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Makeup Tips

Table of Contents Style Attitude Electrolysis

Hello!  My name is Stefani Moore, and I'm going to post several tips articles, mostly for "new" girls.  Why should you listen to me?  One person who saw my web page, even wrote to me and said she thought I painted like a call girl.  Well, admittedly I'm not a makeup artist, (nor a call girl) and I would never attempt to pretend that I know everything there is to know about being a woman, but I have been out of the closet for over 10 years, so I do have a certain amount of experience that may be of value.   One of my best friends, Tommi Tail, said to me recently:  "Of course you're good.  You've had all the best teachers."  Which is true.  Although I may not be a beauty queen, some of my friends own more crowns than the Queen of England...

Some of these pointers may sound extremely basic, but I post them for those who need to know.  Each of the makeup items I mention (foundation, mascara, etc...) can be purchased inexpensively in any drug store.  Or, if you have a good department store close by with a good makeup department - many times their staff are only too happy to help you find the right shades for your skin tone.  Tips are listed in a step by step process.

Equipment check. Here's a simple, yet extremely valuable tip.  Go out to a sporting goods store and buy yourself a plastic, fishing tackle box.  Mine cost a whopping $5.  And it was the best $5 I've ever spent.  Inside are several layers of compartments, perfect for organizing your pencils, lipsticks, and war paint.  Prior to buying my makeup box, I used to throw everything into a pouch.  It was so disorganized, every time I did makeup I had to pour the entire contents in the sink to find anything.  Buy the box.  It'll save you a lot of time and frustration.  They're portable, and you can take them anywhere.  If you don't get anything else out of this article, I hope you take this one bit of advice.  It's a good one. Likewise, buy a good set of brushes.  Like any artist, you can only be as good as your tools.  I bought a set of brushes 10 years ago that I still use, and would be lost without.  Start with moisturizer:  Think of your face as your greatest asset.  You are about to pack paint on your face, which I've always considered somewhat unnatural, and possibly damaging to the pores.  So, in recompense, I try to do as much as I can to protect my skin.  Begin by washing your face, shaving as closely as you can.  Then apply a moisturizer.  I'm not fancy (nor proud), and use Lubriderm, which is nothing expensive.  If you're going out into the sun, use one with sunblock to protect your skin.  Any dermatoligist will tell you that the sun is not your friend.  It dries out and eventually wrinkles your skin.  The Lubriderm I use has an SPF of 15, which a doctor friend tells me is sufficient.  Applying moisturizer not only protects your skin, it will make it easier to take your makeup off later.

Conceal blemishes: Use a concealer to hide blemishes, whiskers, dark circles, and scars.  A lot of grrls prefer a product called Dermablend.  I use Cover Girl's "replenishing concealer."   The particular shade is #2, pale.  You have to experiment a little to find the color that matches your skin tone.  This will take some experimentation.  Some grrls will take several different shades, and like an artist mixing paints -- create the perfect skin tone.  Or, if you can find a makeup store or a good department store with a makeup counter, the sales women can help you pick the right shades by rubbing samples on the back of your palm.  Another thing to consider is making an appointment with a Mary Kay or Avon representative.  Don't laugh.  I did this 5+ years ago, and probably shocked the hell out this poor straight, married Mary Kay rep, but I picked up a couple of valuable makeup tips from her. Don't skimp on this step.  Using the wrong colors is as bad as using no beard cover at all.    Tip:  If you have a problem with dark circles under your eyes (like I do) use an orange-red lipstick on the area.  The orange-red color neutralizes the blueish tint of the dark cirlces.  Likewise, some people use an orange-red lipstick as a concealer on their facial hair.  Again, experiment with colors to find what works best for you.   Once you find the right shades, more than likely you'll stick with them for a loong time.

Foundation creates the canvas: I've always liked to think of my face as an artist's blank canvas.  Use foundation to create a uniform background for the features that later we'll be highlighting.  Again, you have to match your foundation to your skin tone.  Otherwise you risk that "two-toned" effect, where your face looks pancake white and your neck is brown from the sun.  If you do like to go outside a lot, you may find that you need darker shades for the summer, and paler shades for the winter.  Use a sponge, or your fingertips, to apply foundation.  If you have good skin, and little to no facial hair, go light.  Your ultimate goal is not to need foundation at all.  Too much foundation, especially in sunlight, if you have big pores, can look horrible.  These days, personally, I don't even bother with foundation - but I can get away with this because of three years of electrolysis.  Face it grrls, if you really want to be a full-time woman, Dermablend may get you by at night, but 9-5 you really don't want to be wearing heavy makeup.  It's a clear giveaway.  Genetic women don't have to spackle foundation on to cover facial hair (well, except old Italian women).  So, if you consider yourself a serious transsexual -- find yourself a good electrolysist.  More on that subject in another article.

Light colors highlight, dark colors recede: I like to highlight my good features (my eyes) and hide my poor features (the scar on my nose).  By using a cream white highlighter around your eyes you bring more attention to them.   Just don't overboard - or you risk that "raccoon eyes" effect.  Use either your finger tips or a sponge to blend the highlighter outward so that it softly fades away.  Avoid sharp lines of makeup.  Blend, blend, blend!  Similarily, you can use a darker shade of foundation to tone down sharp masculine features, like the nose, chin, and adams apple.  Tip:  Instead of using a cream highlighter, try using a powder.  From a showgirl, I learned to brush on a dusting of irridescent powder beneath my eyes, and at the tops of my cheekbones.  You can actually lay it on somewhat heavy, and then brush away the excess until you've got the shade that you want.  It really gives your eyes a nice glow.

Easy on the blush: Pretty women have gorgeous cheekbones.  If you weren't born Swedish, you can create the illusion of cheekbones, by using a light highlighter at the top of your cheekbones, and a light brown at the bottom.  When you brush on your blush, blend the whole thing together.  Again, you want to avoid lines on your face.  Blush should give your face a healthy glow, as if you've just come in from the fresh air.  Too much blush, and you look like a clown.

Cement with powder: Once you're done with foundation, highlighter, and blush, cement everything in place with powder.  I use Cover Girl's replenishing loose powder.  Some people like to use an irridescent powder.  I like to use a medium beige tone to give my face a "matte" effect.  You can apply powder either with a fat brush, or with a powder puff.  I like to use a powder puff, and then brush away any excess.  My friend, who is a professional makeup artist, prefers to brush on powder.  When you are done, your face should be a uniform tone, with some faint highlighting around the eyes, and a soft rosy glow to your cheeks.  I'd recommend loose powder for home -- but you might want to also buy a compact for your purse.

The eyes are the window to the soul: When I do my makeup I end up spending most of my time working on my eyes, because I consider them my best feature.  Basically, you are using makeup to hide your faults, and draw attention to your good points.  I begin by plucking my eyebrows.  Some women like to shave off their brows, and then draw them in with a pencil.  If you go that route you've got to shave them every day -- otherwise you're walking around with stubbly brows.   I prefer to pluck them down to a thin line.  This means I'm forced to do a maintenance pluck every few days, otherwise the hair begins to grow in and looks quite unattractive.  Still, it's easier to maintain than shaving them entirely.  When I'm done, I put a little brown eyeliner on a brush and comb it onto my eyebrows.  Beneath the brows, to highlight them, I use a fine brush to apply a thin line of irridescent silver, gold, or soft white.  Next I apply eye shadow.  To me, eye shadow is the one area that I vary almost daily.  If I'm wearing a purple outfit, I'll use silver beneath my eyebrows, and purple eyeshadow.  Or if I'm out in the daytime, I'll use gold beneath my brows, and a faint hint of tan colored shadow on my lids.  You then want to apply a slightly darker color (brick red, black, dark brown...) in the crease above the eye.  This gives the eye more shape, and the illusion that your eyes are larger.  You can paint your eyes to be as large as you like, but unless you are performing on stage -- I'd caution restraint.  Genetic women don't all paint like Elizabeth Taylor starring as Cleopatra, and neither should you.  Once I've applied eyeshadow, I use a slightly damp brush (or Q-tip) to blend everything together.  You can create some nice effects this way.  Tip:  Use green eye shadow to bring out green eyes, brown shadow for brown eyes, etc... Next, I put mascara on my lashes, and a thin line of liquid eyeliner just above & below the lashes.  Just as an aside -- mascara comes in more colors than just black.  If you're going to a subdued affair, or out during the day, try brown mascara.  I'll also use a black (brown, or purple) eyeliner pencil to 'pencil in' the thin line of flesh just inside the rim of the lid, and then in a thin line around the eye.  Professional makeup artists recommend not encircling the entire eye.  A practiced professional, only does the outer rim of the eye -- again, it gives the illusion that your eyes are larger this way.  If I'm out at night, I'll glue on false eyelashes.  Working with false eyelashes can take some practice, but the results are well worth it. If applied correctly, they can really make your eyes look so much more feminine.  Again, conservatism is good advice here.  Don't buy 3/4" long false eyelashes and expect to pass as a woman.  Long eyelashes are for on stage.  Use some common sense.  Tip: Apply a small amount of false eyelash glue to the lashes, and let them sit for several minutes.  They'll be a lot stickier, and easier to apply.

Footnotes on eyeshadow: I've been told by T's prettier than I am, that blue eyeshadow is a fashion no no.  I've been told the same thing about using glitter in my eyeshadow.  "It's so 70's!"  I've succumbed to their wisdom on the blue eyeshadow, but continue to use glitter on rare occasions when I'm going someplace glitzy.  Recently, I saw a very attractive woman using blue eyeshadow, so either she's never met my TG friends, or else once again, fashion trends have changed.

The photo to the left is a pretty good example of what not to do.  You can see the white highlighter below my eyes, and the blush is too noticeable.  It's an age old adage, but deserves to be repeated:  the best makeup looks like you're not wearing makeup.

Lips last: Professional makeup artists like to use a product like Lip Medic to moisten the lips before applying lipstick, which is not a bad idea.  It keeps your lips from getting cracked and dry, as well as makes your lipstick go on smoother.  Start with a lip liner.   If you are using purple eyeshadow, you might want to consider purple lipliner.   Still, the color you select does not have to match your eyeshadow.  Sometimes I like to emphasize my lips by using completely different colors for my lips.  Use a darker shade for the liner.  When lining the lips, PLEASE, don't try to create large lush lips by going outside the lip area.   There's nothing worse than painted on lips (they remind me of a child wearing wax lips).  Go off the lip line only a tiny fraction to create shape, nothing more.  Use a lighter shade for lips.  I like using a purple lipliner, and a rose or pink lipstick - but that's me.  I have a friend who uses the same shade on her eyes, cheekbones, and lips.  But that's her.  Experimenting with colors is half the fun.  Find what works best for you.  If you want to get really fancy, there are lip glosses you can apply over top your lipstick to give it a shiney effect.

Protect your skin: Lastly, to remove makeup, use cold cream.  After my face is clean, at night before bed I use a retinol cream and a moisturizer to keep my skin healthy.  Some people use an alpha hydroxy, and toners (without alcohol).  You want to create your own beauty regimen, and get into the habit of following it every day.   If you do, you just make save yourself a couple of face lifts down the road.

Above all, the best advice I can give you is to take your time, don't stress, and have FUN!  This is all about looking good!

Stefani Moore November 1999