Pat McGrath used cocoa powder as makeup due to lack of products for dark skin tones

Makeup artist Pat McGrath has revealed she used to use cocoa powder on her face because of the lack of beauty products for their skin tones.

Speaking with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, the multi-millionaire makeup mogul recalled growing up in the 1970s in Northampton, where she first became interested in the cosmetics industry through her mother’s own passion.

According to McGrath, her mother used to bring her to stores to purchase new products each week, but “of course back then there wasn’t the colours that was right for dark skin”.

It was then that her mother taught her an important lesson: “If you can’t find it, you can’t buy it, make it.”

For McGrath, who used to borrow her mother’s makeup, and her mum, this meant improvising.

“She even used cocoa powder, she came in from the kitchen with cocoa powder all over her face, and she was like: 'This is the right tone of powder,’” the 49-year-old said. “And she had dusted it on her face and she looked amazing.

“And that’s what I ended up doing as well, was making products that I needed backstage.”

The first product McGrath created was a moisturiser made of oil and water, which she whipped and refrigerated and then applied to her own face and her dolls.

Since then, the self-taught makeup artist, whose eponymous makeup line was valued at $1bn (£790m), has worked with fashion designers including Givenchy, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, and Alexander McQueen.

She has also seen an improvement in the industry regarding diversity.

“We have models from all different social backgrounds, different weight, body types, different religious backgrounds, shows that are over 50 per cent women of colour and it just wasn't there for such a long time,” she said. “And now, it's just so fantastic to see. Beautiful.”