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What is the best-selling lipstick of the year?

Spoiler alert: it had to do with a legendary make-up artist...

What is the best-selling lipstick of the year? Spoiler alert: it had to do with a legendary make-up artist...

According to Anna Wintour, Pat McGrath is "the most influential make-up artist in the world" and Queen Elizabeth has honoured her as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her fashion and beauty services.

It is no coincidence that Labs, her cosmetics line, has become a cult. The first product, Gold 001, a very versatile gold metallic pigment, was launched on Prada's catwalk in September 2015, but in Italy we had to wait until autumn 2019, when the entire collection finally arrived at Sephora, to buy the eyeshadows, foundations and all the other items created by Pat.

The must-have of the line is the MatteTrance Lipstick. Beloved, constantly sold out, it has quickly become the lipstick of the year. McGrath has worked for years to get the right formula, an intense, but not too dry, matte: 

I didn't want a matte that felt like concrete. Most lipsticks, even mattes, are little greasy, but the Lust MatteTrance shades almost have a powdery finish; in fact, they feel and look like pure pigment, the payoff is incredible. This formula doesn't mask the natural texture of your lips," she explains. "It works beautifully on top of a lip pencil, swiped on straight from the tube, or — how I always like to apply lipstick — tapped on with fingers.

The shades available range from bright colours to nudes to dark tones and are inspired by the make-up artist's favourite models. For example, Omi is based on a custom colour that McGrath invented for Naomi Campbell; Elson is the specific shade of red made for Karen Elson; while McMenamy is a browny-beige tribute to the icon of the 90s Kristin McMenamy.

What makes Lust lipstick even more desirable is the packaging designed by Pat herself: a black plastic tube with golden metal details. The signature feature? A pair of three-dimensional lips, a small homage to Old Hollywood and surrealism, recurring themes throughout McGrath's work.

Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick is available exclusively from Sephora and on sephora.it at the price of 39€.