The Allure Podcast: Patrick Ta Shares His Beauty Secrets and How He Built His Own Brand

Michelle Lee:
Hey everyone, it's Michelle Lee, editor in chief of Allure. I'm so excited to have Patrick Ta as our guest today. If you follow Gigi Hadid, Shay Mitchell, Olivia Munn, or Patrick himself on Instagram, you've definitely spotted both his incredible beauty looks and his radiant skin. The makeup artist turned beauty mogul stopped by to talk about becoming a pioneer in his industry, where he's looking to find new beauty influences, and the only skin-care treatment he recommends. Open up your Notes app and get ready to jot down these beauty secrets.

Michelle Lee:
Hi everyone! Hey Patrick!

Patrick Ta:
Hi, how are you?

Michelle Lee:
I'm doing great, thank you. How are you?

Patrick Ta:
I'm good. I'm super excited to be here.

Michelle Lee:
Tell me a little bit about growing up. What were you like as a kid?

Patrick Ta:
So growing up I was really close with my mom and my dad, and my parents have, both, eight brothers and sisters, and I have a lot of cousins, mostly female. I think I have 30 female cousins and four male cousins.

Michelle Lee:
Do you have siblings also?

Patrick Ta:
I have one sister. She's a year older than me. She lives in Portland, Oregon. She's a special-ed teacher, and she is the complete opposite of me — doesn't wear an ounce of makeup, is not into materialistic things. Not that I am [laughs], but maybe I am. But we just live completely different lives. And growing up, I was overweight. I was bullied. I hated school, because I feel like I was in the closet still. I wasn't out. I wasn't like...myself, and people would always make fun of me. They would call me Fatty Patty, Fatrick, and just...

Michelle Lee:
Kids are the worst.

Patrick Ta:
...things that hurt people's feelings. And I moved to Arizona when I was 16, because I wanted to basically reinvent myself. And I moved to Arizona, and I went to culinary school. I've always been really into anything that was creative, just creating a dish or landscaping or gardening or interior design. I like seeing something from start to finish. I think, because of my childhood, I've always wanted to be in this certain group of friends or have this, I don't know... I don't know if it's the reason why I work with the people that I do today, but I've always had in the back of my mind, I just want a different life.

Michelle Lee:
In middle school, I was also bullied. So I thought a lot about looking back at my life, how did that influence me? And I do think that in a weird way, not that I'm thankful for it happening, because I don't think you ever are, but at the same time I do feel like it gave me that extra motivation to do things. So it always depends, because I know some people who I know it can be such a negative thing for such a long time—

Patrick Ta:
Yeah.

Michelle Lee:
But if you don't let it be and you turn it around, it can become a positive.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, I'm someone who I feel like I learn a lot by things that happen to me, so if I experience it once, I'll probably learn from that situation and...

Michelle Lee:
I mean, it was extremely cool of your parents to let you move at 16. My older son is 14.

Patrick Ta:
Wow.

Michelle Lee:
I can't imagine in two years being like, "Go off to Arizona."

Patrick Ta:
Oh, my mom, they're very traditional Asian parents. They would love me to live there with them for the rest of their lives. The fact that they... I begged them. I begged them. So in Arizona, I went to culinary school. I decided that I didn't like it, and I was kind of forced to move back home with my parents, because they're like, "What are you doing with your life? Why are you wasting it in Arizona? We have no family there." I somehow convinced my mom and dad to open up a tanning and nail salon for me, and I was 18 then.

Michelle Lee:
And was that in Arizona?

Patrick Ta:
That was in Arizona, and to think back, if I had an 18-year-old and he asked me to open up a tanning salon and nail salon, I'm like, "You're crazy." I don't know how, but I convinced my mom and my dad to help me open this, and my parents were living in San Diego. Back then, I thought I knew everything. I feel like every kid thinks that they know everything. And then one thing that I realize now, honestly, most of the time, your parents are right. They've lived a way longer life than you have. They've probably experienced so many more situations than you have.

Michelle Lee:
Are your parents immigrants also?

Patrick Ta:
Yep.

Michelle Lee:
Mine too. And I think that, again, looking back now at the lessons that I feel like they learned and they taught us, they came from such a different time and such a different place, too, that I look at it in such a different way. When I was a teenager, I was a jerk. I was such an asshole to my mom, especially. And I look back now, and I'm like, "Everything that she told me was totally right."

Patrick Ta:
How do we tell the younger generation to believe in your parents? Because it's so true, like you think that you know everything and I just don't know how...

Michelle Lee:
I think it's impossible.

Patrick Ta:
So many people told us, "Trust me, your parents are going to be right. You need to listen to your parents." But in your head you're like, "Whatever."

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, you don't realize it until you're maybe in your early 20s. Once I was in my early 20s, I was like, "I'm so sorry I was such a jerk to you."

Patrick Ta:
I know, and all they're doing is just trying to provide a great life for you.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, so at what point did you get into makeup? Do you remember what your first memories of makeup were?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, so, my salon did really well at first, and then it did really bad. I had to file bankruptcy. And in that time, I had a roommate. She was a makeup artist, and she was one of the managers at MAC. I needed a job, and so she got me a job at MAC. I had never done makeup before, but I was always really interested in it, just because I would see her transform herself every single day. And she's someone who wears a lot of makeup and back then I was like, "That is the way that everyone needs to look. I don't know why all girls don't look like this." She wore a full face of makeup from morning to night whether it was at the gym or not.

Michelle Lee:
Was this pre-Instagram being huge?

Patrick Ta:
It was before Instagram, yeah. But she did it so good, and just to see the transformation, it got me super intrigued. And I kind of learned a little bit from her, but when you work at MAC — I never had a kit or anything — I started practicing a little bit. I bought a little starter kit from the drugstore, just buying little things. And I remember back then, I had one other makeup artist friend who always had super high-end products, and I would always be like, "That is so expensive. Are you crazy? Why would you spend that much money and use it on your clients?" And now I'm the same way: "I would never buy that."

Michelle Lee:
And you have it all now, and your brushes, just like throw all of them out.

Patrick Ta:
She gave me the opportunity to work at MAC, and from there, I got to do so many types of different women, because so many people walked through the door. And back then, MAC was the place to work at. And as a makeup artist, if you worked there, you were kind of like, "Ooh, she's a MAC girl or he's a MAC girl."

Michelle Lee:
So when you would practice on people, who would you practice on?

Patrick Ta:
I had a lot of girlfriends, so when I moved to Arizona, I went out a lot, just because I didn't have that growing up, so I went out a lot. And I met a lot of people, and from there I would always practice on my girlfriends before we would go out. And from there — I have some photos, but they were not cute. We would finish a look, and we would both be like, "Oh, my God. You look so good. You look so hot, and you're going to meet so many guys tonight." And I look back at these photos — I did their hair back then, too. I would do these huge teased hair and black smoky eyes that were so not blended, and we thought we were killing it.

Michelle Lee:
So at that point did you realize — was there something that happened or was it sort of an evolution that you were like, "I want to make this my life"?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah. So, the longer I started doing it, I became more obsessed with it and I think that's when Instagram came around. And I always just loved taking photos with the girls, so I always had, I was the person... I'm actually grateful for it, because I have so many memories of my teens, because I always took photos of wherever I was, whatever event it was or whatever party I was going to, I have all the photos with my friends. Even if people didn't like taking photos with me, I took them, and now everyone's grateful because you have memories of the past.

So, obviously, with Instagram, Instagram was really fun for me because I was able to showcase the work that I did and I started more word of mouth. It was really easy for me to actually get clients as makeup clients, because I already knew so many girls in Arizona. And from there, it just made it even more fun, because I was getting to hang out with all the cool girls. I was doing makeup in L.A., I mean, in Arizona, for about a year, and at that point, I was like, I want to move. I've already been in Arizona now for six years and I think with the salon closing, it was just super embarrassing to have it close that way. I always wanted to move to L.A., but I never knew the reason why, and then makeup kind of gave me that push to be in L.A.

Michelle Lee:
And do you feel like, by the time that you moved to LA, do you feel like your skills were much improved?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, I thought I was a lot better. I look back at photos now, if I scroll all the way down, I'm like, Wow, there's no editing aspect and there's no face tuning. And I feel like my makeup still looks good.

Michelle Lee:
Okay, so tell me the story... I think Shay [Mitchell] was your first celebrity client.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah.

Michelle Lee:
And did she reach out to you through Instagram?

Patrick Ta:
Yes. So, Shay, I was obsessed with Pretty Little Liars — I think a lot of people were — and I had just moved to L.A., so I had never worked with celebrities before and it was a really big moment in my career, because she started following me. And I called my mom and I was like, "Oh my God, I think my life is going to change, because this girl started following me. I love her show..." And to me, it was a really, really big deal, because coming from Arizona, you don't get that. And she ended up reaching out to me and I did her for the TCA's and I was so nervous going into it, but she was so sweet and so nice and-

Michelle Lee:
And she's such a makeup lover, too.

Patrick Ta:
She loves makeup. And I think it's so amazing now that it's been almost six years now and we're still friends and I still work with her. And she's always been herself. I think people would always tell her, "Oh, you're an actress. Stop wearing so much makeup." But, she is the way she is, and I feel like now, she is thriving.

Michelle Lee:
Oh my gosh, she's amazing. What do you think made her reach out to you? What was it about either your look, or like, what was it?

Patrick Ta:
I don't know. I think from what she said is...she's always creeping on Instagram and always looking at people trying to find new people, because she loves makeup just as much as a makeup artist. She liked the style, maybe? I don't know.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, because it is unconventional. I feel like, normally with celebrities if they do red carpet or something else, they have their people reach out through agents and stuff like that. So, I feel like your story, it is so unconventional, but it's so modern, too. Really, the way people now think about the way that we surface models and other people. So, it's so cool.

Patrick Ta:
I think back then it was like that, but I think more so now than ever, a lot of people find artists on Instagram. But back then, it definitely was a thing. I remember moving to L.A. and I had a lot of hate from a lot of other people, but-

Michelle Lee:
And how did that hate surface? Were they to your face being hateful, or was it more you just knew people were talking behind your back?

Patrick Ta:
I just knew people were talking, and it really hurt my feelings, because I had just moved to L.A. I hadn't met a lot of these people before, and being new there... moving to any big city, your goal is to become successful and obviously, to New York or to L.A., you move there because you have a dream, and you want to succeed. So, when people in that line of work are talking about you in not a good way, it's hurtful. And I feel like back then I did not have thick skin, so it would hurt my feelings a lot.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, and how did things snowball from there? So, Shay was your first celebrity client and then did other celebrities start reaching out to you, too?

Patrick Ta:
So, I met Shay first and then I met Gigi Hadid at her dad's ex-girlfriend's birthday.

Michelle Lee:
So, you were already hanging out in those circles?

Patrick Ta:
But I don't know if I was. Gigi was so young, and this was six years ago — she was so young, but I...thought she was so beautiful. It was like one of her first red carpets as well. It was her first VMA's, not VMA's, it was the American Music Awards and I did her hair and her makeup.

Michelle Lee:
Are you self taught with hair, too? Because I feel like being self taught with makeup is one thing, but knowing how to do both is pretty rare.

Patrick Ta:
I think it's only rare in L.A. and New York, but everywhere else in the world...

Michelle Lee:
Right, if you hire someone, they do both.

Patrick Ta:
You have to do both, because that's just how it works. It's just easier if-

Michelle Lee:
Did you just watch a lot of YouTube videos?

Patrick Ta:
I watched a lot of YouTube videos, and I think YouTube is honestly and really, really a good way for any aspiring artist or anyone who just wants to learn how to do different looks. There's so many good creators out there and teachers out there on YouTube, so I definitely learned a lot from YouTube.

Michelle Lee:
And do you feel like having Shay and Gigi, and then them tagging you on Instagram, that kind of ended up snowballing even more, and then more people reaching out?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, I think from there, the Kardashians reached out to me, and I freaked out — so excited. I did Kim and I was just so nervous and I just wanted to do a good job, because obviously they're makeup icons, or she is a makeup icon. She's just so easy going, and I thought she was going to tell me, "I want this. I want that. I want..." She's like, "No, whatever you want." I'm like, "What?!" It was such an exciting moment for me.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, what do you think your signature look was then, and is it different now?

Patrick Ta:
I used to do, I think I still do, but I did very heavy makeup back then, because I think moving from Arizona, people wear a lot of makeup out there and that's the only thing that I thought was beautiful and just super heavy glamorous, that MAC look, because that's all you knew. That's who I was hanging out with, that's the type of makeup that was around, so I didn't really get to see other types of makeup.

And not until, I think it was the VMAs, my second year living in Los Angeles, Joan Smalls had reached out to me. She was my first high fashion model. I think she had just did that Beyonce music video and I was like, "Oh my gosh." I was so excited. And I knew that she was a model, so I knew I had to do more natural makeup. I went to the makeup store and I bought all new foundation. And I bought a bunch of things, like, "Okay, this is natural," cause I didn't know. So, I asked the employees at the store, "What's natural?" And they showed me all these things, so I bought a bunch of options and on the show day...

And I went to the place that she was staying, and I was super excited because Sir John, I had never met him and he referred me to Joan, so I thought that was so nice of him. And obviously, he does Beyonce, so I was just super grateful. So, I wanted to do a really good job and I started doing her makeup, the eye looked so good, it was super bronze-y, somewhat sultry and she looked at herself in the mirror, probably midway through, and freaked out. And I was freaking out inside, too, because I'm like, "Oh my God, what did I do?" And she just started wiping her hands because it was too heavy for her. To me, in my head, I was like, "This is the least makeup I've put on anyone, and you think that's heavy?" But I didn't say that, obviously. I was shocked because I think everyone's perception of natural is so different.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah.

Patrick Ta:
To me, I thought I was doing the most natural thing ever, and for her, it was the heaviest she's ever worn.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah. It's also depends on the location that you are, and photos and lighting, and...

Patrick Ta:
Yeah. But, we still work together now, and she photographed great, and I think she wears more makeup now, too. But from there, it kind of gave me the a-ha moment, like, "Oh, I really need to learn other techniques, because I don't know them."

Michelle Lee:
Yeah. I feel like, looking at your Instagram of who you're working with now, I feel like a lot of the Asian ladies kind of gravitate towards you. Do you feel that way? Because of Olivia Munn. I saw you did Constance Wu.

Patrick Ta:
I feel like I get a lot of half Asians and now I'm starting to get a few more. I'm super excited. I'm about to work with some really big actresses from China, and I'm so, so, so excited. I'm super into K-Beauty. I just think the looks are so beautiful, and so fresh and so bright and vibrant. And so now I'm doing my research on who these Asian celebrities are and I love doing them.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, that's awesome. Are there any celebrities, not even just Asian celebrities, but are there any other people you haven't worked with yet who you're dying to work with?

Patrick Ta:
I would love to work with Margot Robbie. I think she's iconic. I would love to work with Beyoncé, just because I just feel like that energy and that presence would probably be such a good feeling.

Michelle Lee:
Mind blowing. Mind blowing. Totally. Okay, so tell me, when you're working on someone's face, what is the thing that you spend the most time on? Are you someone who could spend an hour doing their brows? Is it really about foundation? What are you spending your most time on?

Patrick Ta:
So, it might not look like it, because I never do crazy eye looks. I don't spend the most time by choice, I spend the most time doing the eyes, because it just takes me so long blending it and out and stuff, that I feel like my eye looks are not even that bold. But, it takes me so long to blend out eyeshadow. I think everything else for me is so easy.

Michelle Lee:
If you were doing somebody for Met Gala, let's say, what's the longest amount of time that you would spend on someone's face? Is two hours sort of max? Could you do three hours? Could you do four hours? What would be the max time?

Patrick Ta:
Maximum I would want to, or...?

Michelle Lee:
Yeah.

Patrick Ta:
Or what's the longest I've actually spent?

Michelle Lee:
If you wanted to? Like if you had...?

Patrick Ta:
I like three hours for everybody.

Michelle Lee:
Wow.

Patrick Ta:
It takes so long. Three hours for everybody. If you give me three hours, I'll be happy. If you give me one hour, I freak out.

Michelle Lee:
That's amazing. So, when you walked in before, we were talking about travel and I feel like it's definitely something that I think of with you that the last time I saw you, we were both in Japan. I feel like you travel a ton. Do you love traveling still or it's like part of the job now?

Patrick Ta:
I love traveling to places that I know people. And I love traveling to places that I haven't been before. So I just went to Korea a few days ago, and I've always wanted to go there, just because of-

Michelle Lee:
Was it your first time?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, it was my first time. They're known for K-Pop, and I love K-Pop. Just to see the makeup stores and the makeup brands there, it was just so cool, because they're so different. A lot of the campaigns out there were boys.

Michelle Lee:
Really?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, and boys wear a lot of makeup there, and it's normal. It's not like, "Oh, you're not a manly man because you wear makeup." I don't know, maybe they're just telling me that, but it's not true.

Michelle Lee:
Oh no, no, no, business men in Korea wear makeup also. Yeah.

Patrick Ta:
So, places that I haven't been before, but some of my favorite places that I've been to would probably be Tel Aviv. I just went there. Brazil. I love going to London. And I love Tokyo as well.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, Tokyo is amazing. Everything about it, like I definitely want to go back. When we were there. it was very hot, though.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah it was so hot.

Michelle Lee:
I want to definitely go back in the springtime or something. Do you feel like you're a good traveler?

Patrick Ta:
No.

Michelle Lee:
No?

Patrick Ta:
I just learned this, because I feel like everyone travels so differently, and when I travel, I like to meet locals and I like to do local things.

Michelle Lee:
Did you see that Naomi Campbell YouTube video that she did about how she flies?

Patrick Ta:
No.

Michelle Lee:
It was kind of awesome. She takes, I think it was Purell wipes or something, and literally wipes everything down. She had a mask on. She had gloves on. She brought rubber gloves and stuff. It seems extreme, but it's like, every time I fly, I do tend to get a little cold, too.

Patrick Ta:
Whenever I travel, I like to sleep. Honestly, I love flying. Not when I fly too much, but I think the airplane is where I get to sleep, because usually I'm flying, go straight to work, fly home, go straight to work. It's never like, oh you fly somewhere and you have a day to rest. It's like, I go straight to work.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah.

Patrick Ta:
The thing is, I do it because I love the people that I'm working with, and it's an honor to be there. There so many people that want this job, and so I love doing it.

Michelle Lee:
Is there a place in the world that you've been that you've been most excited by the beauty scene there? Was it Korea?

Patrick Ta:
It would probably be Tokyo, because I feel like Japan takes a lot of inspiration from Korean beauty, but I think there's just more to see in Japan, maybe.

Michelle Lee:
I know, I loved even just going to the drugstores there and beauty shopping.

Patrick Ta:
I wasn't in Korea for long enough. I was only there for two days, so I don't really have a good consensus on how it is.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, yeah, well, you'll have to go back. I actually have never been either. So, I have to go for sure. We'll have to take a trip there at some point. So, let's talk about Instagram, since it obviously has been so integral to where you are now. When you look at Instagram now, do you have certain rules about how much you'll share? Is your philosophy on it, like you'll share everything or do you draw a line somewhere?

Patrick Ta:
Right now, I am trying to figure that out myself, because I want to share more, but then I was always... It's hard for me to share, because the majority of my Instagram is other people's lives and photos of other people. So, I want to incorporate myself more and stuff, but I also don't want to bore people. So, I'm trying to figure out how I can incorporate myself more into my Instagram, just my daily like and the things I like to do. Because I feel like I do get to travel so much, I want to be able to show the places that I go more, because maybe not everyone gets to see these places, so maybe I can travel for them.

Michelle Lee:
Well, you make me think about Shay, because I feel like with her, I love watching her travel videos and everything.

Patrick Ta:
They're so well done.

Michelle Lee:
So well done.

Patrick Ta:
So well done.

Michelle Lee:
And is Instagram your main platform? Do you have a YouTube channel?

Patrick Ta:
I don't have a YouTube channel, but I'm going to make one.

Michelle Lee:
You should do a YouTube travel channel.

Patrick Ta:
I know but when I'm traveling I'm working, so...

Michelle Lee:
Oh yeah.

Patrick Ta:
I feel like when she travels for YouTube, it's like everything is so scheduled. It's not vacation.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, then you're working all the time.

Patrick Ta:
You're working. Yep.

Michelle Lee:
That's true. True, true, true. As someone who has been bullied in the past, do you ever have an issue with the negativity on social? Or do you try not to read comments? How do you deal with all that?

Patrick Ta:
I think I've been super lucky, because a lot of people don't, they don't really tend to say mean things about my clients, only sometimes. But, also, those people usually are private. So, I don't really read into it, but I do understand- I'm not anywhere near as a celebrity status, but I understand why celebrities have anxiety and all these things, because imagine someone telling you, "You're ugly, you're fat, you're this, you're that, like go die...", all these things, every single day and you're constantly reading it, because people are saying it to you. How would you feel? I never understood it before, and I feel like now I could understand why people have so much anxiety and stuff.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah. I know, it's really warped, the fact that somehow people feel like they're not talking to a human being on the other side of it.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah.

Michelle Lee:
It's bizarre. Okay, so, I'm obsessed with your makeup line.

Patrick Ta:
Oh, thank you so much.

Michelle Lee:
I love the highlighter. The fan was amazing. Can you talk to me a little bit about, like how did that all come about? What made you- I'm sure you've been thinking about it for a while, that you wanted to start your own line, but why start with those products? How did the whole thing happen?

Patrick Ta:
First of all, I saw your little Insta-stories and-

Michelle Lee:
I was literally sitting right there.

Patrick Ta:
Thank you so much for doing it, and I saw you used it and you did it very confidently. I feel like when people first try on themselves, they're like, "Oh no,” but your face was so fierce the whole entire time.

Michelle Lee:
I didn't flinch.

Patrick Ta:
No, you didn't flinch, so thank you. I started working on this line about two years ago, and it's just something I've been wanting to do for a long time, because obviously I love makeup, and it's just different... I think as an artist, you want to be able to do different things, you don't only want to do one thing for the rest of your life. Maybe I want to do this. Maybe I want to do that. So it's really cool to learn about the process of creating your own makeup, and it's a lot more work than I thought it was going to be. And it's a lot more pressure too, because I feel like in this day in society- maybe it's pressure on myself, but to make amazing things, to sell out, to do all these things, but it's been a lot of work. But it's been so fun just because if I want to make this product, I can go make this product and I can change it to however I want to change it to.

Michelle Lee:
Did you know from the get go that you wanted to start with highlighter and body oil?

Patrick Ta:
No, when I first decided that I wanted to do this, I started with a completely different thing. It was lipsticks and stuff. And we were working it for a long time. We had all these shades done. And I just realized, I feel like it's not as exciting. There's so many people that have makeup lines now, and I wanted to do something that was different, but also stay true to the things that I like, because I remember when I first started doing makeup, I felt like I was always copying other people's looks and stuff, and I would never be as happy with them because someone else did it, and someone else did it better.

So, not until I realized my own personal look, is when like, "I love this look. I'm proud of it." The feeling of being proud of your own work is the best feeling, because I do makeup every single day but I don't love every single look. So, I'm so proud of the collection because I truly love it, and I truly use it all the time. And I just wanted to create glow that honestly like shines a lot. And so my highlighting mist, I love glow that just melts onto the skin, where it just falls where it's natural. The spray is meant to spray onto your skin, so there's no harsh lines and everything diffuses and falls into the right places, because naturally you wouldn't only get dewy right on your...

Michelle Lee:
In one stripe?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, you would have an overall dew. And then the body glow, because I love glow in the face so much, I also wanted a glow- It's super important to match the body to the face. I hate a dry shoulder, then in that photo, when your client is taking the photo from behind and her shoulder is there and her face and her head and her highlight is so glowy, but her shoulder's not. But, Major Glow Body Oil is something that I'm super proud of too, just because, one, I think it smells so good, and I think it just glistens so much in the sun. All of my products look the best in natural sunlight.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah.

Patrick Ta:
Sometimes I feel like if you do go into a Sephora store, spray on your skin and go outside, because the lighting in Sephora is not that good. So, go outside and then judge it.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, no, I love that you have the body product too, because it's like, it has been weird in the past couple- I mean, body products now, I think this year, have started to come up again.

Patrick Ta:
I feel like once we came up with the glow, like everybody came out with it.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, it's weird though, because people have historically spent a lot of time on their faces. We'll spend thousands of dollars on skin care for our face, and then everyone ignores their bodies. So, it's good now that there's more emphasis on it.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, for sure. And the lip shine, I love glossy lips, so I also wanted to make a lip shine that felt really comfortable. I don't know if you tried it, but it truly does feel like a lip balm.

Michelle Lee:
Yep.

Patrick Ta:
It's super minty.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, I know, I hate a tacky gloss.

Patrick Ta:
So, it feels like I could wear it as lip balm every single day.

Michelle Lee:
Yep. What's your eventual goal with the brand? Where do you want to go with it? Do you hope that it becomes the next billion dollar brand? Do you want to keep it smaller? What's your goal?

Patrick Ta:
I definitely want to grow the brand, and we are going to grow the brand a lot. We have bunch of collections coming out that- I feel like people don't know, but it takes- unless you have your own manufacturer and your own distribution company, it takes about two years to really create a product. You have to think about what you're going to create two years later.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, well, especially if you're creating something new.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah.

Michelle Lee:
I think the problem nowadays is that there's a lot of people who are doing kind of copycat things and then you're basically stealing someone's formula and then changing one ingredient, it doesn't take as long. But, if you're creating something really innovative and different, it takes a while.

Patrick Ta:
So I have a bunch of collections coming out, and they all speak to different areas in my life or different styles that I like, and we are in a few Sephora stores now, but I hope to grow and to become, like the brand that I truly believe that it can be.

Michelle Lee:
That's awesome. Okay, so, to pivot a little bit, when you walked in before, i was talking about your skin. Your skin is amazing! I know this is audio, so you guys obviously can't see Patrick right now, but you have incredible skin.

Patrick Ta:
Oh, thank you.

Michelle Lee:
Are you as into skin care as makeup?

Patrick Ta:
I mean, I really am. I think growing up, I've always been a product junkie. I would always steal my mom's products, and she'd always yell at me, because she always said, I'm a boy. I don't need it. And actually, it's kind of disgusting, but my bathroom counter — not at my new place, but my old place — is filled with products, and I'm always trying out new things.

I truly just wanted good skin, and I also am a ambassador for La Mer. I've been there for almost four years, and I truly love their products, but because of them too, it made me learn so much more about skin care and to really focus on it. And I think one thing I've learned is- and I think everyone says this, but honestly use sunscreen. If you want clear, no sunspots, all this stuff, sometimes, obviously, you're born with sunspots, like some moles and stuff, but if you want clear skin for the rest of your life, use sunscreen.

Michelle Lee:
Definitely. I know, I made the mistake when I was younger, of not wearing sunscreen most of the time when I was a kid, and then I just have all this hyperpigmentation now. And it's like you have to use sunscreen, but also stay out of the sun.

Patrick Ta:
Yep.

Michelle Lee:
Like go into the shade sometimes. Because I definitely have that type of skin. Most people don't reapply sunscreen as much as they're supposed to. So especially if I'm on vacation, like I was just in Spain- If I don't wear a hat and everything else- I always joke that I could have one finger in the sun and my entire body gets tan. Super, super important. In the morning and nighttime, what's your skin-care routine in a gist? In a quick little bite, is it- do you cleanse in the morning, cleanse at night? Is it just moisturizer? Or do you have multi-steps?

Patrick Ta:
So, let's start at night. At nighttime, I always cleanse my face in the shower. I'll use either a cleansing foam or a cleansing gel. Once or twice a week, I'll use a cleansing oil just because it's there and I feel like it. But, I like the cleansing foam, because I like the feeling of a squeaky clean face and I feel like foams always give me a squeaky clean feel. I love exfoliators, just because I hate dead skin on my face, but right now my skin's really dry, so don't look at it.

Michelle Lee:
And for exfoliating, do you use a chemical or do you use a scrub?

Patrick Ta:
I use both. I'll use either a scrub or I'll use an actual scrubber. And I'm kind of rough with my skin, so maybe not everyone should do it, but I'm really oily, so I feel like I get a lot of blackheads, so I have to scrub that dirt away. And then I love serums, so I'll use a lot of different anti-aging serums and moisturizer... I know it's really bad, but I don't really love moisturizer. I like serums.

Michelle Lee:
Really? So will you layer serums?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, but everyone says that's probably why I'm so oily, because I wash my face and I don't re-moisturize. But, I feel like if I moisturize...

Michelle Lee:
I know. It's counterintuitive, but they do say that your skin will adjust. Maybe your skin's not getting enough moisture and that's why it's producing oil.

Patrick Ta:
I just don't like it. If my skin does feel really dry and I feel like my skin is cracking, I'll use a gel cream. I love the La Mer gel cream, because it's super lightweight and it's super cooling. And then, I love any lifting serum, any anti-aging serum.

Michelle Lee:
I love serums too. They're addictive. And do you get any skin-care treatments? Are into facials and laser, and stuff like that?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, so that's one thing about being an influencer, I feel like I'm constantly getting people DM-ing me, like, "Hey, come and do this.” “Please, let's do this." And like, "Okay, okay, okay." I get to try all these different things.

Michelle Lee:
Has there been one you've tried recently that's been amazing?

Patrick Ta:
The only thing that I think that truly works and I see a difference, I see a drastic difference, is microneedling. And I was so scared of it at first. Actually, the person who told me about it was my assistant. And she's like, "No, it's this thing that you puncture all these holes into your face and it kind of regenerates collagen."

Michelle Lee:
Did you have it with PRP? Or just the-

Patrick Ta:
Yeah.

Michelle Lee:
Oh, okay. So, I haven't tried that. I've done microneedling with the dermapen.

Patrick Ta:
I think either way it works. Either way.

Michelle Lee:
Did it hurt when you did it?

Patrick Ta:
Well, they numbed my face.

Michelle Lee:
They numbed me too, but it still hurt.

Patrick Ta:
But I like the feeling.

Michelle Lee:
I liked it in certain places, but when they go over boney parts-

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, it hurts.

Michelle Lee:
Like on your forehead and especially on my nose, I was definitely crying.

Patrick Ta:
But how many times have you done it? I feel like...

Michelle Lee:
I've only done it once.

Patrick Ta:
Okay, so maybe I get things done too much, but...

Michelle Lee:
Your face toughens up?

Patrick Ta:
But it's like a surface.

Michelle Lee:
Oh, that's amazing.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, so I feel like I'm relaxing.

Michelle Lee:
I felt weirdly high afterwards.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah.

Michelle Lee:
I think you get this endorphin rush — maybe partially because of the pain, too,

Patrick Ta:
Your face burns, yeah.

Michelle Lee:
Your face burns and then I do remember going home, I was a little bit red, but my skin looked amazing.

Patrick Ta:
I think the dermapen, you're less red, but you if you get the dermaroller, your face gets really red.

Michelle Lee:
Ohhhh.

Patrick Ta:
I've had both, but honestly, I've done lasers, I've done all these things and they say, "Oh, your skin's going to clear up. Your skin's going to look amazing after." I don't think anything works better than- I mean, what do you think?

Michelle Lee:
It was amazing. I've also had Fraxel done. Fraxel, I thought was good, but my only issue wit it was the downtime. For about a week afterwards, your skin- Have you had it done before?

Patrick Ta:
I haven't done it, I'm actually scared of it, because I feel like those- Maybe I haven't done a lot of lasers, but my mom always told me that the more lasers you use, you cannot be in the sun at all, or else you will get sunspots immediately.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, and there is an issue sometimes with certain lasers, especially with Asian skin, too, that it's like, sometimes it will cause more hyperpigmentation. So, you need to go to a dermatologist or someone else who really knows what they're doing, and will adjust the heat for you.

Patrick Ta:
We're sitting right here and Michelle is sitting directly in the sun.

Michelle Lee:
(laughs) I know, I'm like, "Where's my sunscreen?" Totally true. But yes, microneedling, definitely, definitely, highly recommend. Although, weirdly, I haven't had it again. I had it for the first time, probably about three years ago, and I do love it, I just try so many different things that I haven't gotten back around to it again.

Patrick Ta:
I feel like we're talking about it so loosely, and don't try everything, because sometimes- I've heard a lot of bad stories, reactions that people have had, so just be sure that you're going to a good place and a respected person that is doing it. Don't just go to some hole in the wall place, because sometimes these things can be permanent damage.

Michelle Lee:
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Have you tried microcurrent?

Patrick Ta:
Maybe I have tried Fraxel, but I don't know what they're doing on me, because...

Michelle Lee:
So there's a couple devices that are at-home devices too: One is called NuFace and the other one is called ZIIP.

Patrick Ta:
Oh yeah, I've done that.

Michelle Lee:
Yep, okay, so a bunch of the good facialists also incorporate it. It looks like two wands and they'll kind of zap your face like that.

Patrick Ta:
Oh, yeah.

Michelle Lee:
I do believe in that, too.

Patrick Ta:
I've done that.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah, I feel like especially for people who are doing big events and stuff, someone has done before half of my face with it and then half without and there's definitely, it lifts.

Patrick Ta:
It lifts it up.

Michelle Lee:
Yep.

Patrick Ta:
But, I don't think it's very permanent.

Michelle Lee:
No.

Patrick Ta:
It's very like a three, six hour type of thing.

Michelle Lee:
Exactly, like if you had a red carpet or you had a reunion or something, it's a great thing to do.

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, if you have a high school reunion, get it done.

Michelle Lee:
Okay so, makeup wise, as we're recording this it's the end of summer, going into fall, are there a couple either makeup trends or makeup products that you're really excited about?

Patrick Ta:
I think right now, the most exciting product that is kind of new, but not new, is... they're not new, but the cream bronzers that's everyone's coming out with, the cream contours, and all these things, because it just makes... And it's not about the product, it's about finally brands are figuring out the colors better. So, I think you can do so much more with them and before Korea, I had a feeling in my brain that like, "My eyeshadow looks so dry lately, and it doesn't look yummy and rich and how the rest of the face does. It just looks dry." Because, I always use powder. So, in Korea, I stumbled upon this store, and I found these, I think they're gels, but they're gel eyeshadows.

Michelle Lee:
And they're in a little pot?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah. It's not a cream eyeshadow. It's a gel eyeshadow. But I've been using it as a base, and they come in all these colors. I bought a bunch of colors, and I use it as base, and it just makes the eyes look rich and yummy again, not dry. Because I still, for me, I learned doing makeup with powders before, and I'm trying to expand. I want to use more creams and more pencils and all these things, but the way that I learned is with eyeshadows. I can still layer eyeshadows on top of it and it just makes the eyes look more, just...rich.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah. So you were mentioning the bronzing sticks and contouring before, do you feel like contouring is changing? Or do you feel like people are asking you for different things now? Because for a while, I think people have been saying the Instagram look is starting to change. Do you feel like contouring, the trend is kind of changing and shifting?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, I think the trend, it's not really a huge trend anymore, but I feel like, it's a step in the process.

Michelle Lee:
Yep.

Patrick Ta:
Like, how foundation was a step before, and now it's just a process. I think we're trying to find the new product that brands are trying to promote, but I think contouring, because it's so known now, I feel like it's a step, I feel like everybody likes to look a little snatched.

Michelle Lee:
I am so bad at it, though. I always joke- my daughter's 11 and so she watches videos and stuff, so she's like, "Mommy, can I try contouring?" So, she tried it once, and it's like, when I do it, I look like my face is dirty.

Patrick Ta:
I think when you go to Asia again, you need to go, because makeup for Asian people and makeup for Americans is completely different. And the colors that you would choose, I feel like most of the makeup that you see in America is for your skin color. Contouring needs to be a little bit different, and when I went to Asia, like, you would thrive. We will both be beautiful in Asia.

Michelle Lee:
Do you feel like it's more- what are the shades there for contouring? Is it more peachy?

Patrick Ta:
No, for contouring, it's a little bit more light brown-y, gray. But, it's very, very, very subtle, because contouring isn't big there at all, but all these brands have it now, because everyone had it. But the colors are- I thought they were beautiful. I bought a bunch of different ones from different brands. I think it's just finding the right color.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah.

Patrick Ta:
And finding something that's not too crazy pigmented.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah. I'm sure you get this question from people on Instagram and other places, but what would your advice be now for a young, aspiring makeup artist who wants to follow in your footsteps?

Patrick Ta:
I would say don't rush it as much as I tried rushing it. I think when I moved to L.A., I wanted to have my hands on every single person. I wanted to do this- I thought I was ready for everything, and I look back at it and you have one chance to impress the people that... I mean, the people that I work with, there's so many makeup artists out there, and if you don't do a good job the first time, or if you're not ready or if you can't do all these different looks, or whatever, they're probably not going to hire you back, and they probably will never hire you back again.

There's only so many people out there that you can work with, so if you want to be in the celebrity world, just take your time. Educate yourself. I wish I assisted people more and I didn't, and I wish I could. If I could go back, I would do it a little bit slower. You have so much time.

Michelle Lee:
Yeah. It's hard for people to remember that, though. You know what I mean? Everyone's in a rush. And you're so young, still, too. I mean, you've done so much in your career. So I have one last question. Thinking, as a segue of what I just said, you've done so much already at such a young age, when you look back at your career, what is your proudest moment so far?

Patrick Ta:
I think the happiest I was, honestly, was when I launched my brand, because I did it exactly the way I wanted to do it. And had all my friends and family around it, friends and family around me... because I feel like as a makeup artist, I am constantly working for somebody else, on somebody else's time, making somebody else look beautiful, and the amount of support that I got from my clients and my friends and my family, it was just so overwhelming. It was just such a happy moment in my life, because I feel like they do care about me a little bit. (laughs)

Michelle Lee:
So exciting! Well, after this, Patrick is going to show me some new products that are coming up, which I'm sure we will share with you guys on Allure. But, thank you so much for coming in, this has been awesome.

Patrick Ta:
Thank you for having me. I really loved talking to you.

Michelle Lee:
All right, awesome. Do you want to share anything with our audience about either how to follow you, or any other thing to promote?

Patrick Ta:
Yeah, if you guys do want to follow me on Instagram, it is @PatrickTa and my makeup line is @PatrickTaBeauty.

Michelle Lee:
Amazing. All right, thank you. Bye Patrick.

Patrick Ta:
Bye.

Michelle Lee:
Alright everyone, that was my conversation with the lovely Patrick Ta. I look forward to seeing where his travels take him, and what beauty looks come from them. I’ll be watching along with the rest of his million and a half followers, taking notes, and hopefully booking a few flights to follow in his inspiring footsteps. Make sure that you check out his collection, Patrick Ta Beauty. You have to try his highlighter and lip gloss. You won’t regret it. And don't forget to subscribe to the Allure podcast, and give us five stars if you liked this conversation.

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