So you’ve watched all season’s of Ru Paul’s ‘Drag Race’ and have always longed to wear full drag or maybe you just want to perfect your make-up skills using some amazing techniques. Well, look no further than drag queen makeup where many of the looks you see created by make-up vloggers have come from. Here we showcase the essential items you need to create that fabulous, larger than life look.
PRIMERS. CREAMS and FOUNDATIONS:
Of course make sure you are fully prepared by being cleanly shaven with no cuts. Moisturize the face well in advance and then apply a primer. This is an essential product for drag queens and one that should be in every girl’s supply case. Primer is usually a gel, cream or even spray-liquid primer that covers the face and helps fill in pores and other facial imperfections to ensure a nice smooth surface for the makeup following on. Widely available in retail stores like Mac or Sephora though more affordable options can be found at Glamour Boutique.
After you have applied beard cover you should apply a cream-based foundation. Drag queen foundation should be able to withstand the rigors of standing under theater lighting. A liquid foundation will crack whilst a cream-based brand like Celebre from Mehron is specifically made for stage and drag queens. Use a makeup brush or a damp latex sponge for best application. Follow up with a light concealer stick under the eyes in particular and to help cover any facial blemishes.
POWDERS, BRONZERS, and BLUSH
A must-have for drag makeup is setting powder. Applied a number of times during your makeover it is essential to apply liberally over the foundation and concealer stage. Setting Powder seals in the foundation and concealer and will prevent cracking if you over-heat in your costume under the hot lights. The powder should be applied onto the blended foundation whilst it is still moist which will help everything set better.
Now your face is a wonderful blank canvass to apply color, light, and shade. Start by lightly applying a bronzer to your face and neck that helps give definition. Now you should take from your cosmetic supplies a vivid blush to add to the apples of your cheeks – remember, this is bold colors we are looking for.
Match foundation to your skin tone but a little darker helps you look more healthy. Similarly, with bronzers bear in mind what will work best for your skin tone. Darker skin typically needs a more orange bronzer to add warmth. Light to medium skin colors needs a more neutral/cooler shade of bronzer to help add some definition. If in doubt ask a makeup professional.
BROWS
Eyebrows should always be well groomed by plucking and trimming. For drag queens wanting an extreme look, you may wish to mask the natural brow using a product like our Miracle Eyebrow Kit. This consists of prosthetic putty and fixative to cover the natural eyebrow. You can then simply trace over the now blank canvass with powder and a stencil or use an eyebrow pencil and powder and go freehand if you have the skills.
EYE MAKEUP
Eyes are an integral part of drag queen make up and are a statement of their look. Do not skimp on your suppliers here – make sure your make-up bag contains all the cosmetics and accessories to take your look over the top. Dark eyeshadow shades are used to contour the eye at the crease. To really make the eye ‘pop’ you then use light shade eyeshadow in the middle of the eyelids. You will need the correct brushes to carry out the techniques required to pull off you eye-look. At the least, you will want a pencil brush, a stiff dome brush and a blending sponge in your supplies. All drag queen’s need an eye pencil for lining the lower lash line for dramatic effect. Using a light color pencil on the lower rim of the eyes makes them look bigger. The last piece is a quality eyeliner to finish of defining the eyes. Of course, to complete your ‘fierce’ look you will also need false eyelashes and glue as part of your supplies.
SOFT AND COLORED LIPS
We advise when you apply the foundation over the entire face, you include your lips too. Once it has dried it will make your drag queen lipstick last longer when applied on top. A lip balm in your stash will also help maintain healthy, soft lips that make any lip color look so much better when on. Always have a lip pencil on hand to line the lips before adding lipstick. The liner helps you extend the size of the lips and will stop your lipstick from bleeding outside of the lines, so helping the lipstick last longer. Once you have applied the lipstick you may also add in a layer of gloss for that extra sheen.
Great drag makeup is all about defining your look and then applying the right products using the best techniques. So many traditional drag queen makeup techniques like ‘cooking’ the foundation have been hijacked by mainstream makeup artists because they work. But always make sure you have the essential drag queen makeup supplies in your makeup bag first. For the very best in affordable drag queen cosmetics head on over to the Glamour Boutique makeup department.