Australian drag queens share their favourite beauty products that last all night
IMAGE VIA @BLEACH.DQ/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY YASMIN GOWER
From those who know best.
We all know the feeling. You’ve just spent more time than you’d like to admit perfecting your makeup for a big night out, only for a dingy mirror in a bar toilet to let you know it’s long gone a few hours later. In summer, even the most minimal makeup looks seem to slide straight off and half the primers I’ve tried seem to exacerbate the issue.
But then I think about the people I run into on my nights out. In the wee hours of a Friday or Saturday evening on Smith Street, I always seem to encounter a drag queen with a perfect, like-it-was-just-applied beat. It’s in their job description.
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Drag queens undergo extensive transformations for hours of high-intensity performance. They require makeup to stay flawless all night (and sometimes through the next day, too). Not only do these queens have the talent for technical makeup looks, but they also know the trusted products to help back those skills up. On a quest to create a look that lasts longer on a night out than I do, I spoke to six Australian drag queens to hear their recommendations.
Kween Kong
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As a drag queen, what are your go-to long-lasting makeup products?
As someone who can do up to six shows in one day across a festival like Adelaide Fringe, my go-to products for a long-lasting mug are a combination of Vitamin E Cream from Big W under my Milk Hydro Grip Primer. [It’s then about] double baking my creams with Anastasia Beverley Hills’ Translucent Banana Powder and setting my face with [the] Green Marble setting spray. These products never fail me, especially in 40-degree heat.
What are your go-to priming skincare products?
My go-to for priming my skin is Milk’s Hydro Grip Primer. It’s perfect for those of us with oily skin. It holds makeup and creates the barrier you need to protect your skin.
Valencia
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As a drag queen, what are your go-to long-lasting makeup products?
I have combination skin so for me, skincare is non-negotiable – especially SPF! I use La Roche-Posay’s SPF50 sunscreen. Before applying makeup, I use the Neat Feat 3B Face Saver (this is one of my holy grails). This facial antiperspirant is a great way of helping with sweat when wearing makeup. I mix that primer with either the Milk Hydro Grip Primer or the One/Size Secure The Blur Primer.
What are your go-to priming skincare products?
I make sure I use a good quality setting powder and let it do its work for a while. My current faves are the KimChi Chic That White Powder or the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. I then make sure I have a waterproof setting spray to fix it up real good, like the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, the KimChi Chic Stage Proof Matte Setting Spray or the One/Size On Til Dawn Setting Spray.
Bleach
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As a drag queen, what are your go-to long-lasting makeup products?
As a queen who gets very sweaty without doing anything, I’ve learnt a few things to make my mug stay perf even after a twirling performance. I like to glue my lashes down with Spirit Gum just so my lashes don’t come flying off mid-number. Otherwise, I use regular lash glue.
I also like to spray my face with a bit of Got2b Hairspray as a final setting spray to really set everything in. It does leave your face feeling tight and crunchy but hey, I still look fierce after. Depending on which lip liner I’m using, I like to line my lips normally and then set them with the excess powder on my powder puff and then use my lipstick. This just ensures that my liner doesn’t smudge or move around.
What are your go-to priming skincare products?
My skin prep routine is quite easy and simple. Before a gig, I shave my face and splash some cold water on after to close my pores and tighten my skin up. [It] just helps makeup not get stuck in my pores and also leaves my face tight and plump for a good makeup base.
I use any moisturiser I have lying around as my ‘primer’ but if my skin is feeling extra gross, I’ll use the Elf Matte Putty Primer on my beard area, moustache area, nose, under eyes and middle of the forehead, too.
Rebel
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As a drag queen, what are your go-to long-lasting makeup products?
Honestly, I’m a big believer in setting spray… I’ve been using the Nyx Matte Finish one and I do it a couple of times throughout the routine of putting in my makeup. As for physical face products, I have found comfort in using the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lip Liner as it truly lasts all night long, even if my lips go.
What are your go-to priming skincare products?
I’d love to say that I do a whole routine… [but] I don’t. I feel that as a drag queen, I don’t have the need as the layers on my face are so thick by the end anyway. I do occasionally use the Benefit Porefessional Primer when I need help blurring out pores/lines as it works a treat, in my opinion.
Hailey Hudson
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As a drag queen, what are your go-to long-lasting makeup products?
My absolute essential is the Elf 16hr Camo Concealer! It’s an absolute staple… affordable, long-lasting and never lets me down by creasing or going patchy. While I also use a number of loose powders during my makeup routine, I cannot stress enough the benefits of carrying a pressed powder to help get you through a long day (or night).
I have a preference for the classic Mac Cosmetics range of pressed powder foundations, but I find… drugstore options will always do the trick in a pinch! I also cannot forget the lips. I love the Morphe lip liners! Once again [they’re] affordable, long-lasting and blend perfectly with a wide range of liquid and regular lipsticks.
What are your go-to priming skincare products?
If you haven’t noticed by now, I love affordable and accessible makeup and skincare. My holy grail… is the La Roche-Posay Baume B5+. My skin goes through the wars of being shaved, pulled, taped and glued (you name it, I’ve done it) and this product never fails to repair and maintain my skin.
A little goes a long way with this product and I prefer to use a small amount each night after showering (though I’m sure this could be done in the mornings too). I’ve got both my mother and my grandmother on to this product and they love it. I also love The Ordinary, they have a wide range of great products tailored to specific desires from skincare. I enjoy the Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5.
Hotpink
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As a drag queen, what are your go-to long-lasting makeup products?
Anyone who knows me knows I don’t shut up about the One/Size setting spray (made viral by Queen B wearing it on the Renaissance Tour in the pouring rain). It’s a matte finish, so I go in with Charlotte Tilbury on top to add back that skin-like finish to the face.
The two together are my holy grail combo. For a lasting lip, I use the Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks. My base is Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover for Face and Body – it’s a soft matte finish, [is] super long-lasting and non-drying. For reference, I have normal to oily skin. Did I mention that I’m a former Mecca and Sephora girlie who’s tried everything under the sun?
What are your go-to priming skincare products?
Fenty Skin is a dream for my sensitive skin. I use the Total Cleans’r, Fat Water Toner and Hydra Vizor Moisturiser. The moisturiser is the star of the show, leaving a plump glow and a tacky base for any makeup to adhere to the skin without feeling heavy.
I follow up my skin routine with a silicone-based primer (anything with that silky feeling) under my makeup to ensure the makeup isn’t absorbed into my skin, preventing breakouts and keeping my skin in top condition. My current go-to primer is the Tarte Shape Tape Pore and Prime Balm.
For more tips on making your makeup last all night, head here.
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