Pat McGrath — Icon, Dame, and the “World’s Most Influential Makeup Artist”
The world of makeup will never be the same.
“Makeup is a movement. Makeup is mesmerizing. Makeup is major. Mantra-esque, three words have repeated over and over in my mind ever since I was young. Obsession. Inspiration. Addiction. Those words became my guiding principles, my manifesto as I brought this brand to life” — Pat McGrath.
It’s no easy feat being branded as the “world’s most influential makeup artist” by Vogue’s Anna Wintour, yet it’s a triumph that Pat McGrath rightly achieved. In fact, that’s just one of many incredible achievements that the British makeup artist has collected over the years. FYI… others included becoming the first-ever makeup artist to be awarded a DBE (hello Dame Pat!) and being listed as one of Time’s 100 most influential people. Woah!
As well as landing herself some amazing awards, she also runs an internationally best-selling makeup line, brushes shoulders with all the well-known figures, and is just all-around amazing. There’s no question about it, we’re dealing with a legendary makeup icon.
The thing is, her journey started with humble beginnings. In fact, she has no formal makeup training at all. Yet her ascent to makeup-world royalty is wholly deserved. Here, we’re going to celebrate all of Pat’s achievements by taking a look back at her journey.
Learning from the best
Born in 1970, Pat’s earliest exposure to the fashion and beauty world was because of her mum, Jean McGrath. Despite claiming to grow up in a conservative household, her single mum encouraged her to learn more about the fashion and beauty world along the way. “She always put on a full face of makeup then got in the bath to get that dewy finish. It was next level, but this is where I got my makeup tips from — at seven years old,” Pat told The Guardian.
Pat would spend every Friday shopping with her mum for new beauty looks before go and experimenting with new shades and colours. She even told InStyle that her mum even inspired her to create custom makeup blends for darker skin complexions, as such products simply did not exist on the market.
McGrath with Edward Enninful, 2009.
By her twenties, it was clear that her makeup talents were already being noticed by the people that mattered. Instead of heading to university to study fashion, she befriended stylist Kim Bowen who encouraged her to support multiple shoots and to venture into the world of makeup artistry. She was also introduced to fashion photographer Steven Meisel as well as forming a strong friendship with I-D’s former fashion director, Edward Enninful. Everyone was simply struck by her work and her innovation in the beauty world. The rest is history.
Pat’s iconic career goes beyond makeup
Pat quickly became the go-to makeup artist for almost all fashion photographers and editors. Her looks have graced countless runways and magazine covers, and she’s painted everyone from Madonna and Ophrah to Scarlett Johannson and Jennifer Aniston. And she didn’t stop there — practically any makeup trend from the last two decades has emerged as a result of Pat. How inspiring!
At some point in this whirlwind period, Pat also landed herself with a new name — one that has stuck within the fashion world: Mother. In fact, several articles have pointed out that she often even refers to herself in the third person during interviews. While Pat doesn’t have biological kids of her own, she claims that the nickname stuck as she was the “seasoned one” of the group, often making sure her fashion friends were fed and looked after on shoots. While it may have come from a lighthearted background, it’s really got meaning… afterall, she is the mother of all makeup looks.
By 2015, she sent her fanbase into meltdown when she finally launched her own makeup line under the Pat McGrath Labs name. The amazing collection of mascaras, foundations, and highlighters has been stocked in coveted locations such as Selfridges and Sephora ever since — unsurprisingly often selling out.
Just two years after the launch of her super popular makeup brand, Pat added another string to her bow when she joined Enniful at British Vogue. As good friends, Enniful had just become the publication’s youngest-ever editor-in-chief and he was thrilled to bring Pat into the fold as beauty editor-at-large. At the outlet, she went on to take a guiding role in shaping the industry through coverage of the latest beauty trends.
And just when you think that Pat had probably run out of hours in a day, this icon goes on to wow us even more. In 2022, she also confirmed the launch of her first skincare line that (of course) Naomi Campbell was a huge fan of. And, as well as running her business, she still continues to conceptualize beauty looks for all the upcoming fashion events each year.
A journey in creativity
We LOVE Pat McGrath. Her incredibly successful career in the fashion and makeup world certainly deserves a round of applause. On top of that, her approach to creativity is also something that everyone can take inspiration from.
Throughout her career, Pat has continuously been an advocate for people experimenting with their makeup and embracing their uniqueness. Her work breaks the boundaries of conventional beauty and with this, she’ll continue to inspire new generations of beauty lovers in her stead. We’re obsessed and so should you be.
“You don't have to be Leonardo da Vinci to use an eye shadow, you know? I encourage everyone to have fun and play with makeup; you can always take it off. Makeup represents freedom, empowerment, and self-expression. Beauty is in all of us, so don't be afraid of it,” Pat McGrath writing for InStyle.
WHATS UP NEXT …
