Painting a Mug

King Drag does not have a wealth of makeup history to draw on, which is a pro and a con. Men are not meant to wear makeup, so there are simultaneously few tutorials, but also few standards with which to compare yourself. Inventing a silhouette wholesale is not "alternative" King drag because there is no baseline - this being said, there are masculinising features you can incorporate into your routine.

I've long considered Queen paint to be the act of making your head small by making your face big; higher eyebrows, a large eyelid, big lips and prominent cheekbones can shrink one's forehead, jaw, and head size - usually paired with an ostentatious wig and neck jewelry to complete the illusion. By this metric, King paint is the act of making your face smaller, to make your head appear larger. Eyebrows can be brought further down for larger forehead, lips can be underlined or, in my case, one of them can be painted into facial hair to erase it entirely. If Queens use mascara and falsies to make their eyes look bigger, using your natural lashes to make your eyes disappear will shrink your face even further. Using highlight and avoiding contour on the jaw and forehead will exacerbate their size. Facial features like moles, stubble and groomed facial hair are common additions for a face that is "not wearing makeup" or, in my case, cakey blush and foundation can be paired with a monochrome blue eyelid, and a red lower lip to simulate a foppish gent who has not been reared to perform this particular beauty ritual.

This isn't to say feminine touches - or indeed, a full Queen beat with a beard - can't create a male illusion. Like all feminine additions to King Drag, I believe it is best tempered by adherence to masculinity elsewhere. One or two inspired elements - paint and choreography, for example - should be almost overcompensated by a hypermasculine outfit, physique, or song choice. If there are equal elements of masculinity and femininity in your Drag (or indeed a mostly feminine influence), ask if it is King Drag and masculinity you are interested in parodying, or if your interests better align with Thing Drag and Queen Drag.