THREAD: Some makeup tips for trans women/femmes just starting out but maybe feeling a little intimidated. YouTube is a great resource - it’s how I learned! - but some things don’t translate perfectly from the (mostly cis) beauty YouTubers to trans faces:
The amount of makeup that looks good on camera with a ton of lights pointed at your face is completely different than the amount of makeup that looks good in real life. Go light, then take a hand mirror, step outside, and see how it looks. Less is more!
BEFORE FOUNDATION: moisturize your pretty face. It might seem counterintuitive but it’ll help your makeup last longer. Simple face lotion works! You could spend lots of money on primer but I stopped using it and haven’t noticed a different 🤷🏻♀️
Foundation: nicer stuff really does make a difference, but you don’t need to go $$$. I use the Sephora one. Put the smallest dots you can dispense on your chin, upper lip, jawline, under your eyes, and on your forehead and beans towards the center with your fingers or a sponge.
Powder: I use a very small amount under my eyes and then where I get shiny, which is my nose and forehead. Using as much as you see in a video or using it everywhere will age you by ten years IRL.
For everyday situations, mascara and brow gel plus maybe eyeliner and a neutral lipstick is really enough. Drugstore waterproof mascara is fine because it only lasts three months anyway. For brows, you want taming more than thickness - Glossier boy brow is the gold standard.
Eyeliner made more sense to me when I realized it was supposed to look like the shadow of your eyelashes. Done right, it makes them look lush. Start in where your lashes start and go out as far as you want but IMO the wing should look like a lash shadow not its own creature.
This is why bold winged liner looks so good with false lashes! False lash tip: cut them in half and just use the outer half - it makes your eyes look for open. But false lashes are advanced makeup, so I digress...
White or nude eyeliner (use a self sharpening waterproof pencil liner) on your lower waterline (the area between your lashes and the eyeball) can make your eyes look bigger and brighter.
Lipstick: a person who can rock a bright red lip can run the world, but usually I stick with a cool pink or a peachy brown - something that looks natural but a little better. See what works for you!
Once you’ve got the hang of the basics, you might want to think about things like eyeshadow, blush, and bronzer. Something to keep in mind: bright, sparkly color makes things stand out, while dark matte color recesses features.
Use that to your advantage! Trans women/femmes often have deeper-set eyes (especially early on HRT) so a light concealer below your eye and a light colored eyeshadow on the lid can help bring them out!
You might not want to use a dark color in your entire crease the way many beauty YouTubers do, because it’ll make your brow bone look stronger. Use a dark color in just the outer third of your crease to help define the eye but don’t go further!
Before I transitioned I somehow thought eyeshadow was mainly black or blue or purple and you can go wild with that but really you’re most likely to want brown shades to start - either warm brown if you’re wearing warm colors (red, orange, yellow) or or taupe for cool tones.
Be careful with contouring! Trans women/femmes are often blessed with high cheekbones to begin with, so contouring can add more definition than you need. I usually just skip it but if you have a high forehead, some bronzer at the top can help.
Blush! I really like blush. Trans women/femmes often don’t have cheeks as plump as cis women do to start, but blush can help bring that out. It’s also a great way to compliment your lipstick!
For blush, NARS “orgasm” is worth the hype, but don’t put it in as close to the center of your face as you often see, or it will make your face look too small for your head. Pop that shit on the part of your cheekbones just outside your eyes and blend outwards.
This thread was all because I wanted to make one point about eyeshadow 😂 Import caveat: these are just suggestions. If you’re trans or queer you already know how to say “fuck the rules, this is me.” Sometimes you gotta wear black eyeshadow and a green lip and that’s awesome!
One last thought: I was raised in a house where makeup was an evil tool of the patriarchy so sometimes I feel ashamed of how much I like it. I don’t think every woman be expected to wear makeup and I don’t think it’s just for women.
Makeup lets you take the feelings and ideas and sense of self that’s in your mind and paint it on your face for the world to see. For me, putting on makeup is fifteen minutes in the morning to do art before I start work.
Ok one more thought: makeup is a skill, like yoga or cooking or ice skating. Building skill takes time and that’s what makes it rewarding! I’ve been practicing nearly every day for five years. If you’re not happy with how it looks how, stick with it!
