Everything I Need to Know about Makeup, I Learned from Pat McGrath: 7 Models on Their Favorite Tricks from the Backstage Master Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Caroline Trentini1/7Caroline Trentini
I’ve learned over the years to work with what s good on my face, and so I extend my eyebrows a little bit. That was Pat. In the beginning, when we were working with Steven [Meisel], she studied my features and said, "You need to ask people to extend your eyebrows because it gives your face a better shape." [I usually] go with a lighter color, like a taupe-ish eye shadow, rather than a darker color; it blends in a little more and looks more natural. The more you try to make the simple things perfect—that s the key. Because in the end, you don t want to look like you spent two hours doing your makeup.
Photo: Courtesy of Daria Strokous2/7Daria Strokous
I learned from Pat how to apply a colorful lipstick with my finger. Not a stain, but to really, fully put it on. It’s the way she rolls the finger against the lip. I can t do it with a brush or the actual lipstick; only with a finger. That s probably the coolest thing she’s taught me. Because the lip is not super drawn-on. If it s not too bright a color, it almost looks like your lips.
Photo: Courtesy of Ondria Hardin3/7Ondria Hardin
To make yourself look really awake, you can use a shiny [Madina Milano] highlighting stick or any pale, pearly product. I learned that from Pat. You dab it in the corners of your eyes and on the Cupid s bow of your mouth. It just brightens everything up. She also taught me to do a smoky eye with my fingers, and ever since I started doing that I haven’t picked up a brush.
Photo: Courtesy of Drake Burnette4/7Drake Burnette
One thing that has stood out in my mind is putting on eye makeup. I’m not worried so much about it being perfect anymore because I feel like makeup artists always are saying, ‘Oh, we want it to look like she did it herself.’ It’s more of a kind of real beauty than this impossible attempt at perfection, and I like that. For me, that’s Pat. She comes up with a makeup look, but she wants it to be sort of individualized to each girl, to bring out the best of each girl’s beauty.
Photo: Courtesy of Hilary Rhoda5/7Hilary Rhoda
Contouring the cheekbones and the eye sockets. It enhances everything, and then you don t really have to do much else. I just use bronzer or a taupe color. I want to get ready fast, so whatever I brush over my cheeks, I also do it on my eyes. I think [contour] is something that you start from and you can build on it, but that s always the starting point.
