Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Leaving this open ended again. You already know what I think, now it's time to hear what you think.

How important is makeup? Do you wear makeup? If so, why? If not, why?

What kind of makeup do you wear?

Up until a few weeks ago I had to wear makeup to just pass.
Now it's not as important.
But it helps to cover up my age marks and dark circles under the eyes.
I do love bright color lipstick, smokey eyes and long dark eyelashes.
;D

I wear it daily, for me.  Like Jillieann, to cover age spots and dark circles.

I need make-up to pass; But honestly, I am trying to reduce it to the minimum. Make-up is a great way to hide things like the rings under the eyes after a long night - on the other hand, a car dealer doing the same thing to a car like we do with make-up would end up in jail for the rest of his life...

About hiding age, I just remember those 14 year old girls in the clubs pretending to be 18+, which were a pain in the ass as I was younger.

I think makeup is inherently heterosexist, with socialization dictating that women have to wear it in order to be attractive to others.  That said, I don't object to its use in helping someone pass, because the pain of misgendering is something that no one should have to feel.

As such, I don't wear any makeup, and the women I find the most attractive are those that don't feel as if they need it.

I swear by it. I won't leave the house without it and if the place caught fire I'd feel bad to be seen without it.

It's not elaborate, by any means, I can't afford that or really execute it in the present company - but I MUST conceal the beard shadow, and i prefer to offer as many "cues" to those I might meet as possible.

For some of us, it's absolutely essential. I heard a quote once that went like "A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction". I think for most of us here, though, you have to lie a bit to communicate the underlying truth.

I can't leave the house without foundation on, at least. The hormones have cleared up my face completely from acne, but I still have a little scarring that the foundation hides. Also, makeup makes me look more feminine.

I hope to reduce makeup use once I have FFS in a few months. Although I'm sure I'll continue to wear it because I'm just that type of gal. ;)

Well, Jen, based on your avatar pic, you shouldn't need much FFS-- or makeup for that matter. I think you're adorable.

Quote from: Lyric on September 26, 2011, 11:33:43 AM
Well, Jen, based on your avatar pic, you shouldn't need much FFS-- or makeup for that matter. I think you're adorable.

Aww, that was nice of you to say. Thanks!

I don't have anything against it. I do think it's a bit unfair that men are expected not to wear it, but that is starting to change.

I've occasionally worn bits and pieces, but very rarely - like once or twice a month for a specific evening. It just isn't my style. And I don't need it to be gendered female, so... Not for me.

For me I don't like it very much, often feels more like a mask. With each LHR treatment I feel my skin looks better and better. I think a lot of Cis-Girls look bad in it also. Microdermabrasion, a good (but expensive) Serum like TNS by Skin Medica, moisterizure, 30 spf screen or block, some eye liner and shadow, and lip gloss. Like a more natural and refreshed look.

I still dream a lot... :laugh:

I wear a little bit like eyeliner and lip gloss. I'll maybe put a little foundation as well but I still need a long way to go. For me it's about it looking natural. I also think that some people may need it a little more as far as passing. Meaning they may have prodominant male features they need to hide in order to pass.

I wish I could wear more makeup, but it feminizes me. I'm into that goth/emo look with guyliner, black nail polish, and so forth, but I can't pull it off yet.  :/

i enjoy wearing makeup. It's not a requirement for me to "blend in" but more of an issue that I like to look nice. And for me, I look nice in makeup.

I am a feminist as well but I do not subscribe to the agenda that makeup is a heterosexist barrier for the female. For a girl, in my opinion, the application of makeup is compared to a man dressing up for an occasion. I know many feminist who wears makeup. One of my professors is a feminist. She is an author on feminist studies and she wears makeup; so I do not equate it as makeup being an application to devalue a woman.

For some girls, makeup can be essential or helpful to help them blend in. For me, I just think I look nicer with it on versus with it off. I do not judge a woman based on makeup. I see a woman by the things she does or what convictions she has. Me judging a woman by her makeup would be like me judging a man for putting gel in his hair or if he wore a tie. I tend to look at issues that are more than skin surface.

Quote from: Annah on October 07, 2011, 01:40:03 PM
i enjoy wearing makeup. It's not a requirement for me to "blend in" but more of an issue that I like to look nice. And for me, I look nice in makeup.

I am a feminist as well but I do not subscribe to the agenda that makeup is a heterosexist barrier for the female. For a girl, in my opinion, the application of makeup is compared to a man dressing up for an occasion. I know many feminist who wears makeup. One of my professors is a feminist. She is an author on feminist studies and she wears makeup; so I do not equate it as makeup being an application to devalue a woman.

For some girls, makeup can be essential or helpful to help them blend in. For me, I just think I look nicer with it on versus with it off. I do not judge a woman based on makeup. I see a woman by the things she does or what convictions she has. Me judging a woman by her makeup would be like me judging a man for putting gel in his hair or if he wore a tie. I tend to look at issues that are more than skin surface.

I would be inclined to agree with you, but for the fact that men 'dressing up for an occasion' occurs much less frequently than what can be a daily application of makeup for some women.  And the expectation that breeds– not the wearing of the makeup itself– is what I consider to be sexist. 

That said, again, for someone having difficulty passing, I wouldn't protest at all.  Misgendering sucks.

Quote from: Wonderdyke on October 07, 2011, 04:32:52 PM
I would be inclined to agree with you, but for the fact that men 'dressing up for an occasion' occurs much less frequently than what can be a daily application of makeup for some women.

In my prior and current professions, the men had to dress up with slacks and a tie everyday at work.

At least in my areas, it is just a method to look nice. Many lesbians in my prior region also wore makeup. I think a lot of it also has a lot to do with region because where I currently live, an attractive lesbian iss considered to be an overweight butch girl with crewcuts and blue jeans.

Where I used to live, the majority of lesbians were what one calls a "lipstick lesbian."

But for me, I wear makeup because I look good. I really do not do it to conform to a man's expectations on what I should look like. I did that for 35 years and I regretted it. But this is just from my own experiences and does not constitute as factual.

Quote from: Mahsa the disco shark on September 25, 2011, 09:25:31 PM
Leaving this open ended again. You already know what I think, now it's time to hear what you think.

How important is makeup? Do you wear makeup? If so, why? If not, why?

What kind of makeup do you wear?

even though i can pass without makeup, i still like to wear a little when going out in public. i kind of think of it as frosting on the cake. it makes me feel more attractive to look at. i just wear a little. i know lots of guys say they like girls wearing little or no makeup, but i wear little anyway. girls tend to like to look at girls who wear more.

Quote from: FullMoon19 on October 08, 2011, 01:12:57 PM
even though i can pass without makeup, i still like to wear a little when going out in public. i kind of think of it as frosting on the cake. it makes me feel more attractive to look at. i just wear a little. i know lots of guys say they like girls wearing little or no makeup, but i wear little anyway. girls tend to like to look at girls who wear more.

+1...the idea is to emphasize/feminize but also retaining the original image. Men tend to prefer something in between.. Women like it when it's done flawlessly IMHO

I don't wear it for men but even thou there is nothing wrong with that reason.
I wear makeup for me. I want to look pretty and makeup really helps. ;)

For me it is very important. I have used it since I was about 14.

I use alot more when trying to look female of course. But I also wear it everyday when I am just a guy, eyeliner and mascara is something that comes natural for me to put on every morning.


I love to paint and what is better to paint than your face? :D, then everybody can see it.


Looking forward to the day when I can actually use it the way I want.

On a scale of 1-10, make-up is around a 7 or 8, while the right wardrobe is about the same value - I need both to get to a passable 10.

For me make-up is at the moment a tool to make me remotely more passable. I use foundation and powder to hide my 5 'o clock shadow, mascara and eyeliner.
In general my stance in daily life is that when people see you're wearing make-up, you're wearing too much. I love to doll up on some special nights though.

Here in my country, most adult women wear makeup everyday. Thus, not wearing makeup alone can be a mark.

As I frequently meet my colleagues, friends and students, I seldom wear makeup, except mascara and suncream. When I travel other cities, I sometimes wear makeup including lipstick. Wearing lipstick alone guarantees 99% pass.

Barbie~~

I rarely wear makeup, only if I'm going somewhere special, or out on a date.

Its pretty essential for hiding the imperfections! I'd rather not wear it (for convenience sake) , but it helps me look half-decent, and anything that does that deserves my praise!
x

I've done without eye shadow/liner mascara for a few weeks now after an eye infection.Never wore face powder after completing electrolysis

I rarely wear make up especially at home. I have no trouble passing.

I think of it more as a situational thing.  Granted, I haven't started my therapy yet(god I'm a late bloomer) so no RLE fulltimeness for me /just/ yet.  I've gotten fairly good at doing a 'night-out' kind of look, heavy vibrant eyeshadow, dark lipstick and foundation/shading that needs a trowel.  But for daytime more than some basics feels like overkill.  I have good skin to begin with, and a face that only slightly disgusts me, so I try to get away with some light blush and lipstick.

I make every effort to not be seen without it.

I think makeup can look really cute. Sometimes a little sometimes a lot, depending on the person. The right clothing can really make a difference too. I don't think it has anything to do with social dictates.

I used makeup in the past - in part the cover makeup to hide facial hair when it was there - but I had a time when I was younger when I used it regularly for beauty - usually only eyeliner and maybe a bit of lipstick though. Since then I got lazy and basically never used makeup at all for years but I also did not try to be especially pretty or anything. Maybe that is not a good thing and I should have enjoyed being pretty as long as I was young. Ah well - now recently I am using some cover makeup again as I have some facial hair coming back and need to cover them a bit until I can get them zapped asap.
Maybe I will use some more eyeliner again - I looked good with that. It was just always a hassle to check the makup always so it is not running or smeared ...

to me, its fairly important. I'm ugly as heck without it.

Yeah. Essential because I look like complete garbage witout.



And male  :'(. Sucks big time....

Makeup is all about enhancing our self-image and presentation to others.  If it makes you feel good about yourself, then by all means.

Too much makeup at times can be iffy...so i wouldn't suggest wearing it daily but what i do recommend is NARS tinted moisturizer you can purchase it from sephora its amazing!

I never wear makeup. The only time I put any sort of makeup on is for events like weddings or funerals, and even then it's really light, maybe some eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss.

I love not having to deal with makeup. It's a pain in the ass!

Quote from: SarahR on November 15, 2013, 05:53:11 PM
I love not having to deal with makeup. It's a pain in the ass!

Yeah, totally agree on that :) - Its fun to be able to do it on demand but not having to do it is a big plus. If I get to the stage I actually would need it to pass - I would more likely consider FFS again. But you already did, Sarah, so I gues sno worries there anymore ;)

Actually I don't need makeup to pass but as I mentioned a few years ago I do wear it.
I have come to realize that I use it to coverup that too familiar face that was part of the fake male me.
A little makeup and it's gone. Of course it is great for evening the skin tones and removing those circles under the eyes.
Hugs,
Jillieann