TORONTO -- World-renowned beauty mogul Pat McGrath has become the first makeup artist to be honoured with a damehood by the Queen.

“I am beyond humbled that I have been awarded a Damehood in the Queen’s New Year 2021 Honours List as a D.B.E - Dame of the British Empire for Services to the Fashion and Beauty Industry and Diversity,” McGrath said in a social media post announcing the honour. “Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that one day Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would recognize me to be amongst the incredible recipients of this honour both past and present.”

McGrath is one of the most respected makeup artists in the fashion and beauty industries. In 2007, she was described by Vogue magazine as the most influential makeup artist in the world.

Her career breakthrough happened in the early 1990’s when she began working alongside fashion director Edward Enninful at i-D magazine. McGrath built a reputation for her unique, adventurous and innovative makeup techniques, and became a fashion week staple, booking around 80 fashion shows a year.

She later went on to create cosmetic lines for brands such as Giorgio Armani, Gucci and CoverGirl. And in 2014, she was hired by Procter & Gamble to be their global cosmetics creative design director in a multi-year partnership.

By 2015, she launched her own line of beauty products called “Pat McGrath Labs” which quickly became the biggest selling beauty line at the U.K. department store, Selfridges. After breaking global sales records McGrath’s company was valued at US$1 billion in 2019.

“When I first launched my brand, PAT McGRATH LABS, it was designed to inspire self-expression and individuality,” McGrath said in a social media post about her damehood. “I dedicate this honour in tribute to Makeup Artists everywhere, I adore each and every one of you. Never give up on your dreams - with hard work, creativity and perseverance anything is possible.”

McGrath was previously honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth for her services to the fashion and beauty industries in 2014.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell and fashion designers Diane von Fürstenberg and Pier Paolo Piccioli were among the notable figures who celebrated McGrath’s latest honour, along with soccer star David Beckham and rapper Nicki Minaj.