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 think after fifty years I think I got it
Why not look beautiful always
I use a full face foundation also but once I have applied it I will wait a few minutes then take a clean makeup sponge and take the excess off before applying my face powder. I will use a lighter foundation color then the face powder. Once that is done I will then select the eye shadow depending on what color dress I will be wearing.
One can go to a remote mall and ask sales people to match a foundation for you. Nice experience, you’d buy a good matching foundation and you’d learn how to apply it too.
I do use full foundation mask to start have for years in bands and in drag.I have pictures to prove it is the perfect canvas to start with.
My biggest struggle is that I put makeup on in relatively low-light environments (at home) and use it way to often when presenting myself on a webcam… or when taking pictures and making movies 🙂 Needless to say, when going out, or moving to a more brightly lit area, I see that I have far too much makeup on…
I have had the benefit of going to my local make up artist and she has taught me a lot about applying make up and the right colours for my features. it started out with me asking how to shape my brows and that lead to her applying makeup right there in store. I was crazy nervous and had hard time relaxing but as she talked me through and asked the other girls nearby what they thought about the right colours they all made me feel at ease . and you know what in the end I truly felt beautiful. that was last year and im still trying to get it right .practice does make better somedays are better than other I think patience is a big key factor. that’s my take. xoxo girls! Lisa
here’s another attempt of me trying to get it right ??
Applying eye liners is the most difficult phase in my makeup