Pat McGrath dishes on Taylor Swift’s ‘Bejeweled’ music video makeup looks
Taylor Swift can still make the whole place shimmer.
On Tuesday, the superstar dropped her second “Midnights” music video, for synth-pop bop “Bejeweled” — and the Cinderella-inspired clip is chock-full of Easter eggs, celebrity cameos and dazzling makeup moments.
Swifties can thank legendary artist Pat McGrath for the latter; the beauty pro not only masterminded the shoot’s many makeup looks, but also made a cameo in the video herself.
“Taylor called me with two questions. The first was to ask me if I would do all her beautiful looks; the second request was to be her queen in the video. It was such an honor,” McGrath tells Page Six Style exclusively.
The makeup maestro joined a cast that also included Laura Dern (as the evil stepmother), the Haim sisters (as the stepsisters), Dita Von Teese (as the fairy godmother — or “fairy goddess,” per Swift) and “Midnights” producer Jack Antonoff (as the prince), with the singer directing the video in addition to starring as Swifterella.
“When Taylor told me that she wanted me to play the role of the queen in her ‘fairytale with a twist,’ I was so flattered,” McGrath says.
“I’m usually a behind-the-scenes person, but Taylor was the most extraordinary director. With her guidance, she made me feel confident, secure and empowered to become Queen Pat. It was a day I will never forget.”
As for that glittering glam, McGrath and Swift worked together to dream up a trio of looks fit for a storybook princess, including a bedazzled cat eye the pair teased on the VMAs 2022 red carpet back in August.
“We had such a fabulous time creating the looks for ‘Bejeweled’ — Taylor is such a visionary and thinks about all the details,” McGrath says. “When she mentioned that she wanted to make a video just for the fans who like shimmer, I knew this was going to be magical.”
“Shimmer” might be an understatement; between Swift, Von Teese and the video’s dancers, McGrath says she wound up using over 1,000 crystals for the shoot.
And while the beauty pioneer plays coy when asked whether she and Swift have more projects in the pipeline — “Mother never tells,” she quips — she was happy to break down the three magical makeup moments in “Bejeweled,” so fans can “polish up real nice” at home.
Look 1: Midnight Muse
To achieve this “powerful jeweled wing,” McGrath began by defining Swift’s eyes with PermaGel Ultra Glide Eye Pencils ($29) in Blitz Blue and Xtreme Black. Next, she created a cat eye by blending the Nocturnal Navy shadow from her Mthrshp Mega: Celestial Nirvana palette ($82) at the outer corner, followed by the Aquarian Dream and Bronze Infatuation shades on the lid “for added metallic shimmer.” Finally, McGrath reached for her Mothership II: Sublime Palette ($128), applying Blitz Emerald from the inner corner of the eye to the center of the lid.
For the look’s glossy nude lip, McGrath used PermaGel Ultra Lip Pencil ($29) in Structure to define Swift’s mouth, followed by a slick of MatteTrance Lipstick ($39) in Femme Bot and Lust Lip Gloss ($29) in Bella.
Mthrshp Mega Eyeshadow Palette: Celestial Nirvana ($82)
Look 2: Bejeweled Beauty
This look “embodies elegance and empowerment,” McGrath says. For the “champagne crystalized eye,” she started with the shade Desert Divinity from the Mthrshp Mega: Celestial Nirvana palette ($82) both in the crease and beneath the eye, followed by Sterling from the Mothership IV: Decadence palette ($128) to add a metallic sheen. McGrath then created a classic wing using PermaGel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil ($29) layered beneath Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner ($34), which she embellished with “sapphire tears” (blue crystals) in the inner corner and under the eye to complete the effect.
It wouldn’t be a Taylor Swift production without a red lip somewhere — and for this “bold, opulent ombré” look, McGrath applied LiquiLust Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick ($32) in Elson 4 after defining the lips using PermaGel Ultra Lip Pencil ($29) in Blood Lust — and then blending the same product in a darker shade, Deep Dive, around the outer corner of the mouth.
Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLust Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick ($32)
Look 3: Dreamy Decadence
To create Swift’s “futuristic jeweled wing,” McGrath drew a cat eye (sharp enough to kill a man) using PermaGel Ultra Glide Eye Pencil ($29) topped with Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner ($34). Next, she applied Astral Lilac Aura from the Mothership X: Moonlit Seduction palette ($128) for a “mesmerizing sparkle.” And while Swift didn’t exactly have diamonds in her eyes, she did have plenty of crystals — 70, to be precise, which McGrath placed on the lid and inner and outer corner using eyelash adhesive.
Building off the red ombré lip seen earlier in the video, McGrath deepened the look by using the same PermaGel Ultra Lip Pencil ($29) in Deep Dive to fully shade Swift’s mouth before blending LiquiLust Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick ($32) in Elson 4 on top.
Pat McGrath Labs Mothership X Eyeshadow Palette: Moonlit Seduction ($128)
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