Inside Salvia’s Extreme Beauty Routine

I have long had a love/hate relationship with drag queens. When I was in my early 20’s, drag shows felt like a gay version of a minstrel show and I always had the bitter aftertaste of sexism in my mouth after I saw a performance.

And yet somehow I constantly found myself exposed to some of the most special and innovative performers. People who pushed the medium into this bizarre and boundary pushing and I always had a story to tell about it.

Vogue Magazine has done a video series on the make-up process of some of these special drag queens. One of my favorites is Salvia. It’s not just a step by step how-to. We begin with her in full alien drag, tip-toeing through an Welsh meadow. She is out-there in every fiber of her being.

And there is a really affecting story being told along the way. Salvia is otherworldly and sensitive…like the porcelain fawn she has invented.

“I think in order to live life in a way that’s as fulfilling as possible, it’s important to address your fears and kind of push yourself as far as possible.”