FASHION

TRIXIE MATTEL SHOWS HER TRUE COLORS

MAY 14, 2024

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INTERVIEW

by DOUGLAS HENRY LEWIS II

@douglashenrylewis

IMAGES 

courtesy of TRIXIE COSMETICS @trixiemattel 

Traditionally, makeup is merely an outward expression of public care, with daily glamorizing standing as a form of personal ritual; as society has progressed, makeup has evolved into an escapist and transformative medium for expressing creativity where one can play a bold character for a night, eradicating all fear and transmuting it into play, celebration, and a liberation of life’s heavier burdens. The realm of drag has perpetually advanced the art of makeup using intricate methods of application that are acknowledged and celebrated with nightly drag performers propelling those limits, you can also turn on an episode of the multi-Emmy award-winning and revolutionary RuPaul’s Drag Race for inspiration on how to stay “Beat!”

The drag megastar Trixie Mattel was brought into the limelight on the cycle's 7th season, to return for the third “All Stars” season to fatefully snatch the crown. Since her ascension to drag royalty, the barrier-breaking and heavily glittered guardian of camp, pink, frivolous, and fabulous, has dug her heels into the ground, utilized her unique flair, and transfixed it in a way that only she can. With Billboard-topping music, record-breaking touring acts, disco DJ’ing all over, a book, podcasts, a YouTube channel, a 2019 documentary, a GOOPED newsletter, a doll, musical comedy, a discovery+ reality renovation show “Trixie Motel” and her very own Trixie Cosmetics line…the words Mattel and “Mogul” are now indivisible. 

Madame Mattel

In conversation with AS IF Magazine, Madame Mattel emerges from her pitch to inform us about her latest makeup bag of tricks to add to her cosmetic brand called the GAY-Mer Collection, which is out now and features a convertible bag, brush set, mixing palette, and exclusive “Play Pigments” - a selection of liquid swatches covering a range of bold and blendable shades with uber clever names such as “Pac-Ma’am” and “Finish Her!” Organically inspired by the electric neon lights of arcades, the hues inspire childlike creativity to apply as one paints the face for performance or daily grocery store runs, yet always intended to make users feel like a star. Madame Mattel shares stories about her early experiences as a makeup sales girl, what makes her a science nerd of beauty consumerism, and a few of her tried and true operating rhythms that keep her sane among the classic American Dream that she has realized in her life, and therefore projects into the general public for others to aspire to - with a fierce final application of mascara to match!