Pride Month: Queer beauty brands worth checking out

For Pride month, Kiki Lyu looks at the cosmetic brands owned by queer makeup mavens that are worth adding to your collection

Jeffree Star Cosmetics

This brand is founded by Jeffree Star, one of the original internet celebrities. He rose to fame on MySpace, became a pop star, and then evolved into a beauty mogul. He is known for his bold style and persona. Star is known for his colourful looks, which is always accompanied by a flawless complexion.

You too can achieve similarly smooth skin with Jeffree Star Cosmetics’ Magic Star Concealer. We can attest that shade C2 is perfect for fair to light skin tones, offering excellent coverage for dark circles, blemishes, and redness. Its long-lasting, crease-resistant formula is enriched with skin-loving ingredients that hydrate and rejuvenate, ensuring a smooth and even complexion. Ideal for all skin types, this concealer blends seamlessly, providing a natural finish.

Trixie Cosmetics

Created by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Trixie Mattel, Trixie Cosmetics reflects her vibrant personality and love for fun, bold makeup.

The Trixie x Juno Palette by Trixie Cosmetics is a vibrant and versatile eyeshadow palette featuring bold, long-lasting colors perfect for creating dramatic and unique looks. The shade named Stunning in The Trixie x Juno Palette is a vibrant blue matte that is reminiscent of drag queen Juno Birch’s signature blue skin. This striking, highly pigmented blue offers a smooth, velvety texture that applies evenly and blends effortlessly. Perfect for creating bold, eye-catching looks, it captures the playful and unique essence of Trixie Mattel’s collaboration with Juno Birch.

Patrick Ta Beauty

Celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta is loved by many Hollywood stars and renowned for his glamorous and glowing makeup looks. So it’s of little wonder he has an equally beloved cosmetics brand.

Discover the allure of Patrick Ta Beauty’s Major Volume Plumping Gloss. The sheer colour 2 CCS is a juicy pink that provides a luxurious sheen to your lips while enhancing volume. Infused with hydrating ingredients, it ensures smooth, plump lips with a glossy finish. The beautiful tone of sweet pink is perfect for daily use and stunning for special occasions.

One/Size

One/Size was created by Patrick Starrr, a well-known beauty influencer and makeup artist, with the aim to provide inclusive beauty products that cater to all sizes and identities.

One/Size’s Ultimate blurring setting powder is designed to perfect your complexion with a soft-focus finish, blurring imperfections and setting your makeup for all-day wear. The shade named Ultra Pink is particularly recommended for its ability to enhance different skin tones. Ultra Pink adds a delicate flush of pink to fair to medium skin tones, imparting a fresh, youthful appearance.

Lunar Beauty

Queer beauty influencer and makeup artist, Manny Gutierrez aka Manny MUA, set up his beauty brand with the goal of offering innovative products inspired by his love of celestial themes.

Lunar Beauty’s Strawberry Dream eyeshadow palette features a multi-use of matte and shimmer shades, each carefully curated to create endless stunning looks. One standout shade is Sweet Dream, a shimmering peachy-gold hue that adds a luminous warmth to the eyes. Sweet Dream elevates the windows to the soul, aka your eyes, with a touch of radiance and sophistication.

Also see: Pride Month: Diversity leader Greg Morley on creating connection and change at LVMH and more

KimChi Chic Beauty

Another Ru girl makes the list! KimChi Chic Beauty was created by Kim Chi, a drag queen known for her avant-garde makeup looks and appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race. They carry quite a range of vibrant and unique products, which is quite on brand for the shady but funny queen.

KimChi Chic Beauty’s Pearl Gone Wild Pressed Shimmer Highlighter features finely milled shimmer particles that catch and reflect light for a mesmerising glow. The 01 Hope shade has a creamy, moist potato puree-like texture. The fine blue shimmer adds a touch of luminosity and sparkle to your skin. Under normal lighting, the shimmer is noticeable, and under flash photography, it creates a dazzling, watery glow. Besides being used as a facial highlighter, it can also double as an eyeshadow, making it a versatile, multi-use product.

KimChi herself says this was “inspired by my favourite cartoon series (I changed the name slightly because that’s how I pronounce it and also legal reasons tee hee). Feel yourself transform into a magical goddess with these shimmering and blinding shades!”

Makeup By Mario

Mario Dedivanovic is a celebrity makeup artist famous for his work with Kim Kardashian. He’s also making quite a name for himself with his brand’s high-quality products.

Makeup By Mario’s Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: The Neutrals features 12 universally loving matte shades. The finely-milled formula offers exceptional smoothness, and intense colour payoff, allowing for seamless, professional-looking application. What makes this palette special is its curated selection of versatile neutrals, designed to complement all skin tones and eye colors.

About-face

Proudly bisexual singer-songwriter Halsey isn’t just known for her voice. She’s also notable for her bold style and self-expression.

Her vegan beauty brand About-face’s Fractal Glitter Eye Paint transforms your look with its intense glitter and vibrant color payoff. The Smoulder shade is a captivating blend of pink and shimmering silver, perfect for creating a dramatic, multidimensional effect. The formula is designed for long-lasting wear, with a smooth texture that glides effortlessly onto the lids.

Freck Beauty

Remi Brixton is a beauty entrepreneur who is passionate about natural-looking beauty, with an early obsession with freckles that inspired her brand’s name.

Freck Beauty’s Cheekslime is an innovative liquid blush that offers a buildable formula that gives your cheeks a natural, dewy glow. Our pick is the Love Flush shade, which is a vibrant coral hue that instantly brightens your complexion with a healthy flush of colour. The lightweight texture ensures a seamless application, perfect for achieving a fresh, youthful look.

Also see: Pride Month: Hot spots in Asia for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies