Blu Hydrangea, RuPaul's DragCon UK

Following the debut season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, January saw the launch of RuPaul's DragCon at Olympia London, in which fans of the BBC Three show had the pleasure of meeting a star-studded line-up of home-grown queens and their American sisters for photo opportunities, panel talks and live performances. Among them was my favourite queen of Drag Race UK, Blu Hydrangea, who demonstrated her makeup magic on reality TV star Harry Derbidge for a panel sponsored by MUA Cosmetics. Even when the Belfast queen was throwing friendly shade at her Essex bezzie Cheryl Hole, Blu had cast a spell over DragCon in pixie princess regalia by Call Me Sophia, featuring blue ostrich feathers, diamante heels and a mint green wig. 

DragWorld 2019

August has been an exciting month for UK drag, and smack bang in the middle was DragWorld. Starring kings, queens and artists in between, the weekend-long convention at Olympia London is an annual celebration of modern drag, featuring runway performances from acclaimed UK talent, panel talks discussing all aspects of drag culture and the entertainment industry, meet-and-greet opportunities with renowned drag personalities, and traders supplying everything one might need to transform themselves from Joseph Kent to Aqua Lunge. (Yes, that's my new drag name, and you can follow her on Instagram.)

Poking my camera around last year's event, my eyes and mind were opened to the rich diversity of drag artistry beyond the limelight of reality television. That said, there's no denying that RuPaul's Drag Race - which recently announced the competitors for its long-anticipated UK edition - has elevated this entertaining artform from downtown clubs to the international stage, and certainly Europe's largest drag convention would be foolish not to embrace it. Queues to meet the stars of the show snaked across the floor in every which way, turning the exhibition hall into a colourful Tetris board of drag enthusiasts.

Among the US queens at this year's convention were country singer Trixie Mattel, All Stars 4 winner Trinity the Tuck, and the chunky yet funky Latrice Royale. Although my favourite moment from the weekend was spotting Willam of Season 4 and Race Chaser fame cruising nonchalantly on a hoverboard in Balenciaga platform Crocs and rainbow rocker hair (see above).

But while the queues for the American queens were long and winding, the UK queens commanded the crowds at the catwalk stage, where the likes of Meth, Poppycock, Tayce and Ellie Diamond brought the house down with sensational lipsync and dance performances. Manchester queens The Family Gorgeous, a few of whom I had the pleasure of shooting last summer, also met with fans of their new Channel 4 makeover show, Drag SOS. And the All Drag Is Valid movement, founded by Nottingham drag queen Luna Moon, returned to campaign for greater diversity and inclusivity within the drag industry.

DragWorld is a weekend brimming with as much joy as it is with padding, and much like London Fashion Week, I hope it's an event I shall continue to photograph for many more years to come. Perhaps in time, I too shall perfect my own drag persona and - should I find the confidence - take to the stage myself. Until then, however, I very much look forward to attending more drag shows and getting to know the real tucking deal.

Medusa

As part of my ongoing exploration into drag and make-up artistry, I like to add a little pizzazz to my fancy dress ensembles. As I have endeavoured to achieve every year, I should add. Although the creativity displayed lately by many amazing Instagram accounts has inspired me to be ever more ambitious with my chosen themes. Among my current favourites are @artbeautychaos from Bournemouth, and @ben.seagren from Colorado, both of whom go above and beyond the normal realms of make-up.

For this year's Halloween look, I'm fusing horror with gilded glamour, as I re-imagine the mythical Medusa with a gaze that turns enemies to gold. I must confess I'm not adept at constructing fully-fledged costumes, therefore I focus more so on face, face, face! This particular look is inspired by my growing obsession with gold make-up, and an especially snazzy pair of Twisted Tailor snake-print trousers. If Versace made monsters for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, I'd like to think this wouldn't be far from the final cut.

Visit my Instagram for a full list of products used in my Medusa look

DragWorld 2018

It's September - I've moved back in with my parents to save for a house, my possessions are currently occupying two bedrooms, and there are cats everywhere I turn. I also have time again to focus on my blog (hooray!), time previously spent trundling up and down the A3 and sighing at traffic jams. And with London Fashion Week fast approaching, the prospect of sifting through a thousand-plus runway photos doesn't seem quite as daunting.

Another runway I've come to love is the drag show kind. Since my friends and I became obsessed with RuPaul's world-renowned reality show, I've begun exploring drag artistry both within and outside the Drag Race bubble. Because what stuck with me most from my hours glued to Netflix wasn't the challenges or lipsync battles, it was the often amazing transformations from man to queen - the fashion, the make-up, and the drag personas.

DragWorld at Olympia London was the perfect occasion to explore drag culture in person. There were numerous meet-and-greet opportunities, panel talks covering all aspects of drag, and back-to-back stage performances. I was especially eager to meet the stunning UK queens (Cheddar Gorgeous, Anna Phylactic and Meth to name just a few), who serve as an important reminder that drag has never been exclusive to America or reality television. And as far as looks went, might I be bold in saying theirs were unequivocally more eccentric than those of their Drag Race counterparts?

Combining inspiration from drag and makeup artists alike with my own personal quandary of gender identity, I had hoped this summer to reveal my very own drag persona. Regrettably however, a private début among close friends highlighted I still had significant "glowing up" to do, therefore many weekends have since been spent practicing make-up techniques, and - perhaps more importantly - finding a style of drag that is comfortable for me. I picked up plenty of new ideas from the queens of DragWorld, so please expect at least one drag-inspired look from my upcoming Fashion Week frolics. Provided, of course, I don't smudge my contour with my camera.