Makeup can have an amazing impact on your appearance – IF you apply it correctly.
Unfortunately, makeup is the single skill many crossdressers and transgender women tell me they struggle with most.
You deserve be your most beautiful femme 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.).
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| Candis Cayne – Low intensity colors | Laverne Cox – 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
I have loved your blog since the day I found it. You are very inspiring to girls like me. I’m not sure you can fully understand just how much your blog and support actually mean. Anyway, just wanted to let you know, have a great day.
I love your blog… it’s given me some really good pointers… The makeup course I bought through it is excellent and really sorted my foundation and contour skills. It was only when I learnt to use foundation and translucent powder over contouring did things really come together giving me a much more natural and finished makeup.
A little note though… while rules can be useful… they can always be broken… This image from last week of me trying out a look is a point in case… the wig is actually white… and I had used light pink lips with dark outline and brown powder to fill my eyebrows, yet with the look, which is dramatic, has a strong contrast and is stylised I could in hindsight have gone for a stronger lip and eyebrow colour. Bright lights also wash colours out.. so if you’re doing any performance or modelling generally you have to push the colours up a notch or 3!!
xxx Bliss
O.M.G. – Lucille, your blog relating to make-up is so content-filled, and inspirational. Then, topped up by points from other contributors – the result is an invaluable and unmissable reference source that I cannot do without. Thank you immensely. Richard
Hiya gurls,
I just love this woman and how personal these e-mails are!
XXXs OOOs
joann
Keep it light and quick don’t spend 3 hours on your make up.
One other thing I do, and it’s really not makeup, is to wear feminine eye glasses. They can really accentuate your eyes I find. Here I am the other day for an example of what I mean. And I also definitely agree with Lucille on moisturizing daily. Makes a big difference!
Very true. A lot of girls put on their dresses and then put their old specs back on. Of course they had been chosen to frame a masculine face. The photos rarely look quite right.
Hi to all that contributed to this makeup forum.I learned a lot from reading all of your posts.In my on case I’m just a beginning to experiment with makeup but I have lots of fun just experimenting with everything.I have a long ways to go before I’m skillful enough to apply makeup the correct way but that’s ok as long as I can keep having fun I think that’s the main thing having fun along the way but I do wish I had someone with experience to help me out but until then like I said before I’m gonna keep having fun as I go through my wonderful journey to woman hood
Hi Lucille Sweetheart goodness Girlfriend’s I’m so excited about my upcoming makeover among other things lol I hope this isn’t the first and last time my niece gives me a makeover she’s going to fix my hair and pluck my eyebrows lol after that I’m not sure what all she has planned as if that isn’t enough lol hopefully I’ll learn a few things in the process of being transformed into my feminine self by my niece goodness I’m excited we keep talking more and more everyday were getting rather close to each other goodness that feels good after losing my wife 5 years ago now almost to the day having a friend to talk to us an amazing feeling 5 years of being completely alone with almost no one to talk to and now my niece is just being so wonderfully understanding and sweet we’re talking about clothes and hair I even told her about my breast development lol but she was very glad for me and wants to help me be myself more anyway I Love You Lucille Sweetheart Love MJ