Patricia Bright On Diversity, Beauty Rules & “Transformative” Skincare

Patricia Bright has built her beauty empire on amiability and integrity. The YouTuber and Instagram influencer is popularly known for delivering witty, funny and brutally honest reviews, often spending her own money on fashion and beauty hauls (which are incredibly addictive to watch). Now, she has turned her hand to something even more exciting.

It's no secret that Patricia adores luxury beauty, with Dior, Estée Lauder and NARS just a handful of brands that make it on to her feed. But reviewing affordable, high street options is also a passion of hers, earning her thousands of loyal followers and most recently, a collaboration with arguably one of the biggest drugstore beauty brands of the moment: Revolution.

Ahead, Patricia talks outdated makeup rules, the benefits of a solid skincare routine and why it's so important for the high street to continue to embrace beauty diversity.

When it comes to the high street, we dismiss products a lot. They’re either a bit chalky or powdery and the payoff sometimes isn't there. A brand that can offer a large range of colours and great pigment is super important to me. I feel as though Revolution provides people with what they want at really affordable prices and, most importantly, the standard is so good. The brand approached me around two years ago, as I’d filmed a video in response to followers who asked me if I could try the brand and give my verdict. I was so impressed and it started from there.

Mainly, I wanted to ensure that we didn’t compromise on the standard of the product. Often, people think of collaborations as slapping your name on something, but there was so much back and forth and trial and error. At first, I had a clear picture of what I wanted and I turned up with so many mood boards and ideas, but I soon realised that not everything I had in mind was going to work. The collection changed quite a bit but I valued all the expert experience I had.

It was all about payoff. I wanted colour and I wanted quality. In regard to the blush palette specifically, I wanted to bring something to the high street that I thought was missing from a variety of ranges. There are very few blushes that work on the darker end of the [skin colour] spectrum on the high street, so I have made reference to a lot of my higher end favourites.

Essentially, I wanted to create something that was good and affordable. Actually, I was scared of not delivering something right and that is what took us so long. In regard to the Rich In Life palette, people can wear the colours every day. There are some browns and neutrals but also some great vibrant colours to add drama.

I definitely think they do. Voices have been heard, which is great. It’s a little bit of a marketing tactic, because it works commercially for everybody, but I think brands are now reaching such a wider range of people. Makeup Revolution partnering with me shows just how much [is changing]. They are one of the first high street brands to do this and it means they really care. This change is definitely a positive one.  

It’s extremely important and is entirely my brand. I get value by being honest and my followers really appreciate it. They want to know if something is good or not!

That we don’t work hard, that we get freebies and that we always lie about stuff. People think we say anything for money but that’s really not the case. For me, to lie is so off brand. But the industry is what it is.

I’ve not thought about beauty rules for a really long time and it’s thanks to the online beauty industry. That’s what we’re all about. There was a time, especially in magazines, when we were told what products to use and which specific colours would suit us best. But we’ve very quickly started to uncover other brands and ways of wearing makeup, and we’re finally mixing things up. Rules that dictate what sort of colours people can wear should be disregarded entirely.

Number one: Skincare first. Hyaluronic acid, retinol and AHAs and BHAs have been transformative for me. Using proven ingredients like these gives me such a great base to apply makeup. Moisturising is also key. I've learned not to be afraid to mix up products or use them differently or in a way they aren’t really meant to be used. This has made such a difference to my routine. Sometimes I wear concealer on my lips to create a nude look, for example.

I’m pregnant so I haven’t been using retinol for a while, but I usually swear by it. Actually, giving it up while pregnant wasn’t something I was aware of until now! I love anything that evens out my skin texture, like the Sunday Riley U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil, £34, and Murad's Age Reform AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, £38, which I use around three times a week. I'd say Dr Murad is one of my favourite brands.

I also love Dermalogica and Estée Lauder, especially the Advanced Night Repair Concentrate Synchronized Recovery Complex II, £58, which is really good at hydrating. I do tend to switch things out for more affordable brands depending on my budget, though. Revolution's Plumping And Hydrating Serum 2% Hyaluronic Acid, £5.95, and 2.5% Glycolic Acid Toner, £8, are great. In the morning I'll always use a moisturiser with SPF in it, but I mainly do all of my proper skincare in the evening.

At the moment I’ve been really lucky with my hormones but prior to that, yes. For me, it’s about evening out my skin texture, as sometimes it can get rough or bumpy. It’s usually when I’ve not been taking care of myself and I've been rushing around. If I see an outbreak on my skin, I need to sit back, take a breather, have a bath, use my cleanser and my oils and just take it easy.