- This topic has 35 replies, 32 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by
.
- Posts
Hi ladies!
As I was doing my makeup, I realized I’ve been doing this for a long time. Decades, in fact. So much so that I’ve gotten pretty good at doing my makeup. I know what works and what doesn’t, what I like and what I don’t, and so forth. But as I reflected on how I learned how to apply my makeup, I realized that for us, we didn’t have a mom or a sister teach us how to do it (with rare exceptions, that is). We had to watch our moms surreptitiously as she applied her makeup, because boys didn’t watch mom, they’re not going to put on makeup! And for those of us who grew up in pre-Internet days, there wasn’t YouTube or Vimeo to pull up videos to watch, or online sites and forums where you could get help, so you had to do it the hard way — by trial and error.
I remember that after I moved out on my own and began buying all my own things, makeup included, one of the purchases I made was a book on how to apply makeup. It was published by Avon or Mary Kay and had a lot of tips and tricks, so it was very worthwhile and definitely helped me improve my makeup skills.
So of course, that got me to wondering…
How did you learn to apply makeup?
Hugs,
Holly
I chose other Holly, because I still haven’t really tackled make up yet, tried it maybe 30 years ago after finding some in the trash and proved that I didn’t know how. But reading so many stories here about girls and their make up, is making me to want to shave off my beard and get started. I guess I should start watching some You Tube and get some idea of what I’m doing, it’s been 60 years since I watched my sister put hers on.
-
I mainly watch youtube videos. The best tip I’ve gotten (so far) is to dab red lipstick on my beard shadow and cover it up with foundation and concealer. I tried it out a couple of days ago and it worked like a charm!
There’s a lot left to learn, but yay for Youtube!!
Does this red wash out good enough? For some reason, I’ve always heard to use orange. I don’t know if I’ve seen orange lipstick.
Gwyn
If your foundation is too pale (is more pink than brown, which is sort of like a dark yellow), then you need the orange. If your foundation has a yellowish component, the yellow mixes with the red lipstick to blend into that orange color that counteracts the blue (black) of the beard.
-
My beard is more white than black/grey, and the red-yellow combination with a very close shave works very well for me. The choice in lipstick color is more related to what color foundation that you use.
All of it – the lipstick, foundation and concealer – is easily removed using makeup remover wipes.
Jen, that’s a great tip that someone told me a long time ago too. At first I was skeptical, but once I tried it I was amazed at how well it worked!
Hugs,
Holly
I used to watch my mother and sisters applying make up at first then it was trial and error as there wasn’t internet as it is now. I took tips then finally had a make up artist visit my home and she helped me hone my skills. Since then I have been quite competent and take a few helpful hints from magazine articles or internet, I’m also not afraid to ask at the cosmetic counter either.
My makeup skills used to be terrible. It was the biggest reason for my first makeover. When I saw what was possible, I decided to invest in a few lessons. I learned enough to get by and can do a decent daytime look. Glam evening looks are a challenge but I’m improving. I practice every chance I get, which isn’t often.
/EA
Hi Holly, well one of the choices wasn’t even available for me when I first started (trying) to apply makeup. My life may have somewhat easier if there was ssomething called ‘online’ when I first started out. Anyway, even though I have sisters, them being significantly younger I was long gone from home before they ever got seriously into makeup. No computer, no neighborhood friendly tg stores, just me. So, lots of trial and mostly error. When you’re 10, I suppose it can be fun to make mistakes, use too little, too much. In your 20’s is just…tiring and disappointing.
Hugs, ChloëC
I chose other. When I had my first makeover at a transformation place, the woman not only did my make-up, but taught me as she was doing it and even let me do parts of it myself. Her philosophy on these initial private lessons was to be a mother figure to her “girls” who were learning for the first time. (When she did makeovers before her parties, it was just a makeover, not a lesson.)
I was a mix of YouTube and trial and error. My recommendation to anyone learning on YouTube is to pick one video. It could be total makeup, just eyes, lipstick, whatever you are looking to learn. Once you picked one only watch that one. There are so many ways to do things and so many products and so many videos it can get overwhelming. That’s why I watch one video until I get a handle on what I’m learning. Also don’t be afraid to use the pause button or rewind, the ladies doing videos are good and sometimes go fast. With practice and patience you can achieve any look you desire.
Hi girls,
Like Holly, I’ve been doing this for decades, I can honestly say I mastered the art of makeup long ago. And like Angela, I was fortunate to have a mom and a grandmother who actually let me watch and showed me how they did it. It appears I was a good student, which has proven quite beneficial now that I am a trans woman and have to put my face on each and every day. I still watch YouTube videos to catch up on latest makeup trends and I’m a MAC and Sephora insider and get all their emails.
Hugs ladies,
Ms. Lauren M
I didn’t have a clue. Even the instruments of application were a mystery to me when I first dared attend a TriEss meeting. I met a lady who ran a dressing service. Totally amazed at what makeup could do I took careful notes and followed them for ages between visits. Eventually I received compliments on my own application and realized I was able to do as well on my own as my teacher. I would love to learn more but have not found the time.
My makeup,at first,was mostly trial and error until I had a makeover from a very smart and gracious Mary Kay lady.Now I am improving to the degree that I often pass as a lady of my age.Marty is 74,but Michelle admits to a little bit over 40.hahahaha.There are always new things to learn which adds to the fun.
I started with YouTube and some makeup starter kits from CD sites. The results were pretty bad but I wasn’t going out in public.
After my first makeover from Beth Taylor, who works extensively with trans/CD clients, I started booking application lessons from her and that made all the difference.
I still watch online tutorials to learn other techniques, but by far the best results are from her sessions. I now feel confident about my makeup look when going out in public.
Also, for folks just starting, the staff at the makeup counters at department stores and the chains like ULTA have been super friendly and helpful whether I’m in male mode or en femme.
Gee, that goes back some time. It was trial and error for me. I even remember when mascara didn’t come in a tube. It was a little block of black and a little straight brush. You had to wet the brush and get the mascara from the palette to apply it. It was quite difficult. I also remember when eye shadow was not in a powder form, but a bit of an oily paste. It was a bit more difficult to blend.
Judging from today’s youtube videos and such, I guess I was doing it all wrong, but that’s how we did it back then.C’est La Vie!
As I voted.. The hard way….But over my (ever increasing) years I have got better. Aided by a couple of lovely professional makeup artists, one of whom did a private video tutorial for me. I learned heaps from that.
She moved interstate some years back but is now back in Melbourne. As per the photo I posted in my gallery last night, this year is ten years since her first makeover with me.
So in a few months time, she is going to do another one and we are going out to dinner to celebrate “our anniversary”
I also dabble in wine collecting/cellaring… So a “good one” is coming out for that night.
Caty.
The first time I did my make up my wife sat by me and gave me some tips on what to do. My first real lesson came from my daughter. She does make up very well and is self taught with the help of Youtube and such. She gave me a lot of great pointers and told me to watch some Youtube of my own due to the different types of eyes and such. I have done my make up a handful of times since then and I do feel like I am getting better. I unfortunately don’t get to do my makeup that often. My wife has no problems with me dressing or doing my makeup but due to the fact that I only dress at home and normally have a lot to do over the weekend.
Hi girls,
In this aspect I am a girl of the digital age since everything I know about putting on makeup I learned by watching tutorials on YouTube, since my mom (RIP) was not a woman who put on makeup every day, only when she was going to a party or important meeting, for this I really appreciate being born in this time when we can count on the great resource of the internet and social networks haha.
Greetings to all girls
Who’s ever said that I’ve learned? I do better now than I did when I started but my results are pretty inconsistent. I learned a lot from my Sephora makeover, especially about placement and application technique, but it was also helpful to know that my instincts about what colors work for me were sound. Still have a long way to go, but I’m feeling better about my progress.
For me, it was by trial and error! Back when I started putting on makeup there wasn’t anywhere to find help easily like today, so I just looked at pictures or women in the street or on tv and tried to do that.
These days I have expanded my skills by using YouTube vids and so forth. I’ve always been pretty good at eye makeup, but I now need to belatedly look at some tutorials on contouring and highlighting so I don’t look so cadaverous!
I haven’t yet and, if I’m being honest, I don’t have a clue where to start. At some point I will look at some of the articles on here and see if I can make any sense of it all.
I once did venture into the make up area of large department store to try and get a feel for it, but was so overwhelmed by everything and by sales attendants assuming what I wanted was for my partner, that I ended up walking out.
I guess my main fear is that I’ll end up looking like a 5 year old has done it and not be able to remove it properly.
Katie
I learned a little bit from a college girlfriend. She is such a cute little glamour puss and was a great person to learn these things from. She did my makeup for me a couple of times when we were dating and we were getting dressed up for Halloween and stuff.
But really, like 90% of what I learned I did from YouTube videos. Things like how to apply eye makeup on hooded eyes, or feminization/contouring. There is just so much information out there, and while I still have so much I am looking forward to learning and trying, I think it has helped me understand the theory behind makeup (playing with light and shadow, color theory and what not) which just makes me feel a little more adventurous and confident to try different things.
- The forum ‘Crossdresser Heaven Polls’ is closed to new topics and replies.
Recent Comments