Pat McGrath Doesn't Want You to Try Her Techniques

CoverGirl Creative Design Director, Pat McGrath, has been the makeup mastermind for Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Valentino, Christian Dior, Stella McCartney and Louis Vuitton for years. Her looks run the gamut from subtle to jaw-dropping. And while she's carefully honed her techniques over the years, she doesn't recommend trying them at home. 

"For me, I think a woman shouldn't really do the contours that we do at the shows, because that's really what we do for the lighting and staging. You really don't want to be walking around with a brown stripe on your face. The best way to [tone it down] is with blush. Use a blush with a slight pinky-beigey tone. Just wear it in the right area, slightly under the cheek so you get the illusion of cheek bones-ish. And then highlight. A little bit of highlight or cream builds that contour. You can try a little bit of darker foundation under there, but then again you don't want it too dark. It's so much better to do it with a blush because it's going to be darker anyway and it will give you that illusion of pulling in the face."