Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • 2025 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • News

Expert Advice: Lip Service with Pat McGrath

Lipstick is back and we are loving it! Makeup artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath is the innovator behind the scenes at runway shows such as Dolce & Gabanna, Balenciaga and Prada. She creates the lip looks that we all follow! A little known fact is that she's also the creative force behind the scenes at P&G, which owns CoverGirl. Here she went through the CoverGirl arsenal to share her picks and tips on choosing the right hot lip shade for your skin tone...
Expert Advice: Lip Service with Pat McGrath
Pat Mcgrath 260 Jpg
By Marcia Caster · Updated October 29, 2020
pat-mcgrath-425.jpg
Lipstick is back and we are loving it! Makeup artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath is the innovator behind the scenes at runway shows such as Dolce & Gabanna, Balenciaga and Prada. She creates the lip looks that we all follow! A little known fact is that she’s also the creative force behind the scenes at P&G, which owns CoverGirl. Here she went through the CoverGirl arsenal to share her picks and tips on choosing the right hot lip shade for your skin tone. “One of the best things about being a woman of color is that rich, bright colors tend to look amazing on our skin,” she says. “Don’t be scared to experiment!” Rockin’ Red
  • Lighter skinned women like Beyonce can use different tones of red–from orangey to ones with more of a blue undertone and most shades in between.
  • For darker skin tones like that of Estelle, try reds with blue undertones that are richer and have a touch of plum.
Pat’s Pick: CoverGirl Queen Collection Vibrant Hue Color Lipstick in Cherry Bomb is the perfect shade of red and works on medium to deep undertones. Cool Wines
  • For fairer sisters go for a sheer finish. It makes the hue more wearable against lighter skin.
  • For deeper brown skin tones, rich, deep color always look best.
Pat’s Pick: CoverGirl Queen Collection Vibrant Hue Shine Lipstick in Shiny Port Wine is slick and sheer.   Fab Fuchsias This is one color that Pat thinks looks great on all of us. “I think the brighter the better for any skin tone–especially deeper, darker skin,” she explains. Pat’s Pick: CoverGirl Queen Collection Vibrant Hue Color Lipstick in Ruby Remix.