“Makeup should be fun, not fascist.” – Kevyn Aucoin
After years of predictable themes for its annual couture derby – florals, romance, camp – the 2025 Met Gala boldly sashayed into the culture wars with a challenge to the class, race, sexuality, and gender norms of high fashion. Anna Wintour’s 2025 choice of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style celebrated the haberdashery and exhibitionism of an iconic, fashionable archetype – the dandy. Clearly an homage to the late André Leon Talley, Vogue’s flamboyant Editor-at-Large whose career and wardrobe signaled the aspirations of black, gay dandyism, the 2025 Met Gala theme reframed a storied sartorial chapter with the aesthetics and silhouettes of black and queer subcultures.
“One of the many things the late Kevyn Aucoin respected and embodied was being able to look through the lens of identity and power, and taking the opportunity to challenge rigid categories and confinement.” – Makeup Artist Sasha Borax @sashaborax
While dandyism at its core is about painstaking tailoring, it’s as much about signifying one’s presence, allure, and identity in public spaces, be they crowded urban thoroughfares or coveted soirees, with bold choices of color and silhouette. This esprit de peacocking, especially in queer, urban spaces peaked in NYC circa 1988 with the club kid subculture. Though overshadowed by “The King of the Club Kids” Michael Alig’s descent into drugs and murder, the campy, dance-centric, club kid scene and aesthetic flowered in the spirit of self-liberation. Nights at the Limelight, the club kid Mecca, elevated the expression of one’s individuality through outré fashion and makeup into performance art.
“Transformation and self-expression have always been at the core of how I approach beauty, so working with Kevyn Aucoin Beauty was a seamless fit for this look. ” – Makeup Artist Sasha Borax
In a year of anti DEI bombast and reforms dedicated to erasure and revisionist history, black and queer articulations signal a resistance that is anything but trendy and fleeting. It’s a long-running corrective history and celebration of “The Other,” the same ethos which makes NYC’s annual Pride Parade a defining holiday in the constant battle against erasure.
“The beauty story wasn’t about symmetry—it was about subversion.” – Makeup Artist Sasha Borax
To honor the spirit of pride, camp, and glam at the heart of queer culture, this Cole Escola makeup tutorial not only breaks down how to achieve a striking full face beat that’s equal parts subversive performance art and edgy editorial. It also commemorates the legacy of Kevyn Aucoin, a leading gay trailblazer in makeup and self-expression on the 24th anniversary of Kevyn Aucoin Beauty, and cements Cole Escola’s historic Tony win.
“Kevyn always said there are no rules in makeup…“That’s the lens I applied to Cole’s look—taking editorial risks and creating something beautifully unexpected.” – Makeup Artist Sasha Borax
In the same glam-loving subversive spirit, Cole Escola, the non-binary actor who wrote the Pulitzer finalist play Oh Mary!, and starred in the titular role of oft-maligned first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, worked with MUA Sasha Borax to create a beauty look from Kevyn Aucoin Beauty. The cheek, eye, and complexion essentials were a perfect match for the daring, colorful pattern of their flamboyant, tailored suit by Christopher John Rogers.
“I wanted to play off the boldness of the color and pattern to embrace Cole’s personality and playfulness when it comes to makeup.” – Makeup Artist Sasha Borax
In a creative whirlwind just hours between back-to-back Broadway performances of Oh Mary!, Cole Escola and Sasha played with numerous colors, finishes, textures, and silhouettes to collaborate on a moody, dramatic beauty look that “redefined transformation—and the very meaning of “glam.” From ombre blush to eyeburst lashes and porcelain sculpted skin, Sasha leaned into the beauty of bold contrast to elevate Cole’s look into a piece of performance art. Each detail echoes the themes of defiance and subversive by way of camp, while paying homage to Kevyn Aucoin’s intrepid artistry while struggling to live as an openly gay man.
From KAB’s perennial bestsellers and favorites, Sasha started with several barely there layers of medium coverage The Etherealist Foundation to prepare the canvas with a breathable, luminous lit-from-within complexion. The light-weight foundation serves up light-diffusing particles and high-definition pigments with hyaluronic acid for hydration and a flawless finish. Cole’s eye-catching, technicolor pink cheek resulted from multiple layers of Neo Blush in Rose Cliff. The uniquely-packaged gradient of shades and textures in pearl, satin, and matte can be customized for endless ultra-pigmented hyperreal color payoffs for multi-dimensional, blinding cheeks.
“I approached this year’s theme by spotlighting transformation and tailored self-expression through the art of makeup. I wanted the makeup look to contrast Cole’s vibrant suit, pulling from editorial influences to add edge and visual interest with the spikey spider eyelashes I adorned Cole’s blue eyes…”– Makeup Artist Sasha Borax
On to the central focus of the elevated Club Kid Look – eyes. Expertly applied layers of long-lasting gel-based kajal In Perspective Eyeliner Pencil to be smudged to for all manner of smokiness, followed by sharp flicks of The Precision Liquid Liner for maximum definition and drama, achieve a gaze both bright-eyed and alluring. To set the stage for multiple layers of bold, ultra-long, strip lashes, apply several sweeps of the ultra-pigmented, jet black tubing Volume Mascara for length and definition.
For a full, flirty, photo-op-worthy lippie, it’s all about the liner. In a nod to 90s supermodel glam, Unforgettable Lip Definer in Divine, a mid-toned brownish mauve, line over the cupid’s bow for a pouty silhouette. Top off with Glass Glow Lip in Prism Rose to finish with a glassy, reflective, iridescent glaze. The non-sticky, antioxidant, Vitamin E, and ceramide-enriched formulation glides on effortlessly.
“The overall beauty look was to capture that essence in a way that reflects Cole and the desire to create their own definition of beauty and honor those who paved the way.” – Makeup Artist Sasha Borax
Happy Pride Weekend!!
