At 18, he owned a tanning salon.
After it went bankrupt, Ta pursued makeup by working at a MAC counter in Arizona.
My family is so different from me.
Courtesy of subject; Clara Hendler/Allure
They don’t like to spend money on vanity.
I think everyone wants to feel beautiful.
Who doesn’t want to feel good about themselves?
Patrick Ta back in his MAC days
My sister doesnt really wear makeup, but my mom has recently started to.
She doesn’t really work anymore, so she can have fun with her look.
Everything is different, though, because my dad always starts one project and quickly moves onto another.
Patrick Ta and Shay Mitchell back in 2014
He’s like, Grecian pillars look good right now.
So he put a pillar in our house.
But then, he’s like, I like modern, and puts in modern cabinets.
Nothing is cohesive, but I loved the beauty of it all.
Like him, I want to make everything around me beautiful.
You’re busy trying to fool people into thinking you’re straight.
You’re not worried about fooling everyone, but you’re worried about now being your authentic self.
At 17 years old, I moved away from my hometown of San Diego to Arizona.
Even though I still wasn’t out, it was the first step to becoming like my authentic self.
Id never met a glamorous makeup artist until I lived with one in Arizona.
My roommate workedat MACand fueled my obsession with makeup around the age of 20.
She truly helped me finally feel comfortable trying it out.
I started going to Sephora and beauty counters to talk to the sales associates and ask them questions.
I couldnt imagine doing everything Im doing now until I first moved to L.A. seven years ago.
We’re also flipping houses on the side.
In my head, I was like, What the heck?
How does a hairstylist make that much money so that buy a house, especially in L.A.?
I couldn’t fathom it because I was charging $100 to $200 for a makeup utility.
My mind didnt even know people could make what they make or have this life that they have.
I only did makeup early in my career because I was so obsessed with the whole transformation of it.
That experience made me vow to be successful.
I wanted a house.
I wanted a nice car.
Those were all things to take a stab at make myself feel better and more accepted, though.
Things aren’t necessarily easier, but little things don’t bother me anymore.
It’s amazing what time does to the human brain.
Im constantly learning and Im able to, honestly, justlive.
This past year has given me time to value the things I have and the people around me.
Right before the pandemic, I was so busy and overwhelmed.
Before the pandemic, I was so busy and overwhelmed.
Now, I realize life is all about human interaction and feeling good.
Now, I realize life is all about human interaction and feeling good.
A few clients of mine lately have inspired me to do different things.
And with social media, you’re able to see so many more styles.
I used to be so worried about creating alook.
The thing I think about most lately is trying tocreate something I love.
Although it’s exhausting, I appreciate working face to face more than ever before.
Now, Im asking myself, Who treats me like family?
I want a relationship beyond just standing in front of them during a job.
And I’m not so thirsty to be the most relevant makeup artist.
I truly want to love the looks I do and be proud of them.
For more on Patrick Ta, listen to his episode ofThe Allure Podcast.
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