Vanessa Davis

When junior Triston Moon was six years old, he got into his aunt’s closet. As he sat before an array of her clothing and makeup, he started to experiment with things he only saw women using. He played with eyeshadow, lipstick and blush, sweeping products all over his face. He then dug through her closet and put on one of her dresses, tossing the material around his body. He sat down and pulled up a pair of knee high leather boots to the tops of his thighs. Moon stood up and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

He felt like himself.

Moon hobbled out of the room, and his aunt and cousin saw him. Worst case scenarios flashed through his mind. After all, he was a boy. He always thought he wasn’t supposed to do things that girls do. While his aunt was startled at first, his family thought he looked great.

“It was fun to have a place where I could do it and not be judged,” Moon said. “For them to react that way and say it wasn’t a big deal was comforting.”

In fourth grade, Moon saw another man wearing makeup on TV. It was Derrick Barry, a Britney Spears impersonator. The man lip synced to a Britney song, whipping his platinum blonde wig around and strutting around the stage clad in a full face of makeup. Moon watched, hypnotized.

“That was the very first time I saw a boy wearing makeup,” Moon said. “I used to go on Youtube and watch that video every day.”

Barry’s performance was what first got him motivated to do makeup on himself. At first, Moon wanted to be a drag queen. But after a while, he decided it was more than that.

“It’s not just a performance,” Moon said. “This is me.”

• • •

Though he now realizes putting makeup on people is what he wants to do for a career, Moon spent three years watching makeup tutorials on Youtube before ever touching a brush. He wanted to learn as much as possible before he ever put makeup on others. He would observe every last detail, ensuring that when he was ready to try it, he would be an expert.

“I would study what products they were using, how they were using them, what brushes they were using, how they were holding the brush,” Moon said. “Just intensely studying every single thing they were doing. And it helped a lot.”

Nov. 20, 2015 was the first time he wore a full face of makeup. He had just received all the products he ordered in the mail, and finally felt prepared to apply them. He caked them all on—an array of high end brands, including Jeffree Star, Kat von D and Benefit.

Moon remembers he didn’t wear any eyebrow products—a staple for him now. He didn’t wear his typical winged eyeliner or vibrantly colored eyeshadows. He said he had powder all over his eyebrows and mascara clumped around his bottom eyelid. But in the moment, all that didn’t matter.

“I looked like a ghost,” Moon said. “But I felt great. Never wanted to take it off.”

Even though Moon said his look was far from perfect, he was thrilled to watch himself transform as well as practice his talent.

“What’s inside is [visible] now. It was really exciting because I was starting a new chapter in my life that I’ve wanted to start for so long,” Moon said.

Moon decided to send a picture of himself to his 63 year old grandmother, Janie D’anna. As soon as she saw, D’anna sent him a long text back. You are beautiful inside and out and I love you, she wrote. When she first saw a picture of her grandson in makeup, D’anna said she felt proud.

“I was in awe of the talent he had,” his grandmother said. “It was breathtaking to see that. I was just in awe.”

Moon said his grandmother is one of his biggest inspirations. Even when he would dance around in her leopard print cape and fur hat, she thought nothing of it. To her, that was Triston.

“I told him when he was a brand new baby, I said, ‘You are meant to do something special and you will do it,’” D’anna said. “And I knew he was going to be a very special child.”

Though the two are generations apart, D’anna is her grandson’s biggest supporter, fan and best friend.

“He has taught me and showed me how beautiful souls really are,” D’anna said. “I always knew, but he’s given a new dimension to it.”

Moon and his grandmother sit together on a bench on the backyard porch. D’anna is his biggest inspiration, his “glam icon.” When D’anna was younger she said she always wore bright makeup and leopard print, and she said she sees a reflection of herself in her grandson. As she recounts their similarities, D’anna pauses in thought.

“I’ve written Triston a letter,” D’anna says.

Triston smiles and cocks his head, surprised.

“I don’t know about this,” Moon says. His grandmother looks at him, nods, then continues.

“It was along these lines—use the people who hurt you as a stepping stone,” D’anna said. “And use those stepping stones as a means to grow.”
Moon starts to tear up. He lays his head in his grandmother’s lap and wipes his eyes, curling up close beside her. D’anna traces her fingers through his hair, staring off into the distance.

“Grow in a manner in which God would have you grow,” D’anna says. “And I promise you, it will all come out okay.”

• • •

When junior Amber Harrell first saw Moon’s Twitter, she was amazed by his makeup skills. The next day, Harrell asked her new friend if he would do her prom makeup. At first, she was nervous.

She said she was skeptical because she had never had her makeup done professionally before. But once Moon was done, Harrell loved the final product.

“It was a really fun experience and he did a really good job,” Harrell said. “He’s the only person I trust to do [my makeup].”

Even though this was Harrell’s first time getting her makeup done, she could tell Moon was different from other makeup artists. He ensured Harrell felt comfortable, interacting and making sure she loved her look. Moon also gave her tips so that her makeup would last all night long.

“I’ve been with friends to get their makeup done and none of them are like Triston,” Harrell said. “They’re not willing to help you like he is… He’s really good about listening to what the client wants.”

• • •

After graduation, Moon is planning on attending a beauty school to perfect his makeup skills. His main choice is Paul Mitchell. As soon as he visited the campus and saw the atmosphere, he knew he wanted to attend.

“I was texting everyone about it, ‘I’m so excited to do this, it’s gonna be so much fun,’” Moon said. “It was really surreal.”

While Moon doesn’t expect to attend Paul Mitchell until next year, he continues to refine his skills, using his own face as a canvas. He posts pictures of himself wearing makeup on Twitter to showcase his work. But Moon has learned not everyone agrees with men wearing makeup.

Even though hate comments seem to flow on a daily basis, Moon glows with confidence. He said he is comfortable with himself and knows who he is.

“People ask me, ‘How do you handle the hate?’” Moon said. “And I always say, why should I focus on all the people who hate me when I have so many people who love me?”

And no matter what, Moon wants to be a role model for others. He said another reason why he posts his work on social media is to let other young people know that they too can be their true selves.

“I just want to inspire people because I want to show that being yourself is okay,” Moon said. “No matter what field I’m working in, I want to inspire other people. I want to leave a mark on their lives, because I feel like that’s what I was put here to do.”