BEAUTY QUEEN

The Gold Standard. Legendary. Elegant. Innovative. The most influential makeup artist in the world by Vogue magazine. Pat McGrath was born and raised in Northampton, England. One of the most creative makeup artists of her generation, McGrath began her career in 1990 after completing an art foundation course at Northampton College, and said she “grew up living and breathing fashion in a compulsively creative family”.

• While she had no formal makeup training, her career breakthrough came while working on i-D magazine in the early Nineties.

• Since then she has worked with all the world’s top fashion photographers, designers and models.

• During the Nineties she spent ten seasons creating the makeup concepts for Prada and Miu Miu and in 1999 was asked by Giorgio Armani to design his cosmetics line.

• In 2004 she was named global cosmetics creative design director for Procter&Gamble, the name behind makeup brands including Max Factor, Dolce & Gabbana, CoverGirl and SK-II.

• She regularly collaborates on major fashion advertising campaigns such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Lanvin, Calvin Klein and Balenciaga, and her editorial work includes regular shoots with Vogue Italia and American Vogue.

• She is also Beauty Director of i-D magazine and dispenses her knowledge in the expert advice pages of Allure.

• In a Vogue article in 2007 she was named the most influential makeup artist in the world and has worked with celebrities as diverse as Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cate Blanchett and Oprah Winfrey.

• Despite creating the makeup for a plethora of shows and campaigns each season, McGrath remains inspired, “I’m influenced a lot by the fabrics I see, the colours that are in the collections and the girl’s faces. It’s always a challenge but that’s the key – to make it different every time.”

JUST ONE KISS

LIP SERVICE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Whether you prefer a strong red mouth or just a wash of color, lipstick is one of the easiest ways to create a signature look. There are so many looks you can achieve with the right shade and the right tools. For instance, red lips are great with an almost-no-makeup look. Want to emphasize a pout? Dab a little frosted lipstick onto the center of the lower lip. Meanwhile, a pale mouth works well with a sexy smoky lid. The idea is to achieve a sense of balance. More important, however, is to blend everything so your lips don’t enter the room before you do.

• Don’t use a dark lip pencil with a lighter shade of lipstick.

• Blend everything! Again, you don’t want your lips to enter the room before you do.

• A stronger lip balances a nearly nude eye.

• Smoky eyes require a paler mouth.

• Use a lip brush to apply color. It helps you create a more precise shape and distributes the pigment evenly.

• A latex sponge is an important tool. Use it to blend your lipstick, it picks up the excess, so your lips don’t look heavy or gooey.

• Avoid dark colors if you have thin lips. Instead, highlight the top lip and stick with sheer colors.

• Lighter shades create the illusion that small, round lips are larger.

• Your makeup isn’t finished until your lips are done!

MAC Cosmetics
Cremestick Liner ($14.50, maccosmetics.com)
PRODUCT 101: A creamy, highly pigmented, retractable lip liner. Lightweight and smooth to apply: very long-lasting. Use as outline or as a “fill.” Helps prevent feathering and bleeding. For a nude lip, try Gingerroot or Summerfruit. Also try, Red Enriched or Portside for colors that delivers a darker punch.

Chanel
Glossimer ($27.00, chanel.com)
PRODUCT 101: These exquisitely colored glosses add shimmer without stickiness. Very long-lasting and has a fragrance-free formula. Apply it over lipstick and the color looks like shiny glass. Available in a variety of shades, from pale pinks, apricot oranges to vampy intense burgundies.

A GLOW FROM RIO

Warm colors are a girl’s best friend. Mimic the warmth of skin when achieving natural beauty. Keep in mind, it’s about quality, not quantity! Bronzing powder gives skin a healthy, sun kissed appearance, and you don’t have to spend a second in the sun. Look for warm golden or brown tones a few shades darker than your skin. The sheerer the texture, the more natural it will look. Bronzing powder also helps neutralize red or ruddy complexions.

Touch it. Feel it against your skin. Bronzing powder should feel silky soft and fine, like any loose powder, or if it comes in a compact, like pressed powder or blush. The softer the texture, the more your skin will radiate a natural flawless glow.

The trick is to shine through your makeup, rather than hide behind, accentuate rather than change. Apply bronzing powder with a medium-sized fluffy brush. Try MAC 129 Powder/Blush Brush, ($34.00, maccosmetics.com), a full, rounded, all-purpose brush that I have been using for years. Use it over foundation or on bare skin. Rather than dusting a uniform layer onto the face, apply it where sunlight would naturally hit, the center of your forehead, the bridge of your nose, the tops of your cheekbones, and your chin. Finish it off by applying a warm peach blush on your cheeks, this will give you a more fresh and richer complexion. When you naturally tan, your skin is a little flushed and rosy.

Guerlain
Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder ($48.00, guerlain.com)
PRODUCT 101: This multi-tone bronzing powder has a light texture and doesn’t contain a ton of pigment, so it’s subtle and discreet enough to use even in the cooler months. It glides on smooth, not too shimmery and the application can be easily controlled. It can slightly warm pale and medium complexions, be paired with a darker formula to create a deep tan, or help build a warm base for a smoky eye.

MAC Cosmetics
Powder Blush, Style ($18.00, maccosmetics.com)
PRODUCT 101: This shimmering peach blush is universal. It flatters more complexions than cooler colors do, and it warms up the complexion a little bit, so it still looks natural and fresh. It’s soft and sophisticated, and has a subtle touch of pink that makes it look good on almost anyone.

DOMESTIC BROWS

THE PERFECT EYEBROWS: ALMOST AS EFFECTIVE AS AN EYE LIFT

If your eyes are the windows to your soul, then your eyebrows should be the most uplifting part of your face. They completely alter the expression on your face, from surprised to perfectly calm. In addition to channeling feelings and emotions, eyebrows frame the face and creates clear boundaries and acts as a guideline for eye makeup, which is why keeping them well groomed is so important. If your eyebrows are in great shape, you need less makeup to look effortlessly polished and pulled together.

Always customize your brows to fit and flatter your face. You can’t go wrong with the universal brow shape: medium full with a tapered end and soft arch. But if you want truly customized brows, factor in the shape of your face. Think about proportion as well, if you have prominent features, you’ll look best with fuller brows; if you have small, delicate features, try a thinner softer shape. Brows always appear softer and more feminine when they are slightly lighter than your hair color. Know when not to fill in your brows. Brows don’t always need to be filled in. If a brow is naturally full, by simply adding a small amount of brow gel will do the job. Filling in an already heavy brow can quickly overtake the focus of the makeup application. Also, avoid the application of too much color on the inner brow. This can make the shape of the brow look “blocked off” and too heavy. Leave this portion of the brow clean and natural, just focus efforts on the arch and tail with only a tint of color on the inside.

10 MINUTE BEAUTY

PUT ON YOUR BEST GAME FACE
Three simple makeup looks guaranteed to help you get out the door. Results: effortlessly polished!

GET GLOWING
Apply tinted moisturizer and concealer where needed. Brush bronzer over your forehead, your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and the center of your neck. Rub a rosy cream on lips and cheeks. Then rim your top lids with brown liner and add mascara to lashes. This will enhance and accentuate your eyes, without shadow. Very au naturel.

QUICK LIP SERVICE
Prep your lips with lip conditioner. Choose a bold lip color that flatters your skin tone, soft cherry for pale complexions, coral for olive, and either color but deeper for dark skin, and apply it straight from the tube. Keep other makeup understated: black mascara and champagne highlighter along cheek and brow bones. The goal is to look pulled together and not overdone.

A RUSH OF GOLD
For daytime, metallics should look healthy and glowing, not disco-glittery. Dust a soft gold eye shadow over the lids. Try MAC Eye Shadow in Woodwinked ($14.50, maccosmetics.com), a favorite product of mine. Then add a thin stroke of dark brown pencil to the upper lash lines, extending it out slightly at the corners for intensity without looking too made-up. Finish with mascara, a neutral blush, and a creamy pink-beige lipstick.

PERFECT GLOW

BOOST YOUR RADIANCE!

Apply MAC Cream Colour Base ($16.50, maccosmetics.com), a cream highlighter with a light shimmer, starting at the top of your cheekbones, right beneath the inner corner of the eye, and contouring along the bone up to the outer end of your brow. Next, swipe it down the bridge of your nose, then dot it in the indentation right above your Cupid’s bow.