Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star 006: Why the Eye Kit is the New Lip Kit
By Sophia Panych. Photos: Courtesy of Instagram, Hannah Choi/Allure.
Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star 006—the makeup artist's sixth and newest product launch—couldn't have come at a better time, given that the fall 2017 runway shows focused heavily on the eyes. Lids were dressed up in blocks of vibrant color, doused in sparkle, encircled in black, coated in gloss. And McGrath's new set of eye kits lets you do all of the above.
McGrath dropped hints at the contents of these kits all fashion month long. The blue shadow at Anna Sui tipped us off. Then came the heavy black eyeliner at Versace, Prada, and Marni where she used a label-less black shadow crayon (that she teased on her Instagram several times with her favorite phrase, "Something is coming!"). And finally there was the galactic sparkle at Maison Margiela. And all of those separate products are featured in Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star 006.
Similar to her Lust 004 launch, she's coming out with three separate Dark Star 006 kits—two that contain seven products, and one that contains six. The six-piece kit called Version: Dark Matter contains the following: Dark Matter pigment (an inky black powder with a hint of shimmer), Black Smudgeliner eye kohl (the darkest, blackest cream shadow you've ever seen, packaged in a retractable stick), Astral White pigment (a holographic white powder), Mercury pigment (a very soft gold powder), the Cyber Clear eye gloss (a holographic jelly-like gloss), and a fluffy blender brush. The other two kits contain everything I just listed plus one extra eye shadow pigment. Version: UltraViolet Blue includes the richest, bluest, sparkliest powder you've ever seen (the one used backstage at Anna Sui); Version: UltraSuede Brown, on the other hand, contains the "most perfect, forgiving, universal shade of brown," according to McGrath.
"It's the ultimate brown with a slight amount of gold in it, a slight amount of silver in it, so just the perfect balance that works on every skin tone," said McGrath when asked what makes UltraSuede Brown so special. The shade can be worn alone—softly as a wash, or built up into a gorgeous brown smoky eye—or layered on top of the black. "You can also use it to smoke out the edges of the black shadow, or use it as a fixer upper if you've applied too much black shadow," says McGrath.
As for the UltraViolet Blue pigment, don't think this is just a repackage of the blue hue from her Phantom 002 kit. It's an entirely different color, and an entirely different formula. "The blue in Phantom was really quite bright, but really deeply blue. This has a slight violet in the blue and it has much more dimension," she explains. "It's very special in terms of the vibrancy and the velvety finish, it's all about the smoothness and luxuriousness. Usually a shadow like this only comes in softer colors, so it's quite rare."
The Astral White pigment, the Mercury pigment, and the Cyber Clear eye gloss are all there to layer and play with. You can add a touch of Astral White to the inner corners of your eyes, or layer it on top of the other pigments to create a prismatic effect. Wear the Mercury pigment on its own, or use it to smoke out the edges of a winged black or brown cat eye. And cover your lids and cheekbones with the Cyber Clear eye gloss (it looks incredible layered over the black cream if I might add). Think of them like spices you would add to a recipe, or jewelry you would add to an outfit.
But probably the most important items in the kit are also the most basic: the black powder and cream shadows. These aren't your average shades of onyx, and that goes beyond how they look. "[The Smudgeliner] is so creamy, so incredible to blend, and then dries completely and matte," explains McGrath, while the black powder has a splash of shimmer that gives it depth and dimension (which is incredibly hard to do with black powder). But what's most important is that the formulas were created to make it easier on the consumer to use. "Most black shadows are chalky and you have to be a complete pro to use them," says McGrath. "But I've developed to be incredibly soft and velvety and blendable to help you apply that smoky eye in a really easy way."
And while all the pomp and circumstance and sequins make these kits look rather complicated from the outside, take a closer look and you'll see that McGrath curated the Dark Star 006 kits to actually *simplify* the smoky eye process. "I think whenever you see smoky eyes today—on Instagram or online—it's contour, contour, shape, shape; it's not really how a girl wants to look. These kits allow you to create that lived-in smoky eye with the products and the techniques we've used backstage for years. It's all about the formulas being very forgiving and very easy to use able to apply with a brush, with your fingers—just add the tiniest bit of black and either smoke it out or add some sparkle on top and just have a little fun with it, am I right?
All three Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star 006 kits will be available on patmcgrath.com starting at 12pm EST on April 11th. UltraViolet Blue and UltraSuede Borwn will retail for $130 each, while Dark Matter, which is limited edition, will retail for $95. Let the countdown—and the fun—begin.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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