I am gender fluid / non-op and I wear makeup regardless of which gender I am presenting as.  I do it as a means of self-expression, as a way of displaying my artistic talent, and because I just enjoy it. 

Wearing makeup because you feel like you have to is stupid.  Not wearing makeup because you feel the need to resist gender stereotypes or patriarchal male society or whatever other BS reasons is equally stupid.  Both are reactions based on external influence.  Why not just be yourself?  Wear makeup if you like it, go natural if you don't.

This---^.

Something I rail against a bit is feeling like other trans women automatically assume I must want advice on makeup, because "naturally we all want to wear it". I never really liked it much on other people, so why would I like it on me? It's not part of the Official Trans Woman's Uniform, it's just something you either like or don't.

Quote from: Sadie on October 25, 2011, 03:03:06 AM
I love makeup, my problem is that I am still learning and haven't found a foundation that I like yet.  I am very fair with pink undertones and have sensitive skin that can redden very easily.  I also have very dry skin. I do not care for a heavy caked look but a sheer dewy look but still good coverage that is very blendable. I recently just tried Bare Minerals, yuck did not care for it, maybe it works better on girls with oilier skin. It made me look powdery and more dry

Problem is it just gets expensive to try things, so I end up not doing anything.  Thinking of trying Make Up Forever HD foundation but its pretty pricey, read nothing but good things about it though.

I highly recommend clinique 'even better' foundation, its very lightweight yet still has good coverage.  I am a redhead with very fair skin, cool / pink undertones and I wear the lightest shade.

If you go to any department store they will give you samples and help you find the right shade for your skin =)

MUF HD foundation is good but it is a bit heavy for daytime wear, in my opinion.. the clinique 'even better' is much more natural looking yet it can be layered and blended to give very high coverage when you want that, its also cheaper and more readily available than MUF. 

Quote from: shoegaze on October 25, 2011, 09:29:26 AM
Not wearing makeup because you feel the need to resist gender stereotypes or patriarchal male society or whatever other BS reasons is equally stupid.  Both are reactions based on external influence.  Why not just be yourself?  Wear makeup if you like it, go natural if you don't.

Ya, okay. You live with my family and then say that. Sometimes reactions based on external influences make a lot of sense. I have just, just started to get them used to the idea of me being an andro tomboy. Makeup would undo my hard work in minutes. I am not experimenting until I can move. Too dangerous.

We make our decisions based on a necessary combination of our own desires and an awareness of the environment in which we're living. It makes sense to me not to experiment if that's going to cause more trouble than you're happy to handle, that's just sensible self-protection.

Quote from: shoegaze on October 25, 2011, 09:41:48 AM
I highly recommend clinique 'even better' foundation, its very lightweight yet still has good coverage.  I am a redhead with very fair skin, cool / pink undertones and I wear the lightest shade.

If you go to any department store they will give you samples and help you find the right shade for your skin =)

MUF HD foundation is good but it is a bit heavy for daytime wear, in my opinion.. the clinique 'even better' is much more natural looking yet it can be layered and blended to give very high coverage when you want that, its also cheaper and more readily available than MUF.

Thanks for tip I'll check it out. 

Quote from: Mahsa the disco shark on October 24, 2011, 03:21:09 PM
I can't help but notice there are a lot of girls here who seem proud of not wearing makeup. What is the logic in that?

In my opinion, most ciswomen need makeup(minimal) to even look good when they leave the house in the morning. Add to that contouring/highlighting can change an andro face into a femme face. It is a trick employed by drag queens, which I feel could be useful here. You do nude eye instead of cut creases and you won't look like a drag queen. It's all in moderation. But not wearing makeup, makes you immediately clockable IMO...facial prettiness aside.

So why wouldn't people here wear cosmetics? Is it because they don't know how? Are they merely waiting for the effects of HRT to kick in? I knew I waited almost 15 months in to kick up my makeup...But I was very much into the "zero phase" prototype stage of the early transition. I didn't have a feminine mother or sister encouraging me to dress differently. My therapist had advised me not to get hair extensions and do crazy makeup to avoid looking like a "stereotypical trans"...she was so wrong.

Truth is, all women need some form of makeup to look good. Unless you are swimming or hiking, there is NO REASON not to wear it.

Enlighten me.

For a lot of Male to Female transsexuals make up (especially too much make up) can highlight the male features far more than a little make up or no make up. I used to wear far more make up in the beginning but realise it was more negetive than positive. The best way for me is a clear complexion and moisturise regularly. If you apply a little make up or none at all it's far more effective. 

Quote from: Annah on October 24, 2011, 06:04:46 PM
after reading the entire thread, I came to the conclusion that this thread is really nothing more than both sides of the argument (make or no makeup) putting down each other for doing makeup or not doing makeup.

It's either, none of the girls I know wear makeup and makeup is silly because _________ (sexist, unhealthy, hiding who they are, only ugly people wear it).

Or

All of the girls I know wear makeup and not wearing makeup is silly because _________ (you wont pass, you wont look as good, its not normal).

In all honesty, both arguments are F****D up.



it's that time of the month for me....i get brutally honest

No No No silly!  I love all the idiots who don't wear makeup! Joking Joking.. To each is to own in my opinion, I like make up sometimes, and sometimes I don't!

I don't mind people wanting to wear it, but I do mind people wanting me to. It's like passive smoking .

Quote from: Padma on October 25, 2011, 03:02:02 AM
I suspect a lot of women (trans or otherwise) wear the makeup they wear not so much to attract men, but because of peer pressure - women are often pretty anxious about how other women perceive them.

One reason that doesn't bother me is that the kind of women I associate most with (and am attracted to) are coincidentally also not that fussed about makeup .

Very true...... except for red lipstick (that's definitely for the guys,lol) 

the biggest problem with makeup is that most dont know how to apply it or wear it.  people wanna plaster that ->-bleeped-<- on their face like they were in Kiss!  the trick is to compliment what you have to work with and using the right tones and shades. 

Quote from: Hermione01 on October 25, 2011, 06:57:13 PM
Very true...... except for red lipstick (that's definitely for the guys,lol) 

...maybe - and then only if the women are straight . I notice this discussion often assumes women (trans or otherwise) are attracted to men in the first place, and care about whether they're attractive to men .

I find some irony in the fact that this thread was still pulled up on my iPod when my dear wife surprised me with a book that contains eyeshadow and instructions on how to apply it for a more 'natural' look. I'm supposed to learn this technique and not the ' hit by a paint truck' technique. To me this is an absolutely huge step for her. And I love her even more for taking it. ^_^

Quote from: Keaira on October 26, 2011, 01:51:18 AM
I find some irony in the fact that this thread was still pulled up on my iPod when my dear wife surprised me with a book that contains eyeshadow and instructions on how to apply it for a more 'natural' look. I'm supposed to learn this technique and not the ' hit by a paint truck' technique. To me this is an absolutely huge step for her. And I love her even more for taking it. ^_^

read that magical tome!

Oh I will, trust me. And I will practice.

Oh, and since I'm not the only one who needs practice, the book my wife got me was from:
http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf//beauty-school/beauty_school_beauty_manual_eye_manuals

I have no idea. At least I totally can't understand it. I want to wear makeup because I want to be as pretty as I can. Just because people expect that of women doesn't make it a bad thing. Like, hello, welcome to humanity, expecting superficial things of people is what everybody does in the first place. At least it's something I actually want. I think it's even kind of rude to act like all women do it just because people expect them to and not because maybe they just like being able to make little changes and improvements to their appearance.

Like, imagine if men acted outraged about nice cars just because other people judge men by how much money they have. "No, I refuse to want nice cars!" Did you ever hear a man say that? 

In the end, it is perfectly normal and feminine to want to be pretty. Just because people expect women to be pretty doesn't change that or make it somehow bad. Expecations are totally unrelated to the issue.

Quote from: Keaira on October 26, 2011, 01:51:18 AM
I find some irony in the fact that this thread was still pulled up on my iPod when my dear wife surprised me with a book that contains eyeshadow and instructions on how to apply it for a more 'natural' look. I'm supposed to learn this technique and not the ' hit by a paint truck' technique. To me this is an absolutely huge step for her. And I love her even more for taking it. ^_^

I love her more for taking it too!

Congratz <3

Hmm...alot of blanket statements bein made here. Some wear just the right amount of makeup, some hardly none, while others way too much, so in that aspect..I think its a general overall preference as to how much or if they want to apply it.  Yeah, with some, it wouldnt be a bad idea to put some on, while others dont really need it, especially if they are just going to the grocer or to get a snack.  It all depends on the confidence of the person.       

I dont wear it because I dont need it other than some lip color from time to time

I only wear really light makeup. I don't really know why; it's just an aesthetic preference. I always thought my mom wore way too much blush and eyeshadow when I was a kid, so maybe I learned to be a minimalist due to her example. After my FFS or something, perhaps I'll experiment with different looks more.