I've strolled around and observed tons of women - tons of them do not wear makeup, but there are certainly plenty who wear heavy makeup.

Now, for me, I totally love makeup (when I am not in a total bum mode, that is, i am just a  with hair pulled back in a messy updo, glasses, and athletic wear, lol) and think it is one of the greatest pleasures ever invented for females.

One of the advice tips everyone tend to give newbies who are transitioning - is to lay off on heavy makeup, especially eyeshadow and eyeliner during the daytime and not look as if you were going clubbing.

But I have seen plenty of natal females who wear heavy eyeshadow and eyeliner, anyway. So, what is the difference here? How can they get away with it?

And as a off-spin question: DO MEN ACTUALLY LOVE US WITH MAKEUP? Appreciate our hard work in applying it? 

Oh god, don't get me started on the ridiculously fake eyelashes, too. Everytime I see those I want to dump a bucket of soy sauce on someone. Many women get criticized for heavy makeup use, cis or not cis. Actually, from what I've seen it depends on the application, not the quantity that flags attention. You can look gorgeous with TONS of makeup, just... it has to be even and smooth, not cakey and flakey.

From what I've heard from men, they mostly want a girl to be attractive naturally and not need a whole lot of makeup.

lol, I m envious of those makeup artists with MAC, Estee Lauder, etc. They can stroll around with heavy makeup, including eyeshadow all day long and say, "Hey, it is a part of my job." 

  Well it's quite simple, cisgendered women can get away with wearing heavy makeup because they already have nice feminine facial features to begin with unlike most transwomen so the makeup brings out those features. Plus a part of it is cisgender women grow up learning how to apply makeup properly unlike most of us who have to learn it in a few months or a few years.


  I really don't like the heavy makeup look personally, i usually just wear foundation, eyeliner, and light or dark eye shadow depending on the time of day etc. I rarely wear lipstick unless it's nude colored.

Quote from: MsDazzler on November 27, 2011, 01:28:35 PM
I've strolled around and observed tons of women - tons of them do not wear makeup, but there are certainly plenty who wear heavy makeup.

Now, for me, I totally love makeup (when I am not in a total bum mode, that is, i am just a  with hair pulled back in a messy updo, glasses, and athletic wear, lol) and think it is one of the greatest pleasures ever invented for females.

One of the advice tips everyone tend to give newbies who are transitioning - is to lay off on heavy makeup, especially eyeshadow and eyeliner during the daytime and not look as if you were going clubbing.

But I have seen plenty of natal females who wear heavy eyeshadow and eyeliner, anyway. So, what is the difference here? How can they get away with it?

And as a off-spin question: DO MEN ACTUALLY LOVE US WITH MAKEUP? Appreciate our hard work in applying it? 

I'm so glad you posted the first part.  Most natal females do not wear a lot of make up.  How do the ones that do do it?  Well I think it has to do with how they dress.  When a woman is all decked out and has a very expensive outfit on then she gets away with it.   Here in Brooklyn the Russian women are famous for wearing tons of make up.  When I used to,  I used to get spoken to in Russian all the time.  So certain cultures have women wearing lots of make up.

If you are in your 20s you can get away with it as well.     

Quote from: MsDazzler on November 27, 2011, 01:28:35 PM

And as a off-spin question: DO MEN ACTUALLY LOVE US WITH MAKEUP? Appreciate our hard work in applying it? 

I do makeup for a job. I work for DIOR.

It's 50/50. I don't actually wear that much outside of contouring/highlighting my face. I use Dior forever for my primary(just one pump, unless I am doing an event), some cover girl foundations for my contour/highlights, whatever palette I currently have, and just a blush to go in sync with the eyes.

Just some blush, eyeliner, and eyeshadow. If I do my eyes up, I get hit on more....versus doing the "pin up" eye. I never wear lipstick though. My drag mom and I constantly share makeup tips. Which is pretty awesome, because he's a straight guy out of face and has given me a ton of insight on "what men want". But I got dates with minimal or heavy makeup.

Lips or eyes and I choose eyes.

But honestly, I think most men see us beyond the makeup. Men like my facial structure with nothing on it. I mean if you get in a long term relationship with a man, he is gonna see you without the makeup... The real reason why he was attracted to you to begin with.

There's also an understanding that if you wear a lot of make up that you are a "working girl" if you get my drift.  So professional women will wear lots of make up to signal that.

I've also seen professional women who wear suits and whatnot go overboard because they feel masculinized in suits.


I think the main reason that so many cisgendered women don't wear make up is simply they don't need to because they are pretty naturally.   Women who have "ugly" facial features will try to play up their strengths to make themselves look better.  So take someone like Paloma Picasso who wears very bold lipstick or Angelica Houston who often plays up her eyes since they are her strongest feature.

But then there are men out there who like the Barbie look. Perfect makeup, long hair, hourglass figure.

I know 2 guys who find me attractive with or without make-up. I'm not the kind to get so done up I look like I am in Kabuki, but I do use it around my eyes. And I will get some Dermablend concealer/foundation eventually too.

So true, about the barbie comment,  think the Girls Next Door




Then again when I look at them they don't seem to be wearing a lot of make up,  the point to make up is not to look like you are wearing make up but that you naturally look this way.

So perhaps a lot of women are wearing a lot of make up but it just doesn't seem like it.

Quote from: MsDazzler on November 27, 2011, 03:57:06 PM
But then there are men out there who like the Barbie look. Perfect makeup, long hair, hourglass figure.

All I know is that I get the straight boys who are either travelling through Castro, doing construction, etc hitting on me when I go there. But I'm far from a barbie... I almost hear the gay men there saying, "it's a trap" when they look at me talkin to them.

Quote from: Keaira on November 27, 2011, 04:00:23 PM
I know 2 guys who find me attractive with or without make-up. I'm not the kind to get so done up I look like I am in Kabuki, but I do use it around my eyes. And I will get some Dermablend concealer/foundation eventually too.

Are they ->-bleeped-<-s or normal straight guys?

Quote from: mixie on November 27, 2011, 03:52:11 PM

How is that ugly? Angelica Houstin is friggin hot.

She is hottt! Lol but i'm still not a big fan of the super duper heavy makeup look, sometimes it's ok and kinda fun to do but most of the time i try for moderation. 

Quote from: Mahsa the disco shark on November 27, 2011, 04:06:57 PM
Are they ->-bleeped-<-s or normal straight guys?

"normal straight guys"  are often looking for prostitutes or "easy lays"  so I wouldn't rely too much on a "normal straight guys" hitting on women.   


Also Angelica Huston I agree is stunning,  but I don't think she's hot.  In fact if I didn't know she was cisgendered and you put her picture in the Do I Pass thread,  I would probably say no,  just like a lot of people on this site would.

But she works with what she has.   In her case she has stunning eyes so she plays them up.   She looked amazing in The Addams Family but she's a caricature in that film.   I've met her in person and she's extraordinarily graceful and charming.  But she looks very masculine.


Women who don't wear make up don't normally need to and why bother?   I wear mascara, lipstick on occasion, and very rarely I wear foundation.  But I generally don't need to.  I'm also married and that's another thing,  married women tend to slack off on the dazzling displays because they don't feel they need to try so hard any more.  So that's telling.

However I do love getting dolled up and going out to dinner every now and then.  And being lazy about appearance when you get married isn't good either, there has to be a balance.

  I think it was to do with age as well. From what i've noticed alot of younger girls wear makeup more then the older gals. Then again it's really just preference - some women wear makeup and some don't but i wouldn't say that most women don't wear makeup because the cosmetic industry is really big right now so somebody is buying all that makeup! 

Quote from: Rukia87xo on November 27, 2011, 04:28:06 PM
  I think it was to do with age as well. From what i've noticed alot of younger girls wear makeup more then the older gals. Then again it's really just preference - some women wear makeup and some don't.

Some women also have a face FOR make up where it works really well.  You are drop dead gorgeous Rukia and I bet you could get away with a lot of different looks.   

But definitely younger women,  I said earlier that if you are in your 20s you can get away with it,  think of The Jersey Shore Gals, or Kardashians, Lindsay Lohan,  ScarJo etc.  They look gorgeous.

Most women wear as little make up as possible, except when dolling up, as wearing make up in genral make you look like an old hag.

Quote from: mixie on November 27, 2011, 04:20:40 PM
"normal straight guys"  are often looking for prostitutes or "easy lays"  so I wouldn't rely too much on a "normal straight guys" hitting on women.   

By normal straight guys, I mean guys who don't have fetishes. Nothing more.

But yeah, these guys want to take me out to dinner and don't leave when they aren't gonna get sex right away.

Quote from: Mahsa the disco shark on November 27, 2011, 04:32:53 PM
By normal straight guys, I mean guys who don't have fetishes. Nothing more.

But yeah, these guys want to take me out to dinner and don't leave when they aren't gonna get sex right away.

Most professionals, unless they are working on street corners, don't do sex right away.  I've had a few guys, even last week in the old age that I am now, buy me dinner and then it seemed like they expected something in return.  Even though they know I'm married.  Men pick up anyone,  it's not a testament to anything except guys being horn dogs.   LOL