Drag Cookie Cutter Face
I love all my young fans around the world, I try my best to be an example to them, even at my advanced age, to be as glamorous and “real” as possible. This is what impersonation and transgender is all about!
We all do what we think is cool in our youth! I look back on my early Sophia Loren tribute attempts. In this video, my very first time, I spent so much time sucking my cheeks in to try for that famous “La Loren” bone structure that I could barely talk! The blush was badly placed, eye make-up not structured for La Loren (I leaned over the years it takes tapes and an entirely different eye liner slant) and the lighting was unfortunate. I have since then learned to “step into the light” the right way and never let a photograph or video be taken without checking out the light!
I laugh now, how amateur, how gauche!! But I was going for real, not a stamp that could be found on hundreds of others!
There is a fine line between “on-stage” make up–that has to be bold to survive the lights–and make up for an “up close and personal” daytime event!
This cooky-cutter-craze has been on my mind for a long time. I see more and more young queens taking advantage of drag being mainstream, thanks to RuPaul and others, and make-up techniques running rampant! Some are highly skilled and quite beautiful, some are clown-like and some even demonic, as if they were auditioning to appear at the RAW club in Malmo, Sweden! (a very edgy show). There are a few long time drag divas, professionals, who take the outré’ to the limit ON PURPOSE for this is their persona. Felicia Halston, Empress of Reno Nevada is one, and Chloe Knox of Arkansas is another. But even in these extreme cases they have their own created face! Hundreds, maybe thousands of others do not. This is what I take issue with!
It appears as though many of these young people watched the Miss Fame make-up tutorial over and over again and transferred this face onto their own with racing stripes, no blending, airbrush eyebrows and life raft lips! How this can be construed as “real” outside of being on-stage in a large club with a follow spot is beyond comprehension and a ride through Who Framed Roger Rabbit cartoon characterizations.
I will say in all fairness Miss Fame is a damn good make-up artist with a well done video. But that is HER face (although for me, far too many products and steps) and as I recall,
she mentioned “blend, blend, blend” many times!
The current trend is to carefully outline everything with definite low light and high lights and just leave it and slap on a wig with no thought as to face framing style or balance for an elegant profile. Then grab a cell phone and vamp, pooch lips and roll the eyes with 5 pair of upper and lower eyelashes, without bothering trimming them on the inside near the nose so there is a natural graduation.
Some queens have “drag mothers” or a person who does their face and wig etc. the first time and tries to tutor their protégé. Unfortunately the newbie emulate their drag mom much of the time, becoming somewhat of a carbon copy in the process. I myself have been guilty of this. One time I had a Princess Royale in my Court, gowned and jeweled her and did her first make-up! After that, outside of a few tips now and then, she was in her own!
But I never stressed “find you’re own face” and at a San Diego Coronation,
Our Queen Mother, Nicole the Great took one look at the little Princess and wryly remarked, “it’s a Liz clone!”
From that moment on I urged many fledgling Royalty to find their own look, practice and practice it, and blend!
I worked hard for this, which is why I created the DMK a Foundations of Skin, a medical silicone base, no oils, that covers everything in one sheer coat and looks like your own skin in broad daylight! I was tired of 2-3 layers of foundation having to be constantly powdered down to cut the shine (regular oil based foundation, regardless of brand, is cooked at the lab at 85F, several degrees lower than your own temperature–which is why you are powdering all the time in the loo).
Perhaps I will do a make-up tutorial, reveal some Liz secrets (gasp) and then everyone can find their own wonderful and special look that stuns the audience and makes a certain type of man smile with eyes full of interest and open a door for you!
Duke.
The Gay AB FAB Liz and Lonnie once again celebrate Christmas at Hara’s Annual Christmas Fundraiser by raising funds for the less fortunate! The Dynasty Divas made the crowd laugh and feel good as Liz sent out Christmas love messages to Princess Janne of Finland, Princess Gypsy in Ohio and Beautiful New Girl-in-town Imogene in Australia!