Dark Queen: The Drag Life of Porcelain

Wide-eyed drag queen Porcelain instantly captivated us with her white-as-snow complexion and immaculate makeup. The young Philly-based performer and Goth goddess is known to wow a crowd with her suspension and acrobatic pole acts. At 23, it’s both impressive and fascinating that someone so young can transform herself into a magnificent dark beauty for the world to see. Porcelain let us in on life in the drag world.

B: How long have you been performing in drag?

I’d say I’ve been performing in drag, give or take, a few centuries. Okay—even though it feels that way, I have only been performing for a little over a year now. Since day one I have been 666% committed to the art form and am still growing.

B: How did you develop your persona as Porcelain?

When developing Porcelain all I could think of was my night terrors. I used to have horrific nightmares growing up that were so surreal to the point that they started to become real. I took elements of my nightmares, my obsession with the circus and my teenage angst for punk rock.

B: You worked as a tattoo artist and were fired because of your drag life.

I have been tattooing for about three and a half years now and in my opinion, it is very male dominant. I have nothing but love for the medium and I am really excited to be getting back into it. I have faced a lot of obstacles being openly gay in the industry, good and bad. When it comes down to it, I love tattooing, and will continue to do it.

B: Do you feel more open and expressive in drag?

Being in drag is quite the feeling. You have to know that all eyes are going to end up on you at some point during the night. With that being said, you always need to make a statement. Porcelain is just a fabrication of my boy self—Jordan. I get to express and open doors I normally wouldn't feel comfortable with if I wasn't in drag.

B: Do you have any style icons that you draw inspiration from?

One of my biggest style inspirations is my obsession with circus sideshows and the darker side of Victorian fashion—it began when I was around 15. I try to blend the two together to create a traveling mess.

B: How did you learn how to do makeup? Were there any inspirations?

When working at one of my tattoo shops, there was a permanent cosmetics guy named John that gave me the run down of the basics of highlighting and contouring. From there I used what I had learned with portrait painting and applied those techniques into painting my face. I would like to say that Angelica Houston inspires my cheeks! 

B: What are your beauty staples for performances?

I'm very precise on each part of my face. My piercing eyes, big cheek bones, sharp eye brows, thin nose, and of course, big poisonous lips. I have an endless list of products that I use, but I'll name my favorite ones! For my foundation and concealer I use Dermablend Cover Créme and OCC Skin Conceal. For contouring, which is crucial for me, I use MAC’s Emote blush [discontinued]. For eyes I use NARS Pandora Duo and Sugarpill Cosmetics—I’m in love with every color from Sugarpill, not to mention their lashes! For lips, I normally lean to MAC and OCC Lip Tars.

B: Are there any special techniques you learned in achieving your intricate eye looks?

I like to mimic the piercing look any Disney villain gives off. It's always so powerful and dark, yet beautiful at the same time.

B: Where do you find yourself buying fabric and clothing to make most of your drag outfits?

I work with some brilliant designers who best fit the look I go for. I'm a total Heartless Revival girl. It consists of my two great friends Autumn Kietponglert and Sophi Reaptress. We all share very similar fashion taste and I'm always so thankful to work with them. When I need a break from fabric, I go to latex. Most of the latex that I wear at events or performing is Renee Masoomian Baby Love Latex. Other than that, I do a lot of thrifting!

B: Do you have any new and amazing experiences because of performing in drag?

Every day is a new and amazing experience because of drag. A couple weeks ago I had the privilege to hang out with all you beautiful people at IMATS LA! My newest experience includes filming with Big Ang—a star from TV show Mob Wives—in NYC for her new show, which is currently airing.

B: Out of all of the aspects of makeup application, what's your favorite?

I’m stuck between my two favorites, eyes and lips. I always take the longest on my eyes and I always make sure my lips look like I just got a fresh silicone injection.

B: Any other tidbits you'd like to add?

You're all going to love me!