Kourtney Kardashian’s Makeup Artist Transformed My Face With These Tips

Patrick Ta has magic hands. The makeup artist is the mastermind behind the Instagram-worthy beauty looks rocked by Hollywood's most lusted after celebrities, like Gigi and Bella Hadid, Megan Fox and Olivia Munn. It makes sense, then, that he would launch his very own makeup line, Patrick Ta Beauty, brand-new to Flannels.

If you've been following Patrick from day one, you'll know that he shot to fame for painting the faces of the Kardashian-Jenners — including trending Kourtney Kardashian. As a beauty editor with a penchant for blunt-cut bobs and sculpted brows, it's safe to say that Kourtney is my ultimate beauty inspiration. Her high profile relationship with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker (not to mention close friendship with Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox) has shone a blinding spotlight on who I would argue is the most stylish Kardashian sister right now. Vintage band tees? Nineties tendrils? Head-to-toe black lace? The obsession with rock 'n' roll Kourt is real, and I want it all.

It seems I'm not the only one. Whenever Patrick works his magic on Kourtney, Instagram goes wild. There are compliments on her glowing skin, monochromatic makeup (both Patrick and Kourtney love a matching nude eye and cheek combo) and how enviably she can pull off a crimson lip. So when Patrick agreed to make me over just as he would do Kourt, it felt as though all of my Christmases had come at once. In just 45 minutes, I learned enough tips and hacks to encourage me to ditch my current (and somewhat stale) everyday makeup routine. From contouring to mega lashes, if you can't don a full face of makeup post-lockdown, when can you?

Ahead, find out all the game-changing beauty advice I learned in Patrick Ta's makeup chair.

Some people use the edge of their makeup palette or even Sellotape to give their eyeshadow an elongated and sharp look but Patrick's trick is to apply a thick layer of translucent powder from the outer corner upwards at an angle. "I always like to go in with a little bit of powder to shape the eyeshadow," he said, having applied this with a damp Beauty Blender, £17. "This really helps your blending technique," as the translucent powder acts as a barrier so you're able to blend within that line and create a nice winged shape. "This is also going to help you with any fallout, which is great if you're not so precise," said Patrick. Then you simply dust the powder away with a powder brush once you're done with your eyeshadow. Patrick recommends using varying brown tones rather than black shades, which can look overly dramatic (unless that's what you're going for). "Kourtney is all about easy, everyday, bronzy and natural makeup." You can double up his Major Sculpt Creme Contour & Powder Duo, £35, as eyeshadow.

It can be difficult to tell how much eyeshadow you should be using. Patrick suggested concentrating the pigment onto the outer corner crease, then once you feel that most of the eyeshadow is off the brush, slowly start to diffuse it over the lid and out towards the end of the eyebrow. "You want to elongate the eyes," said Patrick. Use his Eyeshadow Brush, £20. "Go for something that's shaped flat so you can move the product to where you want it," said Patrick. If you don't have a lot of eyelid space, he suggested packing pigment at the base of the lash line and diffusing it up towards the eyebrow.

Patrick created my eye look with just one eyeshadow colour in varying levels of pigment. To make my eyes pop, he applied a light brown cream eyeshadow underneath my lower lash line, which he explained always adds dimension to an eye look. But it has to be a cream texture, not powder. "My eyeshadow palette has a bunch of textures," said Patrick, "but you want the bottom to be nice and diffused. I hate it when eyeshadow looks dry but cream products make your skin look so much more moisturised." This makes sense, considering the under-eye area is delicate and prone to fine lines. While eye creases are entirely normal, cream products are less likely to accentuate them.

To dial up the intensity, Patrick advised layering a powder eyeshadow on top of the cream to make your eyeshadow look richer. "Just take a clean brush and blend," he said. "You don't want to bring the eyeshadow too far down the under-eye, either. Kourtney likes to lift the face. I like to blend the bottom eyeshadow to the outer corner to connect to the eyeshadow on the lid," which makes the eye look more uniform.

A brow pen, that is. "While Kourtney doesn't like her brows to be too fluffy, she likes them filled in and shaped," said Patrick, who often uses a soft brow pencil on her (his usual go-to is a pen with a felt-tip nib). "I like to fill in the areas that need it but just follow your natural brow shape. When you're doing it at home, rest your pinkie on your face for a bit of balance." Try Glossier's Brow Flick, £15.

You could say the Kardashians made the word 'contouring' part of the everyday language of makeup. "It's what they are known for and they really made it a trend," said Patrick, who used the Major Sculpt Creme Contour & Powder Duo, £35, on me. "It adds a nice, beautiful bronze to the skin." The trick is to apply bronzing powder right into the hollows of the cheeks. "I like to blend as I go," said Patrick. "It shapes and moulds your face into a goddess." Then take a damp makeup sponge or Beauty Blender, £17, and blend the powder out so that it's seamless and not one big block of colour. Patrick also tends to contour the forehead and jaw using cream contour and a dense brush. "This is more to add colour, dimension and shape to the face. It gives you the Kardashian look, which is nice and bronzy and glowy and clean."

Patrick likes to use Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, £33.50, to 'bake' right underneath the jawline, which he calls reverse contouring. Baking is simply letting the powder absorb into your skin for a minute or so before taking a small brush and blending it away. This gives your cheekbones extra dimension. Something similar can be done underneath your eyes. "Kourtney always has a really nice, bright under-eye," said Patrick. "It awakens you and makes you look like you have amazing cheekbones." Patrick's hack consists of applying a concealer with a pink undertone directly to the under-eye, then layering on powder before dusting it away. "It makes your makeup look a little more flawless."

Dressing one eye and coming back to it allows Patrick to add thickness and length to lashes when using his Major Volume Mascara, £26. Firstly, use a lash curler. "Kourtney always likes to curl her own eyelashes," said Patrick. Do this for three to 10 seconds max. "I then like to apply mascara in coats," Patrick continued. "Start from the root of the lash to the tip. Do one side, let the product dry, move on to the other eye and then go back in and make the lashes look nice and dramatic." The initial layer of translucent powder you applied underneath your eye to perfect your eyeshadow should mean your mascara is less likely to smudge, too.

Patrick also likes to apply the Major Dimension Eyeliner, £24, to the lower and upper waterline, going into the tear duct. "Doing this is going to give you that sultry effect. I love the shadow it gives. It adds dimension and makes brown eyes like Kourtney's pop."

Using a fluffy brush like the Complexion Brush No1, £32, Patrick applied a light layer of translucent powder over my cheeks. "This makes it easy to blend and smooth your blush," said Patrick, who explained that foundation, concealer and bronzer are all different textures so applying something bright like blush could end up looking patchy otherwise. "Concentrate the blush right onto the apples of the cheeks," he said. The blush Kourtney likes has a bronze undertone, like the Monochrome Moment Velvet Blush in She's So LA or She's Sincere, £28. "If there's ever any patchiness, take your Beauty Blender and melt the blush into the skin, then reapply the blush higher up on the cheekbones. The girls always have a nice sculpted cheek."

After perfecting my eyeshadow, Patrick applied a little bit of the same blush colour into the eyeshadow crease and to my brow bone. I'd never heard of this tip before but according to Patrick, this last step ties everything together. "It's an easy way to give your look cohesiveness," he said. Otherwise, you'll have a gap between your eyelid and brow bone.