Makeup Tips For Crossdressers

The week I spent at Esprit was a wonderful time spent meeting new people and discovering myself , but despite the hectic activity I was still able to learn a few novel makeup tips. If you’re new to crossdressing I recommend you start with the makeup basics for crossdressers , which will give you an easy overview of the basic steps to applying a fabulous face!

As I practice makeup application I’ve seen my skills advance from ‘not even a clown would be caught dead wearing this’ to ‘average girl style’. I’ve been helped along by every crossdresser’s makeup Bible – Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin, as well as the endless video tutorials on Youtube. Though nothing can quite compare to consistent practice and critique. A light application of makeup every day (even in guy mode) has helped me hone the speed and skill at which I can create my canvas. In preparing my canvas I start with moisturizer, sunscreen, eye cream, concealer, foundation, bronzer, powder, a neutral eye shadow and sometimes lip gloss or lightly colored lipstick.

With your canvas set you can then experiment with different eye shadows, liner, mascara, blush and shades of lipstick. You’ll find that certain color combinations look good with your skin tone, and the interplay between your eyes, lips and cheeks will either be fabulous or dragulous.

Makeup Tips For Crossdressers

A few things I learnt at Esprit:

Feather the lip liner rather than coloring in the entire lip. When applying lip liner start by outlining your lips, then draw a few strokes down from the outer edges of your lips inward. Smack your lips together a few times to blend the liner over your lips then apply your favorite shade of lipstick. By feathering the lip liner you’ll prevent the lipstick from smudging while making it less obvious that you’ve applied lip liner.

Use two coats of mascara to make your eyes pop. Apply the first coat starting from the roots of your lashes, then leave it to dry. Once the mascara is dry apply a second coat to just the tips of your lashes. This is a quick and easy way to get a bit of extra length on those gorgeous lashes. I highly recommend Cover Girl’s LashBlast Mascara. I try to use high end makeup where possible, but I’ve yet to find a mascara that matches CoverGirl’s Lashblast.

Layer mineral makeup for greater coverage. I tend to apply fairly light makeup, and while I highly recommend Bare Escentual’s Mineral Makeup there are times I’ve wished for more coverage. A neat trick I learned is to apply mineral makeup in layers. Three or four light layers of mineral makeup will give you a lot more coverage without feeling heavy or flaking off. If you try to apply it all in one heavy coat you’ll end up with clumping, flaking and uneven coverage.

Start applying brush higher on the cheeks for a different look. I’m in love with the look where the blush is darkest near the hairline, but I had failed quite spectacularly to recreate it. The secret is to start the first application of blush higher on the cheek. The first place you touch will be the darkest, no matter how often you blend and fill other places. Now I start by brushing downwards from high on the cheek, then blend up until I get the intensity of blush I want. One nice benefit for crossdressers who are new to makeup application is that this approach makes it more difficult to look like a clown since most of the color isn’t centered on your cheeks.

Most importantly – there is no right or wrong in fashion and makeup application. Styles come and go, everyone has a unique features and skin tone, we’re of different ages with different personalities. Experiment and find what works for you. Not all of us can be as extravagant as Lady Gaga but that shouldn’t stop you from finding the style that shines you in the best light!

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Some Sage Wig Advice for the Confused Crossdresser..

Ok, so ladies, when you are dressed in your female persona and you have given yourself a name to represent that persona – you then want to find the right hair to reflect that woman don’t you? So where do you start?

The first thing you need to think about is color – what color do you feel your personality needs?  Blondes are definitely for the more fun personality (long, layered or wavy bright blonde wigs) but they can also be elegant (soft blonde bob wig) depending on the shade of blonde.  Chocolates and browns can be mysterious (layered or wavy brown wigs) or even demure (shorter style brown wigs).  On the other hand auburns and reds can be fiery (long or layered red wigs) or intriguing (short & fun red wigs like a deep red bob).  Finally for the very dramatic woman a black wig could work – exotic (long black wigs) or very serious & smart (short sleek black bob wig).  So try to figure out “who you are” when you are:  Amanda, Adrianna, Sofia, Lynda, Sarah, etc.  and what color reflects your personality.  No matter what color you choose you want to feel “like you” when you put on your hair.

The second aspect you need to look at is style – this will depend on face shape of course.  But some wigs can create a slightly different face shape with their style.  We would recommend a wider fuller or rounder face shape should lean more towards the shoulder length long and slightly wavy or layered styles – very flattering.  The slimmer longer face works very well with long straight hair or a sleek bob style.  The fun short layered flicked out wigs are great for almost any face shape and can give that heart shaped face once on – we offer that style in almost every color.

At Gorgeous Hair we hope you will find exactly what you are looking for –we offer a wide range of wigs in a variety of colors and styles to suit every personality.  We offer quality synthetic wigs that look and feel like human hair.  They are made from high quality Kanekalon fibres and are created to a specific style.  You can not use heated styling tools on synthetic wigs but when you wash them (in warm water with gentle shampoo) they will retain their style when they dry (let them dry naturally and use a soft brush to bring back the style).  Synthetic wigs can be trimmed to be made slightly shorter or have more layered added – however, it is advisable to take your wig to a professional stylist to do this.  As long synthetic wigs are cared for properly they will last a long time.

We offer our wigs at very affordable prices as we deal directly with our manufacturer so there is no middle man, hence prices are lower than some other retail or online stores.

In the New Year we will be offering a small range of human hair wigs in a variety of styles and colors. They will be considerably more expensive of course but beautiful nonetheless.   However, do consider that by purchasing a synthetic wig, at a lower price, you can then potentially afford to purchase more than 1 wig so you can change things up sometimes and be a different style or color depending on your mood!

SPECIAL OFFER TO CROSSDRESSER HEAVEN READERS – If you purchase a wig from Gorgeous Hair between Nov 15 – Dec 15 you can get 15% off your purchase!  Just use the CODE:  CROSS01 when checking out to receive your discount.

We look forward to serving you very soon.    Love Liz x

www.gorgeoushairwigs.com

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She’s chosen to write under a pseudonym, as you’ll see. I know she’d love to hear from you about her article. Perhaps if we get enough comments I can convince her to write another article So please take a moment to comment after reading the article – and be beautiful!

Crossdresser Skin Tone

Have you ever seen someone wearing an amazing color blouse that made them look fantastic? This then led you to promptly go and buy something similar and the result was less than desirable. The problem could be your skin tone.

Skin tone is broadly classified into cool and warm tones. To determine what skin tone you are try these following tests:

The Vein Test

This is the most widely used test. Look at the underside of your arm in natural light. If your veins appear bluish you are cool toned, if they appear greenish you are warm toned. If you have a mixture of blue and green veins you are probably neutral. Consider yourself lucky.

The Gold/Silver Test

Stand in front of a mirror in natural light. Hold up a piece of silver and gold jewelry or fabric to your face one at a time and examine. If the silver makes your face light up, you are most likely cool toned. If the gold makes you look fresh and alive, you are probably warm toned.

While the above tests can act as guidelines, genetics are also important. Your skin, hair and eye color can assist you in determining whether you are warm or cool toned. It should be noted that there may be exceptions to this rule.

Warms tend to have a golden or apricot undertone. Their hair tends to have hints of orange, yellow, red or gold. Eye color tends to be amber, dark brown, hazel, or green.

Cool skin often has a pink or rosy undertone. Their hair often contains blue, blue-violet, silver, drab, and ash undertones. Eye color tends to be light blue, gray-green, blue green, turquoise, gray-blue, black or cool brown.

I am an exception to the genetic rule. My natural hair color is drab brown and I have green eyes with flecks of hazel. Yet my skin tone is definitely cool.

Why is this Important?

A Crossdresser's Color Pallette

Choosing the correct color based on your skin tone is an important part of looking your best. This applies to cosmetics, clothes and even hair color [if shopping for wigs or having highlights or tinting done]. Wearing the wrong hue can take your skin from looking radiant and glowing to appearing tired, drained and even unhealthy.

Warm tones

These will look their best in earthy hues either muted or crisp: Think yellows, oranges, bronzes, gold, peaches, brick reds, earthy greens, mocha browns and ivory. Yellow based colors makes your complexion sparkle. You also look better in ivory than pure white and black worn close to the face can make you appear washed out.

Makeup and hair color: Foundation is yellow based. Hair colors that have a warm overtone will look more natural on you. To complement your skin go for golden to dark browns, rich warm auburns as well as red and golden highlights. Avoid the following hair colors; ash, blues, purples and whites.

Cool tones

Both sexes will look stunning in rich jewel tones such as vibrant emerald green, royal or icy blues, rosy pinks, silvers, plums, magentas, blue-based reds and pure white. Blue based colors look best. You look better in pure white than ivory and you can easily wear black.

Makeup and hair color: Foundation is pink based. These people can wear shades of ash browns, cool blondes such as platinum, blue-blacks and unnatural colors like mahogany, burgundy and fire engine red can also be worn by this shade as well. Avoid tinting your hair in any of the following colors: orange, some reds, bronze, yellow or gold.

Neutral tones look amazing in any color though often they tend to pull towards cool or warm due to personal preferences.

Color Seasons – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn - are used to break down cool and warm colors further.  Summer and Winter are “cool” seasons; Spring and Autumn are “warm” seasons.

Now it’s time to play and compare different colors and tones against your skin. Some will look terrible, others okay and some will make you look as if you have just stepped out a fashion magazine. It is okay to wear some colors that don’t look 100% on you [since who of us can afford to totally revamp our closet?] Just keep these for bottoms and wear a top that complements your skin color.

Go and have some fun now that there is a change of seasons and fashions.

Xena

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Cross-dresser hair tips

Did you look like a cyclone warning the first time you tried to do your hair? Of all the mysterious things about womanhood, the secret to a good hair style is perhaps the most elusive for crossdressers. Many of us enjoy long hair just once a month, and often without the nurturing guidance young girls get while growing up.

If you wash your hair twice a week you’re already above average for a guy. Never mind conditioners, blow drying, styling gels, mousse and a bag full of other hair essentials. So where does the confused crossdresser get started?

Find Your Crossdressing Hair Style

The first thing to decide is whether you’ll be wearing a wig or styling your own hair. For some, genes have already made the choice for them. Some things to consider:

Advantages of wearing a wig while crossdressing

If you opt for a wig you’ll find three wonderful things. Firstly, your hair can be as long as you want right away without waiting months and years for it to grow. Wigs are also better for those who crossdress part time, and need to be fully male the rest of the time (dress codes at work, for example).  The final advantage to wearing a wig is variation – you can have a blonde bob one day, and long brunette curls the next day.

Advantages of crossdressing with your own hair

For the last few months I’ve been growing out my hair – I’m recovering from my wig phase . Going natural has it’s own advantages. Firstly, there’s no need to worry about your hair flying off. Getting your hair styled in a salon is tremendous fun – my trips to the salon count among my favorite few hours in the month. If you’re sensitive to the heat your own hair is much cooler than wearing a wig.

For this post I’ll provide a few crossdresser hair tips for those going natural. Look here for more information about how to wear a wig.

Crossdresser Hair Tips

Wash your hair a few times a week with a high quality shampoo. Many of the grocery store brands will leave your hair oily, or strip off too much oil. Personally, I use Nioxin, which you can find at Costco, in your favorite salon or online. Try not to wash too often, otherwise you’ll deprive your hair of natural oils.

Condition your hair every time you shampoo. 2 in 1 hair products are faster to use, but less gentle on your hair. Again use a high quality salon brand like Nioxin, their conditioner is the best I’ve ever used. It has a light mint scent and causes your scalp to tingle all over while conditioning. It’s also okay to use conditioner when you haven’t washed your hair.

Condition the ends of your hair. Don’t pour all the conditioner on your scalp, that will leave your hair heavy and give you the ‘drowned rat’ look. Definitely not sexy! Use most of the conditioner on the ends of your hair, which is most susceptible to split ends and drying out.

Don’t brush your hair when it’s wet. That tugging sensation you feel as you try to brush out your knots is hair being removed from your head. Pulling out your hair is not a good look.

We’ll leave the styling tips for a future post. If you have a crossdresser hair care tip you’d like to share, please leave a comment below and let the other ladies know what has worked for you.

Hugs,
Vanessa

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Concealers come in creams, sticks, or liquids. Regardless of formula, the key is to find a shade with the same undertone as your skin. The days of white raccoon eyes have gone out with the 80’s.

I find cream concealers easier to work with. With your middle or ring finger (never your index finger), very lightly smooth a small amount under the eyes or over discoloration. Dab on blemishes. The warmth of your finger will soften the cream and help it go on easily. Don’t worry about blending just yet because you’ll do that as you work foundation over your skin.

Some cosmetic companies offer a green tint to neutralize ruddiness or purple to minimize a sallow complexion. They do help, but don’t go overboard. A little goes a long way.

The multitude of foundation colors and formulas can seem overwhelming. I’ll keep it simple. If you have oily skin, look for a liquid in an oil-free formula. If you’re dry, a cream might be more to your liking. Normal or combination skin can go with a liquid formula for normal skin. Unless you work in the theatre, stay away from “pancake” makeup or too heavy an application. Instead of covering flaws, it just makes people want to take a trowel to your face.

Foundations are also affected by weather. During hot, humid summers you may prefer a sheer liquid, preferably with sunscreen. In dry, cold months, when your skin gets tight, a cream can feel better. Remember to also adjust your moisturizer.

The hardest part about foundation is finding the right shade. The idea is not to change your skin tone, but to work with it. Find three shades that look similar to your skin color. Dip a Q tip into the first color. Draw a strip vertically near the jaw line. With fresh Q tips, do the same with the other two shades. The strip that disappears is the color that best matches your skin. If none of them disappear, try three more. *This is important; once you’ve stripped your face, walk outdoors with a mirror to see which one matches the best. Florescent lights change the look of foundation.

Hint: if you wear Porcelain or Ivory, you probably look like a geisha. Most of us, with the exception of Nicole Kidman, have more color in our skin, especially in sunnier regions of the country.

Most formulas dry quickly, so instead of dabbing foundation around the entire face and then spreading it around, work one area of the face at a time. Don’t rub it in. Use the middle or ring finger to smooth it over the skin, like spreading icing. Makeup sponges work well. Wet the sponge first so that it does not soak up and waste too much foundation. Foundation brushes are nice for blending along the hairline and under eyes, but can take too much time with overall application.

Take foundation to just under the jaw line. If you did a good job matching color, you won’t need to take it down the neck. Foundation on the neck just makes a mess on your clothes. My neck tans, but my face only freckles. I pick a foundation closer to my neck color, thereby avoiding that mask look. This is why it is best to test your foundation close to the jaw line.

Set foundation with a translucent, loose powder. If you are a lady of color, you’ll need powder with some pigment. Most loose powders only come in fair, medium and dark. Blend two colors to get the right shade.

Use a velour powder pad to press loose powder into foundation. Then dust excess with a large brush. This method wastes less powder. Wash pads with soap and water, and air dried.

Some foundations come in cream/powder compacts. There is no need to set with loose powder. Carry one for touch ups. If you use the sponge applicator, be sure to wash it regularly. Same with your pads in pressed powder compacts.

Newest on the market are mineral foundations. They are highly pigmented powders, applied with a special brush. They can take a little practice. The key is to moisturize well before applying, otherwise it will look splotchy. Mineral foundations feel light on the skin, but give good coverage.

Hope this helps. Next time, I’ll cover eyes.

Christina Evans
Makeup101byevans@yahoo.com
www.linkedin.com/in/makeup101byevans

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