Top 10 Best RuPaul's Drag Race Makeup Looks
#10: Sasha Velour’s Club Kid Clown “Your Pilot’s on Fire”
This art-loving queen hails from Brooklyn, New York, and is known for her signature look of unibrow, bald head, and crown. For Season 9’s “Club Kid Couture” runway theme, she referenced her trademark ensemble while striking out into new territory. With her face painted white, the queen boasted asymmetrical lashes and a unibrow of sorts that looked drawn on. If that weren’t dramatic enough, she also had a smeared fuschia lip and bright blue tears coming down her eyes. The look was stunning on its own, and perfectly captured the clown-inspired fantasy she was going for. Seeing Sasha overact on the runway was just a bonus.
#9: Alaska’s Lil’ Pound Cake Look “Drag Movie Shequels”
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Season 5 viewers may recall the mini-challenge where Alaska and Lineysha Sparx created Lil’ Pound Cake, a bratty life-size doll. But there was simply no forgetting her after this All Stars 2 episode. Coming out covered in what looked to be a garbage bag, Alaska revealed that she’d replicated the character’s look, including her hair and makeup, to a tee. Sporting bright blue contacts, arched eyebrows, and angular lips contorted into a frown, she looked both frightening and funny. Sure, it wasn’t the most technically impressive work to appear on the runway. But by referencing the show itself, the queen created an instantly memorable moment that had the judges howling.
#8: Gottmik’s Spotted “Drag Excellence” Look “Gettin’ Lucky”
There’s no question that this Season 13 queen has celebrated face-painting abilities, having worked with the likes of Heidi Klum and Paris Hilton. But her makeup skills were especially apparent during the “Drag Excellence” runway. Building off the polka dots on her gown, she delivered a unique spin on her signature powder-white face. With a mix of black and flesh-toned spots on her mug, Gottmik looked like the most high-fashion dalmatian we’ve ever seen. Plus, she stunningly wore grayscale eyeshadow on one eye and a colorful look on the other. The presentation would have been incredible even without this touch, but the extra detail simply took things to the next level.
#7: Sharon Needles’ Post-Apocalyptic Couture “RuPocalypse Now!”
Way back in Season 4, this queen delivered a look that remains one of the show’s most iconic. In the premiere episode, the contestants were tasked with creating a doomsday-inspired ensemble using unconventional materials. While some of the competitors took a survivalist’s approach, Sharon Needles appeared as a gruesome victim of the apocalypse. With icy contacts, festering wounds, and drastic contour, her face was immediately striking. The choice to let fake blood pour out of her mouth only added to the dramatic presentation. Without uttering a word, Sharon perfectly encapsulated her spooky approach to drag. First impressions don’t get much more extraordinary than this.
#6: Kim Chi’s Black & White Realness Look “Shady Politics”
Top 10 RuPaul's Drag Race Makeup Fails
This makeup aficionado never failed to bring fantastical and high-concept looks to the runway. After the new wave girl group challenge, she seemingly took cues from Picasso and presented an incredible facial illusion on the runway. But Kim Chi’s most stunning look came a few episodes later. Her vision — a French clown through the filter of the mostly black-and-white film “Sin City” — was definitely out there. But with inky shading that mimicked the strokes of a paintbrush or pen, she looked like a 2D character come to life. Never before has such a sad-looking drag queen made us so happy.
#5: Bianca Del Rio’s Returning Winner Look “Grand Finale”
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This ruthless comedy queen wasn’t known for drastically changing up her makeup on Season 6. With some exceptions, her paint was relatively familiar — albeit gorgeous — whenever she took to the runway. Perhaps that’s why it was so exciting to see her looking like a bonafide fantasy character at the Season 7 finale. Returning winners love to make a splash, and Bianca did just that, looking like she’d taken a dip in a bath of glitter. The body paint was expertly done, and created the incredible illusion that the queen was one with her gown. The quick-witted champion had never looked more regal, and we loved seeing it.
#4: Violet Chachki’s Season 8 Finale Look “Grand Finale”
Violet was already known as a formidable “look queen'' ahead of her appearance as the reigning drag superstar at the season 8 finale. Still, she made sure to give one of her best presentations ever before the next winner was crowned. Sure, her gown was stunning, but the most shocking part of the ensemble was its makeup. For one thing, her face was flawlessly done with a subtle but beautiful eyeshadow. On top of that, a creepy illusion of bulging veins snaked around her forehead and bust. And did we mention the crown that seemed to sprout off the top of her head? Violet’s jaw-dropping paint combined cosmetics and sculpture, and cemented her reputation as one of the most visually striking “Drag Race” alumni.
#3: Acid Betty’s Neon Realness Look “New Wave Queens”
One look at this queen’s social media shows just how imaginative her makeup skills are. Thankfully, we also got to see her incredible talent on display during her all-too-short Season 8 run. For episode 4’s “Neon Realness” runway, Acid Betty took to the stage as a creature that defied categorization. Was it a fish, an alien, or something else entirely? In any case, we can all agree that it was stunning. She sported bright green skin, glittery pink eyeshadow that matched her hair, and some of the biggest lashes we’ve ever seen. Suffice it to say, it was out of this world.
#2: Detox’s Black & White Illusion “Reunited!”
Top 10 Detox Moments on RuPaul’s Drag Race
Detox truly slayed the runway during her stint on “All Stars” 2. Her “Latex Eleganza” look boasted a unique blacked-out forehead that complemented her skin-tight outfit. And the silver paint she sported for the “Future of Drag” category was jaw-dropping. But her most iconic makeup look of all was seen at the Season 5 reunion. She appeared in black clothing, with whitish gray hair and skin that made her look like an old movie star. The one-of-a-kind look even seemed to influence the show itself, as a “Black & White Realness” runway category cropped up in Season 8. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Yuhua Hamasaki’s Reunion Look, “Queens Reunited” This Queen Looked Like Samara From “The Ring” Milk’s Pinocchio Look, “Scream Queens” We’d Never Seen a Nose Quite Like This on the Runway Shea Couleé’s “Love the Skin You’re In” Look, “I’m in Love!” This Queen’s Highlight & Eye Makeup Perfectly Complemented Her Gold Neck Rings Yvie Oddly’s Zodiac Lion, “Good God Girl, Get Out” Her Bionic Leo Was Truly Original Jinkx Monsoon’s Day of the Dead Look, “Drama Queens” This Queen Showed Off Her Spooky Take on the “Latina Glamorosa Eleganza” Runway Category
#1: Nina Bo’nina Brown’s Hometown Look “Oh. My. Gaga!”
This queen brought an instantly distinctive style of makeup to Season 9. She put her unique use of props and prosthetics on display many times throughout her run, including for a wowing extraterrestrial “Princess Fantasy” look. However, Nina’s best showing was the very first one she brought to the mainstage. Repping Riverdale, Georgia, she made her head into a giant peach. The look was downright inspired, with shadows and highlights lending her features a pop art quality. The contestant’s real face seamlessly transitioned to the fruit headpiece above, and she even sported leafy hair. It was a larger-than-life showing from a truly creative mind.
