 5-Couleurs Designer palettes were a beautiful collection, but like the mascara, they needed some fine-tuning as well. For one, they looked exactly the same as Dior's classic 5-Couleurs eye-shadow palettes, even though the two were very different. So I thought, Why don't we change the shape [of the palette] so it looks different on counters or in your makeup bag. The shape also changes how you apply the shadows. Now that the powders are longer, you can swipe off the product in strokes, rather than scrub it onto the applicator, which in turn gives you a better result on the skin. The formulas were also updated. We added a primer, which features technology that helps not only the texture of your eye shadow stay longer but the color of your eye shadow stay longer—a first for the brand. The eyeliner in the palette has changed to ensure a smoother application, then you have two colors and a shade for highlighting. So we kept the same identity, but fine-tuned the formula and adapted the shape, all to make sure that when you look at the Designer palettes, they're not complicated."

What's your favorite part of developing beauty products?"It's the whole process. It's fun to work for months on the product and get together with the labs to see it developed and see the packaging and everything come together. And then we think of the visuals. For the Diorshow launch, we came up with the whole concept of bringing a backstage feeling into the ad campaign—I loved the fact that with this launch we built a bridge between couture and beauty, and the campaign really does it. It's also great to get feedback after people see and try the products, because I don't create for myself—I love when people like wearing them."

Click here to check out all of the new products.

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