6 Days Till Mermaid Parade and All We Have Is Our Eye Makeup

1996, the end-of-school-year show schedule, what to keep at your desk for daily Global WTF moments & a heads up you'll see me again tomorrow.

You’ll see that this photo illustrates the eye look Im going to perform below, but I wish I’d never smoothed out my under-eyes in Facetune, cause it will forever look bizarre. This is a reminder to myself to leave my face alone... I was clearly feeling insecure 2 summers ago when I snapped this in the car.

The first time I heard about the Mermaid Parade was in 1996 while living at Loeb Hall, one of the Parsons dorms in the East Village. I knew it was for me when I heard it was a parade celebrating ocean life, with embellished fishnet body stockings, diy floats, and pretty much no commercial or corporate affiliations. I was a bit of a loner (yeah that art school cliché) so I didnt actually make it to one till I was much older and confident enough to make a plan on my own without the support of a group.

My group being my family.

Every June since my daughter Freddie was a toddler, we’ve cut up vintage outfits or antique fabrics and made them into costumes for the parade. Last year my friend Zaldy gave us some leftover sequined yardage from Rupaul’s looks, but that was a one-off and Im still in shock. Most of the time our looks are reminiscent of mermaids, but its more about color, texture, and movement.

It always starts with fabrics...And often times I end up glueing them or pinning them if theres no time to sew.

Now that we’re in school, the parade itself falls within days of finals school presentations and performances so there’s too much going on for me to figure out how to make it all happen seamlessly (without being one of those phony moms who makes it all look perfect online and then everyones left wondering if theyve failed at life.) Im trying to figure this out too. Are you all aware there are 2 weeks between end of school and camp?

I do have our makeup.

My art studio is full of wildly unglamorous materials these days, but I do keep a small tray of “emergency makeup” on my black lacquered desk which faces a window with perfect vanity light. At work I generally keep my face makeup free, just mascara and lipstick (do I get these both tattooed, to discuss). But the last couple of months Ive been feeling the need to brighten up my day with a quickie swoosh of blue on my eyelids. A five minute break from work to doom scroll and Im reaching for this tray. Its so simple, but it can brighten up your day, warn everyone around you they’re about to experience a Liz Taylor/ Divine/Cleopatra/Debbie Harry/Chappell Roan proportioned vibe shift, or just give you a reason to go out after work instead of going right home.

Here is how I do mine, 2 different ways, both like 45 seconds:

Ive been using About Face for ages, the founder of 90s brand Hard Candy founded it with singer Halsey, and the colors are SO saturated. You’ll have one tube for years. Before we go further, I should tell you Im wearing the worlds best camisole which Ill be wearing all summer. The neckline is at the perfect spot and its long enough to both tuck in and/or cover the tush. Great for working at studio too. (If you have a favorite please drop in the comments)

First eye starts with the creamy crayon, its a bit lighter but the perfect shade of blue called “creature” so you really get the Debbie Harry in her Warhol portrait eye.

This one is more of a paint, it seems scary but its friendly… you cant mess this up. My favorite shade of this one is “Blue Monday” but there are several shades of blue.

After filling out each eye with its own blue technique, I decided to complete both eyes with the second one, the eye paint. You’re probably asking how the F do we get this off our face… great for all day events, sweaty Mermaid Parades, crying (a lot lately). I use these wet wipes from CVS and I follow up with a balmy cream afterward.

This weeks lip is one from Violette FR that I had a few years ago and I finally found in my daughters secret stash (always check the 6 yr olds stash).

Question is, do I just keep this face on till Sunday’s parade…..

Here’s a sneak peak at drawings we’re working on for next weekends costumes…

We each go to our own art areas and draw, then we combine ideas to make our final looks.

See you soon… The good news is, it always works out.

Believe it.

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