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In the Kitty Girl world of RuPaul’s Drag Race, there are certain challenges so difficult and career-defining that audiences and contestants alike will analyze them until the end of time. You know the ones: balls, roasts, Snatch Game. As much preparation, luck, and raw talent those moments require from queens, I’d argue that none of those tasks combined are as difficult as it was to know where to look while interviewing the season 16 cast of queens.
Among the clusters of little Zoom squares across my screen, my eyes dart to Nymphia Wind, whose entire head is encased in a red satin heart that takes up the entire frame (she can’t turn her head without rotating the entire upper half of her body). Then there’s Hershii Licquor-Jeté, who huddles up close to the camera to glue her lashes back on after momentarily multi-tasking with her toddlers. Morphine Love Dion devotes the time she’s not talking to perfecting her dark lip liner and slathering on lip gloss, artfully avoiding scratches from her four-inch nails. The whole situation is a feast for the eyes of heavy contours, cut-creases, and glitter. And speaking of feasting, I spy at one point Sapphira Cristál snacking on a bagel post-eyeliner-touch-up in the corner of my screen.
The interviews themselves only beget a fraction of the campy chaos you can expect from the upcoming season, premiering on MTV on January 5. To mark to occasion, all 14 shiny new Drag Race contestants revealed the products they can’t do drag — or get out of drag — without.
Amanda Tori Meating, 26, Los Angeles
On being unhinged: Amanda is a villainous woman who thrives on intimidating men in boardrooms as well as back alleys. A mistress of disguise. A scam artist, if you will. Any blonde actress who consistently plays characters that seem mentally unwell, those are my beauty influences and muses.
On getting into drag: I take a very long time to do makeup because I like to luxuriate in the process. I try to give myself a minimum of three hours because I like to put on some music, drink a little wine.
I'm very much a MAC girlie when it comes to foundation. I love the Studio Fix Fluid. There's a highlighter I use… Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish. Good shit — oops, stuff. Blush is a big thing for me. I feel a bit deeper into the fantasy the more I put on. When I put on the blush, it's over for everybody else.
I've been on a makeup journey, so I'm figuring out what [eye makeup] shapes I love at the moment. But I love something that's soft in the center and snatches out at the end. The only way you can be good at it is spending a million hours in front of a mirror and then having other people tell you that that work was for nothing so you have to spend another million.
I love having nails on all the time. [I’m wearing] gloves with nails on them, which I do love, but I have acrylics on underneath. [I ask for] whatever I'm feeling that day, but usually it's going to be a stiletto tip. I've been very into black nail polish with a little glitter on the tip.
It's not a visual aspect of the beauty routine, but I never leave the house without my Lady Gaga perfume. It's Voce Viva by Valentino. [Editor’s note: Gaga was the face of Valentino Beauty fragrances when Voce Viva was released.]
On getting out of drag: Every time I get out of drag, I play music that's like a funeral dirge. I really lament in saying goodbye to the beauty. I love Albolene; I just rub it everywhere so I look crazy — my face could be pink from the lipstick and the eye shadow. Then I hop in the shower and wash it all off.
Dawn, 24, Brooklyn
On maintaining the mystery: I like to say that Dawn is not from this world, but we don't really know what world she is from. She's not from space. She's not from the depths of the ocean. She might be from all of the above, none, either… I go through different eras. Right this second, you could say that I'm in a bit of an elven moment.
On getting into drag: I have ADHD, so I give myself as much time as possible because I don't care about luxuriating. I just want to not be panicked. I have awful time management skills. But once I'm able to settle in and get into the process, it's like painting a canvas. It's very relaxing.
The KVD Beauty Super Pomade in white is sickening. And it doesn't crease. NYX liquid liner with the brush pen [is] my favorite eyeliner. I've recently gotten into the KimChi Chic white concealer. Finding products that don't crease is really important, and that KimChi Chic just stays. I like to paint my face various colors, and I've recently gotten into Sunset Makeup Colorful Foundation.
On getting out of drag: What I do first is I go in either with a makeup wipe or a microfiber towel and some micellar water, then I very daintily and softly take off the eye makeup and the lip. Then I go in with Pond's Cold Cream and I just lather, lather, lather, lather, lather. I take special care with the more sensitive areas of my face. Then, if I have time and it's not too late at night, I love getting in the shower. You know what I like to do? Turn out every single light in the bathroom and put a candle on the toilet.
Geneva Karr, 30, Brownsville, Texas
On growing up Mexican-American: Geneva Karr is la diva más Latina. My drag style is very inspired by Mexican culture. I used to dance Mexican folklore growing up, and the girls would always put on a lot of blush, so I really love blush. [Geneva is] very Latina with a touch of Texas because that's where I live. Bigger is better in Texas — or as I like to say, Tex-ass. And that's who Geneva Carr is: sparkle, brillo fantasía, glamour, and everything that shines.
On getting into drag: I start with my eyes because that's what takes me a little longer. I’ll do a cut crease, which is the pageant style in Texas, but if I want to be wild, I do a little glitter, a smoky eye, a halo, or whatnot. The rest of the face is muscle memory. I love to use Anastasia Beverly Hills for blush, or Juvia’s Place.
I do my signature lip — either red or maroon — and maybe outline in black just to be that little extra. If I'm not going to be moving, I will be wearing gloss. If I'm dancing and twirling and doing the most, I prefer a matte lip just so it doesn't look like I was doing things I wasn't supposed to in the dark.
On getting out of drag: If I had an amazing night and had a few drinks, I would just shower and then after, use a Neutrogena makeup wipe to take off whatever’s left over. If not, the One/Size by Patrick Starrr Go Off spray [Editor's Note: This product has been discontinued.] will melt everything off — start with the eye area first because it's delicate.
Hershii Liqcour-Jeté, 31, Los Angeles
On being your auntie: I tell everybody all the time, my drag is auntie drag. I wear pixie cut wigs. I drive the number 72 [bus] downtown. I have a Nissan Altima and four kids. However you picture that woman in your head, whatever just came up, that's Hershii. But I'm a performance girl. I like to think of [my drag] like a very gay Tyler Perry play, but on stage for three minutes.
On getting into drag: My day starts at six [in the morning] because I have to get [my children] ready before I can get ready. So that means cereal, some juice, watching some TV, and that keeps them quiet for a little bit. Then I get to jump in front of the mirror. I'm usually a brunch [performer], so I mostly get ready in the morning.
I don't do nothing without Mehron Cream Sticks. They stay on my face all day. I don't go anywhere without Juvia's Place, she is my literal favorite. And Topaz Luxury Powder from Ben Nye.
My nail situation is based on how professional I want to be for the night. If I have a $50 or $75 booking, I'm not wearing no nails. But if you’re paying $150 or up, then it depends on how cute I want to be. I have nails that I get [custom] made that are really cute. But sometimes I go down to this place called Santee Alley [in Los Angeles] and they have nails for a dollar.
On getting out of drag: I have makeup wipes that I use, but that's only if I really feel like taking the makeup off at the gig. When I get home, I don't want to take my time. The show is over. So I scrub it all the way out into the drain and just call it a day. I use a turmeric soap because I don't have sensitive skin, but my skin will discolor really fast. It keeps my skin even, or as even as it can get.
Megami, 33, Brooklyn
On the fantasy: If there's one word to describe my drag, it is fantasy. I love to become other characters. I love to take the audience to a different place. I'm a huge geek, so lots of comic books and anime and video games [inspire me], but so do things like religion or my Hispanic culture. I come from a family full of very glamorous women. Latina women are the most beautiful in the world, and I love that my drag lets me embody aspects of my mother and my sister and my cousins who I have always admired.
On getting into drag: I know some people like to start with their foundation. I always start with my eyebrows because I'm awful at getting them to be even. I need to know from the beginning that they're good and then work my way down. I like to have a nice, clean face, so I apply eye shadow and then I wipe away all the fallout before foundation. For eye makeup, I use KimChi Chic eyeliner and some gorgeous Anastasia Beverly Hills eye shadow.
I do love my Ben Nye Clown White. It really gets the brightness that I love [under the eyes]. For setting powder and spray, I've been using One/Size products. My go-to lip is the Sephora Collection lip stain. I need my lips to be dry. I'm a big girl; I'm going to eat, so I need it to stay on. And they're so cheap, too.
I love nails that make you feel soft and feminine. I'm a press-on girlie, but also, it is awful to do anything with nails on. I love to wear really long six-, seven-inch nails, so doing anything in those is absolutely impossible. As soon as the gig is over, I'm like, “Get these off of my body.”
On getting out of drag: The One/Size Go Off makeup remover, baby, she will get you together. That is a must-have in my drag kit every time I'm at a gig. That and some makeup wipes to help me get on the train in New York at three o'clock in the morning and not be looking crazy.
Mhi'Ya Iman Le'Paige, 34, Miami
On her alter ego, Queen of Flips: When I was in the club at the age of 20, I had a drag mother who wanted to put me in drag, and I used to say, "No, it's not for me." But being in the club more, I started to see different sides of drag, so I finally let her put me in drag. I did my first competition show and won. It just motivated me to do drag more. [At first] I just wanted to get in drag to get boys and be naughty, but as time passed, I tapped into polishing myself and branding myself. That's when [my acrobatic alter ego] Queen of Flips came about, and I started to take my career to the next level.
On getting into drag: The signature Mhi'ya look is something with stones and pearls — very glamorous, very fashion-forward. For my foundation, I use Black Opal, the sticks. I use Juvia’s Place concealer. For the eyes, I use the James Charles palette [Editor's note: this product has been discontinued]. Sometimes I get custom-made lashes or buy them at the hair store. My signature is a red lip. Red is my favorite color. Right now, I have on Fenty.
I don't really get my nails done because I have to put nails on, so it's pointless sometimes. But I definitely have to get my feet done every two weeks.
On getting out of drag: I use the One/Size Go Off spray, and I use Neutrogena wipes. Once I get my face off, everything else just flies off. I'm leaving everything in the living room or in the bathroom and jumping in the shower.
Mirage, 29, Las Vegas
On intentional trashiness: Mirage is the neon demon. She is a party monster. She is a street walker on acid — not really, but if somebody else took acid and looked at me, I would look like a stripper who is melting into the floor covered in neon paint. She knows fashion but she chooses to be tacky and trashy anyways. Exotic dancers [are my muses]. Obviously.
On getting into drag: I live in the desert, so I use the Neutrogena night cream first because I dry out so fast, especially with all the powder that I wear. I like the E.L.F. primer, the grippy one. Anything too creamy runs faster when I start getting hot. And then I use a lot of stage makeup. Kryolan Vitacolor is my favorite foundation, and Juvia’s Place has the best concealer.
I like to find the darkest [lip liner] I can, and that is my whole lip because I am a chola at heart. I like a colorful eye with shapes and neon liners and stones and stars and glitter. [My tip is] do your base eye makeup and then just start doodling. I just doodle.
I don't usually have a nail and I get read all the time, but I like to dance. I'm a performer, so if I go upside down, pop one off, and lose it, I'm going to be furious. I did that one too many times. I just usually paint my nails with a clear rainbow glitter.
On getting out of drag: I really like the Juno Skin balm. You can really get in there, and it breaks everything down. It comes off with a little pump of a gentle cleanser. I use La Roche-Posay. Then I redo my moisturizing with Neutrogena Hydro Boost.
Morphine Love Dion, 25, Miami
On Latin pride: Morphine is a Latina goddess showgirl diva with a painted mug. My parents are from Nicaragua, so I'm first generation Latina. I'm heavily inspired by Shakira, Kali Uchis, and Rosalía. I love Latin culture so much. I'm always going to give Latina everywhere I go.
On getting into drag: Before my mug, I put on snail mucin to make sure my skin is right and tight. I like to finish quick because I hate being late, so I get the Real Techniques makeup sponge, I put my foundation all over it, and I slap it all over my face. I think the most important element for me is skin and also the eyes. An eye shadow tip I recommend is to use a sickening eye primer. Not all eye shadows are good, but if you have a really good eye primer, anything could work. I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills eye primer.
My mug usually lasts all day, and the reason for that is I use about 75 different setting sprays, especially in Miami. Girl, it literally gets to 101 degrees here and it's humid, so I need to make sure my mug is always on. Number one thing I use is Fix+ by MAC Cosmetics to melt all the layers of powders on my face and give a skin-like finish. After that, I use Urban Decay setting spray, then I get a blow-dryer to make sure it's dry completely. I seal the deal with One/Size by Patrick Starrr Setting Spray. If I'm feeling extra, I'm going to spray on some Got2b hair spray.
On getting out of drag: I use the Patrick Starrr Go Off makeup remover spray. Coconut oil is really good as well. I use it all over my face and then I get makeup wipes and just wipe it.
Nymphia Wind, 27, New York City
On her Taiwanese background: Nymphia is an Asian-inspired drag queen. She's conceptual. She's cultural. A lot of my makeup style is inspired by traditional face paints that people do during Taiwanese temple fairs. Nymphia is also very artistic and sometimes very dark. She is incompetent but so sexy. She's inspired by dominatrixes and sex workers as well.
On getting into drag: For foundation, I use this Japanese theater brand called Mitsuyoshi; it's a really thick foundation and it's very moisturizing. Really arched, cunty, mean brows and really sultry, Asian, pulled-out eyes is signature Nymphia makeup. I use an eyeliner to draw on my brows, and for eye shadow, I usually use a dependable nude from Anastasia Beverly Hills.
For my lips, my newfound favorites are from Maybelline. The Superstay Vinyl Ink. So good. One thing I hate is when you're whipping your hair and it gets stuck onto your glossy, beautiful lips. I used to use matte lipstick until I found that one; it stays really shiny but without having the stickiness of actual gloss.
On getting out of drag: I take a makeup wipe, put it on my eyes for two or three seconds then wipe it all off. And I get a delicious oil-based makeup remover, and then massage my whole face. I use the ring finger to massage the under eye because it's very sensitive.
Plane Jane, 24, Boston
On goofing off but making it fashion: I am a clown hooker, which is very tea. I'm just a Russian-American girl and I like to have fun, so I try to combine the elements of feminine beauty with ridiculousness and shenanigans.
On getting into drag: I use a plethora of Sephora products. Girl, I used to work at Sephora, so I'm well-versed in what I like there. I start with my brows. I use Anastasia DipBrow then set it with the Anastasia brow powder. I use the Huda Beauty concealer as a base [for eye makeup]. Norvina [of Anastasia Beverly Hills] has some really pigmented eye shadow palettes, and I love using those.
I have a five o'clock shadow usually, so I color correct the bottom half of my face with your standard drugstore orange color corrector, perhaps LA Girl. Then I go in with a stick foundation just for my bearded area. I used to use the Hourglass stick. It was pretty fierce, but I recently switched to Huda’s.
When it comes to lip, I only do nude or red. I rarely stray. My favorite nude ever is Charlotte Tilbury’s Kim K.W. lipstick. It makes my lips look fat and juicy.
On getting out of drag: I like to start with a makeup wipe, get as much of it off as I can, and then go in with a cleansing balm to really get in those nooks and crannies and get the rest off. I get Neutrogena makeup wipes. I love the Farmacy cleansing balm.
Plasma, 24, New York City
On time-traveling for beauty tips: I describe myself as a real-life vintage Hollywood starlet in IMAX 3D. I love taking the vintage sensibility and exaggerating it to a draggy place. I take inspiration from Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, Doris Day, Mitzi Gaynor, and Eartha Kitt. Those classic beauty standards are my guiding principles.
Because of Marilyn, I started painting my face with an exaggerated eyelid with a lot of white space. I've gotten heat for this, but I love the peaked outer corner of my top lip and the exaggerated dip in the Cupid's bow — sort of like Lucille Ball’s.
On getting into drag: I am inspired by Joan Crawford, so I soak my face in cold water to reduce inflammation because I have sensitive-ass, oily skin, and I want to get rid of all of the bumps and the redness before I start painting my face.
I like starting with the foundational layer, then building upon that with all of the detail work. It gets me in my rhythm. I cover my brows and I color conceal my whiskers, then I do my foundation and all of my contouring. Then I go into my eyes. I use E.L.F. Cosmetics eyeliner, and I swear by it. It is the longest-wearing eyeliner I've ever used. I have like five of them in this drawer that I'm waiting to unwrap.
I always finish with the lashes and then the lip. Once I have that lip on, you can't tell me shit. Currently, [my favorite lipstick is] Poet by Anastasia Beverly Hills and this gloss, Peachy by Anastasia Beverly Hills.
I take a lot of inspiration from Barbara Streisand in almost everything I do in my life, and she famously has kept very long, very manicured nails her entire life. My mom didn't really let me grow my nails out as a child, so now that I get to do drag, I love wearing longer acrylic nails. I usually go for a French tip, very classic.
On getting out of drag: I get home and take off the lashes and leave them somewhere scattered across my house. Then I get in the shower and use Pond's Cold Cream makeup remover because it's gentle on my sensitive skin. Then I wash with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, and all those things that my dermatologist has recommended. I love Ursa Major face wash; it’s very refreshing, very tingly.
That's all, of course, while I'm singing a song in the shower. I just feel very dainty getting out of my face.
Q, 26, Kansas City, Missouri
On her origin story: Q is very fashion and campy and theatrical and conceptual. My love for fashion and growing up in a theater background and my love for making people laugh has culminated into this monstrosity that you see before you.
On getting into drag: I always start with my brows. It takes the longest to do because I have bushy caterpillar eyebrows under here. And I think the eyebrows really center where everything else goes on your face. Then I do my full face and I'll do my eyes last. [I always] put a little bit of powder under the eye while I’m doing eyeshadow to protect from fallout. Nothing makes me more mad than getting eyeshadow on a fresh face.
My favorite [product] is the white KVD Beauty Super Pomade. The Artist Couture powder highlight is one of my favorites, too. Patrick Starrr’s lip duos, I use those a lot.
I don't like putting on press-ons, so I usually just get sets done. I love to do an acrylic set. I just did Après Gel X for the first time not too long ago, and that was really sickening. Morphine's sister actually did them.
On getting out of drag: My favorite part of drag is getting out of drag. It's just relieving. I use a cleansing balm. The Juno Skin one is really good. I use good old-fashioned Albolene from time to time for the heavy-duty faces. But most of the time, I love just getting in the shower to take off all my drag.
Sapphira Cristál, 34, Philadelphia
On her operatic background: My drag persona is an operatic diva. [My inspirations include] my mom. Jesse Norman is an opera singer who I really love. Also Leon Team Price. I love Iman, though I don't know if I model myself after her. RuPaul, honestly. Sapphira is a combination between the operatic diva and a soul diva. I'm a very blown-out, dragged-out drag queen. I have a face that's very beautiful but still realistic on some levels.
On getting into drag: First I like to take a good, long shower and make sure that my body smells really good with oils and fragrances. I use a snail mucin on my face after I use a glycolic acid scrub.
I use Juvia’s Place Velvety Matte Foundation. I use One/Size by Patrick Starrr for my powders, and I finish it off with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Face Powder. I also use Make Up For Ever’s white Artist Color Pencil, and I use One/Size eyeliner on top. That's the entirety of my face.
I usually have nails, but today I do not. I'm a very active person; I can't get acrylics or anything like that. It just doesn't work for me. I tend to clip my nails at home and make sure that they're very, very, very, very short. You never know when you're going to... Nevermind. I usually get press-ons made and just plop them on. I put one little [drop of glue] in the middle and then spread that around because the more glue you use, the harder it will be to take off later.
On getting out of drag: Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Oil is absolutely my favorite. It oils up your entire face, and all you have to do is get water on it, and it washes off. You don't have an oily residue after you wash it off.
Xunami Muse, 33, New York City
On being That Girl: In my head, Xunami is this '90s supermodel who is an It Girl. Everybody wants to party with her. When it comes to the aesthetic and the wardrobe, it’s all detailed. She lives, breathes fashion. You could think of Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington.
On getting into drag: When I'm painting, I start with the skin. I don't move on until the contouring is right. I think contouring is so powerful because you can basically deconstruct your face. You can change what your facial structures look like. I'm very much about contouring. After I do skin, I go to eyes. I love a cat eye. When you look at old Vogues and Harper's Bazaars and Allures, it's all about the whoosh. Feeling like a panther. And I like to overdraw my lips because it's very '90s.
As far as products go, I'm big on primer; the E.L.F Power Grip Primer changed my life. For foundation, I use the Clown White Kryolan Stick. It's like another layer of skin once you set it. To add color, I use Ben Nye loose powders. It's like the theater makeup — they always say you paint for the people in the back of the room. The highlight I use is Anastasia Beverly Hills in Sunset Aura.
On my eyes, I use a lot of Anastasia shadows. I like Pat McGrath a lot too, because it's very pigmented and Pat McGrath is like the president of luxurious makeup. She’s the one who invented a lot of [current makeup] trends.
For my lip, I have to have a gloss. First I do a liquid lipstick, just to have bold color. Then my go-to is KimChi’s high-key gloss. The color is Blonde Raisin. I've been wearing this color for probably three, four years. I top it off with Caramel Kiss gloss from Victoria's Secret.
On getting out of drag: I use Cold Cream because I like to massage and break down the makeup before I take it off. Then I get in the shower and sometimes I do two cleansers. I have this turmeric cleanser that helps me a lot with inflammation, and I have a charcoal one from Bioré.
More on Drag Race:
- The RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Cast Are America’s Real-Life Superheroes
- How Symone Developed Her Glowing, Glamorous, Graceful Drag Persona
- 6 Drag Race Stars Reveal Their Extensive Skin-Care Routines
Now, the cast of All Stars 8 try TikTok trends:
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