John Galliano’s Maison Margiela’s SS24 couture collection transcended fashion, theatre and artistry but, most momentously, it transcended makeup.

When porcelain doll-like models (choreographed by movement director Pat Boguslawski) animatronically, at times, coquettishly, sauntered down the set like broken marionette figures, their faces were glass-like. Exaggerated ‘30s-esque base makeup over blocked-out brows seemed to be sealed with a completely transparent gloss that made the skin appear glass-like in every sense of the word.

It came as no surprise that the makeup artist behind this creation was British living legend and Dame, Pat McGrath. The icon of the makeup world said of the look: “We’ve never seen a makeup look go so viral!”. But, had Tiktok been around during the heyday of Alexander McQueen or John Galliano for Christian Dior circa 2000, I suspect this would be different. 

After the show, models began sharing innocent TikToks of the makeup process and peeling the masks off post-show. Unknown to them at the time, every far corner of the internet went into a frenzy and beauty-obsessed sleuths began their investigations. Was it the Kryolan Liquid Glass? Was it a simple peel-off face mask? The glassy effect was so impactful it almost looked like wax on some models. The Kryolan Liquid Glass product was such a front runner, the product sold out online in the days following the show. TikTok immediately went mad and so, the recreations commenced. 

When McGrath announced she would be doing an Instagram live stream breaking down the look in its entirety, the frenzy only intensified. So, what else would I be doing at 7am Sydney time on Saturday February 3rd 2024 other than tuning in? Major accounts logged onto the Instagram live such as Hailey Bieber, Fenty Beauty, Prada and show-closer Gwendoline Christie, no doubt to show their support.

McGrath and her team were in high spirits when breaking down the look on two different skin tones to show the range of products used to achieve the final result. Words used by her team of the look were ‘ethereal’, ‘romantic’, ‘other-wordly’ with absolutely ‘no hard lines’. The base of the makeup was quite simple, but a key takeaway was how such minimal powder was used and that the brows must be a drag-queen approved level of blocked-out to recreate a thin expressive brow. “If the brows aren’t right, you have to start again,” said McGrath.

Obviously the glass-skin was the pièce de résistance, so they were quick to reveal the concoction. The sleuths were somewhat right in the involvement of peel off masks applied with an airbrush but the Kryolan product was funnily enough, nowhere in sight. The final eclectic mixture contained the following:

• Distilled water 
• Que Bella Hydrating Pineapple Peel off Face Mask Sachet 
• Proot Calendula Peel off Face Mask 
• Freeman Renewing Cucumber Peel-off Gel Mask


• Daggett & Ramsdell Deep Cleansing Peel Off Facial Mask 



No ratios were given as McGrath stirred the concoction in a white ceramic bowl with a spoon while announcing she has spent three years trialling and testing these products and will be releasing one of her own very soon. McGrath trained her huge team rigorously for three weeks prior to the show and revealed they got it down to a fine art. “With two people it takes about 45 minutes but for one person, first try, about one to two hours,” she said.

Layer 1: A thin layer of Skin Illustrator’s Clear Gloss was applied immediately post-makeup with an airbrush machine to establish the glassy effect, following the first of many hairdryer blasts of the face to dry the product, hairdryer setting strictly on medium or warm, never hot. The occipital region and lips were protected by a spoon to not disturb.

Next a special FX water based glue was then dotted sparingly with a Q-tip to areas of the face which would be prone to lifting once the real mask was applied. This included the corners of the mouth, sides of the nose, smile lines and corner of the eyes. “You want to reinforce certain areas with extra longevity because you need this look to last for three hours,” said McGrath. Dry with a hairdryer until glue is translucent.

Layers 2-8: Then came the concoction of undisclosed ratios; the mixture of masks was applied with the airbrush machine about seven different times, dried thoroughly with the hairdryer between each thin layer. Any hairs sticking up were to be tamed with a beauty blender and pressed carefully into the skin between layers. The final effect was an intense layer of brightness and “remarkably not sticky”.

For an added layer of drama areas such as the brow bone, cheekbone and nose were actually painted on with the mixture by a flat brush and dried once again. Final touches of mixture were added wet, on the lips and eyes of the models right before walking and that was history-made. 

The show itself felt like a whimsical dream that will be talked about for years to come, an emotional and dramatic return to theatrics in fashion and also beauty. In an age of no-makeup-makeup-looks and at the ‘clean-girl aesthetic’, toned down minimal beauty has its place, but that’s not on Margiela’s Couture runway and not if Pat McGrath can help it.