The genie is finally out of the bottle and Pat McGrath, the mother of makeup, has finally done a product-by-product breakdown with live tutorials on social media to unveil the secrets behind the beauty looks from Margiela Artisanal S/S 24 collection that went viral last week and that instantly turned into a global obsession for makeup artists, but for ordinary people as well.
The show heralded the return of fashion as spectacle, but it was also lauded for its unique makeup that turned the models' skin into glassy porcelain and transformed human beings into dolls.
Everybody tried to guess what product was used to achieved that effect, but none guessed: opinion split into factions – maybe it was Kryolan Liquid or Freeman's Cucumber Peel-Off Gel Mask diluted and spread with an airbrush machine.
The makeup maestro actually utilized a range of products to prepare the skin, including Pat McGrath Labs's Divine Skin Rose 001 The Essence Lotion, her Sublime Perfection Foundation, and Divine Blush: Legendary Glow Colour Balm, employed to create a flushed doll-like appearance. Yet there wasn't just one product to obtain the final effect, but a perfect mix, a combination of several masks (a cucumber one as well) and water.
Although the porcelain-like finish and pore-less glass skin have been fashionable in South Korea for quite a while (mainly applied to natural skin without any bright makeup), generating the dolphin-skin look that also trended on TikTok last year, these makeup trends imply a series of stages and phases that can be long and boring. Besides, McGrath seemed to have managed to push things further, creating an even better illusion with a hyper-reflective, glass-like finish that didn't ruin the makeup underneath.
During her live tutorial today Mother McGrath recounted how she met Galliano on a set for Vogue Italia when she was a junior makeup artist. This chance meeting marked the beginning of a collaborative journey, where they crafted numerous looks together – both backstage and for editorial features. McGrath worked for Galliano's collections for Christian Dior in the '90s (here she made a groundbreaking contribution by introducing crystallized lips, a trendsetting innovation that later served as the inspiration for her renowned Pat McGrath Labs Crystal Lip Kit). McGrath actually created more cutting age makeup styles for Galliano, yet this was the first time that she went viral at this level, something that confirmed her reputation as a trailblazing makeup artist in the fashion industry.
Expressing gratitude to her followers, McGrath emphasized that porcelain doll skin is not limited to runways and it's for any age. Then she invited aspiring artists to tag her to show her their own interpretation of the doll look, "Keep them coming," she told her fans and makeup artists, wishing that some of them, the best and most inventive and creative ones, will join her team one day. Additionally, she teased the imminent release of a Pat McGrath Labs product promising the coveted glass finish (you can bet that it will be sold out in a few minutes' time as soon as it will be available…).
Amidst the astonishment and gratitude, McGrath shared a valuable lesson: pushing boundaries requires hard work and experimentation. It took her three years to create this look, something that turns her makeup experiments into a scientific research (a principle aligned with the essence of Pat McGrath Labs, where makeup and science converge to produce groundbreaking products and formulations).
As fans hope to see a masterclass about the glass porcelain skin, possibly fusing theatre, drama, fashion and makeup (the live tutorials were revelatory and extremely intriguing, with a lot of tips and ideas, so imagine a masterclass with McGrath and her team…), the message is clear: makeup is not just an art form; it's a meticulous blend of creativity and scientific exploration and Mother McGrath possesses the unparalleled expertise to strike that perfect balance.