Beauty

10 Makeup Artist-Created Beauty Brands for Your Next Beat

From Mother of Makeup's Pat McGrath Labs to Kim Kardashian-favorite Makeup by Mario, here are 10 makeup artist-led brands to have on your radar.
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For years, makeup artists existed purley behind the scenes of the beauty industry. The past decade’s online love affair with MUAs, however, has brought them into the limelight. Big name brands may have big-pocketed investors, but no one knows beauty products better than the people whose professions rely on using them.

In 2019 the beauty industry was valued by Forbes at $523 billion, the same year veteran MUA Pat McGrath was inducted into the Time 100 list. McGrath and other makeup pros turned entrepreneurs are hugely important figures, and continue to make waves in the vast industry of cosmetics. From the universally loved Mother of Makeup, to eyebrow revolutionary Anastasia Soare, Instagram influencer turned CEO Huda Kattan, and more L’OFFICIEL rounds up the makeup artist-owned beauty brands worthy of your next cosmetic investment.

Charlotte Tilbury

 

London-born makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s work has been featured in top fashion magazines, and that’s not even close to her greatest accomplishment. Tilbury launched her namesake brand in 2013 and since then has stocked the shelves of Selfridges in London and Bergdorf Goodman, Sephora, and Nordstrom in the U.S. Her signature look is defined by glowing, highlighted skin, warm and alluring eye makeup, and soft, rosy lips—all achievable with her products, of course.

Anastasia Beverly Hills 

 

Anastasia Soare single handedly brought back eyebrows. The Romanian-American businesswoman and beautician started her career with just one salon in the Hollywood hills. The Beverly Hills Bedford store was a destination for stars like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Lopez, and more. Soare’s cosmetics company, aptly named Anastasia Beverly Hills, continues her legacy leveling up eyebrows with pencils, gels, and powders. The brand is also widely popular for its creative eyeshadow palettes, foundation, and more.

Lisa Eldridge

 

Lisa Eldridge’s career first took flight after booking a magazine cover featuring supermodel Cindy Crawford. Thereafter, Eldridge and Crawford continued to work with one another and the MUA’s work was lensed by high profile photographers like Patrick Demarchelier, Tim Walker, and David Sims. In 2015 she was named the Global Creative Director of Lancôme, the same year she published her book Face Paint: The Story of Makeup. She launched her eponymous makeup brand in 2018, which focuses lipstick and glosses, and also has a jewelry line under the label.

Huda Beauty

 

Huda Kattan got her break painting the faces of celebrities like Nicole Richie and Eva Longoria in Los Angeles, but her career really took off after starting her WordPress blog, "Huda Beauty,'' in 2010. In just three years time, the once-Revlon employed artist went from giving online tips and tutorials to launching a line of false eyelashes through cosmetics retail giant Sephora. The lashes were a huge success, garnering the interest of many including Kim Kardashian, and marked the beginning of a multi-product and million dollar company.

Patrick Ta

 

One scroll through Vietnamese makeup artist Patrick Ta’s Instagram of impressive clients is enough to raise any brows. Kendall Jenner, Shay Mitchell, Ariana Grande, Emily Ratajkowski, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, and Gigi Hadid are just a few of the many stars Ta has worked with. Rooted in his love and appreciation for women like his mother and sister, who allowed him to experiment with makeup from a young age, Ta’s makeup line is dedicated to providing products that make women feel naturally beautiful.

Kevyn Aucoin

 

American-born makeup artists Kevyn Aucoin, coined the “sculpted” look commonly associated with '90s celebrities, most of which were his clients. Aucoin himself was also a photographer, author of four books, and Creative Director of Revlon’s prestige Ultima II line. A year after being named Creative Director, Aucoin launched the revolutionary line known as The New Nakeds for Revlon. In 2001, a year before his passing, he started his own namesake brand, now led by makeup artist Nick Lujan.

Beauty Blender

 

Founder and CEO of Beautyblender Rea Ann Silva test drove her hit product doing makeup on television sets, cutting makeup sponges into the familiar egg shape we now all know and love. Silva’s original invention won 10 Allure Best of Beauty Awards and received its own Smithsonian exhibition. But this product was only beginning for the artist. In 2018 she launched her Bounce foundation line, available in 40 shades, inspired by the miniscule selection she had to work with in her early days on TV sets.

Westman Atelier

 

American born and based, makeup artist Gucci Westman and husband David Neville, a former Rag & Bone executive, funded and launched Westman Atelier in 2018. A mother of two in her 40s, Westman's solo success came after a long career of collaborating with brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Dior. Westman also served as the international artistic director at Lancôme for four years before being named the global artistic director of Revlon, where she stayed for seven years. Westman Atelier offers plant-based cosmetics that not only look beautiful on the skin but are kind to it, too.

Makeup by Mario

 

To commemorate his 20 years in the beauty industry, Mario Dedivanovic launched his own luxury cosmetics label, Makeup by Mario, in October 2020. You've probably seen the MUA's work on Kim Kardashian, who's been a client since 2008. A master of the contoured, glamorous beat, Dedivanovic's makeup line includes products for the eyes, lips, and face, and is perfect for recreating his beauty looks.

Pat McGrath 

 

Last, but obviously not least is Dame Pat McGrath of the holy grail beauty brand Pat McGrath Labs. McGrath has headed the beauty for high fashion runway shows, editorial and cover shoots, and movie sets for over two decades and counting. In 2016 she launched her much anticipated and widely celebrated brand, known for it's full glam products. This year, McGrath became the first-ever makeup artist awarded the title of British Dame by Queen Elizabeth II.

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