Well, my aspiring trans-girls – make-up for beginners.  Firstly, I will not recommend any brands as I am not an influencer – who all lie through their teeth and would promote any old tat if given enough freebies!  Fatuous bimbos, the lot of them!!  Plus, you have to learn by making expensive mistakes as I did!  What follows is MY routine, other girls will do it differently but then, maybe they don’t end up looking as natural and gorgeous as I do!!!  The object is to create a blank canvas so you can be artistic enough to ‘pass’ or to get an extreme ‘drag’ look if you want to play the tart!!!

Image by Chechu Robles from Pixabay 

STEP

1. A damn good shave – or 2 or 3 as I do.
2. Scrub face, necks, ears – in fact – everything and dry thoroughly.
3. Cover your hair with a net or cap.
4. Cover all face with primer and allow to dry.
5. Apply cover-cream for blemishes over all dark areas – beard, below eyes, brows, spots, moles, etc.
6. If still visible, cover again.
7. Now use a good quality foundation all over – try to get a shade closest to your natural skin colour. Test against forehead not beard as this will be too dark or red from shaving.  Don’t forget ears, eyelids, nostrils, chin and neck down as far as the neckline of the garment you intend to wear.
8. Allow this to dry then lightly brush a translucent face powder all over – but don’t use too much!
9. Make yourself a drink – makeup should be fun, and you deserve one!
10. Now the tricky stuff – use an eyebrow pencil or brush to shape your brows – don’t use a very dark one unless you have a black wig. Find a shape that suits you and make sure both sides match – not easy!
11. Use eyeliner on the top lid just where lashes leave the skin. A steady hand is required – I use a liquid one, but pencil will do – I use black for dramatic effect.  Only practice will get you through what follows.
12. Mascara – brush upwards on top lash and down on bottom. 2 or 3 more coats on top lash usually works for me – always in black as I am a tart!
13. Light pink blusher diagonally from above corner of mouth to cheekbone – not too much!
14. Lip liner around lips top and bottom. You can make lips slightly larger but don’t overdo it.  They should be symmetrical – i.e. same on both sides or you end up looking like you have had a stroke, or you are snarling!  Fill in lips with lipstick – then pout!!!
15. Lipstick sealer applied with a brush – this stops lippy coming off on coffee cups, wine glasses or ciggies – as in my case!
16. Eye shadow. This is a dark art and is always best under-used, not over-the-top!  It can go horribly wrong so start with a pale colour just on the eyelids only and see how it looks when you put your wig on!  You can always put more on later.
17. Another quick fluff of face powder and get your wig on, look in the mirror, then be amazed at the lovely creature looking back at you – or not if you’ve cocked it up as I have done many, many times!!!

Image by anncapictures from Pixabay 

A few thoughts for you babes out there.  Buy cheap makeup until you are half decent at it, then buy good stuff when you’ve cracked it- If it all goes wrong – don’t despair – try again.  If you are not going out dressed, it doesn’t matter if you look like RuPaul or your granny!  Keep practicing!!

Now if the above doesn’t appeal, or you are a lazy bitch, or if you a rich, lazy bitch – you could always go to a salon for a make-over.  This is a great idea but then you will never learn how to do it for yourself.  Perhaps you could go to a salon to learn how to best apply it.  We all have different shapes, skin tone, noses, lips etc so there is no easy way to learn but a good beautician can show you what will work best for you.  So, go on, treat yourself – you are worth it – as the adverts say – get tarting up girls!

Good Luck!

Angie

P.S. I have been dressing – sometimes ‘tarty,’ sometimes ‘nice girl next door’, sometimes ‘drag queen’ – for over 40 years and am still learning.  You should do your makeup to suit the occasion.  Get it right and it will take 20 years off your grotty ‘male self’ – and you will feel AMAZING darlings!  Get it wrong and it will be like you have escaped from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video!  So, practice, practice, practice!  I have been in shops and realised I am the best-dressed, best made up girl in there!  I am SO MODEST aren’t I!

When your make up is perfect, it gives you lots of confidence so act as though you own the place, strut your stuff (don’t go arse over tit – it ruins the effect!) and guys will fancy you (honestly!) and scruffy, overweight women will be jealous as hell!!!

Enjoy, darlings!

If you would like to find a trans support group in your area check out Trans Unite website here.