Patrick Ta‘s eponymous beauty brand is something of a makeup manifesto.
“My brand is my entire life’s work. So you best believe I’m putting my back into it,” said the celebrity makeup artist, whose A-list client list reads like a “who’s who” of Hollywood. “I am working day in and day out.”
In conversation with Kimberly Villatoro, chief executive officer of Patrick Ta Beauty and Beauty Inc editor in chief Jenny B. Fine, Ta added: “Running a beauty brand is not for the weak.”
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Ta’s journey to makeup wasn’t smooth sailing. “I am Vietnamese American. I did not grow up feeling confident. I was not 6-foot-3 like I am now. I was a lot wider, and I had very low self esteem. On top of that, I was a high school dropout. I somehow, at the age of 17, convinced my parents that it would be in their best interest to open up a nail salon for me,” Ta said.
Three years in, the business went bankrupt — an “aha” moment for Ta. “I am so grateful for that experience because it has fueled my entire adulthood to be where I am today. I decided I want to be a makeup artist,” he said. “I moved to Los Angeles, and within two years I was that makeup artist.”
Fearful of failure, Ta turned to social media to propel his career. But it wasn’t until he was working with the likes of Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez that he decided to parlay his talent and technique into a legacy brand.
“I work hard because I have heart, I’m passionate about what I do, and I just simply love makeup, and those are qualities that I needed in my CEO,” he said. Enter Villatoro.
Villatoro — who previously held high-level positions at Mattel and Smashbox Cosmetics — remembered stumbling upon the brand at Sephora’s annual beauty event Sephoria long before she was brought on. “I thought to myself, there’s something really special here. It’s so memorable. It’s so unique. For those of us in the industry who were watching it, it really struck a chord.”
From launching mid-pandemic to becoming a top 10 brand at Sephora with sales of $100 million (and the number-one blush), Patrick Ta Beauty has mastered the art of scale. But how does Ta maintain relevance in today’s competitive arena of artist-backed beauty? Having 4 million (and counting) social media followers helps.
“I like to call them my friends. You need to treat your followers like your friends,” Ta said. “Your friends want to learn from you, they want you to share with them.
“I care so much about this brand, how people view us and our products. They have to perform, and they have to give you the feeling of romanticizing the ritual of doing your makeup,” he continued. “I want to continue to make luxury affordable to everyone, and to dream with my eyes closed, because it allows you to see beyond what you can see with them open.”