by RuPaul
SERVING UP A LITTLE SIDE-EYE SEDUCTION.
I top it off with a little
HOPE CHEST
Creating the illusion of a sumptuous-looking bosom is simple using the shadows-and-light technique. Once my push-up bra and gym socks (wink-wink) are in place, I take a makeup brush and dip it into the same gold shimmer highlight dust I’ve used on my cheekbones and shoulders. Then I very lightly draw what looks like a martini glass onto my chest—the stem of the martini glass being between my breasts. For pale skin, use a white shimmer highlight dust or white foundation. Remember to start with a small amount of shimmer highlight dust and blend.
IS SOME TRANNY CHASERS UP IN HERE?
shimmer
BODY-TO-BODY MAKEUP
I use liquid body makeup on my arms and chest area to keep my exposed skin color consistent with my face. Then I top it off with a little shimmer highlight dust on my shoulders and clavicle to add some magic. Civilians don’t need to use body makeup unless they expect to be photographed with a flash camera. Mixing liquid body makeup with lotion or moisturizer is a terrific way to keep it looking more natural. And yes, the body makeup does rub off onto clothes, so be very conscious of what comes into contact with your made-up areas.
four
Love is in the hair
EARLY GLAMAZON, CIRCA 1992
MY HAIRSTORY
My first wig was given to me by Clare Parker of the rock band Now Explosion. She actually gave me two wigs that I piled on top of my head to make one big mass of hair. I needed the wigs for a movie I was starring in called Trilogy of Terror, a student film spoof of the old Karen Black classic. I was mesmerized by those hairy marvels of modern man. To me, the whole concept of being able to instantly transform your identity with a mop of synthetic hair represented the totality of advancements made in the industrial age: a cheap, non-biodegradable tool of vanity. It made me feel proud to be an American.
Wigstock, the legendary Greenwich Village outdoor festival chronicled in the namesake film, is remembered as a celebration of drag queens, but it really started out as a nonconformist statement about the superficiality of our consumer society, symbolized perfectly by the synthetic wig. It was a time when kitsch, thrift-store clothes, and yuppie bashing was de rigueur in the art-school dropout scene.
My drag look back then was “gender f@&k”—more of a social statement than female impersonation. Smeared lipstick, tattered prom dress, and combat boots. The whole look was topped off by a discarded symbol of postwar affluence: the synthetic wig. The look suited the anti-Reagan sensibility of the time and gave me satirical edginess as lead singer of the rock band Wee Wee Pole.
During the latter part of the eighties, I transformed my look to accommodate a change in the nightclub business. To make money from hosting parties and go-go dancing gigs, I became a sexy drag queen. Up till then, my repertoire of looks consisted of “funky downtown bohemian” and “gender f@&k.” I knew I had “the hotness” in me because people told me in no uncertain terms that even in my raggedy drag I looked glamorous. My interpretation of sexy drag was inspired by the eighties pop girl groups Vanity 6 and the Mary Jane Girls. I called my new incarnation “black hooker.” I started shaving my body and stuffed a bra with gym socks. I made tiny little skirts, tube dresses, armbands, and leg warmers. I bought Donna Summer–style wigs, curly or straight, red, black, brown, and blond, and always long. I’d accessorize them with headbands, feathers, and fake flowers. It was a smashing success. My new look made me the toast of downtown Gotham, and earned me the crown of Queen of Manhattan.
DON’T GET IT TWISTED.
HEADED STRAIGHT FOR HER CROWNING GLORY.
Proportion is everything
The decision to become a full-time blonde came from my desire to create a cartoon character image that could be easily identified as a brand. From my collection of pop culture influences, I added two parts Diana Ross, a pinch of Bugs Bunny, two heaping spoonfuls of Dolly Parton, a dash of Joseph Campbell, and three parts Cher. It worked. I worked. You better work!
I was mesmerized by those hairy marvels of modern man
I was introduced to lace-front wigs around the time I was changing my look from underground “black hooker” to mainstream “glamazon.” I bought my first from Barry Hendrickson at Bitz-n-Pieces in New York City. Lace-front wigs are custom made to emulate your own hairline. A thin, virtually transparent layer of lace is sewn to a wig and individual hairs are looped through the lace. This gives the illusion of hair growing out of your scalp. The good ones cost anywhere from $800 to $1,500, but you can get non-custom ones much cheaper. The problem with non-custom lace-fronts is that everyone’s head proportions and hairline are different—making the degree of “spookability” much higher.
I prefer my lace-front wigs to be synthetic. They’re more durable and hold on to the style much longer. Mathu usually uses a full lace-front wig, plus a comparably sized matching piece to add volume on top. No matter how big he makes the hair look on the wig stand, it always looks much smaller on my head. I’m six foot four—hello. And with hair, heels, and attitude…I’m through the mother-freakin’ roof! Needless to say, proportion is everything.
People always ask me, “How many wigs do you own?” Truth is, I don’t really know. Probably one hundred, but the number of “girls” (as we like to call the wigs) currently in rotation for filming and performances is closer to fifteen. Keep in mind that each girl is actually two wigs, making the count thirty. Some of my girls have been with me, still in rotation, for fifteen or more years. After a girl has served her purpose, she is sent back to Bitz-n-Pieces for cleaning and reconditioning. Then back to Mathu for repurposing. Some girls have twin sisters, but most don’t. So if you see a curly girl in these pages that is the same color as a straight girl on other pages, chances are she’s the same girl.
STYLING WIGS
I wish I could tell you of the myriad great wig stylists out there, but I can’t. Basically it breaks down into two camps: the people who can style human hair wigs and the ones who can style synthetic. Rarely have I met someone who can do both. Synthetic requires steam to get a curl, while human wigs can be set and styled the way you would your own hair. That said, the biggest hurdle in finding the right wig stylist is making sure he or she doesn’t turn your girl into a “pageant-do” or, worse, the “matronly mother-in-law.” It’s very easy to get stuck with one of those two options. Plus add the fragility of working with lace fronts, and you’ve got yourself a tight squeeze, but doable. There are great people out there doing wigs (rotsa ruck finding them—ugh!). The best bet is to develop a relationship with a talented salon stylist who has some experience and imagination.
WEARING WIGS
I’ve never had a wig come flying off unceremoniously, but I came close to it on a music video shoot for the song “Good Stuff” by The B-52s. An overzealous jib camera operator practically scalped and robbed me of my pride, but thanks to heavy-duty lace glue and a securely tightened safety belt, it did not happen. Lately, I’ve been incorporating toupee tape into my lace-front-wig-adhering bag of tricks—made easier by the fact that I shave my head. Toupee tape is more fail-safe than glue simply because you don’t have to calculate drying time.
NOBODY ROCKS LIKE THE GIRLS I’M RUNNING WITH.
Gluing
1. Before my makeup is applied, I place small strips of clear tape on my widow’s peak, temples, and sideburns to provide a clean, dry surface for later when it’s time to Spirit glue the lace front to those areas.
2. After makeup is finished and temporary face-lifts are tied, the strips of clear tape are removed, and the lace-front wig is placed on my head.
3. I position the wig hairline on top of my natural hairline, making sure the girl sits symmetrically. With my shaved head, it’s crucial that I position the hairline perfectly; if it’s too far back I’ll look like Queen Elizabeth I, and if it’s too far forward I’ll resemble Sir Lady She-Wolf.
4. I make sure the sideburns are even, before
tying the drawstring safety belts in the back of the wig.
5. Now it's time to glue. With hair clips holding loose hair away from areas that will be glued, I gently peel back the fragile lace that sits on top of my widow’s peak. I then dab the lace glue onto my shaved widow’s peak with the brush applicator.
6. A wooden Popsicle stick or plastic knife is used to tap the glued area several times until the glue gets tacky.
7. Once the glue is tacky, the lace is allowed to fall flat back into place, flush with my skin.
8. I take a piece of cut nylon stocking and push the area to further flatten it and make sure the lace adheres to my skin.
9. I repeat the same technique on my sideburns, making sure the lace is flat with no buckling.
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LONG HAIR ON MEN
Long hair on men is beautiful, as long as the wearer doesn’t have a receding hairline or have it cut into a Hi-Low. Long hair on a man used to mean he was either a hippie, a rocker, or a Chippendale dancer. Now it can be very fashionable if trimmed to the right proportion. I often wonder about the guys I see with really long hair who have it tied back in a ponytail all day. Do they only unleash the wild mane in the privacy of their own garage while playing air guitar? That’s no different than the women who are out and about with rollers in their hair. For men who see their long hair as a declaration of their rebel spirit, what’s the use if it’s tied up all day? Let your hair down! If it’s too much to handle during daily activities, keep it long, but trim it to a manageable length.
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Toupee Taping the Lace
This is the same concept as the glue, but not as potentially messy. The bottom side of the toupee tape is adhered to hairline areas prior to makeup, while the unexposed top side of the adhesive strip is covered by protective wax paper. After my makeup is done, the lace-front wig is positioned, and the drawstring safety belts are tied, I gently peel back the fragile lace that sits on top of my widow’s peak and I peel off the protective wax paper to expose the top side of the toupee tape’s adhesive strip. I repeat the same technique on my sideburns, making sure the lace is flat with no buckling. The only drawback is that toupee tape can appear shiny under the lace. Powdering can take some of the shine down.
HUMANOID
As I have mentioned, human hair wigs are lovely, but setting them in a style and keeping that style is a challenge. I use human hair wigs only for down dos, parted in the middle with lots of wavy volume and very little hair spray, so as not to inhibit its movability. Human hair wigs are very sexy when kept as natural as possible.
GINGERLY, ONCE MORE.
You better work!
TRAVELS WITH MY WIG
In the early nineties, Lypsinka told me that Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson had told her that Cher had several kick-drum cases customized to house stationary wig heads for travel. So that’s exactly what I did, and I checked the kick-drum case at the airport with my other luggage. It worked fine; those damn cases are huge, but then again, so was my hair. We’re talking architectural wigs that mustn’t be crushed. These days, I don’t travel with that kind of hair anymore. An extra-large shoe box will suffice, along with some fluffing once I reach my destination. Fluffing 101 is as far as I get with a wig. I’m not at all good at hairstyling. So my touring wigs have to be easy-breezy.
HAIR PROPORTIONS
Just as with clothing, hair must fit your body proportions. Very long hair on someone who is short makes them look even shorter. But they could still achieve a long-hair look by wearing shoulder-length hair, which proportionally makes them look taller. On round faces, hair parted on the side is always best—even better is to pin the hair up over the ear closest to the part, which adds dimension to the face. As I mentioned earlier, I always need height in my hairdos to even out the overall focal center of balance on my body. If you study photos spanning Tina Turner’s career, you’ll recognize the exact moment she figured out the perfect hair proportions for her body, which was right before her early-eighties comeback. Tina’s short torso and short neck are out of proportion to her trademark long legs. She shifts the focal center of balance on her body by wearing hair with lots of height. Cher, on the other hand, can wear very long, flat hair because she has a long neck and long torso. Digital photos are the best way of figuring out your proportions.
LOOKING GOOD, FEELING GORGEOUS.
COLOR ME CRAZY
Do blondes have more fun? There’s really only one way to find out. Madonna, Pink, and Linda Evangelista are the hair color queens. For such a long time, the story line was brunettes going blond. Lately, the tables are turning, and our favorite blondes (like Scarlett Johansson and Fergie) are going dark. I say do it all, but keep an eye on tone. Some skin tones don’t go with certain shades of colors. Everyone can be blond, but everyone can’t be the same shade of blond. Warmer blond looks best on my brown skin. I stay away from ash blond.
* * *
GOING GRAY
You have two choices: either you embrace it or you color it. If you decide to color your hair, finding the right color for your skin tone is the biggest hurdle. Most people try to reproduce their natural color, but if your natural color was black, you might end up looking like the walking dead. Keep in mind that your skin tone changes as you get older, so adjusting your hair color is a must. Your best bet is to consult a specialist who can be an objective set of eyes for you. Upkeep is a total drag, but you gotta pay the cost to be the boss.
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* * *
HAIR EXTENSIONS
* * *
I FALL TO PIECES
You used to have to go to a specific wig store to buy pieces and falls—now they’re in practically every drugstore. This means people can change their hairstyles whenever they’re going to an event or on a date. You can clip on a ponytail or clip in a whole fall very easily. On both seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, none of the girls wore one consistent hair look—they changed colors, lengths, and styles all the time. Reinvention is the key to keeping things interesting, and keeping yourself interested. You can change your hair to go with your outfit!
HAIR EXTENSIONS
Hair extensions are fun, but be careful with volume and length. Proportion is everything! And remember, they are attached to your real hair, so the tension and weight can cause breakage.
PLUCK YOU
During the boy-band craze of the midnineties, it became very popular for straight men to pluck their own eyebrows. They call it “grooming” or “shaping,” but to everyone else, it’s known as “The Hotness Killer.” Mainly because most guys followed their mother’s example and plucked themselves beyond recognition, ending up like a cross between Pamela Anderson and Ming the Merciless. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to restrain myself from wrestling these men to the ground and confiscating their tweezers. Please, sir, step away from the tweezers. There is a way to clean up your brows without making them look “done.” Taper the perimeter of the brow with gradation instead of making them look like they’ve been drawn on. If you are still unsure how to make groomed brows look undone, explain the tapered technique to a facialist and have them do your brows until you get the knack of doing it yourself. Personally, I love a natural brow on a man, unless his brows are crazy bushy like Andy Rooney or Albert Einstein. Hell, I even think a unibrow is sexy.
Hell, I even think a unibrow is sexy
THE COMB-OVER THE MOON WATCH
Straight up, it does not work. By combing the remaining hair you have to disguise or cover the hair you’ve lost only makes you look desperate and delusional. No one has said anything to you because no one wants to hurt your feelings. Trust me, you look much better without the comb-over. Have your hair clipped short or shave your head altogether. You will look much sexier.
Reinvention is the key
BANG BANGS
This is another example of where knowing your proportions really comes in handy. Depending on the shape of your face, bangs can totally rock. But if your face is round
and your neck isn’t very long, you might resemble someone from Middle Earth if you do a straight-across bang. In that case, people with round faces should try a side-part bang as an alternative, with a cheekbone and ear (on the same side) showing. It will give dimension to the face, while still technically being a bang. If your face proportion can handle a bang, but you don’t want to commit to cutting your hair for bangs, try the clip-on variety. They’re fabulous! With your hair snatched back in a ponytail, or just worn down, you simply clip it on and go bang a gong.
JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT ME, THAT DON’T MAKE YOU GAY.
five
The wardrobe department
HINDSIGHT 20/20
When an airplane takes off and flies into the horizon, it looks as if it’s getting smaller and smaller. But is it actually getting smaller and smaller? No, it’s not. It just looks that way from where you’re standing. Depending on your perspective, or where you’re standing, your perception can be skewed.
This has never been truer than when you see an old photo of yourself wearing some hideous “ouch-fit” and say to yourself, “What was I thinking? And why didn’t someone tell me how awful I looked?” Now ask yourself what it would have taken to get you to see then what you see now. Is there anybody currently in your life that you can trust enough to give it to you straight? It’s kind of a tall order for friends because they may have an agenda or they just don’t want to hurt your feelings. Your best bet is to educate yourself by getting to know what works on your body, much the same way a dedicated musician eventually gets to play Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice! If you’re serious about looking the best you can, assuming your body is in pretty good shape, you must do your homework.