Makeup can have an amazing impact on your appearance – IF you apply it correctly.
Unfortunately, this is a skill that many crossdressers and transgender women tell me they struggle with.
You deserve be your most beautiful female self. The first step to achieving this is to avoid these common male to female makeup mistakes:
1. Wearing Too Much Makeup
Wearing too much makeup is an easy mistake to make.
The purpose of makeup is to bring out your best features while downplaying your so-called “flaws.”
If you wear too much makeup, you simply highlight EVERYTHING. It’s unflattering and attracts the wrong kind of attention.
Rule #1 is to use a light touch when applying your makeup.
2. Applying Full Coverage Foundation on Your Entire Face
Even if you have problem areas you want to hide, there’s no reason to cover your entire face with thick foundation. Heavy foundation makes it look like you are wearing a mask, which is not a flattering look.
Instead, use full coverage makeup where you need it (like on the beard area) and apply a lighter foundation everywhere else.
3. Using Poor Makeup Application Technique
When it comes to makeup, technique matters. Some common examples of poor makeup application technique include:
- Applying eyeliner unevenly or too far away from the eyelashes
- Not blending your makeup properly
- Applying clumpy mascara
If your makeup skills are lacking, book a lesson with a makeup artist or look for makeup tutorials on YouTube. (Or for more specialized instruction, check out Makeup Magic: The Ultimate Male to Female Makeup Program.)
Either way, the REAL secret is practice, practice, and more practice!
4. Not Selecting The Right Makeup Shades
Choosing the right makeup shades is just as important as your makeup application technique.
In fact, the wrong colors can give you a harsh and masculinized appearance faster than anything else.
The most important thing to consider is your natural coloring. For example:
- People with lighter hair and skin look best in low intensity colors (like soft brown, blue, pink, coral, etc.).
- People with darker hair and skin look best in high intensity colors (like deep brown, black, blue, red, etc.).
Candis Cayne – Low intensity colors
Janet Mock – High intensity colors
Besides your natural coloring, you should also consider the occasion and time of day when choosing your makeup colors. Everybody looks better in higher intensity makeup at night when the lights are low.
And last but not least, your makeup colors should harmonize with the color of your clothes.
5. Not Taking Good Care of Your Skin
Your face is literally the canvas for your makeup. If you have dry, rough skin, it WILL show through.
Also keep in mind that male skin tends to be rougher than female skin (due to lower estrogen levels). That means good skin care is critical.
Care for your skin by using a gentle cleanser, moisturizing daily, using sunscreen, drinking lots of water, and getting enough sleep.
Ready to learn more?
Check out my previous article, How to Feminize Your Face, for more male to female makeup tips and techniques.
Or download The Makeup Magic Program to learn all the essential makeup skills every crossdresser and transgender woman should know. Get instant access to 10 easy-to-follow video tutorials taught by a professional makeup artist Chris Scott.
As always, I’d love to hear from you!
Do you struggle with makeup or have you mastered this skill?
Please share in the comments below!
Love,
Lucille
transformation tips?
I just try to keep it simple. I have had some makeup lessons in the past which helped for sure at a Sephora shop as well. They were very helpful and friendly. Basically, I’m lucky to have a very light beard. So my foundation isn’t too much. I try to make sure my mascara and eyeliner are always good before I go out and I use a cream usually reddish lipstick. I find as I get older, my face seems to become more feminine! I’m 73, here I am out the other day doing some girl shopping!
I started by going online and contacting my closest Mary Kay agent to come to my house and supply me with makeup. She would also make videos to teach me makeup lessons. I now have another lady who specializes in makeup lessons for transgender women come by my house to teach me makeup lessons. Attached is a photo of how I looked and dressed after a recent makeup lesson. Susan, my teacher, always comments about how pretty my legs are. We are now friends and I am visiting her at her home this weekend where she is having a little get together with some of her girlfriends.
Yes!!! absolutely this is another detail area.It is an area where it can certainly make one so much more glamorous.It will also add to the inside feelings of feminine beauty.
I just love to wear dramatic makeup
to get attention.
I like wearing medium to bright eyeshadow,
or sexy looking smokey
blue, green, and dark eye shadow,
false eyelashes, lots of black mascara,
cat eye eyeliner,
with bright red lipstick ,
that I buy at Ulta.
I also like wearing Kat Von Dee
dark blue, green, and black lipstick
to get
Do you think those are the proper makeup products for me to use
and wear, mostly for a night of
dancing on the town?
Thank you.
Hi Lucille,
Hate to admit it but just had my
75th b/day and although I’ve been
a cross dresser for a lot of those years I’m still not good, in fact worse that that.
It all seems so easy watching online tutorials BUT….it isn’t, well for me anyway. I need HELP.
Love.
Jo. xx
I have my makeup done by a professional. I am learning what are the correct techniques in looking beautiful. I am getting there but looking my best is very important to me so if it costs a little more, it’s no big deal.
My honey gets turned on when I look good. Great sex………………
I am at still trying to find the right foundation. After looking for years. A consultation is out of my range of travel, and I live in a town where womens fashions are determined by whar Tractor Supply stocks.
Marcia, I would like to advice you to change the color of clothes into places. Genetic males have more broader shoulders than women and much more less hips and buttocks. So dark upper clothes and light low clothes as jeans and skirts will help you to decrease optically broad shoulders and increase hips and buttocks. And if you choose correctly what type of a woman you are ( Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter) and wear the the colors of the clothes of this type. it will help you to be much more feminine without hard efforts.
That is what my image consultant told me when I go shopping for clothes. She says wear dark top and light bottoms. I just purchased a white skirt and light gray pants with dark tops from Lane Bryant. I have C cup breasts now and wear padded panties full time, so I look nice and feminine.
what do you think??? x
Vicki, you are a beautiful lady!!
Smokey look is a real bitch to accomplish. I have brown eyes and can’t get even close. as well as making anything look sexy and right! thanks M