The Queen Shack

Formspring: What Is The Origin Of Your Drag Name?

2010-02-05T13:02:00.001-08:00

what is the origin of your drag name? 9besides the obvious fayye dunnaway (spelled that wrong)

I'm an avid online gamer. I'd say about 2/3 of my characters are female in any given game. I usually name them amusing, funny names which led me to using drag names as they're often quite funny and witty. I've been named Selophane Wrappa, Faelazao Funnybunny, Imah Debauchery (which I intently considered as my drag name), the list goes on.

I used the name Fayye Tality for quite a few of my characters. Everyone called me Fayye so it just sort of became second nature. I knew at that point that I wanted to be known as Fayye. I was *already* known as Fayye in gaming circles.

Dunrunaway just sort of popped into my head one day out of the blue. I wasn't thinking on this particular subject. It just came from no where.

I love Fay Dunaway. I love her beauty, her style and grace and definitely her acting talents. So it was an easy decision. I've been known as Fayye Dunrunaway since.

Ask me anything

Icy Metallic Look (Inspired by a look of the same name by Blanche Babcock)

2010-02-05T11:22:00.001-08:00

I saw Blanche Babcock’s WONDERFUL tutorial on her new Icy Metallic Drag look. I couldn’t help myself but to try this out immediately! The results are mixed. I like the overall look. But I needed to blend more. It’s uneven in places. I also didn’t shave, foundation or contour this one. It’s all about the eyes.

Formspring: What Is It Like Living In Mississippi And Being Gay And A Drag Queen?

2010-01-31T09:48:00.001-08:00

What is it like living in Mississippi and being gay and a drag queen?

It's not as bad as you might think. I live in the biggest city in Mississippi. Cities tend to be a bit more progressive in general. But even those of my friends who live in small towns, while dealing with 'those' looks and an occasional comment or two, don't have to fear for their lives every day while being openly gay.

That being said, there are places where I would NEVER let it be known that I'm gay for fear of my life. This is the same all over though.

I guess if I had to sum it up in one neat paragraph:
In my experience, Being gay in Mississippi is different only in extremity compared to other parts of the country. We deal with the same issues, the same bigotry and the same lack of civil rights that every other gay person in the country has to confront. Perhaps we have a bit more than our fair share, but it is found all over.

cadbury creme eggs or $50? LOL ;)

I'd choose $50 for sure! Then I could go to amazon.com and order a case of 48 Cadbury Creme Eggs! Hahaha.

Ask me anything

Formspring: I Want To Know If You've Ever Gotten In Trouble With The Law

2010-01-25T15:45:00.001-08:00

You're uber fabulous && i love to read your blog. But, it can't be alll fabulosity, can it? Haha, that's not my question though. I want to know if you've ever gotten in trouble with the law:)

Thank you for the wonderful compliment! No, it's not all fabulosity by any means. The secret is to ONLY show the best of the best. Haha.

The worst I've ever done to be in trouble with the law was a parking ticket one time in 1994. And even that was a mistake. The meter was broken. :P I'm innocent and lawful. *halo*

Ask me anything

Formspring: What Was Your Worst Drag Look And Where Did You Go?

2010-01-25T15:36:00.001-08:00

what was your worst drag look and where did you go

Well, I don't really remember my worst drag look. But this is probably right up there!

Haha. I didn't go anywhere that night. Just me and the doggies at home.

Ask me anything

FormSpring: What Is The Funniest Thing You've Ever Done?

2010-01-19T12:38:00.001-08:00

What is the funniest thing you've ever done?

Wow my memory is shot today. So within the boundaries of my memory, I'd have to say the funniest thing I've done is linked above. Thanks for asking!

Ask me anything

Formspring: What Was The Worst Place You've Traveled To?

2010-01-12T14:47:00.001-08:00

What was the worst place you've traveled to?

I lived in Millington, TN for a couple of months. It was HORRIBLE. I lived just outside the military base there with a couple of friend who were married. He was in the military at the time.

We had no car. Had to walk everywhere. Money was non-existent. The duplex we lived in was cramped, hot and infested with little crawlies from the apartment next door.

The plan was for me to get a job soon after I moved up. But my friend found out that he was being transfered out within in a month or two.

The whole area was scary and depressed. That's all I'm gonna say about it.

Ask me anything

Purples & Pinks Look Using Mostly Dollar Store Makeup

2010-01-02T16:10:00.001-08:00

I'm using Bon Bons Sparkle Dust and LA Colors as well as a NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk

Basic Foundation, Contour & Highlight Routine/Tutorial

2009-12-04T05:00:00.001-08:00

This video shows my basic routine for applying foundation, powder, contour & highlights for a drag look. This is definitely not for every day wear… unless you do drag every day!

Recipe: Tropical Smoothie

2009-11-03T11:57:00.001-08:00

Ok, ok. This is a little off topic for this blog. But I just HAVE to share my recipe for tropical smoothies, especially since The Killer Burrito suggested I do so.

Ingredients:

Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
Milk
Crushed Pineapple
Cherries
- (Add a splash of maraschino cherry juice if you have it)
Sugar or Splenda dissolved in milk
Frozen Banana
Toasted (or plain) Coconut
Banana Cream Pie Yogurt by Yoplait (or other tropical flavor)
Ice Cubes
- (May not be needed if all your ingredients are frozen)

I’m not giving amounts in the recipe because we each have our preferences for thickness and flavor. Just generally have the same amount of liquid to solids.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender except the coconut and a small amount of the crushed pineapple. Blend it until completely smooth. As its blending, add more ice for a thicker smoothie or more milk if its too thick.

After pouring into your glass, stir in a spoon or two of toasted coconut and some crushed pineapple. Don’t add the coconut to the mixture while blending. The texture is not pleasant. Enjoy!

Photos Taken Around Mississippi

2009-11-01T13:03:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few photos that I’ve taken locally (Mississippi) that I thought I’d share. Click for a larger view then click “All Sizes” above the photo on its Flickr page. Most of these photos were HDR processed and tone mapped, some for extreme effect.

Queer Shopping Network (The Conspiracy)

2009-11-01T12:44:00.001-08:00

There is more than meets the eye at QSN! Or is it just in my head? You decide.

(click the video twice for larger viewing)

Wig Styling 101 (Learning. Not teaching!)

2009-10-14T00:14:00.001-07:00

Tonight, I got a bee up my bonnet... or maybe up my wig is a better fit. I recently came into a large selection of wigs from a dear friend who is taking a break from the art of drag. I decided to see what I could do with one. The image to the right shows the original style of the wig. Its a straight, blonde synthetic wig with bangs.

I started out realizing that I have no wig stand/head. I didn’t know at first just how much of a detriment this truly would be.

My search for a solution ran the gamut from a large, stuffed Pot Belly Bear who’s head ended up being much too large, to my own head. I ended up trying to style the wig while on my own head. This was very tiring and much harder than it should have been. Next time I’ll be prepared! I also lacked a couple of tools that would have made the job easier, a comb and a pick.

So knowing I was already starting out with a huge disadvantage, I jumped right in to my first attempt ever at styling a wig. I began by back-combing small areas at a time, then joining them together by back-combing the edges. I left the bangs and a bit down the side untouched.

After having to put the wig back on my head quite a few times after the brush got caught in the teased hair, I just gave up. But I did end up with a very preliminary shape that I’m quite excited about. This styling was FAR from finished, but I think this is pretty good for 10 minutes of teasing with the wrong kinds of tools and no wig head. I’m excited to do this again… the right way.

Here are a few blurry photos of the wig before I gave up and combed it all back out. Just be gentle with the comments. 2 am, bad tools, first time. Give a queen a break!

The Journey: A Personal Story

2009-10-07T16:14:00.001-07:00

This has been posted before, but I moved it to a different youtube channel. This is the result of a Queen A Day challenge about our personal lives. I hope you enjoy.

Queen A Day Challenge (Scary Poem): Zombie? Vampire? Both?

2009-09-25T13:59:00.001-07:00

This week’s challenge was issued by Jessica TheKillerBurrito. A Scary poem was requested. After nearly a week of thought (thank goodness my day is Friday), I finally hit on an idea. Here is the product of my labor.

Patrick Swayze Dies at 57

2009-09-14T17:31:00.001-07:00

Patrick Swayze died today from pancreatic cancer after a long battle of nearly 2 years as reported by TMZ.com and other sources. The news was released by his publicist, Annett Wolf, who said he died with his family at his side.

On a personal note, Patrick Swayze had an impact on my life with his role in To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar where he took the role of a successful drag queen who sets out on a journey across the country… and through our hearts. While this movie is silly and hilarous, it really spoke volumes to those of us who ARE drag queens in real life.

This writer is saddened by the passing of a great actor and beautiful human being.

Sister Mary Fayye or Holy Hell – You choose the title!

2009-09-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

Today, I worked on a self-portrait. While doing so, I inadvertently hid a layer and came up with the following image. I call it Ectoplasmic Fayye.

It’s quite odd, but interesting. After restoring the visibility of the main photo layer and quite a bit more processing, I ended up with the final product below. It wasn’t my intention, but when I look at it now, It looks quite like a sultry Nun. Haha.

Fayye Shaved What?!? Naughty Fayye!

2009-09-12T11:31:00.001-07:00

Being lonely and bored in the wee hours of the morning is a dangerous thing. The Wahl came out. The hair came off… and not just on my head! *blush* Ya know, once you get started with those trimmers, its hard to stop! But that’s a video for a different type of video sharing site. (I’d never!)

Another Candid Look At Becoming Fayye Dunrunaway

2009-09-10T11:23:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, during a raging storm (visible through the window behind the curtain), I applied my drag face for the first time in quite a while. I did it to respond to a video tag from Blanche Babcock.

I used my natural brows this time instead of covering with glue and drawing them on higher. I kinda liked it, although they ended up uneven. And, oh my gawd, don’t even get me started on the blush explosion. I tried to dampen the blast of rouge with white face powder. It worked to a small extent.

Over all, I’m pleased with the final outcome. All of it definitely needs improvement. But for the first attempt at drag in quite a while, I’m quite pleased. I hope you enjoy the video.

(Click the video twice for full size HD version)

Potting a NYX Jumbo Pencil: Quick & Easy How-To

2009-08-31T09:26:00.001-07:00

Last night, I learned how to pot a NYX Jumbo cream shadow pencil. Its surprisingly easy! I recorded my attempt at 2 pencils (below). Potting the cream shadow makes it much easier to use in ways that it wasn't originally meant to be used... as we drag queens often do.

What Is A Drag Queen?

2009-08-25T15:30:00.001-07:00

Statements such as “Drag queens are men who dress like women” are truly simplistic. They tend to reveal more about the person making the statement than about the nature of drag queens.

First, lets begin with what a drag queen is NOT. A drag queen is not a woman. A drag queen is not attempting to be a woman. A drag queen does not want to be a woman (transsexual). A drag queen is not trying to pass as a woman. A drag queen does not dress in drag for sexual pleasure (transvestite).

Now, before I get hateful comments from some of you about how this is not entirely true, I will definitely point out that there are those who do fall into the category of wanting to emulate a “real” or “passable” woman. Drag queens run the full length of the spectrum from straight men to gay men and right on up there to transsexuals who do actually want to pass as a woman or even be a woman in every day life. But even transsexuals who do drag usually keep it seperate from their every day passable look. My point is that the term drag queen does not specifically refer to someone who wants to be a woman.

Now on to what a drag queen is. Drag queens are artists. Drag is, in essence, an art form. It is an expression of the artist’s view, emotions, creativity, etc., all things that art encompasses.

The true essence of being a drag queen is taking that which defines femininity and expressing it in various ways. Some drag queens accentuate feminine lines and curves while others poke fun at the “box” that women were forced into and the roles they had to play in the past to fit into society.

Many drag queens see the struggles of women in the past to fit there societal roles in the sense of beauty as an art form unto itself. Drag is sometimes an expression celebrating those struggles while at other times mocking the forced conformity that society put on women, which is still true to a lesser extent today.

For other drag queens, drag is simply about the essence of beauty, sometimes taken in the abstract or to exaggeration. Shock and/or humor play a large role with some drag queens. Sometimes its entirely about applying a mask to create a performance character.

The beauty of a drag queen is not defined by how much they resemble a natural woman. Make up, hair, clothes, shoes and accessories are very personal expressions that each queen chooses to reveal in their own way. There are uncountable “looks” that range from those who are passable as a natural woman to those who look like a caricature of a woman to those who look nothing at all like a real woman. There is no wrong way to be a drag queen.

In closing, even though this article is attempting to do so, drag queens simply can not be easily defined. Drag encompasses all of the above and so much more. Drag simply defies a true, all encompassing definition.

Queen A Day: Face Painting

2009-08-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

This video is the result of a challenge issued by The Killer Burrito. Her challenge was for each of us to paint our faces to represent an animal. I must say, this was a fun challenge, but it was harder than it sounds. I ended up with sort of a mixed species animal. Lol. I’ll let you guess what it is.

Queen A Day: Limericks

2009-08-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

I issued this challenge to the queens of Queen A Day. It consisted of creating limericks about each of the other 4 queens. This video is my response to my own challenge.

5 Things I Love/Hate (Beauty Edition) Response

2009-07-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Blanche Babcock to list 5 beauty related things that I love and 5 that I hate. Unfortunately, a bad storm caused me to cut it a bit short. The look for this video is a refinement of my Very Berry Pink & Purple look. The eyebrows are still horrible. I’m workin’ on it, my slut muffins.

Queen A Day: The Journey

2009-07-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

This video is the result of a challenge issued by Blanche Babcock in which the queens of Queen A Day were to explain a bit about our past accomplishments, where we are now and where we hope to go.

Queen A Day: Vector Drawing of Rye Seronie

2009-06-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

This video is the result of a challenge issued by The Killer Burrito in which we were to draw a picture of the queen that rules the day after us. I chose to do a vector drawing.

Queen A Day: Crawfish Are Forever

2009-06-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

This video is the result of a challenge by Bridgette Lang called Scaryoke. The challenge was to sing a song but change the words a bit to include the words pantays and crawfish.

Queen A Day: The Queer Witch Project

2009-06-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

This video is the result of a challenge by Blanche Babcock to recreate a movie scene. I took it one step further and recreated a whole movie… in parody form, of course.

Much Ado About Nothing

2009-05-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

After trying out a new very berry pink/purple look, I made a video about it. At this point, It has been so long since I’ve done drag, I’m quite out of practice. One step forward and 4 steps back. But I love the colors!

Fayye + Watermelon Vodka = Shame

2009-05-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, not much to say here. The progression goes like this:

Boredom
Remembering vodka in the fridge
Drinking commences while watching Blanche Babcock on BlogTV
Blanche says I should make a video
Video is made, edited and goes live
Next day, shame commences

(Click the videos twice for full size view)

True Friends Are Hard To Come By

2009-05-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

But here’s one. Matt, A.K.A. LaVonda Shores, is my best friend. Someone that I care deeply about. This (cell phone quality) video takes place at a local bar where LaVonda is quite drunk.

Shows just how silly he can be. I never fail to laugh until I hurt when I’m in LaVonda’s company.

Queen A Day: National Masterbation Month

2009-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

This embarassing video is the result of a challenge by Queen A Day’s Rye Seronie. I have a gnawing feeling that this video will come back to haunt me one day.

No, I’m Not Dead!

2009-05-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

But everyone thinks I am after watching this video. This was originally my introduction to a shared youtube channel called Queen A Day where I rule over Fridays. I share the channel with an eclectic band of queenlets including Rye Seronie, Laura Loveless, Bridgette Lang, The Killer Burrito (Jessica) and Blanche Babcock. I decided to record a different video that was more upbeat for my Queen A Day introduction which can be viewed below.

Original idea for my Queen A Day introduction

Actual Queen A Day introduction video (protruding nipples included)

Covering My Eyebrows for Makeup Application (Updated)

2009-03-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is an updated video on how I cover my eyebrows for makeup application so that I can draw on a different shape. Again, I learned this process from Blanche Babcock’s amazing tutorial videos.

Covering My Eyebrows In Preparation For Drag Makeup

2009-02-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is an older video that shows the process of covering my eyebrows with a glue stick so that new eyebrows can be drawn on with a different shape and/or location. There is an updated version of this video in a future post or just visit my youtube channel. I learned this process from the ever-more-gorgeous Blanche Babcock.

A Candid Look At Becoming A Drag Queen

2008-10-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite videos. It shows the process of becoming Fayye Dunrunaway in a way that I, personally, find amusing and entertaining. The process of applying makeup in ways it wasn't originally meant to be applied can be hilarious and captivating.

Send In The Clowns – A Tribute To Barbra…

2008-10-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

…or a horror story. You decide! The eye shadow is scary. The eyebrows are even scarier. Its fun to look back at my first attempts at drag and know that I'm only slightly better now. Rofl. Practice makes perfect, yes. But only if you DO practice. I rarely have the opportunity to do drag lately. I have some decent tools and makeup these days, but the opportunity is still lacking. Maybe I'm just holding out for a gift of every MAC eye shadow that exists from Blanche Babcock (hint).

The Drag Progression Of Fayye Dunrunaway

2008-09-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from my first attempts at drag long ago. I suggest you invest in a package of depends undergarments if you have a weak bladder. Enjoy!