I’ve had my makeup done by Pat McGrath, with her products… And now I don’t want to remove my makeup ever again

Let’s see. If I don’t go to bed and just sleep on my armchair, if I don’t eat, if I make sure I just drink with a straw, don’t go clubbing, and avoid hugging or kissing anyone, maybe it will last about three days. Maybe four, if I am careful. I just left the backstage of Prada’s Spring Summer 2018 show, where I met makeup guru Pat McGrath, for what was supposed to be an interview, which actually turned into a makeup session, and into a way to test the amazing products of his extraordinary line, Pat McGrath Lab… And this is the only thing I can think about now: how to keep this face for as long as possible, with this wonderful eyeshadow and this lipstick that gives me the kind of lips you want to kiss — and make sure you don’t kiss me anyway, otherwise you’ll ruin my makeup.

Having your makeup done by Pat McGrath is an incredible experience: we tend to think makeup artists are serious people who show up with tons of brushes, who know secrets that mere mortals don’t know anything about, but Pat actually surprised me by being totally approachable and very enthusiastic. Her enthusiasm makes everything she tells you or shows you totally easy to understand, and even desirable, even for someone like me, who knows nothing about makeup, and never owned eyeshadows in her life. After quickly explaining the beauty concept behind Prada’s show (which could be summarised in just two words: no makeup) she moved on to show us the new products of the line that bears her name, Pat McGrath Labs. The line is sold online, in limited editions that get shipped pretty much all over the world.

If you follow her on Instagram, you will know what we’re talking about: her eyeshadow, in particular, is truly crazy, with the kind of holographic effects that can totally change your gaze with just one layer. Pat tested them on my hands first, to show me the shades of color each eyeshadow could create, and then had me sit down on the chair, picked one color, and just tested it on my face. She did this with her fingertips, picking the pigment with her hand — she chose Rose Dusk, from the Mothership II: Sublime Palette for me — and applying it on my eyelid, after moisturising it first, with some simple moisturizer cream. She then removed the excess product with a makeup remover wipe, getting rid of any smudges. My eyes looked amazing.

The power of these eyeshadows lies in the hypnotic effect they seem to have on those who look at you: the pigments they are made with are iridescent, which means that with just one color, your eye will be embellished by thousands of hues that change with the light, or depending on the way your eyelid moves. I felt like a mermaid. Let’s move on to lip makeup: the line Pat chose for me is called Lust: Luxetrance and the color she picked is Major Red, a full red with a tinge of cherry. The effect on my lips feels soft, I feel like I applied a balm on my lips because the texture feels so rich; the color is intense, yet discrete. Pat dabbed it with her fingers to smudge it and make it even softer, and then decided to give me the lipstick as a gift. It was a little hard to remove it in the evening, which means it really is long lasting. Finally, Pat introduced me to the rest of the team, saying, “they never saw thus on anyone, so let’s show them” and used me as a model to show the effect of their products to the team, which broke into applause. I felt like I could pass out — this couldn’t be really happening… Or could it?

Conclusion: in the evening, when I melancholically removed my makeup, I almost teared up while removing my eyeshadow. Now, after mourning for a week, I’m eagerly waiting for Pat’s makeup line to be available for shipping to Italy. I want to have those eyes again, do you know what I mean?