The All New 'Before & After' Topic (v 4.0)

[Northern Star Girl]

I'd say just adding some highlights would be your best bet. I dont find it flattering going too far from your natural hair color.

@Harley Quinn
I fully agree with you.  Drastic hair color changes are not always a good thing. 
Highlighting and less drastic color touch ups are great however.   

I have always been a blonde but at my age (38) my hair is becoming less vibrant blonde and has been getting a touch of grey coming in so when I go to the hair salon, depending on the mood I am in, I will get it colored back to my original natural blonde that my hair was back in the day.   ....   makes me feel younger too, and I always get compliments when I do that...   

The big benefit of NOT doing drastic hair color changes is that when the roots start showing, it is usually not as big of a deal as it would be with the more drastic color change.

Thanks for sharing your thought on this.
Hugs,
Danielle

[hiddengirlsheila]

What do you mean by highlights?

I wont go to the beauty/hair salon until i'm out of the closet as transgender and on HRT and stuff...for now i try to make it as feminine as possible without going there. Do you mean highlights like a hairband or something or a ribbon? I would have to take those off when i'm around my dad until i am "out".

Fortunately i dont have any grey hairs but i always thought lighter hair colors were more feminine, of course there are girls with black hair and they are cisgender girls but me personally i wish i had lighter color hair mostly because i kind of want to look like my mom as she is so beautiful which i have more of her features than my dad's other than my chin but i guess i can see how a drastic color change might be a bad thing. I wouldnt want to make it too obvious that i dyed my hair then people would wonder if i'm hiding something or i dont take care of my hair properly. My hair looks a lot better than it used to about a year ago and it has grown pretty long. My dad will suggest i get hair cut soon and i'm going to say "no" because short hair will make me look more like a man especially since i'm not on HRT yet. I have no problem with cutting some hair in front of my face to get it out of my eyes though but a men's hair cut "no thanks!". My dad knows i like long hair so it shouldnt be an issue but he doesnt really know or understand the reason why i do ( heck he has long hair too and probably longer than mine but he keeps it in a pony tail) even though hes suspected me of being womanly before. Of course some cisgender women prefer short hair but (to me) having long hair is a stable to having a feminine appearance. When you think long hair you dont immediately think "guy", long beautiful hair is more of a feminine thing to be honest, not to say that some men dont have long beautiful hair though. Not trying to get into gender stereotypes so dont get me wrong.

[Harley Quinn]

Yes, I was referring to hair coloring at a salon. Careful on trimming the front while growing out the back... you could end up with a mullet.

[hiddengirlsheila]

Yeah i'm not worried about that, i doubt i will even get a haircut. I want my hair to be even longer than it is now and to flow beautifully. Ugh my chin though even on HRT my chin wont really change will it? 2500 dollars for the chin fix...ouch. That is very possible once i get my dream job though after i finish school because my income will be through the roof and i could possibly get rich if i'm freelance and dont work for anyone but do my own thing. At least my cheeks are ok. GRS is the last thing as that is 12000 dollars. I hate my male genitals but i dont have that kind of money right now and no one is going to see what is in between my legs. I need to lose some weight too, get a wider hip, bigger butt, ect. BA and implants are kind of iffy because HRT will give me breasts and i'm not looking for extremely huge breasts or anything...just enough to say "oh there's some female boobs". Trans women on HRT seem to get some pretty nice big boobs anyways like a C cup, ect. Besides there are ways to get bigger boobs without spending thousands of dollars on breast implants and a lot of women do them like massaging the breasts with certain oils.

Another thing that is bothering my dysphoria is without my makeup my eyes are droopy and tired looking, this can be fixed with acupressure and massaging the eyes though but it can take months to see any results. Eye drops can help too. Eyelid surgery is 7000 dollars, that's awful. Even vision treatment like LASIK for your eyes is cheaper than a cosmetic treatment for your eyes which makes no sense. Hair removal is crucial, since i'm Sicilian i am kind of hairy, even my mom has hair on her arms....laser hair removal and HRT are pretty cheap so its all i can do for now. My chin will continue to bother me until i can get it fixed though or if acupressure and exercises can narrow it a little. I've only been doing them for 2 weeks, i heard it can take like 2 months to see your chin look different but i can always contour my chin too but that is kind of difficult. Sigh...wish i was born a cis woman.

Anyways which of these two pictures should be my avatar picture?





I personally like the first one better...

[Harley Quinn]

It's a personal choice, but I like the 2nd. The first one is more blurred and overly edited to give you a very lazy eye... but if you like it, roll with it sweetie. Either would be good.

[MissyMay2.0]

Yes, I was referring to hair coloring at a salon. Careful on trimming the front while growing out the back... you could end up with a mullet.

Mullets were awesome...in the 80s, along with fanny packs, leg warmers, shoulder pads, and Madonna inspired fashion trends😀

[hiddengirlsheila]

It's a personal choice, but I like the 2nd. The first one is more blurred and overly edited to give you a very lazy eye... but if you like it, roll with it sweetie. Either would be good.

Yeah i'm wearing too much makeup in the first one too. In the second its more mild and my eyes do look better in the second. I do have a lazy eye though which is my right eye and it makes me look weird sometimes. Honestly without HRT to give me more softer features i cannot look very feminine without makeup. I look like a feminine "man" without makeup but not like a real girl. I think most trans women do wear makeup a little bit to hide "some" masculinity even if they are fully transitioned. HRT and FFS can only do so much and it cant completely change how you look because of bone structure which is sad but that's life. I edit some of my pics a little bit with google photos to enhance the pic because my phone camera sucks but the pics are genuine. I also use the program Inpaint to remove what might be a little beard shadow if i dont shave good enough which i normally do shave to where my beard shadow isnt that noticeable.

Also i found out that i look much more feminine with a more rounder face if i give a big smile.

[MissyMay2.0]

Yeah i'm wearing too much makeup in the first one too. In the second its more mild and my eyes do look better in the second. I do have a lazy eye though which is my right eye and it makes me look weird sometimes. Honestly without HRT to give me more softer features i cannot look very feminine without makeup. I look like a feminine "man" without makeup but not like a real girl. I think most trans women do wear makeup a little bit to hide "some" masculinity even if they are fully transitioned. HRT and FFS can only do so much and it cant completely change how you look because of bone structure which is sad but that's life. I edit my pics a little bit with google photos to enhance the pic because my phone camera sucks but the pics are genuine. I also use the program Inpaint to remove what might be a little beard shadow if i dont shave good enough which i normally do shave to where my beard shadow isnt that noticeable.

Also i found out that i look much more feminine with a more rounder face if i give a big smile.

I was born with strabismus in both eyes, so both of my eyes eyes turned outwardly, and I was fortunate to have corrective surgery when I was five; anyway, I like your facial shape and chin in the first picture, and since you seem to like it also, I will comment that it looks like it may be realistically achievable for you with some HRT, weight loss, and perhaps some FFS if you wanted to choose that option, but as far as a profile picture, I think the 2nd picture would probably be your best choice. Best wishes😊

[hiddengirlsheila]

I was born with strabismus in both eyes, so both of my eyes eyes turned outwardly, and I was fortunate to have corrective surgery when I was five; anyway, I like your facial shape and chin in the first picture, and since you seem to like it also, I will comment that it looks like it may be realistically achievable for you with some HRT, weight loss, and perhaps some FFS if you wanted to choose that option, but as far as a profile picture, I think the 2nd picture would probably be your best choice. Best wishes😊

Thank you, i'm glad you like my pics. I posted several pictures on here already. I mostly wanted to show fellow trans girls that they can look feminine without HRT if they cant do it at the present time. It mostly involves makeup though which may or may not be a problem for some of us if you dont have a lot of experience with makeup.

Anyways...i have dual astigmatisms in both my eyes too. I wear glasses and contacts. I need LASIK surgery. My vision is 20/60...that's almost legally blind. My eyes are seriously messed up both outwardly (without makeup) and inwardly.

Thank you for the compliments. I may use the second picture or one of the other pictures i posted in this thread. I have one more picture i could post here of me giving a big smile...ugh its hard to smile though when i havent even started to transition yet. I notice many of us girls look much happier once we start HRT and stuff. Dysphoria kicks into overdrive when i look at some of my pictures and when i look at myself in the mirror sometimes...i'm overweight, hairy, ect...i need laser hair removal and HRT to set me up on a good path.

There is some ramifications with FFS, for instance the cost is astronomical and that will empty my wallet pretty bad but i think i only need a chin fix. My droopy eyelids can be resolved with makeup. My nose looks ok, my cheeks are ok, my eyebrows could be shaped more but that's about it. I look at an app called Faceapp and my female self has a slightly more narrow chin but that's the only noticeable difference. The eyes are bigger too but not all women have huge eyes and they still use makeup. My ex girlfriend who was cis used makeup for her eyes...i dont know, i'm taking things a step at a time first. I need to get on HRT and remove my hair first...that is the first step most of us take for those of us who want to fully transition which i do eventually.

[natalie.ashlyne]

Hi everyone you all are looking wonderful and so many changes it is amazing

This pics are taken 24 months apart

2016                                                                    2018
 

[Allison S]

Hi everyone you all are looking wonderful and so many changes it is amazing

This pics are taken 24 months apart

2016                                                                    2018
 

I'm always in awe [emoji173] also just noticed the change in your outfit colors I love that [emoji4]

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

[ds1987]

I'd say just adding some highlights would be your best bet. I dont find it flattering going too far from your natural hair color.

Not necessarily!  I haven't sported my natural hair color for a quite a while.  I did, however, experiment a lot before going blonde.  I played with brown-reds and plums, tried bronze/orange, then jumped into fantasy colors with pink, purple, and blue...and blonde is where I'll stay I think.

I really don't think I could have pulled off blonde as a boy, though

[epvanbeveren]

While looking trough my hard disk I found a full size body picture of the old me. As far as I know there are only 2 of those and just a handful of facial pictures. Not until I transitioned, now I have many a day.

Thought to share:

2011 - 2018

[tgirlamg]

Hey All...

That was then (early 50s)...

. by Ashley Campbell, on Flickr
Untitled by Ashley Campbell, on Flickr


This is now (age 57)... I was lost... but, now I'm found...

Untitled by Ashley Campbell, on Flickr
Untitled by Ashley Campbell, on Flickr
Untitled by Ashley Campbell, on Flickr
Untitled by Ashley Campbell, on Flickr
Untitled by Ashley Campbell, on Flickr


A few thoughts for those who have found themselves here and are starting to realize that their life, will not truly be THEIR life... until a few changes are made...

Let go of the things that no longer serve you... Let go of the pretense... Let go of the armored shell you have worn for a lifetime to serve the expectations of others and to protect the woman inside... She needs protection no longer.... She is tired of hiding and more courageous than you know... Let her prove that to you....Let her step out of the dark and feel the light upon her face....

Embrace the things that express your inner truth... Show the world and those you Love ...Finally... Who you truly are... Embrace the liberation found in jumping off a cliff in your life even though you don't completely know what lies below... There is a quote I like by Martin Luther King...

"Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase."

It is never too late.... CHOOSE to see how you will make it so... not the reasons you cannot... A journey of a thousand steps is taken one at a time...Don't get lost in the details...  Keep moving forward!!!... In the end, your life will be what you make it... So,... Make it glorious!... make it what you want... make it what you need.... Make it a life well lived... Leave regrets behind you where they belong... All shall be well...

LIVE LIFE... LOVE LIFE...

Onward we go brave sisters,

Ashley 🙋‍♀️💕🙏🌺

[Sonja]

@tgirlamc  - Ashley you Gem!!  I always find your words inspiring! Love your photos - but today I'm particularly fond of the ones of you in your dress - why you ask? Because its my birthday this month and 2 hours ago I plucked up the courage to email my wife what I really want for my birthday, after some back and forth conversation on facebook messenger  - and checking out my choices she said "Ok cool, order them", so I did -  2 dress's on sale ordered!!, one black tea dress, one floral wrap casual dress.........!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! -  My wife is buying me 2 dresses for my birthday!!!!! and possibly a pair of new heels or flats but we'll see.

Just like you said - "In the end, your life will be what you make it... So, make it glorious... make it what you want... make it what you need.... "

So now comes the dilemma - I was going to take photos in my new femme shirt & jumper (as you know) she got me for fathers day but now.....? certainly can't do dress swap on public beach/sandbar...I'll have to see what works the best at home first.

So with xmas coming up I'm thinking of asking for a makeup kit - so I don't have to keep using(stealing) her stuff...

Oh happy days!

Sonja

[Kendra]

> Onward we go brave sisters,

Ashley 🙋‍♀️💕🙏🌺

I agree.


Me in 1984 - age 21


2013 at age 50


November 2017 at age 54, with Saha and Bethany.


August 2018


Yesterday - Saha, me, and Bethany


September 2018 - age 55

I turned 55 today, and just starting many good things in life.  I get to live twice!

[tgirlamg]

Kendra and Sonja!!! ... Birthday Girl and Birthday Girl soon to be!!! 😀🎂💕💕💕🎂😀

Kendra... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SISTER!!!! double nickels!!! 😀👍... You look gorgeous, happy and at home with the wonderful second life that is yours to make in the manner you choose... Onward brave sister!!!!

Sonja!!!... Thank You, as always, for the kind and heartfelt words you offer to me and to many here... It has been a pleasure watching your enthusiasm for the process of transforming your life... You are seeing that all the things we see as large problems blocking our way can be worked out... new perspectives... new avenues found... All the pieces of this puzzle will come together for you and they will form a a beautiful picture and a beautiful life.... All shall be well little sister!!!

Hugs!!!

Ashley 😀💕🌻

[Donica]

Definitely a big change. Not to say you weren't handsome in your old life, but I think it a change for the better. Enjoy your second life.

Edit: Oh and do send your bikini picture to Danielle for her Hot Sweaty picture montage. WhooHoo! Rockin it at 55 girl!

Hugs Kendra!
Donica.

[hiddengirlsheila]

There is a secret to a feminine face...subliminals...certain exercises and ect...who needs to spend a ton on surgery...many people get more attractive in other ways.

Also subliminals and exercises can feminize the body as well including growing breasts and getting rid of hair.

[Katie Jade]

WOW!! to the last few lots of pictures. Its really quite inspiring. More so infact I think. I have quite a way to go before I post anything as a comparison in this forum Im sure, as im closer to before than after
Please keep inspiring.

Luv n Hugz

Katie