Dame Pat McGrath is the most influential makeup artist in the world.
If you know makeup, you know the name — “McGrath” has become one of the most well-known makeup artists to ever do it, her brand, “Pat McGrath Labs,” echoing just as loudly as her years-long legacy.
Today, McGrath stands tall upon a massive collection of accolades, having developed a cosmetics line for Giorgio Armani, been named Global Cosmetics Creative Design Director for Procter & Gamble and worked with the biggest names in celebrity, according to Vogue — think Sarah Jessica Parker, Oprah Winfrey and Madonna.
So where did it all start?
Long before her designs would ever grace the red carpet of major events like the Met Gala or the Oscars, McGrath was born in 1970 in Northampton, England, a small town where her creativity knew no bounds.
According to an article from The Guardian, she was raised by Jean, the Jamaican immigrant and single mother who saw the potential in her daughter from the very beginning: “‘She would stand in front of the TV and we’d have to guess what she’d done differently with her eyes,’” McGrath told The Guardian, lovingly nodding to her mom’s dedication to her success. “‘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!’”
Jean’s expertise didn’t stop at makeup, though. When McGrath was young, the would-be beauty guru took her years of professional dress-making experience and led McGrath around town, stopping first so that they could look at Vogue patterns, and then marching to “where all the fabric buyers sold their remnants,” said The Guardian.
Not just looking for a good time, McGrath’s dedication was great and it was constant. There was always something driving the search.
“‘There was no makeup for women of colour,’” McGrath told The Guardian. “‘NOTHING. That’s what my mother’s search was all about. When we were out shopping we were always looking for a product that, probably by accident rather than design, worked for us.’”
Of course, this is exactly what spurred such a love for the brighter things in life. Knowing that most makeup, especially in the 80s, was marketed towards white women, McGrath developed her career in understanding the exact opposite: she searched far and wide for what would pop on dark skin, creating designs for the people of color who had been utterly overlooked in the past.
McGrath’s story is one of love, family and dedication to her craft. And now, the artist has reached unimaginable heights, working with stars like Zendaya and Cate Blanchett while building a brand valued at over $1 billion, according to The New York Times.
McGrath is a muse of her own making, and Scarlette Magazine is thrilled to honor her with a photoshoot dedicated to her incredible artistry.
Working to cover as much of the star’s career as possible, our six models chose their favorite McGrath makeup looks to recreate. Some chose simplicity: Shekinah Tuazon went with a John Galliano spring/summer look from 2008, achieved by makeup artist (MUA) Cayla Weston. Others desired McGrath’s iconic “glass skin” appearance: Ethiopia Jegol and Scarlette Assistant Graphic Design Director Abby Nocera, working with MUA Hailee Harrington, used the same show for inspiration, opting for looks from John Galliano’s Maison Margiela Spring 2024 Couture collection.
Tyler Whitten completed the look for Jegol’s “glass skin” aesthetic. To her, makeup is about flexibility and thinking outside of the box: “I watched the Maison Margiela 2024 show maybe 20 times to understand how to approach the Pat McGrath-inspired looks for the models. I was drawn to the glass skin inspo…Since the Pat McGrath glass skin spray wasn’t available yet, I found a face mask that helped me achieve that high-shine editorial look.”
“What inspires me most about Pat McGrath is how she fully commits to a vision and understands the emotion her work needs to communicate,” Whitten said. “The balance of artistry and storytelling is what I strive to embody in my own creative process. I hope that when people see this project, they feel the story that we built together.”
The other looks were nothing short of inspiring:
Scarlette President Averie Ison hand-picked a presentation that screams “ice princess,” taking from John Galliano’s fall/winter 2009 “Beautifully Iced Maidens” ready-to-wear collection for Dior.
Zöe McWhorter, the makeup artist for Ison, knows that makeup is more than meets the eye: “McGrath is known for pulling inspiration from the individuality of her models,” McWhorter said. “I hope to one day create a world, like McGrath, worth celebrating — one where my model feels excited to wear the world we have created equally.”
Morgan Cartwright chose what might be the most well-known McGrath look of late, with MUAs Jessica Guy and Brooke Barnwell recreating Zendaya’s Met Gala 2024 makeup for the model. The theme was “The Garden of Time,” according to an article from Vogue. Cartwright achieved brilliance in a dark lip, haunting eyeshadow and flawless brows that reached all the way to her temples.
Lastly, model Madeline Schmidt went full doll, using Guy and Barnwell’s artistry to embrace McGrath’s love of contrast and irregular features. She selected a look from the John Galliano spring/summer 2011 collection.
While it can be fun to celebrate celebrities for their great makeup looks or clothing choices, it’s crucial to recognize the faces behind the camera. With each celebrity step-out, whether it’s onto a red carpet or the sidewalk in front of their apartment, remember that there are countless faces that prepared them for the outside world, making them up, dressing them and fixing any fly-aways.
The muse can certainly be the creation, but more often than not, it’s the creator. McGrath is the blueprint.
When in doubt, turn to what drives you, inspires you and pushes you forward — and certainly don’t be afraid to stand out. As Mcgrath once said, “‘It’s about pushing boundaries. I believe absolutely, the world wants something different. People want back their individuality.’”
SHOOT LEAD Averie Ison | PHOTOGRAPHER Logan St. Hilaire | BEHIND THE SCENES/FILM PHOTOGRAPHER Sandra Fu | MODELS Abby Nocera, Morgan Cartwright, Ethiopia Jegol, Shekinah Tuazon, Madeline Schmidt, Averie Ison | HAIR & MAKEUP ARTISTS Tyler Whitten (IG: @beautyxtyler), Brooke Barnwell (IG: @brookieb.hair), Jessica Guy (IG: @justjessstyling), Cayla Weston (IG: @missweston._), Hailee Harrington (IG: @illua.beauty), Zöe McWhorter (IG: @skinandcomb)
