I Tried Drag Makeup for the First Time at Brigiding’s Masterclass

I got invited to Brigiding’s Drag Makeup Masterclass because Shine Magazine was invited to join, and I really wanted to learn. I am not that confident with makeup.

Usually, I just put on a little bit so I can attend events, take photos, and look presentable. Funny enough, I had also just come from another event where they taught us basic makeup, and then suddenly I was here learning drag makeup. The difference was crazy, but I really wanted to try.

Brigiding, Khianna with a K, Zymba Ding, and the whole team were so kind, smart, beautiful, and very hands-on. Once we started, though, I realized very quickly that drag makeup was on a completely different level from what I normally do. At first, I was having such a hard time. There was a point where I looked at my makeup and I was honestly so sad and disappointed in myself because I genuinely thought, “Am I even going to have makeup on my face by the end of this?”

I was getting stressed, so eventually I asked Khianna if I should just remove everything and start again. They said yes, so I did.

I removed everything and started from the top. Honestly, the second time was so much better because I took my time. I was not rushing anymore. I was listening to what they were saying, but I was also really focused on what I was doing. I really tried to lock in and stop being so nervous. Once I realized that nothing bad was happening naman, I started having fun, and then I started getting it.

One of the things I loved learning was brow blocking. It was crazy to see how much it could change your face. It is definitely time-consuming, but once your brows disappear and you can decide where you want your new brows to be, it changes everything. I wanted mine higher and higher, although as a beginner, I ended up drawing them only slightly above where my normal brows were. So next time, we are going higher.

The team helped me a lot throughout the process too. Brigiding and everyone there were very hands-on, especially when I was confused about what to do next. Abigail, The Pinoy Drag Prodigy, helped me so much as well. They gave me this white theater makeup that was honestly game-changing for the look. There were so many things I would not have known how to use or where to place without someone helping me, and that made such a difference.

Once I started feeling more confident, I became more playful too. I really wanted the makeup to be as colorful as I could make it, so I used a mix of products from my own makeup kit and the products that were gifted to us during the event. Then I just started adding more color, more eyeshadow, more drama. I stopped being so scared of doing something wrong and started enjoying what I was creating.

Then people started complimenting me, and I will admit that I love compliments. But these compliments really changed how I felt about what I was doing. Khianna told me that my eyebrow block was good, and some of the members of Brigiding’s team also complimented the makeup.

They really did not have to do that, and I knew the look was not perfect, but when people who actually know what they are doing tell you that something you did looks good, it really helps. It changed how I felt about the whole look, and more than that, it changed how I felt about what I was doing.

By then, I was way more confident, so I fixed my hair too because ang gulo na niya. Later, they started calling people who wanted to rampa, and I really wanted to. I really, really wanted to. But I got so shy, so I did not do it, and now I regret it. Watching everyone go up there and just have fun made me wish I had tried too. Next time, I definitely will.

By the end of the class, I was so proud of myself. I honestly looked better than I thought I would. It was not exactly what I had imagined at the start because I think I wanted to be a little bit more creative and maybe push the look even further, but I also had to remind myself that this was literally my first time doing something like this. I finished it, and that already mattered.

I also met so many people through the experience. I met Abigail, and now we follow each other on Instagram, so I am excited to watch their shows. There were people who came from different backgrounds and were there for different reasons, but everyone was just having fun, learning, and trying something new. That energy made the whole day even better.

I think the biggest thing I took away from the class is that I want to play with makeup more. Immediately after, I bought a makeup brush cleaner, and I am organizing my makeup kit as we speak. I am already thinking about what I want to try next. I want to be more confident, experiment more, and see what else I can do.

And of course, we also went home with so many products to keep experimenting with. We received goodies from Colourette, Careline, POND’S, Maybelline, and L’Oréal, which honestly made the whole experience even more exciting because I now have even more things to play with after the class. I already made a separate video going through all the products we received because there were so many, and I know I will be reaching for a lot of them as I try to recreate some of the techniques we learned.

I came into the masterclass thinking I was just going to learn a little bit about drag makeup. Instead, I had to start over, got stressed, tried again, got complimented, became more confident, and left feeling completely inspired. I am so thankful I got to experience it.