Stylist meets Peter Philips, creative and image director for Dior Makeup, to quiz him on his approach to creating a statement lip.
A high-impact lip is forever on-trend. Any time we look to the latest seasonal trends, you can be sure a lip look is on the cards, and Dior Beauty’s latest launches are the perfect solution. Offering unrivalled long-lasting colour and comfort, the Dior Rouge Dior On Stage range has two new lightweight matte lipsticks: Rouge Dior On Stage Matte, a bullet lipstick with a no-transfer velvet finish and Rouge Dior On Stage Ink Blur Matte, a liquid lipstick with a blurring effect.
The brand has also taken its On Stage Shine, the innovative lipstick loved for its glossy shine and intense colour, and extended its colour offering with a glowing rose-pink and the iconic Dior red.
In celebration of the new launches, Stylist sat down with Peter Philips, creative and image director at Dior Makeup, to discuss his application tips, the shades most likely to suit you and his long-standing love of Korean beauty.
Credit: Christian Dior Parfums
Talk to me about these launches, your inspiration and why they are redefining the matte lipstick.
“We launched a shine lipstick in September 2025, Rouge Dior Shine, in the same beautiful, elegant packaging. It was a two-phase application, so the first time you apply the lipstick, you have a pigment payoff, and then when the lipstick sets in, the shine will appear. That was the concept that led to these launches; I wanted to almost do a yin/yang version next to the shine.
“So we now have a matte, although I try to avoid the word matte. I’m talking more about matte blur and blur in terms of texture, but it’s got a beautiful colour, and it’s the same concept as that two-phase application, which means you apply the lipstick in a thin layer, the pigments hold on to your skin and then soften in a few seconds. It becomes almost like a veil. A veil comes over it, like a soft focus, and you have this beautiful, soft-focus, blurring finish. So, in that way, it’s a continuation: a year after we launched On Stage Shine, we launch the opportunity to go blurry and matte.
What is so exciting about the formula?
“On Stage Ink Blur has this amazing formula – a liquid that gives you a matte finish, but with the possibility to build up the intensity of your colour. The new formula works perfectly with the specially designed applicator; we even engraved Dior into the wand, so the lovely product comes into the little grooves. It’s a bit geeky, but I love it. The applicator is a very beautiful, soft flock applicator, and there is a little container in the centre, a little cup that holds the product. So, it gives you plenty of product in a soft way with the soft flock texture of the applicator for a natural lip stain.
“Then there is Rouge Dior On Stage Matte. There is also something special in the gesture of a lipstick application; it’s more iconic, more classic – a bit more feminine in a way – because you got the whole gesture of application. So you have the classic approach with a beautiful blurry matte result, or you’ve got something more on the go, which is like this liquid – a bit more effortless, casual way of wearing a lip tint.
“This is the ideal product to really discover the power of matte because you can go step by step. And with the ink-blur finish, it is not necessarily a matte, so it’s less intimidating.”
Credit: Christian Dior Parfums
What are your tips for applying lip colour?
“What I like to do for a soft application for a natural lip stain is apply it to the bottom of the lip, massage it in and just tap out to the edge of the lip. You get a beautiful second-skin feeling. Once the product sets on your skin, it still stays flexible and comfortable, and it’s long-lasting and non-transferable.
“The benefit of this formula is that by applying layers, you can intensify the colour. It’s very buildable. For example, we have 999, which is our classic red. On the first application you get a nice cherry red lip stain, but you can build up, and you can go all the way to a vibrant classic red statement lip. You can really go from very natural, soft focus to a strong, intense, classic red lipstick look.”
Is there anything specific we should be doing in terms of lip prep?
“I would always start by cleaning the skin, and I scrub the lip with a wipe or a lip scrub, making sure there’s no dead skin. Then I would apply a good moisturiser, like a big layer of lip oil or lip balm. I would do the base, do the eyes and, at the end, I take off the moisturiser from the lips and make sure there’s no trace (because anything oily will dilute the formula). Then I would apply the liquid or the lipstick, and voila – guaranteed long-lasting and non-transferable.”
Was there something specific that inspired you to create this product?
“The formula is inspired in a way by my travels. I’ve been traveling a lot to Asia in the last few years, with Jisoo, who’s one of our faces, I go to Japan quite often, I do a lot of shoots in Asia with Korean teams and Japanese teams, K-pop stars, Korean models and Korean magazines. And I learned a lot there about how they approach make-up. And the matte make-up that we do in the West feels quite old-fashioned in comparison: you have your foundation, your lipstick and mascara, and it needs to be efficient. What I learned in Korea is that everything blends into each other more. Skincare and make-up blend into each other, and you build up in thin layers, which helps with longevity in that climate.
“The more modern approach of lip make-up is moving away from that efficient, practical way into a buildable method. Girls nowadays, they do make-up like we do eyes. They sculpt their lips; it’s rare that you see one lipstick application – they do shading under the lip, they do highlighting on top of the lip, they combine different products, and they really sculpt out the lip or draw a lip, or build up a lip that fuses almost with your foundation. And that’s where these two blurring formulas come in.
“For example, if you do like a lip like the Korean style – like a soft lip stain that will blend out. To go out to the edge of your lip, you go over your lip like they do now, like a little bit, but it bleeds out into your foundation. It kind of becomes one; it fuses with your skin. And this blurring, soft-texture formula is perfect for that fusion.”
Do you have any tips for finding the best colour match for you?
“I mean, the ranges are not intimidating; there are only 10 shades, and they’re all variants of nudes. Some are warmer, some are colder. I would go to a counter and try a few shades. It depends on your natural lip colour and the shade of your teeth, but Rosewood Star 558 in the ink is one of our most popular shades – it’s the one that suits most people, so you could try that one first. And in On Stage Matte I would try Nude Ultra 380, which is a warm nude, very neutral.”
Shop Rouge Dior On Stage Matte, £39, Rouge Dior On Stage Ink Blur Matte, £40, and the two new shades of Rouge Dior On Stage Shine, £39, now at Dior.com.
Images: Christian Dior Parfums