Welcome to E!’s Tales From the Top, our series on women who are leaders in their fields and masters of their craft. Spanning industries and experiences, these powerhouse women answer all the questions you’ve ever had about how they got to where they are today—and what they overcame to get there. Read along as they bring their resumés to life.
Of her many titles—CEO, founder, icon, dame—Pat McGrath is known to the world first and foremost for what she does best: Killing it as a makeup artist.
Named by TIME as one of the most influential people in the world and widely considered the most prestigious in her industry, the trailblazing British artist boasts an incomparable résumé packed with thousands of runway shows, hundreds of magazine covers, an array of makeup products and a few supermodels who consider her as more than just a trusted member of the glam squad. Just ask Naomi Campbell, who once gushed on Instagram, “Pat is my chosen family and an undeniable creative force in the beauty business who has been in my life since the early stages of my career.”
Campbell has served as a face of McGrath’s eponymous makeup brand, Pat McGrath Labs, which she launched in 2015 with one mesmerizing—and swiftly sold-out—item: the Gold 001 pigment that could be applied to the eyelids, lips or in practically any other way creativity sparked. Much like the hypnotic looks of art she’s famous for sending down the runway (red pouts topped with Swarovski crystals and feather lash extensions to name just a few), her makeup products are akin to candies far too beautiful to consume.
Still, customers and fans gladly gobble them up, and fortunately McGrath has shown no signs of stopping any time soon. As she teased in an exclusive interview with E! News, “All I can say at the moment is…something MAJOR is coming!”
While those were the only words she was able to offer on the matter, she divulged far more on her rise to makeup superstardom, including her first foray into the business, the striking career advice her mother gave her and the legend she still wants to work with.
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