Shea Couleé on the Necessities of Drag Queen Make-up

This 12 months is Attract’s 30th Anniversary, and we’re celebrating by trying again at iconic moments in magnificence from the previous three many years. You’ll be able to learn extra articles like this one right here.

Each single factor we find out about make-up immediately we owe to the artwork of drag. For many years, the make-up artistry vanguard toiled away on the fringes of the mainstream, normally late after sundown, within the dressing room of a bar you wouldn’t stroll into by chance. Till 2009, when RuPaul’s Drag Race turned the female efficiency into…a actuality competitors. The present, now in its 13th 12 months and umpteenth season, put its performers on the world stage, inspiring a brand new era of queens. The queen of queens: Chicago-based Shea Couleé, who snatched her personal crown final 12 months. “I really like manipulating [my] face,” Couleé tells Attract. Fortunate for us, she additionally likes to share how.

Basis

“Three completely different colours are wanted for my basis to construct dimension. I begin with a cooler tone across the perimeter of my face. Subsequent, a shade that carefully matches my pores and skin tone on the middle of my brow, cheeks, and round my lip space. Then, round my T-zone, I’m going in with a hotter, lighter basis.

With my years of doing artwork, portray, shade idea, I’ve realized concerning the complexities present inside closely melanated pores and skin. There are actually heat tones, cool tones, oranges, yellows, and reds. I’ve taken time to acknowledge the place these tones are pronounced on my face.” 

Concealer

“I form of go actually mild with my shade choice to focus on my face. Taking the wand, I will do about three dots of below my eyes, two dots on the edges of my nostril, one beneath my nostril, one below my chin, after which 4 on my brow — form of within the form of a cross however with little dots.” 

Contouring 

“The distinction between a day-to-day and a drag spotlight and contour can be the sheer quantity of product. Despite the fact that this make-up appears pure, I am sporting three completely different shades of basis, two highlighters, and concealer, in addition to powder and cream contour. In terms of contour, you are going to wish to be certain that it is sharp on the backside and mix upward. That phantasm creates a stronger, extra pronounced bone construction.”

Highlighter

“With Fenty Magnificence’s Killawatt Foil Freestyle Highlighter in Sangria Sundown, which is a pleasant pink tone, on my cheeks, I flippantly mud it on the bridge of my nostril, on my cupid’s bow, and above my brows. Then, I will go in with an icy pink shade on high for a shinier spotlight.”

Brows

“I haven’t got a lot eyebrow to start with, so attempting to dam them out with a glue stick creates extra texture than not. [Editor’s note: Many queens glue down their brows until they’re flat enough to paint over.] So for me, it is higher to simply work with my pure brows. I do the underside spotlight first as a result of it helps me determine what my general arch goes to be. I’m going in with a fine-tipped angle brush with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade and flippantly draw within the form of my forehead. Then, I spotlight on high of the forehead with a really, very, very advantageous element brush and 
Juvia’s Place concealer earlier than I’m going with a fine-tipped liquid liner and attract particular person hairs.”

Lashes

“I do not like an excellent full, heavy lash since you spend all this time doing make-up, after which, it is coated up by the lash. I make customized eyelashes for myself. I wish to take a pair of [beauty supply store] 301s and reduce them up into fours, spray them with hairspray, after which model them into particular person factors so you possibly can see behind the lash. Then I glue these on high of 99s.” [Editor’s note: She even has a genius tip for adhering her falsies.] 

Lips

“I do some little bit of contouring with lip liner, like MAC’s Lip Pencil in Chestnut, on the outer corners of my mouth, working my means inward. Then a pleasant, impartial pinky tone, particularly the Fenty Magnificence Stunna Lip Paint in Uncuffed for this look, on the middle. Across the perimeter, I went in with a mocha liquid lip. Then give them a pleasant pat, pat, rub, rub, to mix.”

Nails

“Good, old style press-ons — love them. Lengthy nails elongate the fingers and fingers and make them look actually elegant.”

Wigs

“I pluck across the hairline to make it somewhat bit thinner as a result of plenty of occasions factory-made wigs are too full within the entrance and look synthetic. Then, once I’m trimming the lace, I be certain that it is somewhat jagged. It appears extra pure if you happen to really form of mess it up.”

Shea Couleé’s Outcome 

“I completely imagine drag celebrates femininity as a result of I really feel like for a lot of drag queens, we have been, as little boys, oftentimes made enjoyable of or bullied for being female or completely different. Drag is a means for us to reclaim that and categorical the facility that exists in femininity. For me, and my make-up, I all the time wish to categorical pure female power, and it comes from the purest female components of myself.” 

A model of this story initially appeared within the March 2021 difficulty of Attract. Discover ways to subscribe right here.

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Learn extra from Attract‘s 30th Anniversary difficulty: 

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