This feature appears in V131 now available for purchase
Makeup master Peter Philips came to play, reuniting with longtime collaborator, Willy Vanderperre with unrestrained gestures of color and animated lines with shades of Rouge Dior. This story comes alive with a familiar playfulness as seen the “The Fourth Sex” of V’s issue 0 which catapulted their careers in 1999. Nine personalities, nine looks in nine Rouge Dior reds—matte, satin, velvet, and metallic—inspire us to color outside the lines. Especially as we emerge from a COVID coma this summer with the urge to rave. And if you need convincing to let your freak flag fly, Philips is stern to “stay within the lines. When it’s time, you will know it.” After all, makeup should add to your character. You should always recognize yourself in your own reflection.
“It was such an honor to work with Peter Philips. Working with him felt like watching an artist at work, but you are the canvas and the muse at the same time. There were so many different, vibrant colors [used], which is not usually my thing, so that also made the experience special.” —Metta Irebe
See below for an exclusive interview with Peter Philips:
V Magazine: Hey Peter! How are you?
Peter Philips: I’m good. How are you?
V: I’m good. So nice to meet you.
PP: Nice to meet you too.
V: When I saw the story, I was like, “wow!” It kind of brought me back to issue 0. We’ve been in this sort of COVID coma and to see a [beauty] story like this…it was just a breath of fresh air. What was your inspiration for this story? What was the reference?
PP: Club Kids Revisited!
“I’ve worked with Peter [Philips] a few times and I always know he’s going to pull a major look. When you work with someone like him, who’s the best of the best, it makes my job super exciting because I get to see myself transformed into a character he’s dreamed up. And then I get to channel that on set.” —Lulu Tenney
V: Ah, Club Kids Revisited. I love it! Was there a hero product that you used throughout the story to create the looks?
PP: Throughout the whole story I [utilized] Rouge Dior lipstick. For me, the common thread was the Rouge Dior lipstick and [building from] that, I constructed the [looks] using each model’s personality as inspiration.
V: So many vibrant colors were used but the red lips in particular stood out for me. I have to ask what’s your favorite tone of Red?
PP: Because it’s one of our icons, automatically, I’m going to say Rouge 999. (Laughs)
V: I had a feeling you were going to say that. (Laughs)
PP: But honestly, every color of red that was made by nature is fantastic. Like a red feather of a bird, a red flower or even [red] sand. It’s so much more than just a color, it’s a texture and it’s created like that. There is no human involvement there, which kind of makes it amazing. Those natural reds are the best ones, and we always try to copy them, we always try to approach them to apply to ourselves, you know? [Whether] it’s fabric, lipstick or eye shadow. But in essence, nothing is as beautiful as the truly natural thing, because it comes from nature.
“Beauty is the way I am able to cherish myself, but also [it’s something] that can give an added boost of confidence. I definitely see makeup as an art form because it can be transformative and a form of expression.” —Kayako Higuchi
V: That’s very true. I love that! What’s your favorite story that you’ve done for us? From issue 0 to “Club Kids Revisited” in this issue?
PP: Now you’ve caught me by surprise with this one. I’m always very proud to work for the magazine because I think it’s an amazing platform. You can show your creativity and it’s always been very diverse. It’s a very beautiful platform, not just as a makeup artist but as a photographer, a hairdresser, a stylist, because it’s a playground.
V: V truly is a place where creatives from all corners of the industry can come together to make magic.
PP: Exactly! I once did an entire issue with Inez & Vinoodh. It was the alphabet [themed] issue, which was cut from three or four days of shooting. Models were coming in and out, then we shot a lot of still lifes combined with fashion. There was extreme makeup and also very simple makeup. That experience was so amazing. But the thrill of seeing my makeup in issue 0 is probably one of my favorite memories. The thrill, that excitement, it was just at the beginning of my career. It means a lot to have been a part of something that became huge. I didn’t know in those days that V was going to be this big, you know?
“I think makeup is an important way of self-expression these days. [Wearing makeup] in my daily life, is sometimes still a boundary for me in this heteronormative society. That’s also why makeup is so important these days, because it sends a message. As I looked in the mirror, I felt liberated and confident.” —Lennert de Lathauwer
V: When you were working on issue 0, and painting on that Mickey Mouse, in that moment, did you feel like, okay, this is going to be a big moment? Did you think; this will change everything for me?
PP: I don’t think we knew it was going to end up being V. But at some point, while on set, I said “Okay, guys I would like to [try] something.” I think we had an hour and a half of daylight left to shoot that day. So, I didn’t tell them I was going to paint the Mickey Mouse, because they would have said “Oh no, we’re going to lose time [for that].” I worked up [the nerve to do this] in the kitchen, and then I just took the [model] into the kitchen and locked [everyone] out. Once I finished everyone was like, “Oh, we didn’t expect that,” and they were like, “It’s kind of amazing, it’s cool.” Once we started shooting that was when I knew it was going to be a great image. I didn’t know it was going to be published. When I actually saw it for the first time, it was the most exciting thing.
V: Wow, such a beautiful story behind such an iconic image.
PP: The image took on a life of its own and It kind of became more important over the years. The moment itself, it was just a great experience. But over the years it became more important because the image is so powerful, it really stood for something.
“Makeup is definitely a form of artistic expression that’s not only very personal but also alive in a sense. There’s something really beautiful to be said about how a makeup look can both embody and influence one’s attitude and energy, yet at the end of the day or night it comes off. I think there’s a certain sense of comfort in the rebirth of that cycle.” —Sophie Koella
“At the beginning, I didn’t know what to expect but [once Peter finished], I really liked how the look turned out. It was a great experience to see it all come together. I didn’t recognize myself, but I liked that the look was completely different from my usual look.”—Jesse Spruit
‘This [beauty] look was right up my alley. I love to play around with theatre makeup. Especially over-the-top looks, like putting on white paint with fake blood or lots of glitter. The entire experience was magicial.” —Steinberg
“My relationship with beauty [right now], is working on loving and appreciating what I have been gifted with first. Then with makeup, I like to play [around] and see myself from different perspectives. For me, it’s about accentuating traits that I love or changing them, sometimes [I] even dissimulate things that I don’t appreciate.”
—Ashley Radjarame
“I loved how Peter [painted] my face as if he was painting on a clean canvas. I’ve never had such bold and creative look on my face. The sharp edges of the eyebrows along with well-blended eye shadow went really well with the outfit and hair.”
—Chloe Oh
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