Kim Petras on Breaking Beauty Rules and Starring in MAC’s new Viva Glam Campaign

These days, its not a rarity for brands to do good—in fact, it’s pretty much the bare minimum. But before there was Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty Fund or Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Futures Foundation there was MAC’s legendary Viva Glam initiative. The iconic brand has been putting its money where its mouth is since 1994, with 100% of sales of the Viva Glam lipsticks supporting those impacted by HIV/AIDS. In the 30 years since Viva Glam’s launch, MAC has given a whopping $520 million to date and is setting its sights on raising another half-billion to support sexual, racial, gender, and environmental equality.

2024 marks Viva Glam’s 30th anniversary, and the brand is celebrating in a big way with three re-vamped and re-named lipsticks and one brand-new shade. The product’s four color options—including Viva Heart (formerly Viva Glam I), Viva Planet (formerly Viva Glam II), Viva Empowered (formerly Viva Glam III), and the new warm-nude Viva Empowered—now come in a new-and-improved silky matte formula with sleek, luxurious packaging.

MAC is also celebrating with yet another iconic Viva Glam campaign. Joining the ranks of Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and the OG Viva Glam girl RuPaul is Kim Petras as the 2024 face of the initiative. Petras, who made history as the first openly trans artist to win a Grammy Award, stars in the campaign alongside singer Danna Slays.

In honor of the campaign and revamped lipsticks, we caught up with Petras to chat this huge milestone, and her beauty faves and backstage must-haves.

What Joining the Viva Glam Family Means to Her

“I am so excited and proud to join forces with MAC to help raise the next half billion dollars for Viva Glam’s mission of equality for all.  Growing up, I fell in love with the Viva Glam campaigns and its legendary ambassadors, so to have the opportunity to represent the campaign myself and glam for good is truly a pinch me moment.”

On Her Favorite Viva Glam Campaigns

“It’s so hard to choose a favorite campaign, but if I had to pick, I would say either Nicki Minaj or RuPaul’s campaigns. RuPaul set the bar high with the inaugural campaign 30 years ago, which still shows up on practically every mood board ever, all these years later. And I was absolutely obsessed with Nicki’s lavender lipstick from her Viva Glam campaign. I remember running to the store to get her Viva Glam Lipsticks with my friends. And I actually still have her lavender lipstick—or what’s left of it!”

The One Way She Would Describe Her Viva Glam Shoot

“Epic—it’s the only way I can describe it. We had so much fun shooting in London with the MAC team, who has been so collaborative and open to my ideas throughout this entire process. I wore Viva Heart, the original red Viva Glam lipstick shade used in RuPaul’s 1994 campaign, so I felt like I was wearing a piece of Viva Glam history. We have this one image from the campaign where I’m draped in a MAC billion-dollar bill. I truly felt like a billion bucks getting glammed out for good and hope my fans love the images as much as I do.”

The One Way She Loves to Wear the Lipsticks

“The new Viva Glam shade is called Viva Equality, and it’s a mid-tone warm nude shade that looks amazing on everyone and was launched this year. It’s great for everyday occasions, and I sometimes like to wear it just by itself! But my favorite Viva Glam shade is Viva Heart. It’s an intense red shade, which I like to pair with Cherry liner.”

The One Makeup Look That Makes Her Feel 100% Herself

“I always feel most confident when I’m wearing a bold, red lip. I was wearing Ruby Woo, a bright red MAC lipstick when I won the Grammy last year, so it’s a bit of a lucky charm for me.”

The One Beauty Tip That She Learned on Set

“I’m really lucky that I’ve gotten to learn from incredible makeup artists both backstage and on set. First and foremost, skin care is the most important part of makeup and something that’s really important to me personally. Always wear sunscreen, and always take your makeup off at night! That’s probably my number one beauty tip.

“You can learn all the makeup techniques and have all of the best products, but you also need to figure out what works for you and what you like on yourself. So I think my other best beauty tip is that there are no rules about what is beautiful.”

Her One Backstage Beauty Essential

“A product that I can’t do without backstage is my MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ Setting Spray. I love the smell of it and spray it all the time. Skincare is really big in general for me, so I’m also loving MAC Hyper Real SkinCanvas Balm Moisturizing Cream.

“And right now, Viva Glam lipstick is an essential, especially Viva Heart, because that’s what I’m wearing in the campaign images! It’s a really beautiful ’90s muted red, and I pair it with Cherry Liner, and it gives me such a confidence boost.”

Her One Pre-Show Ritual

“I love to relax with my favorite candle, the Gardenia candle by Diptyque. Pleasant smells are my thing. I even have candles on my tour bus! I also like to spend time relaxing before shows with my dogs.”

The One Thing She Wishes She Could Tell Her Younger Self

“I feel so lucky to have had such incredible career milestones to date. Looking back, I would want to share some encouragement about continuing to believe in myself, my artistic vision, my talent, and what I find beautiful, even if other people won’t always necessarily agree. And to remind myself that there is no one definition for what is beautiful. Believe in your vision!”