Help me, help me, help me... covering a beard shadow

[Christyn]

I would post this in the make-up etc area, but it seems like it doesn't get looked at much -
So if it gets moved, ok - I still need some advice-
Makeup - I'm not doing laser (yet) and need to cover beard shadow....oh yeah AAAAND my pores are HUGE. Up close, like looking in a 3x-5x magnification mirror I see every single thing, and its giving me little panic attacks - and REALLY bringing my overall mood WAAAAYYY down.
I feel like I have looked at every single youtube video and looked at everything on Pinterest I can find - and I just can figure it out. I've tried the oranges and the pinks and the reds for the beard shadow - and it doesn't work, at least to me it doesn't look like it. I use primer to smooth things out prior to putting foundation on and I still see the pores.
ARRGGGHHHHH!!!!
Frustrated just doesn't even come close.

[Allsorts]

I have no experience myself (questioning FTM) but an idea that popped into my head was that you might try something like dermablend or veilcover. I don't know if that will work, or if it will look okay since its not very natural. It's on the thick side (so you have to be careful in applying in getting the right skin tone, blending well and thin layers rather than one thick one.)

I used it for scars, and it's generally used for scars, birthmarks and covering tattoos.
But covering up things that are hard to cover is what it's made for.
With veilcover I know you can buy a tester set, a small palate of various shades and tints which can help you decide on colour before you shell out for a proper tub of the stuff. And you can play around with mixing/blending more than one shade. I used a white one as a base layer then a skintone on top, when I had dark scars.

The ladies here might have better advice or more experience of that?

[Christyn]

Thank you. I will look into them - I'm at the point where I will probably try anything. Maybe I'm overreacting and maybe it isn't as bad as I think it is, but as I've said elsewhere, body hair is a big part of my dysphoria/dysmorphia.

[DawnOday]

The best thing to use is a cheap orange lipstick. Believe it or not, lipstick is a cool trick of the trade, and the cheaper and redder the shade, the better. Just dot the lipstick over the beard and mustache area, blend with foundation and brush with loose powder to set the makeup. The red pigment of the lipstick counteracts with the bluish tints of the beard, so it works well for covering birthmarks and bruises, too.

There are countless how too's on YouTube.

Lucky me will not have to use it much longer. Near the end of electrolysis. Yeah!

[JudiBlueEyes]

OK Stay calm!  You're not the only woman with larger pores.  And you may find out they aren't so bad after all.  There's good advice here from others. 

I remember talking to my electrologist about my pores which I think are huge.  She see's lots of patients, 98% cis-women and she told me my pores are not large at all.  She seen them all.  I stopped fretting.  When you do start hair removal the pores will close up a bit and be even less noticeable.

Judi 

[Anne Blake]

Early on I was taught to use an orange or coral lipstick in the dark areas which countered the black or dark beard color and then to use a pale greenish concealer stick (like a lipstick) to counter the coral tones. Cap that with a foundation that matches your natural skin tones. This combination of the three worked a lot better than just the red or coral lipstick and foundation. If that doesn't work and you live in or near a larger city, check in at either drag queen or theater supply shops for ideas. Good luck.

[DawnOday]

If you have large pores, be sure to use primer after moisturizing and before putting on the cover up and foundation. It works very well on my face.

[Maria77]

Dermablend cover creme will cover anything.  Don't buy the 'setting powder' as it is only talc-set with your own powder.   I tend to usemit only in "bad"areas and use lighter stuff where I can.   Mac full coverage is also good-not as strong as Dermablend-and is not spf (DB) is spf30.  The old school inexpensive cover is Max Factor Pan stik available on Amazon.

[BrandiYYC]

I used a colour corrector from MAC in peach lustre and it worked perfect. It did seem crazy how orange it was but it worked perfect. I am at a stage in my electrolysis where I no longer need to use it though, yay!

[Harley Quinn]

Heavy beard shadow is a pain to conceal, but there are a few things you can do.  First is classic Hot Towel Shave.  Hot towel to open the pores and soften the hair.  Use a good shave soap and badger brush.  If I'm in a rush the DE razor works pretty well, otherwise a straight razor works best.  Cold water to close the pores, then moisturize, toner, good sunscreen, a little color corrector, primer, and a medium to full coverage foundation.  Benefit and MAC have some heavy concealers (I used Benefit's Boing).  I used MAC's color corrector pen (the artists there should be able to find your shade).  Benefit also has Pore-fessional which is a pore minimizer, it works wonders to shrink the pores and make them smoother.  Heavier foundations are helpful for covering things up, but you'll have to be careful that it doesn't cake up on you.  It's a tight rope walk of not enough and too much.  I also prefer brushes to sponges for applying my makeup.  I get a smoother finish with less "over application" of products.

[CarlyMcx]

HRT will fix your pores.  Mine used to be huge, especially on my nose.  HRT shrank them down to nothing in about eighteen months.

[Laurie]

 Hi Christyn,

  You've said you have given the tricks a try and found them lacking. What I would suggest may be intimidating for you (or not) but I suggest you take your problem to the experts. Drop by Shephora or Ulta and tell them your problem and ask them to show you what you need to do to cover it. Careful though the answer they provide could be expensive but you can probably find cheaper similar products. The point is that they can show you what products you need and how to use them.

  Hugs,
   Laurie

[Another Nikki]

Ben Nye Five O' Sharp is a foundation like cream with color corrector made especially to hide beard shadow.  they make 3 different shades depending on complexion.  It's available online from theatrical supply stores.

[rebeccal]

Hi Christyn,

I'm not sure if the workaround I have will help you, but I really hope so.

If I understand the theory correctly, for those with darker hair the pores/stubble actually tend to appear somewhat blue-ish in colour, which is why the usual recommendation is to use varying shades of pinks and oranges to offset that.  To my mind, the problem with using shades that bold is that it becomes really difficult to balance and blend.

So - my workaround involves:

• A concealer/highlighter that matches your skin tone fairly closely (I use Rimmel "Match Perfection")
• A powder blush that is a fairly bold pink
• A used make-up container for mixing in

Firstly, I add a large-ish dollop of the concealer to the container, followed by brushing a fair amount of the bold blush powder :


I then blend and mix the two until they're consistent (it took me a while to adjust the relative quantities of both by testing in the mirror... )


I apply it with the brush shown in the pic above around the upper lip and chin area, then blend with the rest of the slap in the usual way.

I like to think I've got it to work reasonably well...


Feel free to PM if you're interested and want to ask anything!