Among the first people to arrive on the set of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” were RuPaul and her makeup artist David Petrushin, also known as “Raven.”
During the show’s FYC event, which also included a visit to the set of “Drag Race,” Petrushin explained what it would take to change RuPaul. “I spend about six hours there. The most important part of getting into drag is the makeup,” he said.
If you’re a fan of the show, you probably know Petrustin. In 2010, he competed in season 2 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and also competed in season 1 of “All Stars.” She became RuPaul’s exclusive makeup artist in 2017 and has been contouring and doing makeup ever since. He won an Emmy Award in 2020 for Excellence in Contemporary Makeup for Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Television (Non-Prosthetics).
RuPaul’s transformation requires a “complete reconstruction,” with 45 minutes of those six hours spent on foundation and “blending, creating, and reshaping the face.”
During that time, Petrustin said Lu was not scrolling or playing on her phone and was “keeping her eyes closed.”
Petrushin, who was a trusted ally of RuPaul, recalled being a little nervous when he first walked into the room. “What am I walking into?” After all, Ru has no attitude. “She’s one of the sweetest people and one of the most giving. We enjoy spending time together, because if we didn’t, it would be terrible.”
From time to time, the two bounce ideas off each other, continuing to create fresh and innovative looks. But not everyone will be a hit. “Sometimes I go to the left field seats and say, ‘Oh, let’s do this,'” Petrustin laughed. He said, “Bitch, what did you smoke this morning? ” he says. ”
At the end of the day, it’s all about raising your standards, being creative, and coming up with something beautiful.
While Petrushyn focuses on hosting the show, head makeup artist Natasha Marcelina will be in charge of the show’s guest roster. Brooke Shields joined this season.
Marcelina said she treats every guest who enters the workroom as a new experience. “Usually it’s the first time you’re working with them, so you don’t have a relationship with them before, so you have to quickly adapt to what they want and make sure they have a good time.”
Marcelina asked Shields, who is known for his eyebrows, “Why would you want to change them?”
Her approach is simple and borrows from RuPaul. “Lou says we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. That’s why people love her and that’s why they come to see her. So we just want to maintain that tradition.”
Every once in a while, one of the guests entrusts Marcelina with an empty palette and she gets creative. She didn’t give names, but even the most conservative guests trust her. “They come here and say, ‘Okay, it’s time to have some fun. It’s time to do glitter, rhinestones, eyelashes, stuff like that. Put on your costume, put on your wings, put on your heels. This is the perfect place to do it.'” She added, “I’m so happy that we were able to do that.”
