Text Tom Rasmussen Illustration Marta Sadowska

Crystal Rasmussen spills the tea on products created by Trixie Mattel, Aquaria, Miss Fame, Alyssa Edwards, and Willam

But when you thought you were safety, just when you thought you had command of how much dominance RuPaul's Elevate Race has over your life, BOOM – basically every queen ever brings out a brand-up line. Indeed, we are in the golden age of both make-upwards, drag, and commercialism and so information technology really does figure.

Just but because a queen is good on the tv set doesn't mean she'due south going to make keen make-upward. Simply considering a queen tin can turn a mug, doesn't mean she'southward gonna turn out a bully palette. Then hither I am, your friendly neighbourhood drag queen with a penchant for hating on commercialism but besides loving getting free things (information technology's not capitalism if you didn't buy information technology!!!) to have you on a tour of these make-up ranges.

From glitters to glitter gellies (autocorrect inverse that to bellies iii times, which sounds very appealing to me TBH), from shadow palettes to more shadow palettes, what does it mean to put your good name adjacent to some questionably named eyeshadows and sell it for 50 notes? I don't know. But I'm here to endeavour to assist you discover out. Moreover, if any brand-up brands out there want to partner on a line, you can drib me a tweet or a DM and I'1000 there.

Let'southward practice this ladies!

WILLAM – COVERBOY

OK, so Willam is a controversial queen. She speaks out, often about things I totally disagree with, and her elevate – while information technology might be very fazionne-forward – is also spangled left, right, and centre with garms from the heinously homophobic D*lce and Ga*banna. Hell on earth. Now let'southward discuss her make-up range COVERBOY.

I run across what she was trying to do with the title – to invoke the iconic make COVERGIRL, the aforementioned make which used to sponsor every flavor of America'southward Adjacent Top Model; the same brand via which mean girl model Jade Cole turned one million teens instantly gay afterward her literally flawless attempt at a commercial for COVERGIRL in ANTM Wheel half dozen. Shots of Jade walking through the staged party at a glamglam mansion, intaking jiff sharply and so forgetting her lines as she approached the camera dead-on. We have no choice simply to WHAT? Stan.

At present, COVERBOY is indeed an exciting idea, merely the execution leaves much to exist desired – or so we might think. The packaging – from the box to the container, to the actual glitter gel there in the pot looks similar something y'all find in a bargain bin at New Expect just subsequently Christmas. The boxes are made out of that clear plastic that annoying electronics come in that no matter how hard you try you lot simply can't open without a pair of scissors. What's some other chipped tooth? Anyway, the product itself – these Glitter Gellies – smell just like a grape gel pen. Cornball? Yes. What I want on my face up? No. And yet, subsequently the initial disappointment, when swiped beyond a cheek or dabbed on a lip the glitter jelly is an really gorgeous bright product. It'due south a conundrum: how one gets glitter to stay the fuck on your cheek, esp when they are as un-angular as mine, and notwithstanding FUCK! This glitter, in colour Gem, stayed in that location all the livelong twenty-four hours.

It's skilful, if you tin can get by the fact that the box looks like the kind of affair you requite your iii-year-old niece for Christmas. The lashes, on the other hand, are very 'First Time In Drag On A Staff Night Out' vibe; a very 'You Dear Drag Only Have Never Dared Do Information technology Before And so You Go Ya Gal Pal To Do Ya Confront And She Puts A Bit Of Blue Shadow On Ya Middle Chapeau Then Sticks Some Massive Feather Lashes On Over The Top And so Information technology Looks Like You Are An Expert Only And then Yous Actually Commit To Drag And Ten Years Later, In 2020, You lot Notice A Pic Of Yaself In Drag For The Outset Time Wearing These Lashes And Mail It To Stories Similar 'Omg I've Come So Far In A Decade'' vibe. That's no bad thing – sometimes we need to rush a face. Sometimes we demand to stick on a lash and some glitzy jelly and become on stage. This is brand-up for a Gay On The Go!

NB: Having now researched the brand information technology turns out there are six lash types available and non all of them are like this.

Glitter Gellies: Beat or Beat-Downwards? Trounce
Lashes: Beat or Crush-Down? Beat-Down

AQUARIA X NYX

Of all the palettes on prove hither, this i is the nearly affordable – at £16 – which, compared to Miss Fame's kit at £59, is the difference betwixt the money virtually of united states get for a drag gig and not. That's worth considering – who doesn't desire a night off? At get-go sight, this palette is the most underwhelming – opening information technology to notice a carmine, a turquoise, a kind of lemon shade, and and so three like-ish white/silver/grayness shades. Obviously I'm non as good equally Aquaria at a mug, and I thought that she would use every single product in the palette perfectly, but I was stumped. And so I went about my confront using only the black and the white – which were skillful, pigmented.

Upon going online to nyx.co.uk there was 1 review of the palette – '5*, this palette is perfect u must buy pigment is great with buildable colours for a unique look' and and then I thought: 'God bless the NYX digital intern for writing that'. But I also thought information technology was fourth dimension to build some colours. But because I only use black, taupe, and sometimes red on my face I decided to try the colours on my mitt, like whatsoever teen in a regional Boots learned to practice before the age of swatching. Anyway, the NYX digital intern was correct: they are buildable colours for a unique await!! The turquoise – who knew? The blood-red – stunning, used it on my face the side by side mean solar day. The lemon – a little hit and miss, was unsure how to be manner-forward and actually use this properly.

All in all the palette did what information technology said on the can: held 10 shadows that were indeed buildable. Then I felt existential nearly commercialism because if an eyeshadow is non buildable then what is it? Then I realised I'd been sucked in by a marketing term for something that just actually is a affair that the thing being marketed should do. Information technology'southward like saying 'a drivable machine' or 'a wearable snood' – duh, we're all wearing snoods, driving cars, and edifice eyeshadows already. Light-headed me. This gets a good rating, but non the best, only because I'chiliad not creative enough to maximise the palette's full potential. If you're ameliorate at brand-up than me then this would be a worthwhile investment.

Influenced or Unfollowed? Influenced

MISS FAME – UNDER MY Pare COLLECTION

Miss Fame is intimidating, but I've likewise heard she's dead prissy in person and one time my friend was on a set with her and asked her to do a video saying hiya to me and my elevate sisters and she did information technology and that was really heady considering back so RuPaul actually meant something to us :/. Anyway – brand-upwards – I'd really already heard about these glitters before receiving them. And not on some #sponcon video but through some drag friends I really trust. We dear word of mouth. Anyway, I'm the showtime to acknowledge that I'm not necessarily a make-up connoisseur (sure I've been doing drag for a decade but I'thou about the show not the look, and I capeesh elevate which is about the await non the testify too but we are all different under the sun xo although don't know why I'thou writing this? Sorry Dazed Beauty) (joke I'yard very qualified at writing I wrote a book and everything).

Anyway, while I am not a brand-up connoisseur I AM a glitter connoisseur because I take been glittering my beard for half-dozen years, sometimes vii nights a week. I take tried everything from MAC to Paperchase, and then I was really thrilled to receive these glitters in Strength OF NATURE, EARTH SHATTERING and (TAN)TRICK. We love to encounter it. And you know what ladies? They didn't disappoint. Stunning, 3D, colourful. Like Miss Fame, they had depth, glamour, power. People (read: one person) even commented 'that glitter looks really skillful!'.

Now for the eyeshadows. Every bit packaging goes this was my fave I think: it was glam, thick, weighty, I actually felt, as I held the palette in my hand, a slight pang of worry for the environment that in that location was all this fuss over eyeshadows, and it's non skilful make-upwardly unless you feel guilty about Greta when you're putting information technology on, amirite? The pans are much bigger than the others, but there are less colours than in Alyssa'south (10 in total). Considering Miss Fame knows how to WHAT? Edit. In colours such every bit NOIRGASM, OR(AN)GY and SKINTIMACY, they are pigmented glitter shadows which pack a real successful punch. The Nether MY Pare collection, while dubiously named, gets my highest rating for brand-up, lowest, however, on affordability.

How'southward Your Head? A few complaints, only overall good!

TRIXIE MATTEL – TRIXIE COSMETICS

'Okay this is gorjus', is the first thing I idea when I go the package. But and then I idea, 'Oh my God, is this invoking Japanese imagery here on the box?' And so I remembered some of the problematic things Trixie has said to do with race, and then I liked the production less because I remember she should have thought harder about the imagery on the packaging. To the make-up: one has to give it to her – the lipstick, which comes in a very beautiful middle-shaped case – is UNBELIEVABLY pigmented. Like it'due south so pink. Which yeah is an amazing affair for when you're wearing it, but as is the poison chalice with any pinkish make-up – the color is so bright it takes days to become off and countless Aesop cleansing sessions where yous experience actually gorgeous and rich to remove the stain. For two days afterwards I looked like I'd rimmed Little Bo Peep, which isn't something I'yard balky to (Bo, if you're reading striking me upwardly @tomglitter IG and Twitter), just then it is difficult to go to like a meeting with no face on and look like that girl at high school – Lauren, I think her name was – who always, bless her, looked like she'd just taken a big gulp of Vimto. But that's our fate equally fabu pink lipstick wearers!

Then there's sparkles and sprinkles and I didn't empathize the difference and so I gave the sprinkles (hair and body glitter) – which were piddling sparkling hearts – to my young man considering that's way more than his drag. And and then I tried to use the sparkles equally highlighter but alas didn't know what to stick it on with and then I put a bit of Pritt stick on my cheek and lo and behold information technology worked. Non every bit good every bit Willam'southward simply if yous're a Trixie stan so you're gonna love Sprinkling and Sparkling on everything and anything: your hair, your torso, your cheeks (ass and face), your morning coffee. But exist warned: I had a friend who once ate likewise much edible glitter and he had to become to infirmary because the glitter was literally slicing his intestine! We honey a glitzy queen! Loftier points for the lippy, a little lower for the glitter but it is actually nice xxxx kiss kiss xxx

Banjo String Rating: 3 out of a possible 5

ALYSSA EDWARDS X ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS

I think Alyssa Edwards tin do no wrong. Yes, her elevate might not be 'polished' similar some of the other girls on this list but frankly who cares because she tin WHAT? Entertain. And speaking of entertain, it was entertaining to me that her shadow palette seemed to crumble at the touch of a soft blending castor. Simply reader, this is no bad thing: it'southward actually quite useful when y'all want to really pack on the colour, really layer up that pigment, really get it all over your make-upwardly t-shirt making you look like a pro because you have a make-up t-shirt. In colours like H.O.Eastward. and Texas Fabricated (fave), and lest nosotros forget Back Rolls and Beast, much like Alyssa, this is a palette that delivers.

A range of colours, a range of sparkles and matte, a range of emotions when using it like 'omg is this pressed pigment going to drop down onto my foundation and brand me look like I have another case of scabies' or 'omg wow I look WHAT? Sickening because this Beyond is so stunning next to my gorjus united nations-lashed eye' (hate wearing lashes xx). This is a collab – unlike Willam, Fame and Trixie – and then the quality of the brand-upwardly feels expert, on a par with other Anastasia products. At the same fourth dimension, information technology's perhaps, aslope Aquaria's, the almost uncomplicated conceptually: a palette full of Alyssa sayings and colours. "I don't become beautiful. I get driblet-expressionless gorgeous…" says Alyssa on their website. "And now, you tin can too! My dream for this palette was to create a color story that volition give you life – one that will bring out the inner animate being in everyone." If there'southward one thing she can exercise it's turn a catchphrase, and so hither we are – feeling driblet-dead gorgeous in Alyssa x Anastasia.

Tongue Pop Rating: 4 Natural language POPs out of v Tongue POPs