lgbtq Archives - Voir Fashion https://www.voirfashion.co.uk Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:41:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.6.17 The Queens of The Past and Their Most Iconic Makeup Looks https://www.voirfashion.co.uk/post/queens-of-the-past/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=queens-of-the-past Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:41:01 +0000 https://www.voirfashion.co.uk/?p=15098 We owe drag queens a great deal for how we use makeup today—our sharp contours, snatched eyebrows, and overdrawn pouts are all thanks to the tricks professional makeup artists picked up along the way while working backstage for their shows and events. Yes, we may have toned down these techniques a fair amount compared to how the OG’s did it, but what we have taken has already altered our perception of makeup forever.

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Photo Credit: @tannerabelofficial and @nicholasjneedham

We owe drag queens a great deal for how we use makeup today—our sharp contours, snatched eyebrows, and overdrawn pouts are all thanks to the tricks professional makeup artists picked up along the way while working backstage for their shows and events. Yes, we may have toned down these techniques a fair amount compared to how the OG’s did it, but what we have taken has already altered our perception of makeup forever. 

And with the latest seasons of Ru Paul’s Drag Race in full swing, we thought it would be a golden opportunity to look back on some of the resplendent queens of the past, who have given us some of the most iconic, glamorous, (and remarkably wearable) drag makeup looks that we’ve all tried to emulate at least once at home. So here’s to the queens who are still serving us looks that astonish, astound, and inspire—giving us the confidence to embrace our very own charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, wielded through the power of makeup. 

Jaida Essence Hall

Photo Credit: @Adam_Ouahmane

Dubbed as the “essence of beauty,” Jaida Essence Hall certainly lived up to her name as we swooned over her infinite array of flawless outfits and mesmerizing makeup looks every time she graced the stage. As a former pageant queen, Miss Jaida knew her way around a makeup brush and consistently served us effortlessly blown-out jewel toned smokey eyes that were perfectly paired with glossy, outlined lips in varying shades of rosewood, caramel, and peach. Coupled with an acute eye for detail and an extensive repertoire of creative talents, there’s no wonder at all that Jaida won the season twelve crown.

Violet Chachki

Photo Credit: @robbiejoseph

After slaying the game and coming through to take the crown, season seven was won over by the poised and timeless beauty, Violet Chachki. Brimming with confidence, sensuality, and sophistication, Violet was the epitome of burlesque glamour whose vintage aesthetic and itty-bitty waist rendered us speechless every time she strutted down that runway. Although perhaps a little catty at times, her signature feline flicks, crisp red vinyl lips, and sculpted cheekbones had us soon forgetting all about the catfights as we were transported into her unforgettable world of opulence, champagne, and ostrich feathers.

Plastique Tiara

Photo Credit: Mettie Ostrowksi for EW

The season eleven sweetheart who may have caused us to shed a tear or two, but who more than made it up for it with her sickening looks fit for a princess—Plastique Tiara was the self-proclaimed “Asian Barbie” who dressed to impress in lace, diamonds, and of course, tiaras. Her signature look went against the grain of the overly transformative and theatrical drag, but instead bordered on ‘biological woman’ with seamlessly sculpted skin, diffused smokey eyes of taupe and champagne gold, and softly snatched hyper-realistic eyebrows. Now we can find her kicking up a storm (quite literally) on TikTok, showing us exactly how it’s done. 

Dahlia Sin

Photo Credit: @tannerabelofficial and @nicholasjneedham

Although her time in the Ru Paul limelight may have been fleeting, our favourite broc-ally left her mark when it came to her edgy Brooklyn street style and dreamy makeup artistry. Playing with colour a little differently, Dahlia kept her makeup fresh and modern to match her outfits—think a wash of pastel blue across the lids to wear with her faded denim dress and jacket. This hazy-daze approach to her looks made her stand out amongst the other dolled up queens and transformed drag makeup into something wearable beyond the main stage—and her flawlessly blended contour and minimal eye makeup still continues to inspire us to this very day. 

Alyssa Edwards

Photo Credit: RuPaulsDragRace

Known for her big hair and her even bigger stage presence, Alyssa Edwards stole the show during her time on the fifth season of Drag Race, earning her the well-deserved title of fan favourite. While dancing may have been Alyssa’s true claim to fame, we couldn’t help but be completely in awe of her divine makeup artistry that so resembled the late glamour icon, Marilyn Monroe. Rarely caught without a bold swipe of matte lipstick and a full, fluttery lash, it was only a matter of time before Alyssa paired up with Anastasia Beverly Hills circa 2019 to create her very own eyeshadow palette that saw us gagging for more. 

Words by Vinona Baines

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]]> The Best Films and Series To Watch This LGBTQ History Month https://www.voirfashion.co.uk/post/lqbtq-history-month-films/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lqbtq-history-month-films Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:24:39 +0000 https://www.voirfashion.co.uk/?p=15084 February means it’s LGBTQ history month, a time to remember and celebrate the feats achieved and the struggles faced by the LGBTQ community over the last century. So to honour the empowerment and the pain that runs through queer cuture and queer history and the irrevecoble stamp of the community on modern cinema, we’ve chosen 10 seminal and significant films and series that map moments in LGBTQ history, some you know, some you might not.

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Photo Credit: Bent, Angles in America

February means it’s LGBTQ history month, a time to remember and celebrate the feats achieved and the struggles faced by the LGBTQ community over the last century. So to honour the empowerment and the pain that runs through queer cuture and queer history and the irrevecoble stamp of the community on modern cinema, we’ve chosen 10 seminal and significant films and series that map moments in LGBTQ history, some you know, some you might not.

  1. It’s A Sin (2021)

As the Russel T. Davies’ series airs its final episode this Friday, we’re begging you to watch it if you haven’t started already. It’s A Sin tells a tragic, but empowering and comedic, story of a friendship group trying to enjoy their sexual freedom in London during the AIDS crisis, narrating the worry and denial of the gay community among other hardships faced by queer men and women in the 1980s. The established screenwriter and producer took from his own experiences and encounters, to make such a raw and profound drama, that brings up topics and discussions barely talked about anymore.

  1. Pride (2014)

Pride tells the true story of the friendship and union of a group of LGBTQ activists and Welsh miners during Thatcher’s Britain. The movie shows the groups, both oppressed by the press and Thatcher’s government, progressing alliance and their support for each other through solidarity, fundraisers and a decorated minibus, it’s a feel good film that highlights an important and difficult era of Britain.

  1. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

A beautiful and seminal LGBTQ film, My Beautiful Laundrette tells the story of love between two men, outsiders, both victimised by the rough society of Thatcher-era London. The film discusses not only queer love, but racial tension, in this portrait of relationships and social realism in the 1980s,  that launched the career of Daniel Day Lewis.

  1. Milk (2008)

Sean Penn and James Franco star in this dramatisation of Harvey Milk’s career. As the first openly gay elected official of California, it’s certainly a story that needs to be told as his fight for gay rights and minorities in politics was so groundbreaking and memorable. Harvey Milk is a person to be honoured and remembered this month.

  1. Angels In America (2003)

A star-studded adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, Angels In America is a beautifully shot discussion of sex, religion, society and love during the AIDS crisis in America. The story focuses on two couples, their struggling relationships and their intertwining of fates during a time of fear and illness, brilliantly delivered by Meryl Streep, Al Pacino and Emma Thompson to name a few, this miniseries is wonderfully delivered and thoroughly entrancing.

  1. Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

Boys Don’t Cry is the heartbreaking true story of transgender man Brandon Teena and his journey through life and love in Nebraska, up until his brutal murder by two transphobic men in 1993. Released in 1999, this was the first mainstream film to focus on a transgender man and propelled Teena’s story into the limelight. 

  1. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

This film shows the AIDS crisis from a different perspective: that of a homophobic cowboy, unable to come to terms with his diagnosis. The true story of Ron Woodrof, Matthew McConaughey plays the Texan as he overcomes his own bigoted judgements and fights for himself and other’s infected with a market of banned drugs.

  1. Stonewall (1995)

This theatrical film addresses a key event in LGBTQ history – the Stonewall riots of 1969. The docudrama shows mostly the lives of the sex workers and their clientele at The Stonewall Inn in the Summer leading up to the riots, with the climax being that moment from which the modern American gay rights movement was born. It’s witty, irreverent at times and a great reminder of New York’s queer culture.

  1. Philadelphia (1993)

Philadelphia was the first major studio film to confront the AIDs crisis, telling the (factual based) story of a homosexual, AIDS-inflicted lawyer wrongfully dismissed by his firm, and the courtroom battle to see it put right. Starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, as well as over 50 people directly affected by the illness, the film rustled a lot of feathers, despite the epidemic’s effects on the film industry. The film is groundbreaking both in its story and its release.

  1.  Bent (1997)

Adapted from the Martin Sherman play, Bent is about the treatment of homosexuality in Nazi Germany, telling the story of Max, a gay man in Berlin, who’s relatonships and situations show the persecution of gay men in the Holocaust. It’s a tragic romance and an important narrative, dazzling at times and delivered brilliantly by Sir Ian Mckellen, Mick Jagger and Clive Owen to name just a few.

Words by Daisy Grace Greetham, Graphics by Victoria Zhao

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