Help buyng Make-up

[Keyplayer74]

Hey Folks..

I want to buy some makeup, I don't really have any yet. I want to buy over the internet - and I want to do it with a Money Order. Does anyone know where I could do that, and get it all in one place? I want to get just the basics first. 1) Some good beard cover (Mac Full Coverage?) 2) Eye-Liner 3) Mascara 4) eyeshadow kit -- I don't really know what else I might need, and all the different brands are very confusing. I just want to make one purchase and be done for a while. Does anyone have the magic recipe for me?

BTW, I have black hair and a light complexion.

Thanks!

[Julie York]

There's a bundle of links and help in the Beauty forum.

Good luck.

[MsMichelle]

Before you spend a small fortune on all the unknowns, why not consider a professional makeover first. I hate seeing anyone spend hundreds of dollars on all the wrong makeup. First, Mac doesn't work for everyone. If you are the type that perspires on a warm summer day in drab it will be even worst enfemme. It that case, you may wish to consider something like Revlon Colorstay. Asking someone to give you a makeup match without seeing your actual complexion is like asking the weather for July 1 2007. Your actual colours also depend on your hair colour as well. Are you going out in the day or in the evening? Again two totally different styles of makeup. In short there is no such thing as a magic fix. If you have the desire to pass in public a profesional makeover is the way to go. Learn what is going to work for you. There are folks all over these days that specialize in doing makeovers for the Transgendered community.

Hopefully, you will make a wise choice before wasting hundreds of dollars.

[Ms. Donna]

No one will bat an eye over your wanting to buy makeup your your self. Go to any cosmetics counter and they will be more than happy to help you. In the end, it's all about making a sale. :)

The MAC folks are probably the most 'TG friendly' of the bunch. I have always had good luck with them and use their Studio Fix foundation on a regular basis. I've also had excellent service at the Clinique and Laure Mercier counters.

Your best bet is to stop by and let them help you in person. As Michelle mentioned, find the best match for foundation, concealer, etc. is not an easy thing - impossible long distance. Go down and let them do their thing. After all, they are trained professionals! :)

Love & Stuff,
Donna

[Francine]

Why not just go to Walmart, or one of your department stores. One board here has a link to a "virtual reality" makeover and is really cool to try and use. One needs to be honest with themselves too, however, and not try to look or be someone they can't. For me, I determined that a dark red/auburn wig was for me, because I felt it would bring out my bown eyes, even with my glasses on, (which I NEED btw) and that a longer wig would make my my rather long face look smaller. My profile pic was a two hour makeup job which I did myself, and yes, maybe made a mistake with a too light of foundation an eyeliner. But it was a learning curve. I have a variety of lipstick I purchased myself, but I did not do this all at once.

You might even buy a magazine, one of those women's oriented magazines that have makeup suggestions and ideas and work from that. But you don't really need to use E-bay (nor would I suggest it for cosmetics).

Any way, good luck.

[Karren H]

Except for the beard coverage, walmart with the new self checkouts is fun and easy to get through if your embarased about buying fem items in person. Don't have that problem. I use mainly Loreal products, well, because I'm Worth it! Hehehe You can also get MAC products at the big Department stores, ie Kaughmans in the Pittsburgh area. Most of the girls there are more that happy to help anyone choose the proper colors for their skin tone.

Love Karren

[GypsyKaren]

The other girls are right, go to Wal-Mart. If you're nervous about buying things in person just tell the girl at the counter that you're looking for a make-up kit for your daughter or niece or someone, and they'll fix you right up.

GypsyKaren

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

I'd second the recommendation for a makeover.

Foundation does need to match your skin tone, which can be tricky at time. You can get a sampler kit from Illuminare (http://www.illuminarecosmetics.com/), which a pretty good brand.

TG Cosmestics (http://www.tgcosmetics.com/) sells stuff that's organized by different hair/skin color combinations. Their product is nothing special, but they're discrete and if nothing else they're suggestions will help you figure out appropriate color combinations.

Or just go a cosmetics counter. You can tell them a story if you want -- for example, you're appearing in a friend's video and need some foundation (all the folks on TV male and female wear it). As others have said, the staff at cosmetic counters are on commission and greed is a great motivator for tolerance. To be honest, they'll probably recognize this sort of story as plausible deniability, but if make you feel more comfortable... If you're nervous about being recognized, go someplace outside your normal haunts.

MAC's foundations do tend to be heavy and their Full Coverage while effective isn't good if you've got oily skin like me. (I ended up switching to Prescriptives, which has a water-based foundation, but I've also got a fairly light beard, so beard shadow isn't as much of an issue.)

As far as brands, as others have said, the Beauty Club section has lots of info on people's preferences.

[Deanna2]

Like others have said Wal Mart is good. You could also try any supermarket. They may not have the greatest range, but there is enough there to get you started and the prices are between reasonable to cheap.

[Keyplayer74]

I read somewhere that Pan Stick is good for beard cover.. opinions anyone?

[DanaJ]

www.colortration.com I think they take money orders too, they are very good about returning emails too, so you can try writing them to ask...