Inside My Makeup Box - M.A.C. Shadows

When it comes to doing my eyes I probably have about 100 different shadows to choose from in a variety of brands, shades, and textures.  But nine times out of ten you are going to find me grabbing for one of my M.A.C. shadows.  The color pigments are incredibly rich and really pop on your eyes and they are some of the easiest shadows to blend.  I can't stress how important blending your makeup is ladies!  Blending can take your face from clown to superstar in just a few quick minutes.

I have accumulated a lot of different M.A.C. colors over the years, but when it really comes down to it, there are 3 that I could not live without!

1. Electric Eel - This is probably the most commonly used eyeshadow color for drag queens everywhere!  Electric Eel is one of the most vibrant blues you will ever find!  Pretty much any time I am doing a show where I have to change my outfit multiple times I will use Electric Eel as my primary eye color because it goes with almost anything you can wear.  It is an absolute must have for any queens makeup box in my opinion!

2. Black Tied - I have used a lot of different black shadows, but my all time favorite is Black Tied!  Now you are not going to find queens agreeing on this as much as they do about Electric Eel.  In fact you'll probably find queens arguing over what the best black shadow is more than almost anything else in their makeup boxes.  I however absolutely love the deep black coverage that Black Tied gives you as well as the subtle sparkle mixed in and use it 99% of the times that I need a black shadow.

3. Pagan - Sadly, Pagan was a limited edition color from the Alexander McQueen collection.  I hesitate to even tell you all about it because the world's supply is running short and my stockpile won't last forever.  But thankfully this incredible lime green can still be found on ebay for the time being.  If I'm not using Electric Eel than I am probably slapping Pagan across my lids.

A few more colors I would never be without are Bronze, Freshwater, Electra, Deep Truth, Plumage and Bitter.  But I don't use any of them to the extent I use the first three.

Your eyes are almost always the first thing people will notice when looking at your makeup.  So make sure you always give them something worth looking at!

Inside My Makeup Box!

I get asked all the time to share my makeup tips and tricks, what kind of products I use and where I get them.  So I have decided to start a segment on here where I will share a different product I couldn't live without each week!

So to kick things off we'll start with the most basic thing in my makeup box...my foundation!  I have used a lot of different foundations over the years.  I started out in my early days with plain old Covergirl and Loreal sticks, eventually moving on to MAC Studio Tech, then switching to MAC studio stick.  And I've had very brief affairs with an array of other sticks, cremes, and mousse based foundations.

But about 3 years ago that all changed!  I met the foundation that I would form a committed relationship with!  The one and only Kryolan TV Paint Stick!

Kryolan is a professional makeup line used primarily for Television and Theatre, which makes it's products ideal for drag queens!  The Paint Stick gives you the best coverage I have ever gotten from any foundation, yet is still creamy and incredibly easy to blend!  And they carry the stick in over 120 different shades to match every skin tone.  You can see the entire range of colors here.

I use three different colors to do my face.  I begin with 2w to cover my entire face, then use 5w to contour my cheeks, nose, and forehead edges, followed by blending in TV white to highlight my cheekbones, center of forehead, bridge of my nose, upper lip, and beneath my lower lip.

Once everything is in place I set my face with Kryolan's translucent setting powder and my skin looks flawless!  My face is then set for the entire night and I never have to reapply!

The only place to get Kryolan products in person is at their showroom in San Francisco, but there are plenty of options to order them online for those of us who don't live there.  I personally order my sticks from Glamour Supply because the site is ran by a friend of mine and I get the products very fast!  However they only carry a limited amount of colors, so if they don't have the color you need another site I have used is FX Supply.  They carry the entire range of colors.