Hi everyone,


I bought some makeup, applied it today, and then took the picture I linked in this post. I did so, because my body is starting to look conspicuously feminine, so, in case I begin socially transitioning in the near future, I decided that I should start learning how to use makeup, and was hoping to get some advice.

For my skin, I used bb cream and concealer, because after reading a couple articles on makeup, I felt overwhelmed by all of the different types of skin makeup and read somewhere that just using bb cream and concealer is adequate. When applying the bb cream, I tried to apply it evenly on my face and under my chin. Then I applied the concealer under my eyes and on my upper lip (I'm not finished with electrolysis yet, so still have some shadow there). Could you let me know if I applied these correctly, and give me any other skin makeup advice you'd like to share? Also, is blush necessary, because it emphasizes contours of your face that you're obscuring with makeup?

For my eyes, I used a pencil eyeliner and mascara. My lines were very crooked and too thick, so, to salvage this, and since I like smudgy look, I softened the lines with one of my fingers, and used the excess eyeliner as an eye shadow. Then I applied two coats of mascara. I know I need a lot more practice with eye makeup, so I'll just ask for any advice you'd like to share on the topic. Also, when applying eyeliner, are you supposed to draw a line extending from the outside corners of your eyes? I wasn't sure, so I skipped it.

I saved experimenting with lipstick for another day, as I was afraid of applying too much makeup and looking clownish, but I'd still love to hear any advice you have on this and anything else that you'd like to share. Don't worry, though, I'm not expecting anyone to give me advice on every facet of makeup, or respond to all of my requests.

Thank you!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eruuyl10372pqdo/3.JPG?dl=0

Makeup is a very personal thing, there are no rules really.

Personally I like to keep it as invisible as possible for day wear and just change up the lip colour depending on my mood and season.
I wear a very subtle blush to break up the foundation and lift my cheeks a little but it took a little experimentation to find the correct spot to place it. I always wear a primer.
For evenings out I may be a little more adventurous. Depends of the occasion.

For me makeup found it's own level. It's all about feeling confident when you walk out the door, if you feel uncomfortable you'll soon change things up.

Peace and love and all that good stuff,

Sadie.

I wish I could help you out more, but I am also just now really trying to work makeup.

Here at Susans, scroll down past all the languages and you'll find a forum called Beauty, in there is a subforum just for Makeup! Lots of great video tutorials and such, but 1 piece of advice(that I learned there, btw)

When applying things like highlights and contours, make sure that you pay attention to the structure of your face and dont make the lines stop suddenly! For example, in one of the videos was a makeup artist who takes the highlight on the nose and brings up all the way to the forehead, and then blends it well.

With the picture you posted, I think you've done at least x5 better than I have yet to do, but your highlights look like someone just dabbed some sunscreen on your face.  Too shiny, also blend it more!

I'm sorry, I'd love to offer more advice, but I'm struggling with applying foundation...maybe Ill just try a BB cream instead, too.

I hope you don't mind me replying? I'm in the FTM area, but have therefore worn quite a bit of makeup over the years! But then again anything I say is just my unprofessional, subjective opinion and may be wrong.

I think you've done a really good job there

The BB cream and concealer seem to be working well for you. I'd say that if you can get away with it, stick with the lighter coverage - it looks more natural (and not like you're "trying too hard") It is a little bit shiny, but then again I've seen in recent years the younger girls especially have been doing that look more. It became quite trendy. I'm old-school with greasy skin and tended to go for matte and plenty of powder but there are definitely downsides to it and it made me look a bit dated.
Oooo yeah I'd add in that, if you are a newbie to it. Makeup has trends and fashions as much as clothing does! I'm not sure what it would be like where you are. I'm in the UK and a lot of the makeup I notice or see with gals wandering around the cosmetics section of Boots are mostly younger women fwiw.
Again, in recent years slightly heavier eyebrows have been "in" with plenty of products to fill in, plump or dye brows becoming prominent in the major makeup brands, within limits.

Your eyeshadow is on the slightly heavier, smoky side so might not fit as well in some social situations, but looks good! Eyeliner... is a personal preference really. Some people extend the lines outwards past the corner for "cats eye" effect or we used to call them pointy-liners. But a lot of women don't and stop at the corner. I'd say since your eyes are lovely that I'd not take it too far, again in terms of looking more natural. Don't worry about the wobbly line and smudging thing! Plenty of cis-women (even older and more practised cis-women) have trouble with doing eyeliner well Smudging is indeed a good way to hide slightly wobbly lines. Alternatively if you want a crisper look, you can experiment with taking a cotton-bud/Q-tip with a tiny bit of make up remover or moisturiser on the end and gently run it along the bottom of the eyeliner line to clean it up. (Probably powder a bit over it when done to blend into the concealer and avoid panda eye later on)

I used to suck at mascara. As a teenager I had more than a few "poked myself in the eye with a mascara wand" make up disasters that had me running late for parties or going out

With the eyeshadow you have on there, you probably want to stick with neutrals/nudes in terms of lipstick. The *general* rule for non-models, everyday life is to pick either eyes or lips to accentuate, doing both full-on can look overwhelming (and again I'm bearing in mind natural). You might want to look at lipglosses rather than lipstick?

Blusher is a variable one. We all have different face shapes. Google search a bit about blusher and contouring. There are photos and tutorials out there, and for making the best of different face shapes. I think I read that blusher is best not applied in stripes down the sides if you are wanting a feminine look. Think "round", (but not clown-round!) the apples of the cheek for blusher more of a half-oval over the apples. What you want to avoid are long lines, stripes, harsh straight lines and angles. Blend things out so there are softer and vaguer outlines. That said I'm not sure you need blusher. With your fantastic eyes and full lips it might be too much - gilding the lily.

Play around with it, don't be afraid. A lot of cis-women will experiment with makeup at home and then wipe it all off again.

I suspect you might benefit from a little bit of highlighter on the centre of your chin (google it) as in the front bit under your lips, not the bottom edge. And a little bit sort of below your eyes and above where you'd put blusher.
But go easy on the highlighter and contouring if you choose to use it. Too heavy can look like "teenage girl trying too hard to look like a magazine model".

I think you look lovely!

Quote from: Shy on May 05, 2018, 02:32:25 AM
Makeup is a very personal thing, there are no rules really.

Personally I like to keep it as invisible as possible for day wear and just change up the lip colour depending on my mood and season.
I wear a very subtle blush to break up the foundation and lift my cheeks a little but it took a little experimentation to find the correct spot to place it. I always wear a primer.
For evenings out I may be a little more adventurous. Depends of the occasion.

For me makeup found it's own level. It's all about feeling confident when you walk out the door, if you feel uncomfortable you'll soon change things up.

Peace and love and all that good stuff,

Sadie.

Thanks for sharing your routine and your process in achieving it, Sadie! Each time I read what others are doing I feel a little more capable of doing it myself.

I'll definitely keep experimenting until I feel confident, and keep your changing lip colors and subtleness in mind.

Peace and love and all that good stuff!

Quote from: Eryn T on May 05, 2018, 02:56:10 AM
I wish I could help you out more, but I am also just now really trying to work makeup.

Here at Susans, scroll down past all the languages and you'll find a forum called Beauty, in there is a subforum just for Makeup! Lots of great video tutorials and such, but 1 piece of advice(that I learned there, btw)

When applying things like highlights and contours, make sure that you pay attention to the structure of your face and dont make the lines stop suddenly! For example, in one of the videos was a makeup artist who takes the highlight on the nose and brings up all the way to the forehead, and then blends it well.

With the picture you posted, I think you've done at least x5 better than I have yet to do, but your highlights look like someone just dabbed some sunscreen on your face.  Too shiny, also blend it more!

I'm sorry, I'd love to offer more advice, but I'm struggling with applying foundation...maybe Ill just try a BB cream instead, too.

Thanks for helping introduce me to the subjects of highlighting and contouring, Eryn! These were two of things I read a little about, felt overwhelmed with, and so didn't try, so really I appreciate you helping me get more comfortable with them.

As far as I understand, highlighting is for accentuating features by making them brighter and coutouring is for altering the shape of features by creating shadows. I'll definitely watch some videos on these subjects, as you recommended, so I can unravel where and how I should apply these things, and remember when highlighting to pay attention to the structure of my face, not to make my lines stop suddenly, and your tip on bringing the highlighter on the nose all the way up to the forehead and then blending it.

Thanks for your compliment! Yeah, I did just dab the bb cream on my face like if it were sunscreen. There wasn't any reasoning behind it except trying to get it even. Thanks for letting me know that I should have blended it in more and that it's too shiny. I really appreciate your constructive criticism. Also, best of luck with your own makeup and your struggles with foundation (maybe bb cream would easier; I wish I could contrast the two for you). Hopefully, one day I'll run into a picture of your work on Susan's and be able to return the favor.

Hi Allsorts! Thanks for your comprehensive response!


"I hope you don't mind me replying? I'm in the FTM area, but have therefore worn quite a bit of makeup over the years! But then again anything I say is just my unprofessional, subjective opinion and may be wrong."

Not at all! I deliberately posted in an inclusive area, so I could get advice from all sides of the gender spectrum, and I think your advice is excellent.

"I think you've done a really good job there "

Thanks!

"The BB cream and concealer seem to be working well for you. I'd say that if you can get away with it, stick with the lighter coverage - it looks more natural (and not like you're "trying too hard")"

Great! I also value looking like I'm not trying to hard, so I'm glad to know that I may be able to get away with using bb cream and concealer.

"It is a little bit shiny, but then again I've seen in recent years the younger girls especially have been doing that look more. It became quite trendy. I'm old-school with greasy skin and tended to go for matte and plenty of powder but there are definitely downsides to it and it made me look a bit dated.Oooo yeah I'd add in that, if you are a newbie to it."

Thanks for letting me know how trends have shifted! I need to become more aware of this for situations where I have to fit in. Also, Eryn also told me my face is too shiny, so I'm going to try to use less bb cream, spend more time blending, and be more aware of the lighting when I'm taking a picture.

"Makeup has trends and fashions as much as clothing does! I'm not sure what it would be like where you are. I'm in the UK and a lot of the makeup I notice or see with gals wandering around the cosmetics section of Boots are mostly younger women fwiw. Again, in recent years slightly heavier eyebrows have been "in" with plenty of products to fill in, plump or dye brows becoming prominent in the major makeup brands, within limits."

I've also noticed that heavier eyebrows have been in, and I like the look. However, I think mine may be too thick and unruly if I leave them natural. Do have any advice on what I should do with them?

"Your eyeshadow is on the slightly heavier, smoky side so might not fit as well in some social situations, but looks good!"

Thanks for the compliment! And for confirming my suspicion that I'll have to tone it down in some social situation.

"Eyeliner... is a personal preference really. Some people extend the lines outwards past the corner for "cats eye" effect or we used to call them pointy-liners. But a lot of women don't and stop at the corner. I'd say since your eyes are lovely that I'd not take it too far, again in terms of looking more natural."

Thanks again for boosting my self-esteem! And for letting me know that I don't have to extend the lines outward. I think the look looks great on others, but it's a little too polished for my taste.

"Don't worry about the wobbly line and smudging thing! Plenty of cis-women (even older and more practised cis-women) have trouble with doing eyeliner well Smudging is indeed a good way to hide slightly wobbly lines. Alternatively if you want a crisper look, you can experiment with taking a cotton-bud/Q-tip with a tiny bit of make up remover or moisturiser on the end and gently run it along the bottom of the eyeliner line to clean it up. (Probably powder a bit over it when done to blend into the concealer and avoid panda eye later on)"

Thanks! This was very helpful advice!

"I used to suck at mascara. As a teenager I had more than a few "poked myself in the eye with a mascara wand" make up disasters that had me running late for parties or going out "

I can't wait for that experience!

"With the eyeshadow you have on there, you probably want to stick with neutrals/nudes in terms of lipstick. The *general* rule for non-models, everyday life is to pick either eyes or lips to accentuate, doing both full-on can look overwhelming (and again I'm bearing in mind natural). You might want to look at lipglosses rather than lipstick?"

Thanks for confirming this! I remember hearing that before, which is why didn't put anything on my lips. Do you have any subtle lip gloss recommendations?

"Blusher is a variable one. We all have different face shapes. Google search a bit about blusher and contouring. There are photos and tutorials out there, and for making the best of different face shapes. I think I read that blusher is best not applied in stripes down the sides if you are wanting a feminine look. Think "round", (but not clown-round!) the apples of the cheek for blusher more of a half-oval over the apples. What you want to avoid are long lines, stripes, harsh straight lines and angles. Blend things out so there are softer and vaguer outlines."

Thanks! Again, this was very helpful advice!

"That said I'm not sure you need blusher. With your fantastic eyes and full lips it might be too much - gilding the lily."

Wow! Thanks! I was planning on experimenting with blush, in order to get a better understanding of it, but was hoping that I could do without it, as again the look is a little too polished for my taste.

"Play around with it, don't be afraid. A lot of cis-women will experiment with makeup at home and then wipe it all off again."

Will do!

"I suspect you might benefit from a little bit of highlighter on the centre of your chin (google it) as in the front bit under your lips, not the bottom edge. And a little bit sort of below your eyes and above where you'd put blusher. But go easy on the highlighter and contouring if you choose to use it. Too heavy can look like "teenage girl trying too hard to look like a magazine model"."

Thanks! I think this was very clever and perceptive advice, as those areas could use more prominence. I'll definitely do more research on highlighting.

"I think you look lovely!"

I can't thank you enough for everything! 

Dang, Autumn, you really good looking. I think this stuff is going to work out very well for you. I've read books on makeup, but because makeup is such a visual thing I've learned more from YouTube videos than any other way. Watch the experts for awhile and you'll get it all down soon enough.

The best basic advice is that rather than trying to do your whole face right away, choose one aspect of makeup application-- like eyeliner-- and practice it every day for a week or two. Just work on that one thing until you're good at it. Then practice another thing.

It really is a huge learning experience. I get carried away some days and end up starting over. As said start small and work you way up. I'm now starting to get the hang of smoky eye and have some 5 step eye shadow kits. I use a powder over concealer and foundation and it really smooths and blends and stops the shininess. I tend to stick to tones close to my natural color but have learned that you can really enhance things like lip shape and eye color just with subtle color choice changes. Go to somewhere like Max or Sephora's and have a make over and see the transformation that can make, it will give you hints and ideas and techniques and it's usually free
with a purchase.

"Dang, Autumn, you really good looking. I think this stuff is going to work out very well for you."

Thanks for boosting my confidence, Lyric! In order to move towards socially transitioning, I probably need that even more than learning make up techniques.

I thought that I didn't care about socially transitioning, when I first started, but as I've learned more about myself, and am feeling more and more like a woman born as man, rather than a man who wants to be a woman, I'm realizing how important doing so is for me, in order to live a fulfilling life.

"I've read books on makeup, but because makeup is such a visual thing I've learned more from YouTube videos than any other way. Watch the experts for awhile and you'll get it all down soon enough."

Thanks for the advice! When I was first researching, I was just trying to figure out what everything was, and what things were most essential, so I could concoct a simple routine to start with and that I liked. Therefore, since I usually absorb information best by reading it, I read articles. But now that I've gotten my hands dirty, I'll definitely start watching Youtube videos, so I can improve my technique.

"The best basic advice is that rather than trying to do your whole face right away, choose one aspect of makeup application-- like eyeliner-- and practice it every day for a week or two. Just work on that one thing until you're good at it. Then practice another thing."

That's great advice! Doing my entire face seems daunting to me, so it's hard to get into the habit of practicing on a regular basis. Just working on one aspect- like eyeliner- is much more likely to stick.

"It really is a huge learning experience. I get carried away some days and end up starting over. As said start small and work you way up. I'm now starting to get the hang of smoky eye and have some 5 step eye shadow kits. I use a powder over concealer and foundation and it really smooths and blends and stops the shininess."

Thanks for the advice, Donna! You've helped convince me to buy some powder the next time I shop, as blending and shininess is one thing I seem to have an issue with.

"I tend to stick to tones close to my natural color but have learned that you can really enhance things like lip shape and eye color just with subtle color choice changes."

Thanks! I'll do some research on choosing a lip gloss color.

"Go to somewhere like Max or Sephora's and have a make over and see the transformation that can make, it will give you hints and ideas and techniques and it's usually free with a purchase."

I definitely want to! But I don't have the guts yet. I'll see after I get my confidence up enough to start wearing make up in public, and confirming that the world is still going to turn like it always has.

Your welcome and I'm still waiting for the sky to fall. It hasn't so that's a good sign

Quote from: Donna on May 06, 2018, 05:37:11 PM
Your welcome and I'm still waiting for the sky to fall. It hasn't so that's a good sign

Yeah, usually the build up is the worst part.

Quote from: autumn08 on May 06, 2018, 05:34:02 PM
"It really is a huge learning experience. I get carried away some days and end up starting over. As said start small and work you way up. I'm now starting to get the hang of smoky eye and have some 5 step eye shadow kits. I use a powder over concealer and foundation and it really smooths and blends and stops the shininess."

Thanks for the advice, Donna! You've helped convince me to buy some powder the next time I shop, as blending and shininess is one thing I seem to have an issue with.

"I tend to stick to tones close to my natural color but have learned that you can really enhance things like lip shape and eye color just with subtle color choice changes."

Thanks! I'll do some research on choosing a lip gloss color.

"Go to somewhere like Max or Sephora's and have a make over and see the transformation that can make, it will give you hints and ideas and techniques and it's usually free with a purchase."

I definitely want to! But I don't have the guts yet. I'll see after I get my confidence up enough to start wearing make up in public, and confirming that the world is still going to turn like it always has.

Hi Autumn,

If there are Ulta stores near you, I like them a bit better than Sephora because they carry both the higher end stuff and the more drug store stuff so pretty much all price points. They often have reps in the store from the premium brands who are usually super helpful.

I walked into one on my way home the other day and told her I needed to find the right color foundation as my MAC is too red and I wanted to try urban decay this time. She spent 30 minutes with me and was super helpful and of course managed to sell me a bottle of primer that I don't need (I use smashbox primer because it is spf30).

At the higher end stores don't worry about the whole trans thing. They see it enough and guys wearing makeup as well that they don't care. They really just want to make a sale.

Personally? I'd tone it down a bit. I like the natural look better so I tend to go with more neutral colours and not as much coverage. If a small amount of shadow shows so be it. I like to highlight the eyes and use dark/light colours to contour things a bit (minimise brow ridge etc). I'll also use lip gloss rather than lipstick. But as others have said, its all personal choice.

Quote from: jill610 on May 06, 2018, 08:39:03 PM
Hi Autumn,

If there are Ulta stores near you, I like them a bit better than Sephora because they carry both the higher end stuff and the more drug store stuff so pretty much all price points. They often have reps in the store from the premium brands who are usually super helpful.

I walked into one on my way home the other day and told her I needed to find the right color foundation as my MAC is too red and I wanted to try urban decay this time. She spent 30 minutes with me and was super helpful and of course managed to sell me a bottle of primer that I don't need (I use smashbox primer because it is spf30).

At the higher end stores don't worry about the whole trans thing. They see it enough and guys wearing makeup as well that they don't care. They really just want to make a sale.

Hi Jill,


Thanks for replying! And for letting me know about Ulta and what to expect in one. I'm just using cheap stuff at the moment, but could use the assistance that Ulta offers.

Thanks also for helping build my nerve to go to a high end store. When I enter feminine territory and I'm nervous, a lot of my old masculine habits usually return in order to prove to everyone that I'm a guy. I hate going into that state. When I'm confident that everyone's going to be cool, though, I can relax.

Quote from: krobinson103 on May 06, 2018, 09:49:00 PM
Personally? I'd tone it down a bit. I like the natural look better so I tend to go with more neutral colours and not as much coverage. If a small amount of shadow shows so be it. I like to highlight the eyes and use dark/light colours to contour things a bit (minimise brow ridge etc). I'll also use lip gloss rather than lipstick. But as others have said, its all personal choice.

Hi krobinson,


Thanks for sharing your routine! The more examples I read like yours, the more I can form a bunch of products into trends, and figure out when and how I'd like to follow and deviate from these trends.

autumn- There are tons, of make-up tutorials on youtube.

Quote from: autumn08 on May 07, 2018, 12:11:32 AM
Hi Jill,


Thanks for replying! And for letting me know about Ulta and what to expect in one. I'm just using cheap stuff at the moment, but could use the assistance that Ulta offers.

Thanks also for helping build my nerve to go to a high end store. When I enter feminine territory and I'm nervous, a lot of my old masculine habits usually return in order to prove to everyone that I'm a guy. I hate going into that state. When I'm confident that everyone's going to be cool, though, I can relax.

Think of places like Ulta, Sephora, MAC as Home Depot for women

I have spent countless hours on the train watching YouTube makeup tutorials and they are helpful, but there is no substitute for practice and in person consulting. Go with a female friend if you need a buddy system. I did that at first and that was huge for developing confidence. The single best makeup investment I made was the $100 makeover at Mac. Sephora does the same thing, they help with colors and show you how to apply it, and of course it gets credited towards any purchases you make. And $100 does not go far with higher end makeup.

Quote from: autumn08 on May 06, 2018, 05:19:30 PM
"The best basic advice is that rather than trying to do your whole face right away, choose one aspect of makeup application-- like eyeliner-- and practice it every day for a week or two. Just work on that one thing until you're good at it. Then practice another thing."

That's great advice! Doing my entire face seems daunting to me, so it's hard to get into the habit of practicing on a regular basis. Just working on one aspect- like eyeliner- is much more likely to stick.

I'll credit one of my favorite YouTube beauty vloggers for that one: LeighAnnSays. She's a good follow, though doesn't do instructionals exclusively. For that, check a pro like pixiwoo and, of course, all the links in the sidebar.