A Creative Makeup Photoshoot with a Drag Queen!

Working with portrait, branding, and boudoir photographers is a completely different experience from working with bridal photographers. Unlike weddings where the focus is usually on soft glam makeup,these bold editorial shoots give me the freedom to be more creative, do more artistic makeup looks and really have fun with both the clients and the photographers.

This particular shoot was a first for me, and it was an absolute blast! Suz McFadden reached out to work on a session with Carrie, known on Instagram as @queenartbabe, an art teacher and a female drag queen. I’ll admit, I didn’t even know female drag queens were a thing, and I was fascinated right away. Carrie’s energy was infectious and working with her was pure joy.

Because Carrie is already a pro at doing drag makeup on herself, she arrived with her base mostly done. I jumped in to do her eye makeup, which was inspired by the Drag Queen Sasha Velour’s style, dramatic, artistic, and unapologetically bold. All the outfits for this shoot were handmade by Carrie and her mom, including one crafted entirely out of scarves and a tablecloth! I would’ve never guessed in a million years.

Going in to define and sharpen Carrie's lip line

We started with a baby pink wig and an adorable outfit made from scarves. For her eyes, I did a drag-inspired soft, smoky brown cut crease. I don’t think I’ve ever held my breath for that long while doing eye makeup! We finished the look with oversized lashes, extra blush, and a sharpened contour. Carrie did her own lips in a striking blue-red with red glitter. Fun fact - I used red glitter lips for my own wedding makeup! So that brought back some great memories.

Next up, Carrie wore a gorgeous off-white top her mom had sewn from a vintage tablecloth. The makeup stayed the same, but we switched the hair to a high ponytail. Carrie even made her own earrings, which complemented the look beautifully.

For the next look, we kept the makeup exactly as it was and simply removed the ponytail. Suz captured a stunning, flowing shot and that red glitter lip absolutely popped!

This one was my favorite, a shimmering gold dress paired with custom gold pigment I mixed into a paint-like paste. It was tricky to get the right consistency so it would drip just perfectly, we didn’t have the luxury of redoing it. But it worked! The gold tone matched the dress exactly, and the earrings completed the look perfectly.

The final look was something I’d never done before: pink foundation. Carrie applied most of it, and I stepped in to even everything out and define the eyes and lips.

When using any non-skin-tone foundation, especially in photography, the coverage and evenness are crucial to avoid a patchy result. Solid color can flatten out the features, so we brought back dimension with a fuchsia eyeshadow used as contour.

Most of my current work leans towards natural, skin-focused makeup, but I’ve also done makeup for theatre and big shows back in India. This shoot transported me right back to those bold, expressive days and it filled my makeup-loving heart to the brim.