From Starbucks sandwiches to Elmer’s school glue, lube, and Chanel perfume, drag essentials never fail to surprise.
A wise old queen once said, If you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready. It’s an idiom top-notch performers swear by, so who better to exemplify that saying than the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9, eight deliciously seasoned queens who know exactly how to bring it to the runway and keep viewers gagging for more?
Just weeks after RuPaul crowned Nymphia Wind the winner of season 16, Mama Ru is revving up for the ninth All Stars installation of the Emmy-winning series, once more rewriting the rules of the beloved show with twists and turns not even the mightiest of lip-sync assassins could have prepared for.
To celebrate the eight iconic returning queens—Angeria Paris VanMichaels, Gottmik, Jorgeous, Nina West, Plastique Tiara, Roxxxy Andrews, Shannel, and Vanessa Vanjie—InStyle asked the dolls to spill what’s inside their Louis Vuitton (Plastique’s, of course) and no-brand (sorry, Gottmik!) bags for the latest installment of Let’s Unpack That. The results? A whole bunch of ridiculousness.
Here to make it clear, Roxxxy, for example, can’t live without dowsing herself in Gabrielle Chanel from 9 to 5, spritzing the fragrance all over to maintain a feminine and floral scent before (and after) hitting the stage. Naturally, the queens also offer endless beauty product recommendations, from Il Makiage Flawless Base Foundation to Göt2b Glued Blasting Freeze Spray and, duh, every Anastasia Beverly Hills product under the big gay sun.
And because it’s Drag Race, hilarious queens like Vanjie carry unexpected goods in their bags, such as lube (“You can use it for your latex outfit… or, it’s multipurpose!”), Elmer’s spray adhesive and glue sticks, or, if you’re Angeria, a Starbucks breakfast sandwich—because drag fuels an appetite. For Jorgeous, blush is key: “These bitches be looking dead—this adds life to your face!”
As for the aforementioned All Stars twists and turns, it’s not hyperbole say this season will be unlike any other given the queens are each competing for a $200,000 cash prize (provided by The Palette Fund) that’ll be awarded to the charity of their choice. Among said charities? The National Black Justice Collective (Angeria); Trans Lifeline (Gottmik); National Alliance of Mental Illness (Gorgeous); The Trevor Project (Nina West); The Asian American Foundation (Plastique); Miracle of Love (Roy); Anxiety and Depression Association of America (Shannel); and ASPCA (Vanjie).
This All Star season’s cherry on top is the lineup of guest judges: Keke Palmer, Alec Papa, Brothers Osborne, Colton Haynes, Connie Britton, Jeremy Scott, Kristine W, Ruta Lee, Stephanie Hsu, and former InStyle cover girl Anitta. So, say it with me: Start your engines, and may the best drag queen win!
The first two episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9 will stream on Paramount+ May 17, with new episodes available to stream every subsequent Friday. (Yes, episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: Untucked will follow each week.)