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Opening my first bottle with the words “Mother Approved” engraved is a moment I will never forget and what feels like a rite of passage within the makeup community..

 

Pat McGrath is a British professional Makeup Artist (MUA) and one of the industry's most influential individuals. The Business of Fashion reports her notoriety and title of “ the fashion world’s most important makeup artist.” Recognized as Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE), she is the only makeup artist to ever receive such recognition. This admission into knighthood marks her massive contribution to shaping makeup trends and her lasting impact on the industry, which will continue for generations. 

 

Starting backstage in the ‘90s, Pat McGrath began working on supermodels and breaking boundaries with her unique approach towards application, often using her fingers to apply products to the face and eyes. Dubbed her “magical finger,” Pat McGrath’s technique is genius with her application of products and creative boundary-breaking looks. In an interview with Allure, McGrath reveals that they "[used to travel] with 80-something bags," a testament to the sheer creativity and dedication it takes to lead and shape close to one hundred runway shows per fashion season. McGrath reveals they travel lighter now with only about sixty bags. Pat McGrath is known for her unique artistic expression through her makeup looks that often incorporate 3-dimensional texture, special effects, and more. To create such demanding looks entails there is an arsenal in McGrath’s toolbox.

 

McGrath’s talent is typically thought of on its own plateau, her influence and creative reach far beyond what is seen throughout the industry. McGrath doesn’t just paint a face with products; she transforms models into art to display fashion and share a story. Whether that be individually creating lashes from dramatic feathers, handcrafting masks from tulle and 1,500 Swarovski crystals, playing with powdered pigment and real latex to make a glass eyelid effect on models, or whatever else her brilliant mind creates.

 

Pat McGrath Labs is McGrath’s cosmetic brand that hosts a slew of high-quality and innovative products. It is no secret that the beauty market is oversaturated with brands, but with Pat’s unique eye and knack for forging new paths with products, the success of her brand is expected. One product that made a splash in the public eye is the LiquiLust Elson 4 matte lip. This is the iconic lip color of Taylor Swift, and once it was revealed that this was the product behind her signature red pout, it subsequently sold out everywhere. With a formula praised for its incredible lasting power and ability to lock on color, the lipstick has cemented itself as an icon in the industry. While McGrath is one of the most important figures in the fashion and makeup industry, many everyday consumers, particularly Americans, tend not to know her name. Pat McGrath is an incredible icon; recognizing and celebrating her creative brilliance is crucial to understanding her legacy. 

 

McGrath’s public presence started to further increase after the hype surrounding Taylor Swift’s lasting makeup looks and McGrath’s splash at the Maison Margiela Show in 2024, which was a massive hit on TikTok and brought many creators attempting to re-create McGrath’s brilliance with short-form videos. The Maison Margiela Spring-Summer 2024 Haute Couture Show is one of the most iconic and ingenious shows ever to grace the runway. Models were shown with an ethereal glass-like second skin, creating life-like dolls that perfectly balanced the creativity of editorial makeup while highlighting the stunning collection. With the public uproar about what product McGrath used to create this look, creators flooded TikTok with tutorials, how-to’s, and speculations about what magic McGrath infused into this show. All of the speculation was for naught with someone on her team revealing, “Pat McGrath Labs has always been centered around creating products and formulations that have never existed before, and Pat…had been working on one formula in the lab for some time now.” Ingenuously applied with an airbrush, so as not to disturb the makeup underneath, the technique used for this show is just as important as the formulation of the glaze.

 

Continuing to make unexpected moves, it was recently announced that Pat McGrath is going to be the head of Louis Vuitton’s new venture into the cosmetics industry – La Beauté Louis Vuitton. Luxury brands are stepping into the beauty industry for the first time in history, and they certainly chose the right person to pioneer it. The decision makes sense due to McGrath’s 20-plus years of involvement with the brand, shaping runway shows and the brand's image behind the scenes. Following the massive success of their fragrance line and the cult following of similar fashion houses' beauty, it is exciting to watch this new launch. 

 

As the years go by, Pat McGrath’s influence and creativity just seem to grow. She is one of the most important figures within the makeup industry, and her success is a result of her ingenious creativity and dedicated work. Pat changed the game of makeup – whereas before makeup was used to simply even out the model, never taking away from the true star of the show, the clothes, Pat fused the art of makeup with high fashion and created something beautiful, subsequently changing our ideas of fashion and runways.