How Pat McGrath Disrupted the Beauty Industry

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As the ultimate shape-shifter of runway beauty, legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath has spent the last 30 years in the industry transforming catwalking models into Egyptian royals, woodland fairies, and well, whatever she dreams up. Working with fashion’s greats like John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, and Marc Jacobs, McGrath’s detailed process of her art has set her apart in the fashion world developing an avant garde style that continues to go unmatched. Cementing her title as the “Mother,” McGrath was recently included on the Queen’s Honors List 2021 and is set to to become the first makeup artist to receive recognition as the Dame of the British Empire.

Since McGrath began in fashion during the 1990s, she’s created looks for leading fashion magazines and designers garnering street cred in the fashion world for her bold runway looks. From campy feathered eyelashes, Swarovski crystal-encrusted lips, and futuristic yellow eyebrows. There is seemingly nothing that McGrath is afraid to take on.

It wasn’t until 2015 when McGrath put her guiding influence on the runway to the test launching her eponymous makeup brand, Pat McGrath Labs. From that point forward, McGrath changed the beauty game offering makeup enthusiasts a taste of front row at fashion week providing runway-grade makeup to try McGrath’s looks at home. For the first time ever, backstage at the runway could be as easy as unzipping your makeup bag.

The first product available for sale online, a universal golden pigment Gold 001, was first featured at the Prada Spring/Summer 2016 fashion show. The limited number of the iconic pigment, advertised on McGrath’s social media accounts was sold out in six minutes. “My intention in creating [Gold 001] was to thank my makeup-obsessed followers with the most divine gold pigment ever formulated,” McGrath said.

Using her own products in fashion shows and advertising them through Instagram became the key to her brand’s marketing strategy. Videos of Irina Shayk and Hayley Bieber ready to hit the catwalk showcased their flawless dewy skin and shimmering lips quickly sparked interest amongst McGrath’s loyal followers. They were not the unreachable Haute Couture looks, rather combinations anyone could recreate, regardless of gender, skin tone, or complexion. The Mother then revealed the secret ingredients of the effortless yet dazzling “no makeup” makeup looks on her page. Products that complimented any skin tone and airbrushed skin better than FaceTune or Instagram face filters quickly became the driving force behind McGrath Labs.

The divine glow that makes the skin look luster like diamond powder is the signature “aliengelic” look that McGrath pioneered in many of her runway looks, including Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2016. When she launched her brand, McGrath revealed how to repeat it. The effect of this celestial glow is achieved by applying the light-weight Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection foundation together with the Skin Fetish 003 kit.

“My famous alien angelic skin requires a series of steps to achieve and can be done in a natural minimal way or over-the-top and theatrical. No makeup makeup is the highest level of abstraction,” McGrath said. “People often believe some of our more theatrical or runway looks are the hardest, but, in the end, making someone look like they’re wearing no makeup at all takes the longest and requires the highest level of skill.”

The technique is called “three-dimensional” makeup and aims to complement your face’s natural silhouette by mixing textures on layers on top of one another. McGrath advises swiping a balm on cheekbones and cupids bow and then mix it with a highlighter– “gold” for warmer skin tones and “nude” for the cooler.

Shimmering lips is another beauty trick that McGrath used backstage that her brand adapted for the at-home audience to indulge in. The Lip Fetish lip balm produced by the brand is sheer compared to a regular lip gloss yet it gives lips enticing shining – again, “no make-up makeup.” The line was initially sold in three colors: transparent “clear,” translucent nude “blow up” and cherry “Flash 03.” In addition to the classic collection, McGrath Labs later released more unconventional colors, like “Astral Blue Star” with a transparent bluish undertone, or “Bronze Astral” with an effect of summer glow. The Lust collection, for example, was teased backstage at Versace Fall/Winter 2019. By the way, McGrath’s first Fetish Eyes mascara was revealed at the same show.

The fantasy eye look from McGrath Labs that McGrath often uses on models is a cosmic delight to thank the Mother for. One of the iconic looks was first featured at Anna Sui Fall/Winter 2017 show, where McGrath teased her new Dark Star 006 eye kit in the shade Ultra Violet Blue. The kit, consisting of electric blue shades, a “Cyber Clear” eye gloss and black eye kohl, promised to be an easy tool to recreate the eclectic smoky eye look with minimal effort.

“I think whenever you see smoky eyes today — on Instagram or online — it’s contour, contour, shape, shape; it’s not really how a girl wants to look. These kits allow you to create that lived-in smoky eye with the products and the techniques we’ve used backstage for years,” McGrath said. “It’s all about the formulas being very forgiving and very easy to use, to apply with a brush, with your fingers — just add the tiniest bit of black and either smoke it out or add some sparkle on top and just have a little fun with it, am I right?”

Continuing the “aliengelic” concept, McGrath caused a stir on Instagram during Versace Spring/Summer 2020 when she took to the app to reveal the brand’s Opulence Blitz Astral palette on Irina Shayk. Peachy iridescent colors with creamy textures are easy to mix and experiment with. McGrath often uses her Instagram page to post her favorite backstage looks and share mini-tutorials on how to recreate some of them.

Pat McGrath Labs’ main philosophy is written out on every product like a drug prescription: “Use without caution.” The statement foreshadows fear that any of us have had at least once before putting makeup on – the fear to overdo the look and make it tasteless. However, McGrath’s philosophy urges us to experiment with colors and textures with no fear of being unorthodox or too extravagant. Her philosophy inspires us to turn makeup into art and use our face as a canvas.

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