“In The Chair With” spotlights the incredible hairstylists in our community who are giving us major inspiration. Each week, they discuss their personal hair and career journeys, what they’ve learned from their clients, and their top hair care tips.
Pat McGrath is one of the most influential makeup artists of our time. But, even the greats draw their inspiration from someone else. “[My mother] would mix her own shades because the perfect colors for our skin didn’t exist,” McGrath tells ESSENCE about her first makeup memory.
Growing up watching her mother blend burgundy and gold pigments at their kitchen table, the first makeup lesson she learned, has been with her ever since. “She taught me that makeup wasn’t about covering up—it was about celebrating who you are.”
But, even though she went to art school and grew up taking notes from her mother, McGrath never formally “studied” makeup at all. “I learned by doing, by obsessing, by experimenting,” she says. From turning models into porcelain dolls to developing full makeup collections, her non-traditional and open approach to makeup is part of why she’s been a celebrity in the beauty industry for over 30 years. That, and practicing on more faces than we could ever imagine.“That breadth of work taught me that true artistry means understanding how light and dimension play differently on different tones and textures.”
Now, the beauty icon is not only the founder of her eponymous beauty brand, PAT McGRATH LABS, but the very first cosmetics Creative Director of La Beauté Louis Vuitton. Between both, “it’s about giving everyone access to my backstage magic,” she says. To her, makeup is a fetish, and all about “the transformation, not just physical, but emotional.”
Below, McGrath opens up about her biggest beauty tip, debunks makeup myths, and more.
Her Favorite Makeup Products
Right now, I’m obsessed with our new Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Longwear Blurring Setting Spray. It creates this beautiful soft-focus finish without using any clays or silica so you’re not going to get powdery residue or white cast. And it is going to set your makeup for 16 hours! Like, your makeup will not move – I promise you, I’ve done many torture tests myself! For deeper skin, I’m loving our Divine Blush in Paradise Venus and Electric Bloom—they give this gorgeous radiance that looks like it’s coming from within.
Her Favorite Makeup Looks
I love creating “spa skin” on everyone—that luminous, glass-like finish that makes you look dewy, delicious and divine! Paired with a bold lip using my Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil in Garnet Glow or Flesh 3? Major! I also adore doing unexpected color stories—like Divine Cream Blush: Legendary Glow Color Balm in Forbidden Fleur on deep skin. The vibrancy is extraordinary.
Her Top Makeup Tip
Mix your textures for dimension. Use matte in some areas, glow in others. Our Skin Fetish: Divine Glow Highlighter in Bronze Mirage on the high points, then maybe a touch of matte powder through the T-zone. It’s about creating geography on the face. And always—ALWAYS—set with spray – whether Skin Fetish: Glass 001 Legendary Glow Setting Spray or the new Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Longwear Blurring Setting Spray. It makes everything meld into skin.
A Makeup Myth She Wants to Debunk
That certain skin tones can’t wear certain colors or need different rules. Nonsense! Every skin tone can wear every color—it’s about understanding undertones and having the right formulas. Our LiquiLUST: Legendary Wear Lipstick in Elson 4, which is a Vivid Blue Red, looks as incredible on deep skin as light skin, as does Baby Pink Blurring Powder for brightening. I’ve learned this by experimenting and pushing boundaries.
What She’s Learned From Her Clients
The DMs and emails I get from people saying they finally found their perfect shade in my range—that moves me every time. I remember a model telling me she’d never had a makeup artist match her perfectly on the first try until she worked with me. That’s why we have 36 concealer and foundation shades. That’s why we created the new Amber and Peach Under-Eye Blurring Powders. Because everyone deserves to be seen and matched perfectly!
How Her Work Makes People Feel
I start by truly seeing them—not trying to change them but enhancing what makes them magnificent. I’ll often say, “You see how gorgeous your skin is here? Let’s make everywhere look like that.” Whether it’s finding their perfect match within the Sublime Perfection Complexion System or showing them how Bronze Venus Lip Gloss makes them pout like a goddess—it’s about making them feel like the best version of themselves.
