Downtown-Manhattan drag queen extraordinaire Kevin Aviance projects such a vivacious approach to life, it shocked even jaded New Yorkers last June when he was hospitalized after a gay-bashing incident. Fortunately, he has healed, though he's still singing the blues… and metallics, and fuchsias, as we recently learned after a peek at his makeup table.
1. MAYBELLINE NEW YORK GREAT LASH MASCARA IN BLACK "There willnever be another Great Lash! It binds my naturally curly lashes to my fakes."
2. CHANEL ROUGE HYDRABASE CREME LIPSTICK "Creamy and mesmerizing."
3. NARS BODY SMOOTHER CREAM "After I was attacked, a fellow black queen brought this to me in the hospital. They know how I am about my skin."
4. MAC BRONZING POWDER "What I use to tie it all together, from lashes to legs."
5. MEHRON METALLIC POWDER "The trick to a last-all-night metallic mouth? Spread platinum powder on lips and layer on clear gloss."
6. JOHNSON'S BABY SHAMPOO "A dermatologist advised me to use it as makeup remover."
7. MAC LIPGLASS "Not just for lips, but cheeks, eyes, everything."
8. SHISEIDO THE MAKEUP LIP LINER PENCIL "Oh God, the lip pencil. It's soft and goes on true-to-color."
9. YVES SAINT LAURENT ROUGE PUR LIPSTICK IN FUCHSIA PINK "There's no other fuchsia that pops the way this one does on a black girl, honey."
10. RICKY'S FALSE EYELASHES "I own them in every length."
11. MAC PIGMENT COLOR POWDERS "I seal them onto my face with clear MAC Lipglass."
12. STOLI ON THE ROCKS "To take the edge off before a show."
13. MAC POWDER BLUSH IN FRANKLY SCARLET "With this swept from my cheek to the back of my head, I look part alien, part Nadja Auermann."
14. MAKEUP BRUSHES"Got 'em all: If I'm feeling heavy-handed, I'll even use paint brushes." When we told the people at Curve Fragrances about this story, they donated $1000 to People of Color in Crisis, Inc. (www.pocc.org)—Aviance's charity of choice."My inspiration? Diana Ross. Before there was airbrushing, Diana was honest glam."