I’m the glam youngest ever winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race – but I barely spend a penny on makeup, says Krystal Versace
KRYSTAL Versace is the fierce and fashion-loving drag queen who made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race aged 19.
Fans and followers of the glamorous star will be accustomed to seeing her dressed to the nines with immaculate makeup.
And they’d be forgiven for thinking Krystal – real name Luke Fenn -splashes out a fortune each month on expensive designer makeup products to keep up with her ever-changing looks.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Surprisingly, Krystal, now 21, insists she spends no more than £50 a month and often doesn’t actually need to spend a penny at all.
In an exclusive interview, she said: “I really don’t spend that much money on makeup at all. It’s probably the one thing I do not spend money on. A month it would probably be £50, if that. I can’t remember the last time I bought makeup.
“The thing is my s**t lasts. I use heavy stuff. Obviously I get PR, I’ve got a team where if there’s new makeup I get sent it to try it out so I rarely rarely buy new stuff. The stuff I spend money on are wigs.”
Not only is Krystal open to experimenting with style – her iconic eye makeup is instantly recognisable among drag fans – but Krystal is broadminded when it comes to cosmetic procedures too.
She has spoken before about having work done to her nose and chin as well as fillers in her lips and cheeks.
Recalling her mum’s reaction to her first procedure, Krystal said: “I remember when I got fillers and my mum was like ‘oh my God, you’ve changed your face’. I was like ‘babe, we literally all change something about ourselves whether we’re getting our hair coloured, whether we’re getting it cut, getting our nails done, anything like that. We’re all accessorising what we were born with’.
“I think if you get surgery, if you get fillers, all of it, we’re all accessorising what we’ve been given so I don’t know how getting your lips done and surgery on your face is different to having a body covered in tattoos.”
Since winning Drag Race in 2021, Krystal has concentrated on brand collaborations, glitzy events and has even had her own BBC documentary series Keeping Up With Krystal Versace.
The access all areas series let fans into every aspect of Krystal’s life and showed just what goes in to being one of the country’s premiere drag acts.
While she was pleased with the result, Krystal admitted the programme took it out of her both mentally and physically.
Explaining why she felt motivated to take on the project, she said: “I really wanted to have control over something where I’m not being chucked into a Drag Race where it’s literally like a machine where you go in, you sign a contract and they do what the f**k they want with you.
“I wanted to do something and make it about the reality and the side of things you don’t see on reality TV when it’s produced. I think that really came across, me and my family, how I work with people, both my blood family and my chosen family, how they work with me, the arguments we have, the cries we have.
“People don’t realise the behind the scenes work, they just see me turning up at an event doing this, doing that and you forget how much it takes and the amount of people that inspired me. It’s a nice way to show who I am and how I am.”
Drag Race season five will soon be upon us and Krystal can’t wait to see what the latest batch of hopefuls have to offer.
She even teased an appearance from one of her inner circle.
“It’s going to be an exciting season,” said Krystal. “People forget how small the community is, especially in London, a lot of girls have been on previously so word gets around quick, people find out things here and there and, obviously, I’m still part of that family, so… there could or could not be someone from the house of Versace, who knows.”