Beyond Drag Race: Miami's Drag Queen Culture Runs Deeper Than RuPaulCarolina del Busto, Aug. 16 2013, 12:00 PM
The round bulbs illuminate the large mirror as Luis Alvarez-Schacht stares at his reflection for inspiration. He cocks one eyebrow up, moves his head from right to left checking his angles, and takes a deep breath.
Looking down at the organized mess of make up overflowing from Ziploc baggies and an even larger canvas makeup bag, Alvarez-Schacht picks out the right tools for his craft, and then gets to work. He spreads latex glue on his eyebrows to keep them from moving. It's all about the eyes, so as the glue dries, he plays around with eye shadow palettes and chooses the right brushes. As he paints his eyes and adds color to his face, his body movements become more fluid, and his transformation from Luis to Lola is in full effect.
Two and a half hours later, Lola St. Lords emerges, and she is beautiful.
Alvarez-Schacht is a drag queen, loud and proud. But this queen is unique, because she belongs to the House of Lords here in Miami.
