Drag queens have been around since the 16th century, which means they’ve been giving Shakespeare a run for his money for as long as we can remember. From what was first a rarity is now a growing symbol of self-expression and creative fuel, and it’s a beautiful form of art for anybody to be involved. Breaking stereotypes and boundaries is what drag queens are all about, and of course, QUILL is here to share makeup brands created by drag queens themselves.
Trixie Cosmetics
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We of course have to start with iconic drag queen Trixie Mattel. Trixie Cosmetics is a makeup brand that’s dedicated to serving anybody to feel like a “legend, icon, and star.” The brand is also cruelty-free and sends a portion of their proceeds to the Bee Conservation! Her brand also carries products with adorable packaging, using pastel colors and retro designs.
Miss Fame Beauty
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Miss Fame’s in it to win it. This drag queen is one of the first from Drag Race to create her own makeup line, and to say that it’s iconic is an understatement. Miss Fame Beauty says they’re “gender-boundary-breaking” and all about uplifting and empowerment. This drag queen’s makeup brand is focused on glittery lipsticks and eyeshadows, and they certainly shine against its competition. Well-pigmented and blinding, these cruelty-free products are here to stick around!
Suck Less – Face & Body
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Willam didn’t come to play. Her brand essentially started as Coverboy, as a play on the iconic Covergirl, but one cease and desist later has us ended up with tongue-in-cheek-named Suck Less. This makeup brand is perfect for a night out to a party or club with its selection of glitter gellies, lip varnishes, and dramatic af lashes (we love Ulta’s options, but these are next level). The whole point of this makeup brand is for you to use products that will make you, well… suck less. What a statement!
KimChi Chic Beauty
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Drag queen KimChi’s makeup brand is an absolute darling of a line. It’s just about everything you could ask for in a brand: a wide (and pigmented!) selection of products from foundation to glitters that also happen to be affordable.
You can be a baddie on a budget with KimChi, ‘cause her whole brand was created to be accessible to people of all economic backgrounds. KimChi says she started off as a queen that used drugstore products, which got her to where she is today. She holds this sentiment close to herself with Chic Beauty, and also uses 2% of proceeds to donate to The Trevor Project – a nonprofit focused on the mental health and suicide prevention of LGBTQ+ individuals.
While these drag queens don’t have their own makeup brands, here are a couple of shoutout-worthy collab lines!
Anastasia Beverly Hills x Alyssa Edwards
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This well-thought-out palette is an excellent collaboration between one of the biggest makeup brands and a beautiful drag queen. ABH is known for their iconic eyeshadows and their long-wear, high-pigment formulas. This collab palette has 14 shades with highly saturated colors, including three metallic shades that are drop-dead gorgeous. Alyssa says that this palette is a representation of the journey of her soul and effort to get to where she is today.
Gigi Goode x Christian Audette
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Gigi Goode, a runner up queen on RuPaul’s Drag Race, has collaborated with Christian Audette to create this makeup line of classy-yet-bold matte lipsticks. There are three shades in this collection. The first one, Bloode, is a timeless bright red that’s an homage to Gigi’s pin-up look. It’s long-lasting, and claims it won’t smudge! The second, Woode, is a beautiful, waterproof, dark brown pencil that can be used on its own, or as a liner. And lastly, there’s Goode, a nude shade that apparently took months to perfect. All in all, we can’t turn down these beautiful, classy lipsticks!
If you have any makeup brands or products created by drag queens that you think we’ve missed, let us know in the comments!