Reply To: Transgender Tips: Makeup, Clothes, How-to Ideas

[mizzhoopz]

Hello,

So I’ve been on hormone therapy for the past 10 years and I’m 30 years old. Here are some tips that I’ve found that have worked for me when it came to passing and wearing make up:

Foundation:
I’ve found that using a foundation that has either a satin or skin finish worked best for my skin(Combination oily the first 3 years of HRT, now Combination dry) and blended from the center of the face outward to give the most natural and skin like finish so I didn’t end up with cake face or look overdone. Also, for oily skin users a Matte foundation buffed in will look more skin like as it blends with your oils.

Concealer:
I found that using utilizing Bobbi Browns technique of layering little bits of different types of concealer onto each other gave me the best and most natural looking coverage. Let’s use the eye area as an example. If I was using a liquid foundation I would apply some of that under my eyes thinly, as foundation these days gives such good coverage. I would then take my favorite concealer in one shade lighter, or with an undertone that would correct the tone of my under eye imperfections and apply a thin layer. I would then take a powder mineral concealer to give additional coverage, as well as set whatever liquid or cream product I have just applied and blended. My favorite is the Summer bisque powder concealer from bare minerals. This would give me a nice coverage without having to apply tons of concealer.

Contouring:
I use to love contouring, but as time went on, the more and more I didn’t appreciate how it took away from my natural look. Countering can be done nicely when the right products are utilized. I personally like to utilize darker foundations with the correct undertone to contour, rather than opting to bronzers. These days contour pallets are readily available for purchase and have more natural appearance. However, I cannot attest to them for the simple fact that contour palettes didn’t exist and weren’t available when I was contouring. At least to my knowledge they weren’t.

Eye’s:
Making your eyes more feminine, really depends on the shape of your eyes and what style of eye shadowing and lining makes your eyes look most feminine. I myself had small deepest almond eyes. I had to be very careful how much dark colors I used and how thick of a line I did my liner so they wouldn’t look smaller and barely open.

What I’ve realized throughout my journey is the most feminine and passable looking make up, is make up that makes your skin look as natural and healthy which brings me to my skin care tip:

Skin Care:
Skin care is the most crucial and important step when it comes to passing and applying make up. Healthy, radiant and glowing skin, is feminine skin. Understanding your skin type and sensitivities is crucial to getting the most passable looking make up. If you don’t know your skin type, you won’t know which products will work best for your skin. *First and foremost, the most important and #1 rule will always and forever be to drink plenty of water and get plenty of rest!* You can always seek a professional’s opinion, such as an esthetician or dermatologist. Once you know and understand your skin type you will know which cleansing products and moisturizers to search for. You may also notice that with HRT(if applies) will also change the condition of your skin. My skin definitely changed while on Hormone therapy. When I started it was originally combination oily, where it was normal on the sides of my face and oily through the center(also known as the T zone). As the next few years passed, and HRT was affecting my biology more, I noticed my skin got dryer, and the skin care products that had been working for me had started to become less and less effective, and I needed to use more and more of it. This made my cosmetic bill shoot sky high. Which made me opt to changing my whole skin care and make up routine and products.
Once skin care is taken care of and a skin care regimen is set into motion, its time to seek the advice of a professional make up artist. You can consult with someone online via video chat or walk in to a make up booth to get matched for foundation and concealer tones. Ask for samples to see how products wear on your face. A little trick I use to do, which may require some determination, is to go to the same make up brand stores in different location’s or malls and ask for samples of the same products so you can have a longer testing period before you commit to a product.

Your Attitude:
What an elder of mine once told me is, “Be feel and dress the way you want to feel, not the way you feel.” Your attitude about your transition is crucial to tying everything above together. Even on your worst days, It is important to dress and make yourself to make yourself feel good, happy feminine, and sexy. The you must let the femininity within you, radiate outwards is you can exude the beautiful sophisticated woman that your are. Treat yourself, take yourself out to eat, dress up just because you know you’re beautiful and feminine, where your favorite perfume. Just allow yourself to bask your femininity and beauty.

xoxo