Skip to Content

Pat McGrath Gives 4 Classic Beauty Looks the Pat McGrath Upgrade

What can't the makeup maestro do? Here, she puts a fresh spin on the glamorous smoky eye, the bold red lip, and more of ELLE's most beloved beauty looks.

By Megan ONeill and Liz Collins
this image is not available
Hellin Kay

The sensual smoky eye. The radical pop of color. The geometric detail. The exquisitely fresh face. Certain beauty looks have been a part of ELLE's DNA—reinvented time and again in our pages—for 30 years. Makeup maestro Pat McGrath gives us the best birthday gift ever, bringing ELLE's beauty signatures into 2015 and beyond.

This article originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of ELLE.

Where There's Smoke...

this image is not available
Hellin Kay

Simultaneously elegant and badass, the smoky eye has been an inky emblem of ELLE's own- your-sex-appeal ethos since model Yasmin Le Bon (née Parvaneh) graced our first-ever issue in September 1985—her skin bare but her eyes dusted with smoldering black shadow. "This full- on glossy metallic eye is a nod to the courageous attitude of the '80s," says Pat McGrath, P&G global creative director. "It takes inspiration from an oil slick, modernized with a rich, molten, burgundy finish."

The Shining

this image is not available
Hellin Kay

"It's the perfect example of taking a classic look and playing with texture to make it new," says McGrath of her futuristically sleek update on the bold red lip. The magic, she says, is contrast: The glassy, pigment- drenched ruby set against bare skin is striking without being overdone. McGrath traced the mouth with lip liner—"making any corrections in symmetry where needed"—then smoothed on lipstick, adding tons of purple iridescent- flecked gloss "for that super high-shine finish," she says.

Blue Steel

this image is not available
Hellin Kay

"The strong color and bold shape push the limit of what eye shadow can be," says McGrath of this graphic, teal-blue eye. The effect evokes ELLE's famous June 1986 cover, which showcased Elle Macpherson's face streaked with neon-yellow zinc sunblock. Glenn Marziali, the makeup artist behind Macpherson's look, created what would become an ELLE motif: an Amazonian model emblazoned with a strategic dash of color that was, as McGrath puts it, "simultaneously powerful and youthful." To keep this geometric wing from feeling too eccentric, McGrath decided on a neutral lip and polished brow to ground it.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Fresh Direct

this image is not available
Hellin Kay

The burst of lilac is the first thing you see, but it's the fresh, clear skin that defines this look. In the more-is- more '80s, when makeup (particularly foundation) was swathed on impasto, ELLE always emphasized skin that looked like skin—and the feel here, with what McGrath calls a "fearless lip," is unexpectedly minimalist. "Seamless blending is the key," she says of making a complexion look this unadorned yet this flawless. She mixed two foundations, smoothing on a lighter one to highlight the center of the face and a deeper shade around the perimeter to create depth. McGrath also left the eyes mostly bare and accentuated the cheeks with a dab of blush to enhance the skin's natural flush.

Watch Next
 
preview for Elle Beauty
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Makeup & Skincare 2023

jasmine essential oil in a glass dropper on a background of jasmine flowers high quality photo

The 13 Best Jasmine Perfumes for Floral Lovers

anonymous woman unwrapping the gift box

15 Makeup Subscriptions for the Makeup Obsessed

anti aging serums

17 Best Anti-Aging Serums That Actually Work

hyaluronic acid serum

The Best Hyaluronic Acid Serums for Radiant Skin

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below