Just when the world was getting used to the idea of garnishing food with glitter (which is obviously genius), the gold leaf makeup trend has invaded the internet.
Most-influential British make-up artist and Vogue Regular Pat McGrath is the creator of some of the best sparkly runway looks. In fact, her make up for Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Covergirl is some of the most replicated styles.
During the course of her 25-year career, she has done over 500 magazine covers and painted the face of over 190,000 models. Lily Donaldson, Daria Strokous and Bella Hadid were among the first mix of models and industry insiders who got a golden makeup look from her first line of product, Gold 001 in 2015.
Since the social media got flooded with free makeovers, Instagram has been on fire with gorgeous golden looks, giving makeup fiends a serious craving to replicate the looks.
Here are some amazing ideas for rocking Pat McGrath’s makeup look inspired by gold leaf designs, even if you couldn’t make it to her GOLDEN makeovers in Paris.
Like other Instagram gold leaf makeup looks, these looks are not subtle. They aren’t about blending, but much about BAM! Like a gold tattoo for your face, this is Flashy, Gilded Age gold, like the NYE party at Gatsby’s.
Creamy Gold Eye
Gordon Espinet, MAC’s makeup artist, is known for giving models an abstract, creamy, smudgy gilded gold leaf makeup look. In a dashing, almost un-deliberate way, he just shimmered gold leaf onto the eyes, so that it doesn’t replicate golden eyeshadow, but still gives that rich look of gold leaf or gold paint.
If shmear look is your thing, you must definitely try this look with Mac’s Fluidline liner in Brassy Gold and Mac Pigment in Old Gold.
Party-Ready Rose Gold Eyes
Nobody has ever rocked a new year’s party like Tyme the Infamous. She created a sassy NYE look using rose gold leaf and pretty pinkish-red powder for the party. Here’s a link to her Youtube Video. You can also create this look with Stila’s Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow in Metallic Merlot.
Gold Leaf Hair
The gold leaf hair trend has taken over the internet. The stylist Amanda Ackerman shared a picture of her Gold Leaf Hair on Instagram. To create the gilded look, she first cut the gold leaf sheet into pieces, strips or preferred shapes. Then she applied a small amount of mousse to the area that she covered with gold leaf. With a thin paintbrush, she then applied the pieces of gold leaf.
TIP: If you have trouble lifting up the pieces of gold leaf, use tweezers for help.
High Impact Foil
Youtuber Pixiwoo’s Nic Chapman made a complete makeup tutorial using 24k gold foil, which she used as an eyeliner. With the help of a Burberry Fresh Glow Foundation, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, Becca Lightweight Sculpting Perfector, Pür Mineral Sticks – she fully primed her face first and then used Anastasia Brow Perfector, Eyeko Brow Gel to do her eyelids. After that, she cut two pieces from the 24k gold foil and pressed them onto her eyelids for this gilded look. You can get sheets of gold foil from Delafee.
The best part about using gold leaf, gold foil, gold powder, gold leaf flakes is that they are very reasonable. Like seriously.
Gold Lips
Pat McGrath shared a picture of divine beauties with gold lips on Instagram. This picture of models drenched lips in the sexy decadence of pure gold, taken during Milan Fashion Week is worth it. To replicate the look, you can go for Kaoir Lipstick in Golden Goddess Gold. It is highly pigmented and forms a chock full of glitter.
And there you have it – The Perfect inspired McGrath Looks replicated without the help of a makeup artist.
