When thinking of beauty pioneers, no one comes to mind as quickly as “mother” Pat. Now officially Dame Patricia Ann McGrath, this beauty beacon was recently commemorated in the history of fashion as the first makeup artist crowned as a Dame of the British Empire.
Born and raised in London to a first generation immigrant, she credits her single mother, Jean, for nurturing her fascination with makeup. Jean was a dressmaker and was just as obsessed with makeup, if not more. Unlike most children who were fostered to bury their face in books, McGrath’s childhood was chronicled around their living room TV. The dynamic duo would spend hours analysing and dissecting makeup looks of Hollywood stars.
During the emergence of experimental makeup in the 80s, white women stood as the faces of beauty as Black women were relegated to the margins. “There was no makeup for women of colour, nothing”, she says in an interview with The Guardian. It was her mother who taught her to claim the margin as centre and expand her imagination instead. She “encouraged McGrath to be creative with makeup, mixing pigments from scratch to get exactly the right colour.”
At a time where dominant mainstream makeup was matte and muted, McGrath achieved her breakthrough by colouring outside the lines. With no formal training except for an art foundation course, she gained traction through the club scene, doing makeup for artists like Soul II Soul. Soon enough, her artistry acquainted her with designers such as Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. In the early 90s she began working alongside Edward Enninful, for both the Face and i-D magazine.
Soon enough, runways and fashion magazines became her foundation. Through her alchemy, rhinestone studded eyeshadow and bedazzled lipstick were birthed. Though her artistry continued to evolve, one thing remained constant — her strive for inclusivity as well as working on historical covers like Vogue Italia’s famous July 2008 “Black Issue”. For McGrath’s contributions to the evolution of makeup and commitment to diversity within the fashion industry, we celebrate Black British history month by revisiting her most iconic makeup looks.
Givenchy Spring/Summer 2014
Nothing says legendary more than McGrath’s ability to outdo herself. In other words, her artistry is her only competition. At the Givenchy 2014 show, she took her love for face jewels to the next level by creating makeup masks embellished from top to bottom with Swarovski crystals.
Valentino Spring 2019 Couture
A personal favourite, in 2019 McGrath created a gravity defying eye look that flocked every makeup artist’s Pinterest boards. She began by stamping the eyelids and waterline of each model with jet black eyeliner. After coating the model’s own lashes, she delicately placed the quilled feathers on the models lash line. With each blink, the feathered extensions fluttered, transporting runway guests to an otherworldly dimension.
Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2020
The Marc Jacobs show was described as an ode to individuality, hence, no two models had the same makeup looks. Here, McGrath’s makeup was a kaleidoscope of 60 makeup looks —soaring her artistry of eye-looks to greater heights. She laminated some models’ eyes with holographic liner, used rhinestones as highlighter, and maximised on her love of bold blushes to truly achieve “a cast of characters representing a mix of everything Marc likes”.
Valentino Spring 2020
During the rise of geometrical eye looks, McGrath continued to push boundaries through her goldrush of bold, dimensional eye looks. At the Valentino Spring 2020 show, the models sported golden sequined eyeshadow that was so mesmerising, it made the model’s eyes look like confectionate accessories.
With over 25 years in the industry under her belt and a cosmetics line worth $1 billion, McGrath’s continues to define self-made Black excellence. We can’t wait to see what mother Pat’s mastery conjures up next.