Summertime is a great time to step out en femme, but let’s face – the warm weather definitely has its challenges.
For one thing, it’s hard to feel your best as you’re sweating off all of your makeup. And for another thing, it’s just too darn hot for shapewear, hosiery, and all the other accoutrements you might rely on to create your perfect feminine image.
The good news is that with a few small tweaks, you can look as flawless and feminine in the summer as you do the rest of the year.
Here are 10 warm weather essentials for your male to female transformation.
1. Sweat-Proof Primer
The best tip for summer makeup is to wear as little of it as possible. The next best tip is to use a primer to reduce shine and keep your makeup in place. Here are 4 primers worth trying:
2. Foam Breast Forms
If you wear breast forms, then you know there’s nothing worse than how hot and sweaty they can make you feel in the summertime. Instead of your usual silicon breast forms, opt for foam breast forms for a lighter and cooler feel.
3. Summer Fragrance
Fragrances can change on your body when the temperature rises – making heavy, musky fragrances overbearing in the summertime. Switch to a lighter, fresher scent for the summer like Escada Turquoise Summer or Victoria’s Secrets Coconut Sunset Fragrance Mist.
4. Blotting Papers
Blotting papers are a girl’s best friend in warm weather. Use them to absorb excess oil from your face instead of adding powder, which can lead to a cakey look. I recommend NYX Cosmetics Blotting Paper (at less than $4 a pop!).
5. Cotton Underwear
Natural fabrics that breathe are the key to staying sweat and odor free. This applies to everything you wear, including your undies. Make sure you have a collection of cute cotton panties for the summer. A cotton bra can also be a lifesaver.
6. SPF Moisturizer
The truth is, you should be using sunblock on your face all year long to protect you from wrinkles and premature aging. But it’s especially critical during the summer months. Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer is a great all-in-one moisturizer with SPF 15 coverage.
7. Flattering Sunglasses
Sunglasses are a summertime essential. The trick is to choose frames that flatter your face for the most feminine look. Since many crossdressers and transgender women have a square face shape, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Look for sunglasses with a rounded shape.
- The larger your face, the larger the frames should be.
- Choose frames that extend past the widest part of your face.
- Avoid anything with a square shape, which draws unwanted attention to the angles of your face.
8. Anti-Frizz Spray
Heat and humidity leads to frizz, which makes summer hairstyling a real pain – whether you sport your own natural hair or wear a wig. To control frizz and maintain shine, use a smoothing spray such as Moroccanoil Frizz Control for natural hair or HD Smooth Detangler by Jon Renau for synthetic hair.
9. Exfoliating Body Scrub
Baring more skin in the summer means more shaving. And that – combined with sweat – can cause ingrown hairs and breakouts. Exfoliating is your best bet to keep pores and hair follicles clear. Use an exfoliating body wash a few times per week. TREE HUT Shea Sugar Scrub is a good one.
10. Maxidress
The #1 rule for dressing in the summertime is to think loose and cool instead of tight and hot. It’s not about baring the most skin, but wearing clothes that allow your skin to breath.
A maxi dress is a summer essential that every girl should own. Choose a style that skims your body to smooth over figure flaws and create a feminine-looking body shape.
Share your summer look!
While summer might bring its own set of beauty challenges, it’s also a liberating time to step out en femme. There’s nothing like enjoying a carefree, balmy evening and feeling the warm breeze around your bare legs.
I’d love to see YOUR summer look, so please upload a photo and share it in the comments below!
And if you have any other summer essentials to add to this list, be sure to share them with us.
Love,
Lucille
P.S. No matter time of year it is, it’s always a great time to be your most polished, feminine self. Learn more with my FREE 3-part Male to Female Makeover Course. Sign up for free here!
Thanks again for great advice!
Marian
First I have to say Either I’m going crazy or that Sublime bust really works. my girls were uneven but I really think they look more symmetrical now and I am on HRT. and this is actually entering my second month being completely out as transgender. I am on a waiting list for gender affirming surgery.
My problems that I would love to hear anybody comment on are concentrated on my mustache area between my nose and my upper lip it always seems to perspire which obviously damages my makeup and my presentation. The second problem will be more unusual
I am a professional Union actor with a long resume Which I now have to discard and start again with a blank page. I have done work on every size screen or stage or radio or audience + producing directing coaching shooting and writing. Also stand up and improv comedy And I am an ex-musician. I used to get recognized on the street for some of my work But changing gender will eliminate that for sure. What I would like to know is if there are more transgender women like me on this site that are also professionals in entertainment and if so how you managed it. And of course I would love to network with you. My voice is still incongruent to my female presentation But I am working on it in a experimental program with a local hospital.
Also to add a note of encouragement to my sisters out there I would like to say that in this time I have been outing myself to every friend acquaintance business associate and of course the Union and the casting companies and I have yet to receive one negative reaction to my great amazement and pleasure. I will say that I am very lucky to be small and short and thin with very long hair and high cheekbones and almost no beard which in combination with my acting skills probably helped me a lot in passing unnoticed. The point being that the part of my acting skills used the most is observation and mimicking. I am constantly watching other women and immediately copying what I see them do. This can be in real life or watching any film or TV show or video. I have also been a customer of and admirer of Lucille and this site Since the time it only offered one course And I have gained much invaluable Knowledge from it. If you are reading this Lucille we are so lucky to have you In our corner. I love you like a sister.
Thank you, Victoria! You made my day. Love you too, sister. 🙂
Making your day made my day, so there! Seriously we your fans cherish you like a treasure.
And I know you can’t tell me who but are you aware of any other members of your site with professional qualifications like mine or in entertainment in general?
Great advice! Can’t do without my primer! And yes less is more for make up for sure, love the blotters, I have to get some of those.
I’m afraid I can’t do without some hosiery….but I go for light 10 deniers in black or tan…..a light loose dress…the picture is from last summer.
Kitty xxxxxxx
How about for a rounder face? I haven’t found a pair of sunglasses that really suit my face.
Hi Kimberly,
If you have a round face, you’d want to do the opposite: look for frames that have a more square or angular shape for contrast.
Hmmm well my pictures don’t seem to want to show up.
I like wearing as little as possible. I wear a bikini top to tan,and then remove my stockings less I want mu legs to tan slow. Kisses
What style clothes do you recommend for summer, and by age groups?
Thanks for the tips Lucille. Those, like me, who need shapewear for a feminine figure should check out ribbon corsets, which are lighter than the regular kind.
Beth
i like to dress up very sexy with big boobs
long hair
but hard when i live my mom take care her
there are other people that stop to see mom
and do not like me to dress up like a maid