“Each product I’ve either made for myself, my friends or my community, and that’s why launching in H beauty means everything to me,” she says. “It’s a beauty playground that is incredibly creative, just like our collections – it’s a match made in heaven.”

Some of McGrath’s defining career highlights to date include creating shapeshifting make-up looks with designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, and an internet-breaking make-up collaboration with streetwear brand Supreme that, on launch, sold out in a record 8.2 seconds. Other key moments include making masks from 1,500 Swarovski crystals at Givenchy’s SS14 show; Maison Margiela SS16, where, among homages to the late David Bowie, McGrath adopted the use of star-shaped appliqués; and long, feathered lashes fluttering from overtly lined eyes for Valentino’s SS19 couture show.

It was at these shows (equipped with no fewer than 60 cases brimming with glitters, sequins, feathers and make-up) that McGrath turned beauty into an otherworldly spectacle that first sowed the seeds for her own brand. “I’d be working with products that were difficult,” she explains. “Matte eyeshadows were never comfortable; they’d constantly crease and were difficult to see on all skin tones. A gold eyeshadow was impossible to use, especially one that would reflect as gold. You really had to be a fine artist, constantly sculpting, playing, mixing, and matching pigments for the perfect shades. So, I had to create it all. [Backstage,] I’d have to work across 72 faces, so the product had to work fast and have excellent quality.”

Recently, McGrath has taken on skincare, debuting with Divine Skin: Rose 001 The Essence. “It’s skincare that isn’t heavy but is dewy and healing,” she says. “Beauty must be for everyone and not just suiting skin tones (referring to make-up), but skin types and I’ll spend time creating the perfect products for both.” But she didn’t rush into it. “After years of mastering the formula, I still made the team hold out on the release while I sent it to my friends to try. I gave a bottle to my manicurist, and when I saw her almost four weeks later and asked why her skin was so radiant, she told me it was the essence. That’s when I called the team and said it’s ready to launch.”

Pat’s lightweight approach isn’t just appealing backstage but a purity that she considers in her own routine. With radiant skin herself she explains her own beauty routine. “I’ll cleanse my skin with something secret (a light sparkle hits her eye) and then hydrate with the essence before prepping with the Sublime Perfection Primer and a light layer of the Sublime Perfection Foundation and Sublime Perfection Concealer. To finish my base, I’ll dust the Sublime Perfection Blurring Under-Eye Powder under the eyes,” she explains. “On the lashes, it’s our Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star Mascara and I’ll line my eyes using the Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner in either Xtreme black or Xtreme BLK Coffee and often add some colour to the cheeks with the Paradise Venus blush”.

So, what’s next on the agenda for this beauty trailblazer? At the mention of a new year, she turns coy. “I’ve always got to keep my secrets,” she says, with a smile. “But fasten your seatbelts for a fantastic ride.”