Taylor Swift knows how to make the whole place shimmer.
That's especially true when legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath is on hand. For Taylor's new "Bejeweled" music video, Pat made sure to transform the superstar into a decadent dream, using the power of makeup to bring the six-minute visual to life.
"The moment I heard the title, 'Bejeweled' I had visions of scintillating, shimmering and sparkling," the Pat McGrath Labs founder exclusively told E! News. "With all that inspiration and Taylor's brief, I had a million ideas of how we could use makeup to communicate her directorial vision and storytelling through makeup artistry."
In addition to referencing art, film and vintage Hollywood glamour, she pulled inspiration from past fashion shows like Versace's fall/winter 2014 collection, Margiela's Haute Couture spring/summer 2016 runway and Prada's fall/winter 2018 show.
"Contoured red ombré lips, jeweled smoke, crystal cat eyes, sublime skin and divine blush—these are the several ways to bring 'Bejeweled' to life," she noted. "I designed around 30 looks, which I then executed with my team. We experimented with every color, different wing shapes, various ombré gradations and all sorts of eye shadows."
As she put it, "It was makeup heaven."
She applied many of her line's products, digging into her arsenal and pulling out many of her classic shadows and even an unreleased product: The Mothership Celestial Nirvana Eye Palette.
Plus, the 57-year-old said she stayed true to Taylor's style—keeping the singer's signature dagger-sharp wing and vibrant red lip—but remixed it just a little for the music video.
"When I think of Taylor, I always think of a perfect red lip," Pat explained. "When we first did the Met Gala in 2010, we did a bold, confident, empowered look centered on red matte lipstick. For 'Bejeweled' and her VMAs appearance, I couldn't imagine not doing something with red lipstick."
The beauty icon said she "took it to the next level" by creating an ombré effect on Taylor, which took not one, not two but three lipsticks total. She swiped the shades Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick 'ELSON 4' and PermaGel Ultra Glide Lip Pencils in Deep Dive, Blood Lust and Deep Void to achieve the fearless look.
While the dame herself makes a cameo in the music video, playing the queen, there's another part of the visual that stands out to her.
"One of my most memorable moments was watching Taylor and Dita [Von Teese] doing their routine in the champagne glasses," Pat shared. "It was truly epic."
All in all, the makeup artist described the singer as the "ideal creative collaborator," gushing, "Taylor was a genius partner."