Pat McGrath's Makeup Looks at the Maison Margiela Show Are Like None We've Ever Seen Before

And you can buy all the products she used.

a model at the Maison Margiela SS24 show
(Image credit: Alamy)

Pat McGrath has already reached living legend status. The innovative makeup artist has changed the face of beauty, employing unique, brightly colored techniques and eschewing brushes for her hands. For her work, she’s been deemed the most influential makeup artist in the world by Vogue, has been listed as one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people, and was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (and is the first makeup artist to be included). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that her newest venture has made headlines and inspired other artists instantly—and it dropped during the Maison Margiela show at Paris Fashion Week.

Inspired by the concept of fashion as a ritual and physical expression of human emotion, the Margiela show sought to experiment with texture, silhouette, and presentation. In that vein, McGrath crafted showstopping looks for the runway inspired by the ultra-shiny finish of porcelain and the recent trend of porcelain, or glass, skin. To achieve the look, McGrath bleached the models’ eyebrows and then drew razor-thin arches along the brow bones using neutral eyeshadows. The eyes themselves were colored in striking jewel tones, gentle pastels, and dark charcoals.

When it comes to the face, McGrath employed her signature commitment to injecting lively color into the cheeks. Her popular cream blush was applied to the center of the cheeks in order to mimic the red-pink blush of old-fashioned porcelain dolls. The lips contrasted this look of innocence, however, and were dyed deep, moody shades like blood red and black. 

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Every inch of the look—from the eyes to the lips to the skin itself—was then coated in glosses and glazes, with an end result that made the models look uncannily like porcelain dolls. It was an innovative, history-making look that contrasted the textured Margiela fashion, and it gave every model a unique appearance that enhanced each look and made the show a more whole, complete world. It was also a much-needed departure from the spare, fresh-faced looks typically worn on runways. 

While McGrath’s masterpiece look isn’t necessarily intended for day to day wear, the products she used are all from her own brand. If you, too, are inspired by the incredible looks seen in Paris today, check out the products she used to create them. Each one is available now online or at your favorite beauty store. 

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Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art