Ardell Beauty Of The Week Tyler Devlin aka Laila McQueen's

BEAUTY OF THE WEEK

TYLER DEVLIN AKA LAILA MCQUEEN

Meet Tyler Devlin aka Laila McQueen,

ARDELL'S Beauty Of The Week.

Tyler is Queer, Ridiculous, Authentic and is sharing their beauty secrets with us!

AR:	Tell us about yourself?
TD:	My title currently stands as an Emmy award-winning makeup artist for television and stage. However, I have also been a professional drag queen practicing the art of amazing looks and makeup for the past 14 years and counting! I am currently based in Chicago and have always (practically since birth) had a passion for the art of transformation and any creative endeavors that involved that. Whether it be sewing, painting, performing and of course my favorite, makeup.
AR:	Describe your earliest beauty memory.
TD:	When I was maybe 14, I was at the mall with my best friend and her mother and we went to the MAC counter so she could get her usual re-stocks. But of course, I was encouraged by her to leave with an Atlantic blue eye shadow I had been eyeballing because I was convinced that it was the only thing I needed to look EXACTLY like Lady Gaga in the Telephone video.

Photo taken by Eric Magnussen

AR:	Who had the biggest beauty influence on you growing up?
TD:	From a very young age, I was always drawn to strong and powerful women, especially witches in TV and film. Also, anything that had special effects. I always loved watching the BTS of how a crazy transformation, prosthetic or something was applied and created. Beauty as an everyday thing didn’t appeal to me till I was older. I was mainly entranced by getting into a different character as a form of empowerment & escapism.
AR:	What is something that you no longer believe about beauty that you once did?
TD:	I can’t believe there was a time in drag makeup history where I participated in using a credit card or club flyer to contour my temples into the forehead, like what is causing that blunt of a shadow up there?!

Photo edited by Leah James.

AR:	How do you define beauty today?
TD:	This is so cerebral but is it definable? Sure, if you’re going with generalized beauty standards but honestly, it’s all subjective to the person. I definitely have strong opinions on how I like to personally look and that does affect the way I think I look at others makeup and think “what would I do?” but that also, to me, comes off more as a style thing rather than a beauty thing. We all have our own version of beauty and I think that’s for the best otherwise there would be no mold to break, no new inspirations, no new avenues to travel down. Final answer, I don’t have the qualifications to define beauty as a whole, only the style in which I personally gravitate towards!
AR:	Do you have any favorite beauty practices that you swear by?
TD:	I have always used a strategic cream color base on my eyes before applying the coordinating color of shadow so I can always get the brightest and most intense version of that shadow.

“We all have our own version of beauty and I think that’s for the best otherwise there would be no mold to break, no new inspirations, no new avenues to travel down.”
– Tyler Devlin aka Laila McQueen

AR:	When do you feel most beautiful?
TD:	First of all, when I’m not having to rush myself to get ready. But when I really take my time and have all the angles sharp and blended perfectly with the right amount of shimmer, when I look so done up and transformed, not as a character but still as authentically me. Then getting to the club in the nice lighting and that always feels amazing. All of that and having your lashes go on without a hitch too!
AR:	What’s your go-to makeup or skin care routine?
TD:	I’m a chaotic person so I’m unsure what an actual makeup routine is. I feel like it’s always in the ball park of what you usually do but then again different looks require a slightly different process sometimes. My skincare isn’t that wild from most people I feel. I wash and moisturize every day, hyaluronic acid serums, love a weekly purifying and peel mask and I do love a good nighttime retinol!
AR:	What is your favorite beauty trend right now?
TD:	More abstract eyes and liners. It seems popular to be doing right now but it’s so open-ended that no one looks like copies of each other and there is still a lot of room to create different looks.

AR:	What is the best beauty tip you’ve ever discovered?
TD:	This may not be what you mean here but there are so many beauty hacks out there and I think they’re not built for everyone or practicality – more for trends and views. But over the years, I have found throughout my process and the way I like to work that the two things that make a difference for myself, as well as other clients, is good regular skin care and also drawing on new brows (this especially for drag) first. Something about doing them first for me, eliminates the stress of having them not be perfect in a final moment and helps me map out the rest of the face.
AR:	Do you listen to music when you get ready? If so, who is on your playlist?
TD:	It all depends on the mood for the evening. I have a lot of different playlists made for however I’m feeling. They all range from 2000’s emo pop punk to disco and sometimes I’ll just play a movie I love and have seen 1000 times in the background instead.
AR:	What would someone never guess about you?
TD:	Birds really creep me out and it takes me an embarrassingly long time to write simple emails.
AR:	What's next for you?
TD:	I’d like to continue to work great jobs that let me create my stamp of beauty on others in this world, working with awesome friends and continuing to help tell queer stories of others. Oh and also hopefully another Emmy ;)!

Photo taken by Eric Magnussen

AR:	In addition to making people feel beautiful, how do you like to spend your free time?
TD:	I love being an idiot with my friends, truly with no pressure or stress. Whether it be going out and dressing up or just staying in and watching movies. I also love going to haunted houses when it’s that time of year and I love aquariums but only when there are no children or field trips there haha!
AR:	What is one of your favorite inspirational quotes?
TD:	The very first one to come to mind is a quote from Candy Darling: "I will not cease to be myself for foolish people. For foolish people make harsh judgments on me. You must always be yourself, no matter what the price. It is the highest form of morality." – Candy Darling
AR:	Describe what the perfect "day off" looks like to you.
TD:	At my best friend’s pool being idiots with no obligations and lots of movie quotes and laughter. Like if an episode of Absolutely Fabulous was by the beach and Saffy wasn’t there. Or going out with friends to as many haunted houses as possible in one night.

RAPID-FIRE: ARDELL BEAUTY QUESTIONS

AR:	What are your favorite ARDELL lash styles? Why?
TD:	These have been my absolute favorites as of lately: Been LOVING to cut up a 387 for a really intense spikey bottom lash. TexturEyes 583 is great to cut in half and use on the tail ends of the eye to subtly enhance a cute smokey eye when out of drag. Also for this, a lot of the Light As Air lashes are also amazing for this kind of look. BBL Cheeky is such great drag lash that can be stacked on top of others or worn by itself for an impactful and long but not super dense lash. Also, just a staple in my kit since I almost always stack lashes – I always use the classic Wispies to help create a stack that intensifies every pulled back intense cat eye I do on myself and others
AR:	What keeps you coming back to ARDELL lashes?
TD:	They have always been a great reliable staple in my kit since before I ever even knew how to properly apply lashes! They’re great in helping create beautiful stacks or just keeping it simple and effective – versatile!
AR:	What is the trick for the perfect ARDELL lash application?
TD:	Using multiple pairs! Cut them up, stack them and customize!
AR:	Best ARDELL lash style for an everyday look
TD:	There are so many styles and it depends on the shape of your face, but my go-to is always something wispier rather than dense, like the Light As Air lashes in 522.
AR:	Best lash style for an all-out Glam look
TD:	I feel most glam with a big ole customized BBL set on top. Especially with my new fave, a cut up 387 on the bottom lash line.
AR:	Mascara on top of Lashes or Nah?
TD:	Mascara is always a must to help blend!
AR:	What other ARDELL products do you use + love?
TD:	Cannot go a day without using the Stroke A Brow pens!
AR:	What is your go-to DUO lash glue formula?
TD:	Been loving the 2-in-1 Brush-On adhesive, it goes with me in all my travel kits!