(Photo : Pat McGrath Labs)
The excitement of Couture Week in Paris is unmatched, with the city's streets turning into a grand stage for fashion's most daring and imaginative presentations. One of the most talked-about elements of this year's event was the striking "porcelain doll" makeup look created by the legendary Pat McGrath for John Galliano's Artisanal Collection for Maison Margiela.
This look has taken the beauty world by storm and has become viral on TikTok. Recreating McGrath's viral porcelain doll makeup look is all about layering the right products and achieving that perfect glass-like finish. With the right tools and a bit of practice, you can bring this high-fashion runway look to your everyday makeup routine.
Here's how you can achieve it step by step.
1. Prep your skin
Product: Pat McGrath Labs Divine Skin Rose 001 The Essence
Start by prepping your skin with this bi-phase essence. It contains a rose biotic complex that calms and rebalances the skin, while floral antioxidants protect against environmental aggressors. Apply this on damp skin to lock in moisture and create a smooth base.
2. Apply foundation
Product: Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation
This foundation is the cornerstone of the porcelain skin look. Its silky, serum-like texture is buildable, allowing for a sheer to medium coverage that leaves a satin, soft-focus finish. Apply evenly across your face to create a flawless base.
3. Add a doll-like flush
Product: Pat McGrath Labs Divine Blush: Legendary Glow Colour Balm
For that perfect doll-like flush, apply this cream blush to the apples of your cheeks. Shades like Peach Lotus or Sunkissed Seduction work best. The creamy texture blends seamlessly and provides a youthful, radiant glow.
4. Create the porcelain glass skin
Option 1: Kryolan Liquid Glass
To achieve the signature glass skin effect, you can use Kryolan Liquid Glass. This product creates a latex-like, glossy finish that mimics the smooth, reflective quality of glass. While some influencers and beauty creators have successfully recreated the look using Kryolan, it's important to note that this product was not used by the original artist.
Option 2: The Glue Trick
The original artist used special effects water-based glue for a flexible, long-wearing finish. Apply the glue with a cotton swab, focusing on areas prone to wear such as around the mouth, nostrils, and the corners of the eyes (near the side of the bridge of the nose to avoid irritation). This technique ensures the makeup lasts for the duration of the show.
5. Define your eyes
Products: Pat McGrath Labs Mothership Palettes
Use shades from Pat McGrath's Mothership palettes to create painterly eye designs. Jewel tones, pastels, and moody charcoals can be used to add drama and depth to your eyes. Blend the shadows well for a seamless transition between colors.
6. Perfect the brows
For the authentic porcelain doll look, cover your brows with a concealer. Then, draw on pencil-thin arches using neutral-toned shadows. This gives the face a more ethereal and vintage appearance.
7. Enhance the Lips
Products: Ultra Glide Eye Pencil in Blitz Brown, MatteTrance Lipstick in Guinevere
Start with the Ultra Glide Eye Pencil in Blitz Brown to add depth to the inside of the mouth. Then, apply the MatteTrance Lipstick in Guinevere, a blooded crimson, to the center of the lips. Blur the color towards the edges to avoid hard lines, creating a more transparent look at the edges. This method adds a dramatic yet seamless finish to the lips.