Queens Everywhere!! The Queens of Rupaul’s Drag Race 12 have been Ruvealed!!
Oh Girl!! It’s happening!! Drag Race 12 is almost here, and after that reveal I can’t wait till February 28.
Introduced by last year’s winner Ivy Oddly thirteen fresh new queens paraded the runway all looking fierce.
Going by their introduction videos we’re in for a treat. There is a queen for everyone: Comedy, glamour, horror, sci-fi, fashion, gender f and anime, it’s all there.
Their backgrounds are as fabulous as their looks. We have our first Armenian queen, a queen that immigrated just to join the show, a queen that did America’s Got Talent, a queen that is championed by Adele and various queens that have some well-known drag mama’s.
Meanwhile, mama Ru herself is looking fierce in her trailer. She is looking passionate and ready for business.
It looks like Drag Race UK and AJ and the Queen have given her a new groove.
Check out the Ruveal, the trailer and the queens below.
New Year, New Skin: This year I’ll have spot-free skin…
So we’re well and truly into the midst of January and the start of a new decade. With many amongst you making new year’s resolutions and trying to better yourselves. We at The Gay UK have decided to help you along the way. If your skin has ever caused you insecurities, carry on reading. Our grooming expert Thomas Swallow will have you skin-confident in no time!
This year I’ll have spot-free skin…
Like everyone, we’re all prone to the occasional spot and there are lots of factors that cause the appearance of our little red friends. Some of these are out of our control unfortunately and I’m sorry to tell our younger readers, that hormonal acne is something we can’t get rid of. There are steps we can take however, to keep our skin spot-free and manage hormonal breakouts. The main two are nutrition and our skincare regime. It goes without saying really if we eat a healthy and balanced diet our skin will reflect this. This means cutting down on processed food and instead basing our diets around nutritious whole foods. Don’t be alarmed if your skin seems to get worse when changing your diet. Things like this always seem to get worse before they get better and your skin is no exception. Persevere and reap the rewards.
When it comes to skincare however, it is a little more complicated. The main focus here is controlling your skin’s oil production and there are many ways to go about this. My top 3 tips though would be…
To cleanse your skin twice daily with a lightly exfoliating cleanser
Probably the most important factor in keeping our skin spot-free is to keep it clean. The easiest way we can do this is to wash our face twice daily. Now there’s a myriad of cleansing products out there, all with ‘miraculous’ benefits and selling points. The best way I’ve found of ensuring the product I’m using is doing the job I need it to however, is to make sure it is a lightly exfoliating cleanser. Now when I say this, I don’t mean it’s physically exfoliating my skin twice a day but that there is a chemical exfoliant present within the product, that helps break down all the dirt and oil. Which when living in London, is a godsend!
My current go-to cleanser is Fresh Wash by Monuskin, that uses papaya enzymes to lightly exfoliate the face. Leaving my skin clean and fresh but not stripped.
One of the biggest misconceptions people have when dealing with oily/spot-prone skin, is that they shouldn’t moisturise. This is such a big mistake to make. No matter what your skin type, your skin needs moisture and by all means, I’m not telling you to slap a thick cream all over your face each morning. You do however need to apply something to your skin or it will just became dry and irritated. In the case of oily/spot-prone skin instead of leaving this step out, opt for a gel/mattifying moisturiser. Not only will this keep your skin moisturised and healthy, it will help control shine/oil production throughout the day.
My personal favourite is Recipe for Men’s Anti-Shine Moisturiser. This beauty has seen me through the hottest of London heatwaves and tube rides. Always keeping me shine-free and looking fresh. If you’re familiar with the Central Line, you know this is no easy feat.
Incorporate a clay mask into your weekly skincare regime
Finally masking to many people is a luxurious and unnecessary step in a skincare regime. If you have oily/spot-prone skin however, I think this step is a definite must and by no means does it have to be expensive. By incorporating a clay mask into your skincare regime once a week, you can drastically improve control over your skin’s oil production. The clay mask absorbs excess oil and impurities, leaving skin purified and shine-free.
A great option for this is Bulldog’s Oil Control Face Mask. This inexpensive and effective mask will leave your skin clear and control oil production, when used on a regular basis. Plus it won’t break the bank balance, always a selling-point!
Want more tips from our grooming expert? Make sure to follow him on Instagram and Twitter (@urbanmaleuk) and look out for his next article, where he’ll tackle the age-old question of how to eliminate dark circles.
Officers are appealing for witnesses and footage after a match official at last Saturday’s Millwall v Reading match was subjected to homophobic abuse.
The incident happened in the first half of the match at approximately 15.30hrs in the East Stand and is believed to have involved home fans.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or can provide detectives with video footage is asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or the Public Order Crime Team on 020 8246 9386.
DC Phil Dickinson from the Met’s Public Order Crime Team, said,
“We take any allegation of abuse very seriously and are investigating this matter. If anyone was at last Saturday’s game and witnessed the incident, or has video footage of it, I would urge them to come forward to assist us in our investigation.”
Not all celebrities need a drink to have a good time! In fact, many of them have sworn off the booze for good and are living their best lives.
Frankie Grande
CREDIT: Channel 5/ Youtube
US reality TV star Frankie Grande recently celebrated a year and a half sober. He took to Instagram to celebrate the amazing milestone and released a colourful artwork featuring a picture of him smiling and the words, “sexy, sassy and strong” added.
He also took a moment to reach out to anyone who is struggling with depression or unmanageable or overwhelming feelings to offer the words of encouragement, that you don’t “have to drink and use over them…”
Bradley Traynor
If you’re outside the US, you might be more familiar with Brad’s former alter ego, drag queen Wanda Wisdom, the first-ever drag queen to host her own podcast. She made a big point at the start of every show to say that she was a “single, sober drag queen”. Nowadays, Brad is still sober but works as a presenter on the radio, MyTalk 1071.
RuPaul
Speaking to THEGAYUK in 2014, RuPaul told us, “Well you know I’ve been sober for 14 years. I feel incredible. If you wanna lead a life on this planet there’s an evolution a storyline, somethings get left behind. It’s like a rocket and a fuselage.
“To launch a rocket into space you need to use the fuselage but at some point, you leave Earth’s atmosphere and you don’t need that fuselage anymore and you realise its important to break it off, if you want to move further. My point is you have to be present enough to understand when it’s time to give certain things up, but you also need tools to know how to deal with being present, because sometimes being present is really f**ked up.
“Sometimes you get really bored, sometimes you have a lot of pain, a lot of loneliness, but you need the tools to deal with that otherwise you’re gonna be in a lot of pain”
The writer and creator of some of the best gay stories, like the film Beautiful Thing and Gimme Gimme Gimme, celebrated one year of sobriety in January 2020. Taking to Twitter he wrote,
The Aussie Olympian, Matthew Mitcham is sober and last year celebrated another year sober. He took to Instagram to say, “I also reached another recovery milestone, and I’ve never felt cleaner or serener”.
Zachary Quinto
(C) BIGSTOCK
The actor Zachary Quinto has just celebrated 3 years of sobriety on Instagram, writing, “III years sober today. I guess I wore the right jumper for the occasion. when I think about how far I’ve come and how much I’ve grown and how much more I love myself,” he wrote in the caption. “I’m really blown away. very far from perfect – but perfectly flawed. and working every day to honor and realize my full potential.
“Three years ago I had lost a connection to gratitude almost entirely. today i am brimming with it. for this touchstone. for life’s abundance. for true friends. for support. for the sweet freedom of this journey. may it continue with compassion – curiosity – honesty and above all… LOVE.”
Elton John‘s fight against drugs, drink and eating disorders started in 1990. The music legend was propelled to get sober 28 years ago in 1990 in the wake of seeing how the AIDS scourge inflicted itself on the community. The Fix quotes, “Within six months I became sober, and clean, and have been for the last (28) years.”
Tyler may rap about liquor and meds, but apparently he’s totally sober, he said, “Not to drugs, I never spark it.”
Jake Hook
Songwriter and editor of this very magazine Jake Hook has spoken about the benefits of being sober, including the monetary and well-being benefits. He became sober in the summer of 2014. Speaking about the night before coming sober he wrote, “…one night, when I was alone and I started to drink by myself and after the first half a bottle of Malibu, or whatever it was I was drinking, a thought popped into my head. ‘What am I doing and why am I doing this?’ I wasn’t happy and jolly, I wasn’t being the life and soul of any parties and I certainly wasn’t looking, feeling or acting the sexy beast that I know myself to be! Looking into the mirror, I saw how miserable I had actually become”.
Kelly Osbourne shared a passionate post on Instagram in August 2018 celebrating one year of restraint. She said, “This past year has been one of the hardest years of my life and I feel it’s time share that with you guys,
“To cut a long story short things got really dark … The only way I knew how to function was to self medicate and go from project to project so I never had to focus on what was really going on with me.”
In September 2018, the artist tweeted about being eight years without drink.
“Eight years sober today,” she wrote on September 11, 2018. “I love you, keep going. You can do it.” During an appearance on The Late Late Show, the singer talked about her struggles. She said, “I was a singer already for like 10 or 11 years to mediocre success, and I was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and I sobered up and decided I didn’t want to be an artist any more, “I was starting to get a little bit famous and it was destabilizing in some ways…so I thought, ‘What doesn’t exist in pop music at the moment?’ and it was mystery.”
