Makeup Trends: A Chat with Pat McGrath, articles, fashion beauty

Makeup Trends: A Chat with Pat McGrath

by Marie-Andrée Guimont
published January 11, 2012

rating: (17 Ratings)

Spring 2012 at CoverGirl

Each season, Pat McGrath is privy to an exclusive first look at the runway collections from Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and the list goes on. Why? Well, she is responsible for a majority of the makeup looks we see on the runway and which subsequently dictate the trends. Plus, McGrath also acts as artistic director for CoverGirl. In December, we met with the almighty pigment queen in Toronto for a one-on-one that was nothing short of inspiring.

Spring-summer 2012 in haute couture

The first trend McGrath spoke to us about is bold minimalism. The idea is to accentuate part of the eye or the lips on a perfect complexion. Captivating stories followed on the prevalence of vintage, red and metallic accents, as well as girlie innocence, and then some! However, bold minimalism has punch, and remains our favourite trend of the season by far. One of the reasons we like it so much is that we can adopt it right this moment. So, without further ado, here’s how to achieve the multi-faceted look.

A darkened gaze…

At Louis Vuitton, we wanted nothing more than to see the feminine and innocent woman from the 50s parading down the catwalk. McGrath and her team dared to apply a theatrical superposition of fake eyelashes against a porcelain doll-like complexion. “Ten pairs of eyelashes certainly isn’t easy to wear, but you can easily apply eyelashes on the corner of the eye in order to sport the look on a regular basis,” recommends McGrath.

Now, on to Gucci. The house imposed a daring punk elegance subjected to graphic lines. The smoky eye was thus reinvented in accordance to produce a completely darkened gaze. “We love LiquiLineBlast because once you put it on, it stays in place. The eyeliner formed the basis of this look.” A tonne of mascara and a touch of lip balm, and you’re good to go!

… or a colourful wink?

Time to decode the beauty trends at Balenciaga. Here, urban, eclectic, and at times futuristic, glamour shone through a glossy glaze. “We mixed six hues of ShadowBlast cream eyeshadows ranging from khaki to stone. We then added a beautiful lacquer on top so that the eyelid would have a glossy finish.” Shades of gray applied on and above the eyelids were then accented with an extra dab here and there (At home, we use a light gloss to mimic the lacquered.effect). The inspiration behind the look? Jewellery. Oh-so chic!

Mui Mui was also astonishing. “Ms. [Miuccia] Prada wanted to produce a twist on the classic fairytale, as interpreted by a cool, rebellious young woman. We opted for red eyeshadow, as it doesn’t get more rebellious than that!” McGrath chose a cream eyeshadow, to which she added some pigments. A lipstick also does the trick. “It was for the show,” added the designer’s friend. “I see it more as an interpretation of colour blocking. We could easily as well have use purple, green, or blue.”

Don’t forget to smile!

So far, we’ve only had eyes for our… eyes! But as you’ve probably noticed, a healthy dose of subtle lip balm accompanies our strongly-emphasized eyelids. But beware: we haven’t seen the last of intense lipstick shades!

Going back to Balenciaga, in addition to the masked beauties presented above, we also saw the following deeply embellished pouts parading down the runway. “We created sumptuous super dark black cherry lips by mixing together different pigments. We topped off this beautiful pout with a thick layer of gloss, and a hint of lacquer in the centre.” Here, you’ll notice the gaze is only slightly emphasized. The new ultra-pigmented BlastFlipstick lipstick is your best ally to create a customized palette.

Tip: Applying fake eyelashes

Begin by drawing a line using a pencil or dabbing eyeshadow near the lash, and then apply black adhesive. “Whenever I put fake eyelashes on, I apply pressure for a few minutes for them to stay in place,” says McGrath. “Another helpful tip is once the lashes are in place, lower them just a bit to prevent the separation from showing.” However, there’s no need to fret: any visible gap between fake eyelashes and your fringe will have previously been darkened with liquid liner, pencil, or eyeshadow, thus making it impossible to detect.

Tag(s): beauty, makeup, CoverGirl, trends, Pat McGrath