Thanks to Dior, White Eyeliner Is Trending for Spring

It's not just for the inner corners of the eye.

By Erin Lukas Jan 24, 2022 @ 1:39 pm

Credit: Getty Images

Leave it to Dior to once again reinvent another classic eyeliner look. For the French fashion house's Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2022 show, the brand's creative and image director, Peter Philips, created a fresh twist on the reverse cat-eye using white eyeliner.

The choice is a nod to the collection's light, fluid shapes, and the hand-embroidered artwork by two Indian artists that decorated the set.

"Black eyeliner would have made it [the look] more classic, while the white is more luminous," Philips told a group of beauty editors during a post-show Zoom. "In a way, the white eyeliner is almost like a white thread. The lightness of it illuminates the face."

Philips used Dior's Diorshow Khôl in 009 White Khôl as the liner's foundation, applying it "in the waterline of the eye and a little under the eye, then blending it into the roots of the lashes so they have a white-grayish veil over them." Then, Philips reached for Diorshow On Stage Liner in 001 Matte White to create the straight, graphic line under the eye, connecting it to the kohl liner line so it looks like "one block of white."

The models didn't wear mascara, a technique that's become a Dior runway signature since Maria Grazia Chiuri took the helm as creative director, but it's also a practical move. "White eyeliner combined with black and brown eyeliner gets messy after awhile," Philips said. "It's rare that we do mascara at the Dior show because it makes classic makeup like eyeliner a bit more conceptual, rather than sexy."

Diorshow Khôl 009 in White Khôl

Credit: Courtesy

To shop: $30; dior.com

Diorshow On Stage Liner in 001 Matte White

Credit: Courtesy

To shop: $31; dior.com

A flawless, illuminated base keeps any bold eye look grounded. Philips chose the new Dior Forever to perfect the models' complexions. It offers a long-wear, non-transfer soft matte finish that looks natural, thanks to the formula's blend of skincare ingredients. The Forever Perfect Fix Setting Spray was spritzed on the models' faces to refresh the skin as needed.

Aside from the eyeliner and foundation, the models' faces were left bare, save for a brow touch up and swipe of Rouge Dior Velvet Balm in 000 Diornatural, a clear, moisturizing balm that hydrated the models' lips without adding shine. "This balm has a velvet, blurred finish," Philips shared. "It created a nice moisturized lip that doesn't shine so it matches the glow of the foundation."