Kim Kardashian can suck it. Any fool knows that if you really want to master high-maintenance makeup, you need to take advice from a real queen – a drag queen. They’ve been contouring, highlighting and applying falsies since before Doris Day was a virgin.
Peach Cobblah has been performing in drag for six years. She learnt her beauty skills from makeup artists, her husband (also a drag artiste) and other members of the community.
“We have a real collaborative spirit, spearheaded by queens who are makeup artists like Jaylene Tyme of Curlique, who I think is the most incredible artist in the city,” she says. Peach says her makeup is, “like a trashbag clown! It’s much more feminine than my day-to-day look but I’m not trying to look like a woman.”
She found her face through years of trying different things, not by mimicking others or watching YouTube.
“Part of the joy of drag is the journey of finding out who your character is and what she looks like. You can’t do that by copying other people,” she says.
Contour kit
Peach takes around two hours to apply her makeup each night. Contour powders and highlighters are a must. Top tip? “Hold a piece of cardboard up to your face while you're brushing on whatever product you use to contour so that you get a firm edge. Then use some of your highlight along that firm edge to really make your new cheekbones pop,” says Peach.
Lashing out
Dramatic lashes are key. “I used to buy expensive ones, but now I just go to the Dollar Store,” says Peach. Lash glue often contains formaldehyde, but Peach sticks to Quo Full Eyelash Adhesive ($5.50 at Shoppers Drug Mart), which is free from both formaldehyde and latex, a common allergen.
Glitter girl
Peach shops at pro makeup stores Curlique (410 Robson) and Studio FX (825 West Georgia), and also likes Sephora. “They give samples, which is great – I need to know that products will last,” she says. She’s a fan of Make Up For Ever’s Glitter ($20, at Sephora). “It’s long-lasting and beautifully pigmented,” she says. “I also like Sephora’s own-brand eyeliner pencils.” These come in 25 shades and three finishes – matte, shimmer and glitter – $12, at Sephora.
Face off
At the end of the night, the makeup comes off and the skin needs love. Peach starts with a professional solvent, then uses Caudalie Grape Seed Make Up Removing Cleansing Oil ($31, from Sephora), followed by Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Overnight Detox Oil ($59, from Sephora). She relishes the half-hour ritual. “It’s part of my coming in to land – a contemplative moment,” she says.
Catch Peach at her weekly show, Shame Spiral, at 1181. For Pride, she’ll be performing two shows at The Cobalt. Limp Wrist on July 30is a John Waters-themed drag dance party, and HUSTLA on July 31 is her regular queer hip-hop party.
