Since the late 1980s-1990s, Pat McGrath has been working her makeup magic on the faces of musical artists and runway models alike. Initially becoming known for more colorful and avant-garde looks that boldly juxtaposed the matte, flat-textured, and “nude” shades that were popular during this era, McGrath got her start in the British club scene, working for Soul II Soul and alongside other such young artists as then 18-year old Ghanaian-born stylist Edward Enninful (former British Vogue editor-in-chief), her longest-running collaboration to date. Her left-field designs eventually got her her big break, when she was discovered by Janice Long while wearing romantic garb and bold lipstick on her eyes, cheks, and eyes, an unthinkable combination at the time.
Today, she is affectionately known and revered as “Mother” to her loved ones and fans, a beauty legend who owns her own critically-acclaimed beauty brand, Pat McGrath Labs. Its high-quality products, combined with McGrath’s innovative creative vision, provide for a positive, in-demand reputation worthy of the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates every year.
Vogue Magazine has called her “the most influential makeup artist in the world”, she was the first ever makeup artist named a Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 for her services to beauty, fashion, and diversity on a global scale, and, in March 2025, it was announced that Pat would collaborate with famous fashion house Louis Vuitton on its first makeup line, La Beauté.
In celebration of this history-making moment in luxury beauty, let’s take a trip down memory lane and highlight what are, in my opinion, Dame Pat McGrath, DBE’s most iconic beats:
1. PAT IN MAG
Today, Pat McGrath is known as the mother of all makeup artists for her bold, colorful, and super creative runway makeup looks, but did you know her earliest iconic looks were made for print? Check out some of her firsts while working with Enninful over at i-D Magazine in the mid-1990s!
2. Christian Di-MORE Since 2004
Well, there are several really great ones from their Fall 2003 show, too, but you get the point: the 2000s runways had McGrath as all over it – from Prada to Givenchy – but her most famous looks undoubtedly came from Dior shows.
Even though this era was widely known for the use of paler foundations, Pat would begin to forge ahead in a more dramatic way instead. Choosing to adorn runway model’s faces in never before seen styles, she served audiences highly-pigmented eye shadows, metallic lips, tons of crafting glitter, extra lashes, and eye-catching brows, just to name a few.
3. SEQUENTIAL SEQUINS
Stepping things up even more in the 2010s, one of Mothers’ standout choices has to have been the addition of even daring materials.
Who could forget this one from Tisci’s Spring/Summer Givenchy show in 2014?
Or their pearl, crystal, and faux piercings collaboration the following two years?
Even the latex looks from the Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2015 presentation, what McGrath called “Femme bot fantasia realized in luxurious lacquer”, offer something audacious.
4. UNAFRAID YET UNDERSTATED
Just because Pat liked to play with bright colors didn’t mean she couldn’t make the darkest makeup sparkle out as well.
Take these beats from Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2014 for example, By utilizing deep contouring shades, black shadows and feathers, McGrath created profiles full of mystery, intensity, and dark feminine energy.
5. ALL THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
If Pat McGrath’s early looks oozed more with drama, then the work she did backstage before John Galliano’s Maison Margiela haute couture and artisanal shows has taken more inspiration from abstract painting styles. Since the late 2000s, the two have shown us a different side of her art form, taking advantage of more matte colors, empty space, and wide brush swipes; she even created 3D cat eyes using coated thread for Viktor & Rolf’s presentation the same day as his in 2017!
6. CUTE EVEN IN QUARANTINE
Another unforgettable category of her runway bests have to be those unveiled during the global lockdown that were straightforward enough to try and copy at home (emphasis on the attempt lol).
Take this playful, free-floating white liner look from Anna Sui for Spring 2020:
The extra-thick golden wings, gems, and lash combos from Valentino:
Or the intentionally-smudged and Betty Boop-esque eyelashes from Marc Jacobs’ Spring/Summer close-ups?
7. FLORAL FAWNING
And while we’re on the topic of lashes, let’s not forget the delicate-yet-intricate eye makeup she created that complemented the romantic nature of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s floral-themed collection for Valentino oh-so-well in January the year prior. I mean, hairs that sprout dainty white feathers and gazes in full bloom? Perfection!
8. HITTING THE MOTHER LODE
There are so many spectacular makeup looks that have come from the mind of this talented, legendary makeup artist extraordinaire that I could keep going on and on, but I did want to highlight these particular looks for a reason. I personally believe that these specific looks laid the highest groundwork for what Pat McGrath might be even more well known for today, and that is Pat McGrath Labs.
If there is one other talent that she has, it’s helping luxury brands to create makeup lines that last, and so it was only a matter of time before she created her own. With years of preparations and tons of interest from the global beauty-loving community, Pat McGrath Labs launched just under ten years ago today with immediate success. Her debut beauty product, a versatile metallic pigment called GOLD 001, gained immediate popularity and sold out within seconds.
I had the distinguished opportunity to attend the Pat McGrath Labs #ARtofBeauty augmented reality experience in collaboration with Shop With Google in 2023, and I must say that it was one of the best experiences I had that year. It was so much fun, innovative, and it made me fall in love with the brand and its high-quality products even more than I already had.
La Beauté – reported to launch with 55 lipsticks, 10 lip balms, and eight eye palettes – is set to arrive in Fall 2025. Pat McGrath will serve as the line’s Creative Director of Cosmetics, the first the French fashion house has had in its history.
Congratulations to Mother on her newest, well-deserved endeavor!
If you ever read this, please know that, from one beauty product lover to another, you inspire Black women like myself all around the world every single day to continue to have fun with color, embrace creativity, and to challenge the status quo as it relates to what is considered “beautiful”.
