Princess Gollum (a.k.a. Josephine Pearl Lee) has had a busy 2021. The Korean American model appeared in Amazon Prime’s Savage Fenty presentation, walked down Kim Shui’s New York Fashion Week runway in a cowboy hat, and explored the new world of philanthropic NFTs alongside Cynthia Erivo and Suki Waterhouse.
Also this year, during an admittedly rare Instagram Live post, the Los Angeles–based artist, who catalogs her work under the account Spitsnot, decided to shave half her head. “I never do live!” says Lee, laughing, adding that the move was inspired by medieval beauty standards. After the modern-day DIY cut, she received a surprising nod of approval: “My mom complimented me; she was like, ‘That looks really good; it opens up your face,’” she remembers. It was her mother who coined the name Princess Gollum after the two watched the Lord of the Rings films together, and it stuck.
For today’s Extreme Beauty transformation, Lee’s look has evolved from DJing underground parties in vintage nighties to more extraterrestrial territory. “I’ll be taking you step-by-step into a pink alien look,” she announces from a swinging Lucite bubble chair. First, she dips her hand into a tub of gooey moisturizer. “This is my favorite,” she says of CosRX’s Advanced Snail 92 cream. “I really like the slimy stuff.” Next, she applies pointed prosthetic ears and an oversized, made-in-Hollywood mouth. “This alien, she’s a bit delusional, but she also might be a genius,” says Lee. “She moved to Hollywood to become a big star, and naturally you move to L.A. and you get lips.”
A bubblegum complexion requires mixing “the perfect shade of pink” and baking the foundation with setting powder. “I learned this from a drag queen,” she says of the long-wear trick. As Lee maps out the dimensions and curves of her look with eye shadow and lipstick, she reflects on her experience in the modeling industry. “There are definitely hurdles that I go through—being 4 feet 11 is kind of unheard of, unless you’re a child,” she says of recognizing the challenge and using it as motivation. “I want everyone to have equal opportunities, and I do it for the freaks. It’s hard for us to find our place in the world; you really have to, like, wear a mask.”
For all the latest fasion News Click Here
