Make Up - How Long Did It Take To Learn? [Archive] - Crossdressers.com - #1 Community & Forum for Crossdressers, Family and Friends

Girly Sara

10-09-2006, 02:52 PM

Barb Valentine

10-09-2006, 02:59 PM

40 plus years and still learning
And not that good at it

Sophia Rearen

10-09-2006, 03:02 PM

Sara,
I'm always learning. I seem to have my "old standby look" whenever I'm not feeling new and creative. This was created very early in my makeup experimenting. Once you have the look, try to remember how you did it because it's not like you get to repeat it everyday. Also, watch the pros on the telly, if you can. I'm also a great study of what and what not do to on the GG's.

Nigella

10-09-2006, 03:03 PM

Basic everyday make up takes no time at all to learn to put on. I suppose it depends on what experiences you have had, by that I mean have you really been able to practice yourself or watch a GG put on make-up.

I have been out 24/7 for the past 2 years and TBH I still have to rely on Sandra to do my foundation, especially if we have little time. With time you can achieve a look you like, but I would recommend a visit to a beauty counter for a professional make-over, just to find out the colours and mixes that suit your complexion etc.

ShannonDragon

10-09-2006, 03:04 PM

I too am still learning. My wife is not much help as she does not wear it!

:tongueout

Sandra

10-09-2006, 03:11 PM

Hi girls,

Was wondering how long it took for you to learn to apply your own make up and feel happy with 'your' look, please? I've been saying for an age how i must learn to do my own but keep on making excuses! The thing is, the cost of professional make overs is limiting my time out enfemme (as much as i love the look i achieve) and i'm constantly thinking i'll never be able to do my make up as nice as what i get done professionally.

Your feedback would be appreciated.

Sara xxx

Sara

Nigella went to estee lauder counter in a department store near us, they were very helpfull with helping her choose colours for foundation, eyeshadow etc, they did a makeover for her the cost £10 but if you buy any products that day then the make over was free.

I don't think you can ever stop learning how to put makeup on, especially with new products coming onto the market. With practice you will be able to get the look you want.

Karren H

10-09-2006, 03:39 PM

For me....from the first time I seriously dabbled in makeup (2.5 years ago). A couple months of daily practice before I felt semi good...and a year of daily practice before I thought I looked good. So after two and a half years I'm still experimenting with different makeup schemes and have settled into a couple looks, and a few brands I really like..

Bought a couple good makeup books, read lots of magazines, did my homework at the mall at lunch then tried to replicate makeup schemes that I thought looked nice... And practiced every day in the morning before work and washed it all off in the shower...

Got to want something bad enought and above all practice practice practice!!

Love Karren

JeanneF

10-09-2006, 04:08 PM

It took me about six months of practicing regularly to feel competent. Now, after about a year, I'm to th point where I'm starting to feel capable of being "creative".

I've now done makeup on a couple of GGs friends, and they claimed to be very pleased with the results, so I guess that means I'm getting reasonably good.

If it takes a while to learn, don't stress it. I know plenty of GGs who've been applying their own makeup for 10-15 years, and still manage to look like bad drag queens. ;)

Snookums

10-09-2006, 04:22 PM

I don't do makeup

sue ellan

10-09-2006, 04:54 PM

:iagree:
Basic everyday make up takes no time at all to learn to put on. I suppose it depends on what experiences you have had, by that I mean have you really been able to practice yourself or watch a GG put on make-up.

I have been out 24/7 for the past 2 years and TBH I still have to rely on Sandra to do my foundation, especially if we have little time. With time you can achieve a look you like, but I would recommend a visit to a beauty counter for a professional make-over, just to find out the colours and mixes that suit your complexion etc. that where i went. it is a little expensive but i think it is worth the cost.
sue ellan

life is like a roll of tp. the closer to the end the faster it goes.

EricaCD

10-09-2006, 05:20 PM

When I resumed dressing in February, it took about 20 "tries" to get a look I like and could do fairly consistently. However, like everyone else here, it's still a learning process.

Erica

jessica123cd

10-09-2006, 05:26 PM

for me I got the hang of it fairly quickly. Probably from years of watching my wife :)

MarinaTwelve200

10-09-2006, 05:31 PM

Just DO it and eventually you will get "good enough"---but you will always be learning something new.

I find most of the problem is the right color choices----we CDers tend to go with too bright or too heavy, I improved very rapidly after taking a pic of myself in my usual makeup, puting it on my photo processor (Photo deluxe) and then adjusting the color intensity and hue and brightness----and saw that with the colors toned down in certian directions---not only did I STILL look female, but better than I ever had.---so I made the adjustment with real makeup.

StephanieCD

10-09-2006, 05:38 PM

I'm pretty good at it now. It took about 3 months of doing it a few times a week to get a consistent look I was happy with. Try new colors, and experiment. I look best in things I wouldn't have picked! After about a year or so, I'm becoming more comfortable with experimenting for fun. I've got a few looks I like. I'd like to find a natural look that looked good but it's hard to find natural when I'm really covering everything up!

But the key is to not be afraid to look bad. It washes off! Remember, it washes off.

(usually)

Note: always check yourself thoroughly in the morning. Always.

carol ann

10-09-2006, 05:43 PM

Very far from satisfied. Although i am happy to spend money on clothes i am reluctant to buy expensive makeup because i am so ignorant about it and, consequently, buy cheap make-up sets.

Can any GG's give advice - particularly about foundations?

Tina Dixon

10-09-2006, 06:15 PM

I only been doing it for about six months, and I think I'm getting better all the time, but if I'm getting better at it why does it take longer?

Kate Simmons

10-09-2006, 06:25 PM

I took a "crash course" Sara and it only took me 30+ years. Really, even a lot of GG's still can't get it down and they've been doing it since puberty. It's an acquired skill for sure. The biggest critic being yourself of course.:happy: Ericka

jenny_centaur

10-09-2006, 06:44 PM

You might find this link quite handy: http://www.lancome.co.uk/_en/_gb/applications/index.aspx?section=MAQUILLAGE&

DAVIDA

10-09-2006, 06:58 PM

:idontknow: I have no idea! I have never been able to do the same thing twice!:phbbt:

Samantha B L

10-09-2006, 07:18 PM

For me it's still a never ending process.I dabbled in it once in a great while when I was real young,but I just didn't know what I was doing and I came within an ace of making a terrible mess at my relative's house while eveybody was out for a couple of hours.Finally when I was out of high school for a couple of years a GG that was sympathetic to my cd'ing showed me the basics of make-up application and was kind enough to actually give me some cosmetics to sneak home with me.But I would still suceed in making myself look horrendous.Until another very close GG freind worked with me a couple of times and undiplomaticly told me what looked good and what didn't.That was over twenty years ago.Time goes on and I'm purely average rated at doing my own makeup.But if I ever have the extra money I just might go to one of the larger cities for one of those TG makeovers.Samantha

Christina Nicole

10-09-2006, 07:41 PM

I have been doing my makeup since I was a teen, like a real woman. So a very long time. (I wish it wasn't so very long.) But I don't do it every day, unlike a real woman.

When I started going out, I needed to learn a few new things about doing more passible makeup to camoflage defects. It took a little bit of effort, but some input from a few makeover specialists helped. Then a couple of makeovers at the makeup counter really were helpful. I ask the makeup artist to describe and show me what she is doing. This way, I learn and can do it myself. I do eyes pretty well. Have gotten quite a few complements. Even help my wife a few times with hers.

Warmest regards,
Christina Nicole

MarieTS

10-09-2006, 09:15 PM

Sara: it's like anything else, the more practice you have the more proficient you'll become. I HIGHLY recommend that you read as much as you can on the subject. Fashion/beauty magazines always have new and interesting information and techniques to share. There are some excellent books as well.
Personally, I feel very capable at applying a makeover now and my speed has increased dramatically while my error rate (wow those can be time consuming to correct :( ) has all but disappeared. It is really a second nature task for me now. Yet, I'm still interested in learning more.
Don't fret about mistakes, just enjoy the process. Speed and certainty will come with experience, and you'll discover the perfect range of "looks" that work best and most flattering for YOU.

Glenda58

10-09-2006, 10:17 PM

I went to the Estee counter at Macy's had a makeover. They show you how to put on your makeup. Help pick out colors that look good on you. All you have to do is buy some of their protducts. Then go home and practice, practice practice.
Need to go back for my winter colors now that my tan is gone.

10-09-2006, 10:40 PM

well Sara

i am always learning it took me about two months until i got a look that i like and then lots of practice. books like Ellie , glow ,Cosmo etc help. find a look in there and try it on yourself until you find The one and then keep doing it over and over until you get it right. makeup is so much fun. it's the best part of being a t-girl i hope that helps...

hugs Marissa

Billijo49504

10-09-2006, 11:45 PM

My wife, who is 44, says she is still learning to do different things with makeup. So I guess I'm just a beginner. I guess you could say it's a learning experience. But after a year of trying, I do pretty well.;..BJ

Stacy GG

10-09-2006, 11:51 PM

Girly Sara

10-10-2006, 02:29 AM

Thank you for your valued feedback, girls. I know i need to start learning pretty soon but i keep on making excuses. The strange thing is, i love being a t-girl but the thought of doing my own make up hasn't interested me until now.

Sara x

Lisa Golightly

10-10-2006, 02:46 AM

Took a couple of months, but then being an artist I didn't really have an excuse not to pick it up quick... plus I have a tendency to ask an awful lot of questions so I picked up a lot of tips from the girls at my school... way back in the mists of time.

I tend to get excited by new makeup, but usually wander back to the old favourites. I'm also conscious of the danger of getting stuck in a rut, so I do like to experiment with colours and styles a lot.

whisky12

10-10-2006, 05:05 AM

InHerShoes

10-10-2006, 05:14 AM

Still learning and still a total disater.

Clare

10-10-2006, 05:56 AM

Makeup itself keeps changing, so I ain't perfected it yet!

Sky

10-10-2006, 03:22 PM

What worked great for me is, go to a professional makeup artist and ask questions until his/her ears fall off. Also ask for criticism as to what works with your face, skin, body, etc. Finally, once they get to know you (probably after the 2nd visit) stop them after they done something (say, after they covered your shadow on one cheek) and ask to do it yourself on the other one, so you can see whether you got it or not -and if not, find out what you did wrong.

Of course, this takes plenty of patience from your makeup person. Some of them may have a short fuse and not be very cooperative: if so, try some other place next time. But sometimes even difficult people can be helpful: I once visited a rather irascible guy who wanted to see how I did my own makeup: once I showed up, he spitted a list of mistakes for what seemed like hours (it was probably more like half an hour). Now, he wasn't really nice, but it was the most useful visit I had in my life.

Marla

10-10-2006, 03:33 PM

My first wife was a beautician and also worked at Merle Norman. I just wached her and learned a lot. After 40 years of cding It seems very natural to put on make up.

Julogden

10-10-2006, 05:01 PM

Hi girls,

Was wondering how long it took for you to learn to apply your own make up and feel happy with 'your' look, please? I've been saying for an age how i must learn to do my own but keep on making excuses! The thing is, the cost of professional make overs is limiting my time out enfemme (as much as i love the look i achieve) and i'm constantly thinking i'll never be able to do my make up as nice as what i get done professionally.

Your feedback would be appreciated.

Sara xxx
I learned makeup over the course of about 3 months while house-sitting for some friends when they spent the winter in Florida. It was the first time that I had complete privacy for an extended time.

As I've mentioned before, I lucked out and found a great book on makeup that explained how to apply it, bought a basic set of good makeup brushes, and started buying fashion magazines.

After reading the book and experimenting on an almost-daily basis, I was doing pretty well, then started trying to duplicate the makeup that I saw in the ads and articles in the fashion magazines. My results were occasionally scary looking, but you can learn from mistakes too, but by the end of the three months that I stayed there, I was pretty good with makeup, and have continued learning and refining my techniques.

Carol:hugs:

Jasmine Ellis

10-10-2006, 05:02 PM

good lord a long time and I'm still learning

Sally24

10-10-2006, 06:51 PM

Just like a GG, I don't think you are ever really "happy" with the way you look! I am very critical of my looks and very often don't think I look as good as others say I do. I've been working at it about 2 years now and am just coming to the point that it doesn't take me 1.5-2 hours to get done. My last trip "out" with the girls, I got ready in the back of a minivan in a little over an hour, start to finish!

It helps to consult the experts, you can only learn so much from books and the internet. I've had one makeover, and I plan on getting one this next year at MAC. Each time I watch someone else, I pick up on some other little trick. Like they say, it takes practice, practice, practice......

Sally

kathy gg

10-10-2006, 10:09 PM

Sara..go to either a tg biz that specilzies in make up lessons OR....go to a MAC make up counter if you have them over there. They are very very tg friendly.

As a gg who adores make-up and loves tring new looks and such it is a constant leraning process. Also, my face has changed since I started wearing make up..I dont' have the softest skin I had when I started at 17. Plus, my weight has changed...so I had to keep changing and learning new ways to highlight my positive features. I dont' think one stops learning and stops trying new things and mistakes happens to everyone.

As said ....practice. I practice three new looks about every three months {actually due now to try some new ones}.

I see women who sport the same old tired eye-shadow year after year.....

Making Faces by Kevin Acunyn...you might have to google it, but he has a great book with step by step intructions.

get a good lesson andthen practice and build on it.

JeanneF

10-10-2006, 11:59 PM

As said ....practice. I practice three new looks about every three months {actually due now to try some new ones}.

I see women who sport the same old tired eye-shadow year after year.....

Very, very true...playing around with new looks is one of the most fun parts of doing makeup. One great thing is that most of the fashion magazines, and all of the cosmetics websites, constantly have articles on what the latest trends in makeup are, and what looks are being shown on the runways. Subscribe to Sephora's email newsletter...there's always tons of great tips in there.

Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin...you might have to google it, but he has a great book with step by step intructions.

All three of Kevyn's books are essentials.

Making Faces is the best primer in makeup out there. I still regularly reference it for how to properly apply concealers and bronzers to highlight parts of my face.

Face Forward is a great second step, building on the techniques in Making Faces and teaching how to acheive some unbelievable looks. The transformations in there truly show the power of makeup.

A Beautiful Life is not only a wonderful read (it's primarily Kevyn's biography), but also has more great information for building your skills. And, it's a lovely story of a true genius who was taken far too early.

KarenXDR

10-11-2006, 12:10 AM

I used to have ten thumbs when it came to make up - now I'm down to eight.

Lipstick kisses

Karen

ebony

10-11-2006, 01:46 AM

still learning honey but the basics took me about one year but I wasn't going at it everyday. I learned to just take your time no matter how much time if you got the time eventually you will inhance your skills to be quick. Practice make best

Girly Sara

10-11-2006, 02:35 AM

Thanks for keeping this thread alive, girls and thanks for all the advice you have given.

I've heard about the Kevin Aucoin book so i think i'll buy that. May ask my make up lady to give me a make up lesson (she does one side of the face and i do the other) All costs money, though.

Anyway, thanks again girlies!

Sara x

Khriss

10-11-2006, 02:48 AM

..the "learning " curve...
better for GG's as "it's" expected ??.. rights of passage ?
for me ..many experiments gone wrong !
.. and Noxema face washing...
..but..
Iluvmakeup !! (aworkinprogresseh?) hehe xx"K"

Ellie

01-12-2007, 07:28 AM

I've only been working with make up for about 6 months now and I have a couple of "standard" looks that I can put together quickly. I'm still learning the evening vs. daytime looks.

I've found that by raiding the clearance bins at drug stores I was able to get inexpensive makeup in a large number of shades to experiment and play with. When I started learning I put on one or two looks a night, 3-4 nights a week. On some nights I simply tried out eye and lip looks. It was much easier to try several looks a night without all the foundation and powder.

There is lots of free information on the web about how to apply make up although much of it is produced by a company using their specific shades and products. Still there is plenty that can be learned without great expense.

Oh, and.... Practice, practice, practice.

Penny

01-12-2007, 07:57 AM

http://www.videojug.com/category/beauty
When it comes to applying makeup, you are your own best teacher. I have learned more from my mistakes. The process is always changing because of new products and age.

:hugs:

Penny

Cheryl GG

01-12-2007, 08:55 AM

I am 33 will be 34 soon....I am still learning....by the time I die...maybe I will have it all mastered....lol......only been happy with my abilities for probley the last 5-7 years......wore too much for a long time......xoxoC/

Marcie Sexton

01-12-2007, 09:09 AM

Unless I'm extremely slow at learning, I am still learning...:rolleyes: I constantly read the magazines I have subscribed to for my wife:heehee: and I read every article about makeup...

I suppose that is the only way you can learn, unless you have a makeup expert at home...my wife and I both are makeup lacking...only in the last few months have we either really got into it seriously...guess she isn't about to be out done by Marcie...:rolleyes:

Rita Knight

01-12-2007, 09:23 AM

Hi Sara,
A couple of points. If you are going to have a professional makeover, make sure that you get instructions about it. Having one just to go out and not learning any techniques is a total waste of money.

No one has said any thing about you discovering what products work for you and your situation. That takes time, especially field testing it while going out and money. For example, a lot of gurlz here like Colortration Foundation. I do not because it does not hold up to my sweating. It took about a year before someone suggested I try MAC Full Coverage Foundation. Foundation, not setting powder, is the one makeup item I would not skimp on. Also invest in a good set of makeup brushes.

If you are taught well in a makeover, you can perfect your own technique with practice.

Karen43

01-12-2007, 12:06 PM

I went to a Merle Norman Studio and had a makeover and lessons on doing it myself. This is free although I do use their foundation. The owner had no problem with me being dressed.

janedoe311

01-12-2007, 12:38 PM

Before doing makeup. Had to do a portrait in one of my many art classes. Painting portraits are the same techniques but harder. Try making a flat surface look like a face!

Buy a cosmetology practice head on ebay. You can get one cheap, I did. Then get some cheap makeup to practice with. I have sensitive skin so I have to by the makeup without artificial ingredients or aloe vera which I am allergic to.

Tips
Get a good book on makeup.
Know your face! What you need to emphasize and de emphasize. Example:
Men have brows that are deeper so you want to lighten above your eyes to bring them out of your face.

You want to set back a part of your face you darken it, like your Adams apple.

You can make you pointy chin look less pointy by lightening the sides and make the center darker etc.

That is pretty much what makeup and painting is about,highlighting, shading, lines and blending!

Make up is an art!

Another tip is buy a GOOD 10 power magnifying mirror. I had one for my contact lenses and because I kept getting stuff in my eyes working on the house. I can see the tiniest flake of sheetrock in the corner of my eye and take it out with a Q-tip. You will be surprised how much better you are at makeup when you can use a fine brush and put a touch just where you want it, or blend light and dark like a pro!

As far as what products to buy, you will not know until you try. Get samples. Some companies will sell samples so you can try without purchasing a "kit".
You know your skin so you will know what will work. I sweat so foundation does not work for me,(I stay out of the sun so my skin looks good for my age). Know any foundations that "breath", and allow sweat to pass without messing it up?
I doubt it.

So good luck and have fun. Makeup is painting and you should be having fun with it. And of course like anything else it takes practice.