Drag Time with Blanche Babcock

Alternatives to Max Factor Panstick for Drag.

2010-03-03T23:21:00.001-06:00

I have been getting a LOT of questions lately about what other foundations one can use for drag since our old standby Max Factor Panstick has been discontinued in the United States.

It has always been a bonus in the past that we could go to a local Wal-Mart or drug store, and pick up a new foundation for $5-$8 when we ran out. Sadly, at least in the US, those days are over when it comes to our Panstick. Luckily there are alternatives. Not all of them meet the same price points or convenience as Panstick, but in the long run, they are just as usable.

1. Kryolan TV Paintstick.

This is a stick foundation that has been used for years and years. It is very popular among drag artists, and theater actors in general. I have not used this foundation myself, but I have heard nothing but good things about it. It is a wax based foundation, so it gives good coverage, excellent blend ability, and it’s less greasy that other cream foundations..

You can get the Kryolan TV Paintstick at http://www.glamoursupply.com/, and costs $8 per tube 25ml tube.

The site has a color matching guide to some of the most popular Panstick foundations on the site.

Pros: Excellent coverage. The company makes over 120 shades. Almost twice the size of a Panstick tube.

Cons: Harder to obtain. I can’t find anyone selling this locally, so I would have to buy it over the Internet. They have over 120 shades. If you are unable to see the colors in person, it makes selecting your shade more difficult.

2. Ben Nye Foundation

I have tried out several of the Ben Nye foundations now. So far, I like them a lot. Ben Nye makes several different formulations of foundation. We will talk about the cream and matte foundations for this article. Both of these foundations come in many shades. Neither of them come in a stick applicator. But they both can be easily melted and poured into a empty Panstick tube for application.

So far, in my experience, the cream foundation has more coverage than the matte foundation. But I have not tried every shade, so this could just be the shades I have tried.

Ben Nye Cream Foundations can be purchased at: http://www.makeupmania.com/. The cost is $7 for a 0.5oz/14gm jar (same size as Panstick)

The Ben Nye Matte Foundation can be purchased at: http://www.fxsupply.com. the cost is $9.00 for a 0.5oz/14gm jar (same size as Panstick)

Pros: Good coverage. Lots of shades. One of the most popular theatrical brands out there.

Cons: No stick packaging: Usually can only be obtained from theatrical stores or the Internet.

3. Makeup Forever Panstick Cream Foundation

I will admit I have not used this foundation. In fact, I have no used any Makeup Forever foundation. From what I have heard this is a very creamy foundation that is not oily. It has good coverage, and comes in that much sought after stick packaging. I do know Makeup Forever is a very high quality brand that has wonderful products.

MUFE makes this product in 10 shades.

The Makeup Forever Panstick can be purchased in Sephora stores, and at http://www.sephora.com. The cost is $30 for a 0.7ox tube.

Pros: Well respected brand. Good coverage. Comes in white. Not a lot of brands make this color. Availability. Most large cities in the US have Sephora stores.

Cons: Price. Fewer shades than some of the theatrical brands. Did I mention price?

4. MAC Full Coverage Foundation.

MAC Cosmetics has been the leader in the makeup industry for a long time. They are highly respected in the TV/Movie/Photography industry, as well as at home makeup users. Again I have not had a chance to test this foundation, but again this is mainly due to store location. I am very leary of buying a foundation without seeing it in person, and there are no places that sell this anywhere close to me.

MAC Full Coverage Foundation can be purchased at MAC Pro stores, and at http://www.macpro.com. The cost is $29.50 for a 28gm jar.

Pros: Well respected brand. Many color choices. Full coverage.

Cons: Hard to obtain. There are no pro stores anywhere in my area. No stick applicator.

I am going to end this on a good high note! If you just HAVE to have your Max Factor Panstick, and you wear a color other than Deep Olive. LOL, you can still buy it at http://www.drugstore.com. the price is still $8.00 a tube, and they are saying that they are going to continue to stock it for a while.

So Happy Foundation Hinting guys! And if you know if any other alternatives, leave it in the comments below. I would love to know what other foundations are good for Drag Makeup!

MAC Riveting Haul

2010-02-20T00:07:00.001-06:00

So today I felt the need to go to MAC and check out the Riveting collection that just came out. I had not heard of this collection until I got an email about it today. So off to Macy’s I went. I had in mind that I wanted to check out the Show Orchid lipstick, and Full Fuchsia blush and those were the only things in the collection I found calling to me.

The MUA/Sales Guy. was really trying to sell me on the Bubbles lipstick. But I just couldn't get the mental image out of Mr. SP Nation’s description of the color in his video about the collection. LOL.

I did end up getting the Show Orchid lipstick though, AND the Full Fuchsia blush. The sales guy said the magic words, “We only have one left.” If anyone says that to me, I HAVE to buy it. I don't know why I am wired that way. LOL

So let’s talk about Show Orchid.

This color is GORGEOUS! Its a bright hot pink. Being an Amplified formula, it has really good coverage too. So this is going to look amazing when worn with other bright colors. I can see pairing this with bright blue or green on the eyes. Heck, or even bright pinks and purples. cant wait! :D

I will talk more about the Full Fuchsia blush in my next post. Talk to you all later on! :D

Fashion Doll Inspired Look

2010-02-10T19:35:00.001-06:00

This last weekend I picked up a copy of Fashion Doll Quarterly magazine at Barnes and Noble. I have loved dolls for a long time, and lately I have been getting a lot of inspiration from the makeup applied to one of a kind repainted dolls.

In the magazine there was a picture of a Numina Asher doll. Numina dolls are resin ball jointed fashion dolls similar to Sybarites. Take a look below at the inspiration picture.

So this last week I decided to do a makeup look based on this doll’s makeup. In the picture it looks like she has a silvery blue eyelid with a dark black crease fading into bright pink. I loved the sound of this look so much. So this last Tuesday night, I did it for my BlogTV show. I recorded it for a tutorial video which will be posted in the next couple days. So be looking for that!

I would like to take a moment to mention the wig I am wearing. This is actually a wig I have had for a long time. If you go back and look at some of my older videos, this is the blonde curly wig I used to wear quite often.

Since it had just been sitting, and I hadn't done anything with it, I decided to play wit it. I figured, but I messed it up, there was no real loss.

So I pinned it to a wig head, teased it a bit, and then went crazy with the hairspray. I hung it upside down, and left it overnight to dry. This was the result.

I think its a fun piece of hair. Not one I would wear all the time, but I think it looked cute with this look. Let me know what you think.

Sneak Peek at Blue, Silver and Black look.

2010-02-01T16:24:00.001-06:00

Here is a sneak peek at my upcoming tutorial. I was asked recently to do a look that did not have a distinct cut crease. I had also been asked to do a blue look. So I decided to combine the two, and this is what I came up with.

Oh, and I don't want to forget to mention, the only MAC I used on my eyes was blacktrack fluidline for my top eye liner. everything else was a drug store/theatrical product. The most expensive individual item was $7.00. Woo Hoo for that!

L.A. Colors Makeup Haul!

2010-01-31T18:29:00.001-06:00

I have been talking a lot lately about using cheap makeup. One of my favorite cheap makeup brands is L.A. Colors I have not tried any products from this company, other than eye shadows, but so far they have all been very good. They are super pigmented for cheap products. And since stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and loads of 99 Cent stores carry them, a lot of times you can from them for one dollar.

Today on our way from filming an episode of Tranny Talk 101, Jay and I stopped at the Tomball Dollar Tree. I was very happy to see that they had several of the L.A. Colors 6 pan eye shadow palettes. I have used other varieties of these and I really like them. So yeah, here is what I got.



BEP411 – Precious	BEP412 Hipnotic


BEP413 – Sweet Pleasure	BEP414 – Café Au Lait

I am really looking forward to doing a look with Café Au Lait and the Precious sets. In the Café Au Lait palette, it has a lovely bronze metallic color, a shimmery brown color, a taupe, a peach, a beige and a lovely cream color. I can see doing a beautiful vintage look with this, pairing it with some true red lips. Fabulous!

So, anyway. Get to your local Dollar Store and look for some of these L.A. Colors palettes. They really are worth the little bit of money you pay for them. :D

My Top 6 Must Have Eye Products!

2010-01-27T22:41:00.001-06:00

So I was recently asked what some MUST have makeup products were. I sent the person this message. I decided to focus on eye products, and things I thought everyone needed to have in their collection.

1. NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk ($2.99-$3.99). I love this for an eye base! It makes all of your shadows brighter, and last longer! A close second is the new NYX Eye shadow base. I have this in white, and skintone. Both work really well at making the shadows last longer. Just a tip: Apply these very thinly. And once they are on your eye, get some eye shadow over them quickly. If not, you can get some creasing.

2. MAC Carbon Eye shadow ($11.00-$14.50). Everyone needs a matte black eye shadow! And in my experience Carbon is the best one. Its dark, rich, and doesn't fade. A close second is the Ben Nye Matte Black eye shadow, but this is only found online or at theatrical stores.

3. Ben Nye White Eye shadow ($7.00-$9.00). I love this white! I have never had a white shadow as pigmented as this. I always use it on the inner corner of my eyes to brighten them. It's great. The drawback, like I mentioned with the last one, is that you can only get it online, or theatrical shops. It's a great product though!

4. MAC Honey Lust Eye shadow ($11.00-$14.50). This is a LOVELY color! I am wearing it in my last video, and in the tutorial that I am about to post. Its a shimmery, metallic, goldish beige color. It's very pretty, and looks wonderful alone or paired with darker colors (like I used it.) ;)

6. MAC Pink Venus Eye shadow ($11.00-$14.50) I am sure if you have seen ANY of my videos you will know I love pinks. This one is my favorite. Its a medium baby pink, with a shimmer to it. This looks really good swept over the lid area, with a bit of a purple (like MAC Stars n Rockets) in the crease. A nice look that's not too out there. :)

5. L.A. Colors traditional palette ($1.00). I know you asked for luxury items, but to me this is a MUST HAVE. This palette has a load of shades of brown eye shadow. They are all really pigmented, and they are just wonderful. I have so few high end browns because of this palette. Any time I need a brown, I just look in here, and there is one that works. It also has a really good matte white in it. Get this one! :D

Brush Buying at Hobby Lobby!

2010-01-14T20:57:00.001-06:00

OK, so I went to Hobby Lobby on my lunch break today. Of COURSE they didn't have what I wanted. How hard is it to find some sew on acrylic jewels in shades of green and yellow? One would think I was wanting pure Austrian crystal. On yeah, I forgot. They DID have some of those.

But what I DID find was a 50% off sale on art brushes! YAY! So I went crazy in the Royal Langnickel section. Here is what I got.

All of the brushes have about a 6 inch handle with an angled end. They have black plastic ferrule holding the hairs, and a soft rubber grip.

Mind you, I have not used these brushes yet, so this is just my initial reaction to them. I cant speak on how much they will or will not shed.

3/4" White Goat Hair Mop - Originally $5.99, sale price $3.00

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?dep=10&cat=35&subcat=55&IsOnSale=0&IsFeatured=0&IsNew=0&ItemId=96550

This brush is SO SOFT. It's made of the same goat hair as MAC brushes, and the Maxine's Mop brushes made by Loew Cornell. The hairs are short, and it's densely packed. This brush is a bit big for an eye brush, unless you are using it to apply a wash of color to the entire eye area. It will work well for applying a thin line of contour under the cheeks, or even blending cheek color.

#12 Fitch Scrubber - Originally $6.99, sale price $3.50

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?dep=10&cat=35&subcat=55&IsOnSale=0&IsFeatured=0&IsNew=0&ItemId=96688

The Fitch Scrubber is a soft, yet slightly stiff brush. It's like a large pencil brush. This will be wonderful for blending crease colors. It is about the size of the round ELF crease brush, but the hair is more substantial, and better quality. This is a natural hair brush, the fibers coming from a fitch. Which is actually a European weasel related to the mink.

#0 Mop Brush - Originally $1.99, sale price $1.00

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?dep=10&cat=35&subcat=55&IsOnSale=0&IsFeatured=0&IsNew=0&ItemId=96578

This brush is also fitch hair. And this is a small short slightly flattened version of a pencil brush. This one would be perfect for blending colors on your lower eyelid, or having minute control of color when cutting the crease.

#2 Taklon Round - Originally $3.99, sale price $2.00

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?dep=10&cat=35&subcat=55&IsOnSale=0&IsFeatured=0&IsNew=0&ItemId=96523

I am going to use this brush for doing my eyebrows. I like using a round liner brush for brows rather than an angled brush. The hair on this one is Taklon, which means it is a synthetic fiber. This means that it is perfect for apply cream and gel products.

So, the grand total for these brushes was $10.24 with tax. Cant wait to use them the next time I paint on Saturday! :D

MAC Love Lace Collection Look

2010-01-10T20:41:00.001-06:00

This was my look today for this week’s Tranny Talk 101 episode. It was done using colors from the recent MAC Love Lace collection. This collection came out this past December, and has some lovely sophisticated cool toned shades. You all know me, and how I like warmer colors like pinks, reds, orange, and yellow, but I decided I needed to broaden my horizons if you will.

I did not film a tutorial for this look because I was in a hurry to get my face finished. Take a look below the picture to hear how this look was achieved.

First thing I did was base out my eyelids. I really have to tell you all that the last few times I have painted my face, I have not used my usual Milk Jumbo Pencil from NYX. I have been using the new white NYX Eye shadow Base. This product is really awesome! It’s a lot like the jumbo pencil, but its thicker, and it doesn't seem to crease nearly as easily as the pencil. I still love my pencil mind you. I got to have my Milk Pencil! :D

As to the eye shadow itself, I used Suave Intentions on my main eyelid, and faded the color Love Lace, from the same collection, on the outer third of the eyelid.

For my crease I didn't want a pure black crease . I wanted it to be a lighter color, with black just in the actual crease. So what I did was take MAC Print eye shadow and put that in the crease, and blended that up to the upper eyelid.

Then I took MAC Carbon, and deepened the crease on the outer part of the crease.

For the top eyeliner, I used MAC Blacktrack Fluidline gel liner. I applied this in a winged fashion.

On the lower waterline, I used Jet Black, Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil, and set it with Carbon eye shadow. I also applied the Love Lace eye shadow to the lower eyelid, and smoked it out a bit, and applied a bit more carbon to the outer third of the lower lid.

For the lips I used L.A. Colors, Pinky Lip Liner to completely line my lips. After that I applied MAC Lipstick to the entire lip area. Then to add definition to the lips, I lined the outer corners with L.A. Colors, Cocoa Lip Liner , and blended that color into the lipstick.

Here are a couple more pictures of the look. I hope you all like it! Maybe I will work with more blues in the future.

My Eye shadow Palettes

2010-01-04T18:27:00.001-06:00

For Christmas Jay got me a pink Z Palette. On the website it says that this palette will hold 27 MAC sized eye shadows. I own 28 eyes shadows. So there are 2 shadows that will not fit in my new palette. lol.

Today I worked to reorganize my palettes to get everything together and configured into as few palettes as possible. This is what I came up with.

This first palette is my MAC Palette I am sure I need at least one more of these so I can separate it into warm colors (pink, oranges, yellows and reds) and then do another palette that is cool colors (blues, greens, grays, and blacks).

First Row: Stately Black, Cranberry, Print, Romping, Dear Cupcake, Passionate, Pink Venus.

Second Row: Carbon, Satellite Dreams, Sunset B, Et tu Bouquet, Expensive Pink, Paradisco, Honey Lust.

Third Row: Beauty Marked, Strike a Pose, French Cuff, Phloof, Bright Future, Yogurt, Fashion.

Fourth Row: Stars n Rockets, Aquadidiac, too Dolly, Off the Page, Crest the Wave.

Here is my opinion on the Z Palette. I think it’s great. the magnet that holds the top closed works really well. And the magnet in the bottom of the palette holds fairly well. It works a lot better when you adhere the small stick on magnets that come with the palette to the bottom of the shadow pans.

I think the palette should have been made even just a quarter inch taller so that you could fit four rows of seven eye shadows in it. That way it would hold 28 MAC sized shadows.

Various NYX Trios. The bottom two rows have a couple pressed NYX Chrome eye shadows. and two Bee Royal eye shadows.

This small 12 pan palette contains pressed MAC Heritage Rouge and Fuchsia Pigments and some other pressed NYX chrome eye shadows.

Upcoming Tutorial: Red Devil Challenge

2010-01-04T17:05:00.001-06:00

Here is challenge number 2 from Tsunimee. She asked me to do a look using my real eyebrows, and asked me to do an interpretation of Spittingglitter’s red devil look.


original look from SpittingGlitter	Tsunimee’s interpretation of the same look.

So this last Sunday I decided to take up the challenges and give them both a shot all in the same look. Here is what I came up with.

This is the look before putting on hair or an outfit.
This was how I liked the look best.

And here is the look after getting a full outfit together.

I liked doing this look a lot. I would love to try it again some time using Blanche’s drawn on eyebrows. Wasn’t a HUGE fan of how my real brows looked when the full look was finished.

A tutorial for this look is coming up in the next day or so. So keep checking my Youtube channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/BlancheBabcock

Testing out a look using my own eyebrows

2010-01-02T13:49:00.001-06:00

I had been asked by Tsunimee on Twitter many times for a makeup look using my own eyebrows. So I thought I would give it a shot this morning. I was just playing around with makeup, and had no plan, but this is what I came up with.

Because I was just playing around I wasn't wearing any foundation, or even eye shadow primer. I think if that had been added it would have come out better.

First thing I did was fill in my eyebrow with a brown liner. I extended the end of it a bit because my brows are a bit shorter than this.

Then I worked on the crease. I used some browns from the L.A. Colors Traditional Palette, and then deepened the outer crease with MAC Carbon eye shadow. I used these same colors on the lower eyelid.

On my eyelid I am wearing MAC Honey Lust Eye shadow. This is actually the first time I have used this color since I got it. I really need to use it more often. I liked it a lot. Then for the inner corner I am using MAC Vanilla Pigment.

For the brow bone highlight I first applied a matte white eye shadow, and then went over it with MAC Vanilla Pigment so that it would give it a bit of shimmer.

I then made a bold winged liner first with MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, but that didn't come out as dark as I wanted, so I went over it with Beauty Reflection liquid eyeliner.

I used a Rimmel Black eyeliner on my lower waterline, and then set it with MAC Carbon Eye shadow. I didn't apply any mascara, because I don't have any, or lashes. But this look would be enhanced with some nice lashes.

That’s pretty much it. All in all, a really simple look. I think this would be a good look for daytime, at the office with a nude or light pink lip. Pair it with a red lip, and it’s a wonderful evening, going to the theater (To see Steel Magnolias at Stage Door Inc running January 8th – 31st).

I might have to try using my own brows sometime with a full face. I think it could be a good look.

Answers To 3 Questions Blog

2009-12-17T17:53:00.001-06:00

I wrote this message up on Facebook as a response to the questions. What made you start doing drag? What makes you continue to do it? and Where do you want to be 10 years from now, drag wise? I thought you all might like to see this as well. I hope you enjoy reading through this.

As for me, there wasn't a definite moment when the light went off, and I decided drag was for me. When I was a kid I used to apply my Halloween makeup as "girl makeup" and used to pretend I a girl. It was fun, and thinking back on it, theatrical.

When I first moved out on my own and away from my parents at 20 years old, and was learning and exploring my "gayness" I got really obsessed with drag queens. There was a mystique there that I wanted to get to know more about. I bought makeup at Wal-Mart, but didn't have anyone to teach me how to apply it. I went out by myself a few times in really bad drag. Thinking back that was not a good idea. SO dangerous. But I quickly realized at that time I didn't have a talent for it, and I gave it all up.

Then in 2007/2008, I watched Chris March on Project Runway. Even though I knew about Divine, for some reason it never occurred to me that there were large plus size queens. I always thought because I was bigger, that I couldn't do it. But after seeing Chris' website (http://www.chrismarchdesign.com) and seeing a lot of myself in him I thought, "Hey, if he can do it, so can I!"

So I started buying makeup one piece at a time. I got it all from Wal-Mart, and drug stores. I did internet research, watched YouTube videos, and of course studied the www.carriefairfield.com tips and tricks section. I tried to get all of the products mentioned. I wasn't too hung up on actual colors at that time, I just wanted the products to get a feel for them. I figured once I had foundation, powder and everything else figured out, I could then work on getting colors to suit me.

After I had gathered enough products to do a full face, in secret mind you, I didn't even tell my partner at this point that I was interested in drag. I called in sick from work so I would have the whole day to myself, and played with my makeup. I will admit I was TERRIBLE. Oh, it was bad. But I sent Jay the pictures I took to see what he thought. I was halfway expecting a "What the hell were you thinking???" response, but what I got instead was more of , "So, what does this mean? Where are you planning on taking this?"

At this point I didn't know. I didn't know I would want to make YouTube videos, or anything else. I was just playing, and working more from a gut level.

After that it quickly snowballed. LOL. The videos started, then everything else happened.

I have realized lately, that I don't think performing in the traditional sense is for me. I am not a get on stage, and dance, and lip sync type of person. I have physical problems that make moving about on stage hard for me, so I just don't feel confident in it. So I have decided to take my drag knowledge in another direction, and focus more on makeup, and teaching that part as opposed to "performing".

Why I stick with it?

I continue to pursue drag because of how it feels every time I open my email box, and see a comment on one of my videos. I am sure its the same other queens feel when performing, and seeing the faces enjoying what you are doing in the audience. Its just such a wonderful feeling.

Plus I want to do my part in passing the art form in whatever way I can on to other people. I want straight people to realize that drag queens aren't perverted freaks. I want the gays to realize that this is something they can do. It IS an attainable art form. If I can do it, a 300 pound, balding, gimpy, effeminate gay man, anyone can. But I am going to do it being myself, and not putting on a show. I am going to show what is inside, while hiding what is on the outside. lol.

And where do I want to be in 10 years?

I would love to be right here, doing what I am doing right now. Celebrating 10+ years making YouTube videos. I would love to hold seminars and teach people in person how to paint. I would LOVE to open some kind of makeup school just for queens. But above all I want to be continuing to learn new techniques, and bringing them to as many people as are willing to watch my videos, and interact with me online. :)

Ok.....So wow. I didn't mean for that to be quite as long as it came out. But yeah.. Thanks for reading through it. I think we all have similar goals in this thing called drag. be the best queens WE can be. And I would like to show that not all queens are royal bitches (I do love a royal bitch though. lol), who will cut you over a weave. Some of us are kind, goodhearted, and welcoming of everyone.

Bonus!

First Drag Picture Ever Taken Of Me.

Last Drag Picture Taken Of Me.

Drag Queen 3 Color Foundation Technique

2009-12-11T11:25:00.001-06:00

Recently there was a post on the Carrie Fairfield message board asking about foundation. I decided to write up a reply and give info on how I do mine. I a,m going to repost that message here with a little more info, and a video tutorial. Enjoy! :)

When I go out, and know I am going to be wearing makeup for a while this is what I do. I start with a good clean washed and moisturized face. Then around the sides and on my nose, and where I know I get shiny, I apply MAC Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone primer. This was a limited item that came out earlier this year, but you can still find it in MAC stores (At least I have seen it in a few). I let that sink in and dry for a few minutes before continuing.
Then over my whole face I apply Monistat chafing gel. I get this at Wal Mart for $4-$5. Its a wonderful foundation primer. Works very similarly to the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. This gives a slightly powdery finish to the skin, and helps the foundation go on smoothly. It has some of the same base ingredients as Urban Decay Primer Potion.

For foundation, I have been using three colors. I use two Ben Nye cream foundations, and one Max Factor Panstick.

I use a light Ben Nye cream color called Ultra on my forehead, down my nose, and on my upper lip, and chin. Then on the sides of my cheeks I use Max Factor Panstick in Deep Olive. Under the chin, on the neck, and on the sides and top of my forehead I use Ben Nye Matte Foundation in Pale English.

Then I use a flat synthetic foundation brush (Like the MAC 190). I use a three different brushes to bend each color into the adjoining one so that it doesn't get muddy. (The ELF foundation brushes are good for this, and they are $1 each. WOO HOO)

Over all of this I use Ben Nye Translucent Face Powder in Fair. This helps all of the colors to unify and it gives a completely matte finish.

Then I do my contouring with Ben Nye Burgundy Matte Eye shadow on my cheeks, and Black Radiance Tawny Beige Powder on my forehead and under cheeks. I tend to like a redder color on my cheeks, and a browner color on the forehead and neck.

For the final facial highlighting I use Coty Powder in the color Naturelle. I apply it to the middle of my forehead, upper cheeks and chin. This powder is a light pinkish off white and it gives a final highlight to the face.

After that I am done with the contour (Other than doing my eyes and lips of course. lol).

I usually do the contour step after I have finished my eyes, but before my lips because applying the powder covers any eye shadow fallout I might have.

I know this was a lot of information, but I just wanted to be complete in my foundation routine.
I hope this helped some.

Here is a picture of my finished foundation, with contour done, but before any work was done on the eyes..

Also check out the video tutorial I posted on YouTube as a follow up to this article. It shows how the products are applied, blended and powdered.

New Video: 3 things I like, 3 things I dislike about myself.

2009-12-02T18:56:00.001-06:00

I was tagged by Jessica aka TheKillerBurrito. The video was 3 Things we like about ourselves, and 3 things we dislike. It sounded like a fun theme so I decided to do it.

Take a look. and I hope you enjoy it. :D

Blanche’s first trip to a CCO

2009-11-30T23:38:00.001-06:00

I have known for a long time about the existence of the CCO, or Cosmetics Company Outlet, in outlet malls all across the country. And I had heard of all the wonders that could be obtained in these stores. I had heard tales of deep discounted prices on MAC products that were limited edition, and long out of regular stores and department store counters. Until recently I did not think that there was one of these wondrous stores anywhere close to me.

But I was wrong. I was so very wrong. On the outskirts of Houston, on the northwest side. On Highway 290, is the Houston Premium Outlet mall. A magical play land of discount designer brand name clothing stores, and general frivolity. Nestled amongst the rich shopping bounty is the small store, the Cosmetics Company Store. Inside this haven of femininity I was affronted with makeups from such brands as MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Prescriptive, and others. It really was amazing to see for a first time shopper such as myself.

When entering into the store, I made a bee line to the MAC section. There they had various products from the regular line, the Hello Kitty, Neo Sci-fi, and many other recent, and not so recent limited edition collection. I glanced through the shelved that contained lipglasses and lipsticks. I didn't see anything that really caught my eye, but then again lip products are not where my heart lies.

I walked around the corner and saw many black matte compacts containing various shades of Studio Fix Powder, and Mineralized Skin Finish. On a shelf above these were some Eye shadow Trios and Quads from collection such as Dame Edna, Hello Kitty, and Heatherette.

I had never seen any of the Heatherette collection because it had come out a while before I got into drag, or makeup at all. I found myself loving both of the trios from this line. So I decided to purchases the Heatherette Trio #2 compact.

You can see in the pictures below that this is a beauty, and just screams Blanche Babcock. In this compact, there is a light pink called Baby Petals (A frost) that will make a lovely brow highlight color, or even an eyelid color used in pale looks. Along with this was a beautiful medium pink color called V.I.P (A velvet). I was a bit worried at first that this color was very similar to my favorite MAC pink eye shadow, Pink Venus. But once I got home and compared them, V.I.P. is a cooler toned color thank Pink Venus. So that was a good thing. The third color was a wonderful bluish purple called Cassette (A Veluxe Pearl). This is such a beautiful color. It is going to look wonderful as a crease color, or even an outer lid color when doing pink lids. Just fabulous!

So after making my decision on this trio, I walked around another corner and was faced with the single eye shadows, mineralized eye shadows, and pigments. I felt like I was in heaven. Amongst the eye shadows there were items from the Ungarro collection, and then the Alexander McQueen 07 line. I saw so many shades I wanted to add to my ever growing amassment of MAC Eye shadows.

I chose two colors for my first trip to this store. the first one was Cool Heat (A frost). This color comes from the Cool Heat collection, which was released in June of 2008. It is a lovely teal blue color that is unlike anything I currently have in my collection. It will look so lovely with either Aquadisiac or Too Dolly (from the Hello Kitty quad of the same name).

I also was taken with a color called Bold and Brazen from the original Starflash collection which was released in July of 2008. It is a beautiful light bronzish copper color which will look equally good paired with Cool Heat that I had just purchased, or teamed with Honey Lust. A color I don't use nearly often enough.

So in all I ended up walking away having spent a little over $40 for five brand new eye shadow colors that I will probably not ever seen in stores again, unless MAC decides to repromote them.

Please take a look at the pictures below to see just what stole my heart that day at the outlet mall. I have vowed to myself not to let as much time pass before going back and checking this store out again.


Bold and Brazen - $10.25	Cool Heat - $10.25

Heatherette Trio #2 - $22.00
Outside of the compact

Heatherette Trio #2
Inside of the compact, showing from left to right: Baby Petals(F), V.I.P.(V), and Cassette(VP).

If you would like to go to this CCO store they can be contacted at:
(281) 256-3331

And the mall is located at:

29300 Hempstead Road
Cypress, TX 77433
(281) 304-5820

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/

Check them out, the whole place is fabulous.

LA Colors Metallic 5 Pan Eye Shadow Palettes

2009-11-14T17:59:00.001-06:00

Recently I had a lovely trip to the Foxx Beauty Supply store here in Houston, TX. Paula, the girl that works there, showed me some new LA Colors 5 pan palettes. She said that they had just come in, and were a bit different than some of the previous palettes that they had in the past.

If you have not tried these colors, you really need to. They are soft, very pigmented for the price, and blend like a dream. If you want to try some bolder colors than you are used to, get a couple of these and play.

If you want to get some of these, a lot of Dollar Tree stores, and beauty supply stores carry them.


EPP112 – Ammunition A lovely violet based set of grey silver colors.	EP104 – Ocean Breeze Super pretty palette with shades of teal, purple and grey.	EP111 - Gold Rush This set consists of yellow and gold. All nicely glittered.


EP 110 – Carnival BRIGHT shades of pink, purple, teal and yellow. All with glitter.	EP 102 – Fiesta Metallic shades of yellow and tangerine.	EP 103 – Circus Pastel shades of primary and secondary color. All very pretty.

Blanche Babcock featured on Tranny Talk 101

2009-11-12T16:36:00.001-06:00

I was recently approached by Kennidi Monroe to act as co-host on her show Tranny Talk 101.

Tranny Talk 101 is a video podcast that caters to the Transgendered Community as well as the GLBTQ Community as a whole. It offers news, reviews, discussions, and lots of entertainment. I have been watching her shows almost since the beginning. How could I not be anxious to become involved with this?

So starting soon you will see both of us doing our thing up there on the Tranny Talk 101 website.

I think this is going to be very fun, and super informative!

So if you would like to check us out you can go to the following links.

http://trannytalk101.com/

http://www.kennidimonroe.com/

http://www.youtube.com/trannytalk101

Also check out Kennidi’s awesome “Tranny in the City” series on:

http://www.youtube.com/kennidi

My Interview with Drag Queen Lady Shamu.

2009-10-26T20:19:00.001-05:00

Last week I did an interview with the lovely Lady Shamu, a local Houston drag queen. I was very excited to talk about the transformation service that she offers at the store she manages, Eros 1207.

Contact for Ms. Shamu is in the description of the video. :)

And here are a couple of pictures of one of the wigs she did for me, and a look at a look from an upcoming tutorial.


This shot is showing the eyes. Its an orange and black look in honor of Halloween.	Inst this wig great? I think she did an awesome job on it. Thank you so much again Lady Shamu!

Dramatic Eyelash Find

2009-10-17T23:50:00.002-05:00

People ask me all the time where to get the large size eyelashes. For the most part I tell them they can be found at non chain beauty supply stores. Ones that mainly sell wigs, and weave hair. But today I found another supply.

With Halloween just around the corner a lot of stores are stocking all sorts of dramatic eyelashes. You have to be cautious with them though, because a lot of them are “costume quality” meaning that they are really only good for one wearing.

So as I was saying today I was at Wal-Mart cruising the Halloween section. On an end cap they had displays with many different lashes from the “Salon Perfect” brand. Some of them very “Drag Queenish”, so I had to investigate more.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were all a reasonable price marked at $2.97 each pair.

Take a look at the images below.


This first model is #115. These are practically identical to the model 199 lashes I wear from the wig stores.	There is actually not a model number on this pair of lashes. It is a shorter on the inner end, and longer on the outer.	Model Number #114 is just as long as the #115, but they have a jagged edge. These remind me of the ones Jackie Beat wears.

They are all in reusable plastic clamshell packaging, with an instruction card, and a small tube of eyelash adhesive. I have not tried this glue, but I would recommend not even trying it. Throw it out, and use either Duo or Lashgrip.

So in conclusion, if you have trouble finding big eyelashes for drag, go out to Wal-Mart and stock up on these… Or you can try to wait until after Halloween, and see if they go on clearance.

Nominate me for Open Web Awards!

2009-10-16T16:57:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! Mashable is having the Open Web Awards. They have a LOT of categories and I would LOVE to win the Best YouTube Channel or Personality. You can either go to the site at the link below, or click on the image to nominate me.

When you get to the site, sign in with your Twitter or Facebook login. And then nominate me! :)

You can do this once every 24 hours. See the site for the complete rule.

Thanks guys!!! I love you all! :D

Wig Info video posted to YouTube

2009-10-11T23:04:00.001-05:00

I finally got my Wig info video posted to YouTube. I made this because a LOT of people have been asking, “How do you put on a wig?” “Where do you get your wigs?” So this is a reply to all of those questions.

MAC Style Black Look and Review

2009-10-05T21:59:00.001-05:00

This last Sunday I broke out my Mac Style Black products to do a video. I had been looking forward to doing one for a while, but hadn't had the time. So I was very happy I got the change that day. Take a look at the video, and then move on down to the text below for my opinion on the products.

So here is what I thought. Lets start off with the good. I LOVED the Cinderfella eye shadow. It was so smooth, and went on so nice, and blended out amazingly. And was it sparkly? I have never seen an eye shadow sparkle the way this did on my eye. I loved it! It was so good I had to go back to the store and get the Young Punk eye shadow because if Cinderfella was this nice, they all had to be just as good. I would never use this eye shadow alone because I am sure it goes on very sheer. But to apply it over an already dark base, its magic.

When it came to the lip products I was not as happy. I first lined my lips with a black liner, and then applied the Midnight Media Mattene. the Mattene was very sheer, and mixed with the foundation that I always apply over my lips making it a bluish gray. Now if you don't apply foundation over your lips, you might not have this problem. But I do this to help prolong whatever I put on my lip’s staying power.

The Blackfire Glimmerglass didn't show up at all. It did make my lips glossy, but you could not see the purple color or the glitter. I am sure this would look good over a purple lipstick, but I don't have any, so this would not work for me.

In the end I did return these products to the MAC counter. I hate returning Mac, especially when its a limited item. But in the long run, I think this is best for me.

So to wrap up, I still love the Style Black collection, and am desperately in love with the eye products. The lip items were just not for me.

Here are some pictures of the finished look.

Video Quick Tip – Red Glitter Lips

2009-09-28T15:50:00.001-05:00

I did a quick video just to show a technique to do red glitter lips. This would be great if you are doing a Hedwig look for Halloween, or a devil, or any other character that you would want glittery lips for. Wouldn't this look awesome in green for a glam witch costume? Yeah…I think it would ;)

Products Used
Jordana Cranberry Cocktail Liner
LA Colors Clear Lip-gloss.
Red Glitter.

How to do Drag Makeup on the Cheap.

2009-09-27T22:36:00.001-05:00

I posted the following video to YouTube today to show what you can to with really inexpensive makeup products.

Here is a list of the products I used in this video.

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
LA Colors Wildflowers Palette
LA Colors Darling Palette
LA Colors Traditional Palette
Nika K Black Eye shadow
Black Eyeliner (Use whatever brand you like)
LA Colors Iced Coral Lip Liner
LA Colors Plum Lip Liner

So you want to do drag for Halloween?

2009-09-26T21:31:00.001-05:00

A lot of people ask me, “Blanche, I am going to do drag for Halloween. How do I even begin?” So I wrote this up as a basic “ingredient list” of what you will need to pull off even the most basic of drag looks.

    Foundation. I use Max Factor Panstick for now. But they are not selling those in the US anymore, and are getting harder to get a hold of. I recommend something like a full coverage foundation.

    Setting Powder for the foundation. I use Ben Nye Setting Powder.

    Contour color - I use a matte Ben Nye eye shadow in Burgundy.

    Highlight color. I use Coty Powder in Naturelle. I have to get it on EBay because I don't think they make it anymore. In a pink you can use a white eye shadow.

    3-4 eye shadows. I recommend a matte black one, a matte white one, and then 2 other colors. You can get 2 shades of one color, or 2 colors that go together.

    Black Eyeliner. Either gel, pencil, or liquid.

    Eyelashes and glue. I use number 199s from the local beauty supply store. They are usually $1.00-$1.99 depending on where I find them. Look for a store that sells wigs. Not Sally's Beauty Supply.

    2 lip liners. A dark red one, and a true red one. I get the Jordana ones at Walgreen's.

    Pink lip-gloss. You can get a light pink one, or a dark pink. It depends on what look you want.

    Various brushes.

Here are some things that are nice to have, but not necessary depending on your look.

    Elmer's Washable Glue Stick (for eyebrow covering)

    NYX Jumbo Pencil (for an eye shadow base)

    Medium pink blush. (I don't wear a blush with every look)

    Lipstick. I don't normally wear a lot of lipstick. A lip liner filling in your lips, with a gloss over it lasts longer than a lipstick alone.

So that is basically it. I hope this helped you at least get a shopping list together. Over the next few days I will be breaking the face down and writing basic instructions for the face, eyes, and lips. Enjoy! :D