11 LGBTQ+ Figures On Celebrating Pride And Identity Through Beauty

'Pride means living fully as my authentic self, supporting my Queer community and embracing all the diversity it has to offer. Supporting and showing up for my brothers and sisters and non-binary folks. Pride to me means gratitude, it means anything worth having is worth fighting for, it means love.

'I think being a lesbian gives me a really unique approach to make-up. I’m a woman loving woman. Lesbians are under-represented in my industry. It gives me a unique viewpoint. I have a different energy, I pull from different references.

'But essentially if I’m to speak directly on the experience of working with women as a woman loving woman, I want the women in my chair to feel a similar way as I felt when I started pole dancing. Initially, I started pole classes to feel sexier, but soon after starting I realised I didn’t feel sexier. I felt things that were more important, such as feeling stronger. I see a strong link between my sexuality and my art, I am both things at once and they feed into each other and become one, and that one is me.'

'As two gay men who have been together for over 25 years, Matthew and I have so much to celebrate this Pride. We are proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community. We are proud of the diverse culture we have cultivated here at MALIN+GOETZ. And we are proud to continue to fight for justice and equality… for all.

'We live in a world that was unimaginable for us as teenagers and young men. While homophobia and prejudice are far from being eradicated from the world, we are very fortunate that we live and work in such a growing enlightened circle. When we founded MALIN+GOETZ our mission was to create a brand that would work for all genders, all skin types and all skin tones. To this day we continue to champion diversity and equality by developing products that work for all.'

‘To me, Pride resonates the most with protest because Pride started as a protest about police brutality and violence against queer people and when we stand together against oppression in an intersectional way we can find our true power, but Pride can also be a celebration of those who have achieved equality and visibility. Pride can mean something different to everyone. It can be about being accepted, being celebrated, being seen. We can celebrate it in so many ways, that’s why it's so beautiful.

'Beauty, hair, and make-up were the first pathway to come home to me and celebrate me for me and not what anyone else wanted from me. When I broke those binary moulds and was true to myself, I learned that beauty is about community, inclusivity, and making something that serves everyone. That’s why I'm so passionate about haircare that embraces everybody.

'As we’re celebrating Pride, my message is that you are loved, and especially for our straight allies and people in our community during Pride, make sure you’re having conversations about the Trans Legislation in our justice system and reproductive rights. No matter where you are, we need to advocate for the continued betterment of our community and our wider country as a whole.'

‘I was 16 when I bought my first foundation. The woman who shade-matched me in Boots didn't really know what to do. I was like no, I really want to buy make-up. I really feel like this is my destiny. I think part of my coming out process and part of me working out who I am as an individual was massively supported by beauty. I felt confident when I looked in the mirror because I had my foundation on. Being around different types of people and embracing individuality and embracing creativity through expression with make-up has been incredible.

'I wasn't very confident with my body at all and tanning really saved me in terms of body confidence because I would have to get naked to tan myself. And I would also be around naked bodies (as a professional tanner) all the time. When you're exposed to so many different types of people - especially for me, seeing male models, who I think are so beautiful - then hearing them apologise about their bodies...it made me think well, hang on. Beauty is only through perception. It's all about this journey with yourself.

'As a teenager and in my early 20s, I would apply my make-up in secret. I wouldn't talk about it with anybody. I remember buying a men's Jean-Paul Gaultier bronzer. I think that was the first moment that I felt really included by make-up. Then I started this journey of doing my make-up in public not for anybody else, but for me to be confident about it. I also think there might be somebody younger or somebody who's embarrassed about what they're doing, and I think if they see me, I can be a role model.

'It took me a long time to be proud of who I was. I was attacked in a gay bar just before we launched the brand. It was a difficult moment, but it made me realise that actually, Pride and being proud of your sexuality is so important. Homophobia has not gone away. We need to all come together. Pride is not a rainbow flag in a shop window. To me, it's not about the carnival floats, it's about standing up, being an ally, and using your voice. If somebody is homophobic or something isn't positive, then it needs calling out. Pride is about realising there's nothing wrong with me. I'm not in a minority. Everything about me is okay, it's fabulous.'

'For me, pride means community through being marginalised. It's a celebration of a huge part of me that makes me proud to be who I am. It's also recognising the people who fought for me to even be in a position to celebrate.

'When it comes to make-up, I love experimenting with things that aren't practical looks, and I saw @wendysworld_xox do rainbow lashes, so I might give that a go. Or I might just chuck a load of the Pride colours on my eyelids and see what happens. My favourite look I ever did was Pride-inspired eye patches (above) done solely with make-up.

'I didn't wear make-up until I was 18, and even then I didn't really know what I was doing - I still don't to some extent. I don't have the techniques down, but I know my face and I love how now I can use it to captivate my followers whilst writing a caption that gives them something educational. I love that I get to combine make-up and social politics in my work.

'Ultimately, make-up is really about having fun. I rarely tend to use make-up to "enhance" my features but more so to play around with them. Having a bangin' beat really changes how I feel about myself, and I love that doing make-up is like painting a blank canvas. I can create whatever art I want, whenever I want.'

'Pride month is so important and I’ll be making sure my eye looks are extra bright and scream PRIDE! I love a big blended rainbow eye, something that’s going stand out and certainly make me feel proud.

'For my skin I always use the Kryolan TV Paint Stick for that extra coverage for the stage, and the eyes and face will be my new collab with Bperfect Cosmetics, the Sceptre palette. I'm planning on starting with a smokey dark blue in shade "depth" blended out into "pink lady" and cutting the crease.

Then I'll be going in on the lid with one of my favourite shades from Sceptre called "waste", and for the under eye I’ll be using yellows and greens in shades "bubble" and "gush" to give the most gorgeous smoked out rainbow eye.

My drag make-up is important to me every time I apply it as it’s my armour, however, at Pride it really does feel like you're painting yourself even more proud. You want to stand out. Pride isn’t about being proud to be gay, it’s about being proud that you’re not afraid to be who you are.'

'The most important part of a Pride look is understanding the reasons behind it. Personally, it’s a celebration so there are no rules when it comes to wearing it. You do what you feel best represents you and your community. It doesn’t matter what products you use or how you use them, it’s all about the sentiment.

'A rainbow eye will always look pretty but if you don’t understand the cultural background as to what the Pride flag represents and what each colour means to the LGBTQIA+ community then are you really celebrating Pride or are you just wearing a rainbow eye?'

'Make-up is a funny thing for trans women, especially at the start of our transitions, because it's one thing liking make-up and wearing it because you like it, which I always have since I was a child, and another thing wearing it because you have to.

'At the start of my transition I needed make-up to be seen as female. This took the joy out of it and turned it into a chore, it felt a bit like a prison. As I'm nearing the end of my physical transition though, after years of laser to clear the facial hair, I don't need concealer to colour correct and after endless surgeries to feminise my face I don't need excessive contour. I no longer need to wear make-up, so I can go back to enjoying it and wearing it because I want to rather than because I have to. It's a shame we live in a society that imprisons trans women like this.

'I like a Mariah Carey no make-up make-up look, I'm pretty basic all year round and you'll rarely ever see me wearing any colour, but this Pride month I'm going to give the gays what they want! Colour all the way.'

'My first job was in a department store and I always used to obsess over the beauty counter. It was such a magical place and was the beginning of my queer journey and discovering my identity. Make-up was a gateway for me to begin understanding just who I am, and more importantly what I enjoy creatively. I'm extremely honoured to share my story with Lottie London this year, who are working to inspire creativity and diversity to help other trans and queer people unlock their own Pride.

'When I started learning how to do make-up, I found the "rules" really disarming; Pride is an extra moment to just really tear that rule book up. During Pride, it's our chance to wear every colour on that palette all at the same time and just embrace the ridiculousness of it all! It's so much more fun that way because you're the only person that can decide whether it looks and feels good. '

'For me, Pride in general signifies authenticity, self-empowerment, and growth because this is something that has been fought for so long. To now have the ability to scream out and show your pride to the world is such a beautiful thing. Make-up is such an integral part of this because it's an outlet to express myself and is a huge part of who I am today.

'I feel most confident when my clients are confident in the looks we created together. Going back to Paloma Mami’s rainbow eyes, it was all about creating a chic yet festive look that was still very much like Makeup By Ariel. It’s fun and exciting, the way the LGBTQIA+ community really is.

'My clients are either a part of or huge supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community and together, we have built such beautiful and strong bonds. We are able to self-express with no judgement and we are each other's biggest cheerleaders, and that's so special to me.'