Makeup Phylosophy

[MarinaTwelve200]

Do any of you gals have a phylosophy, or objective in reguards to makeup?

1.For you, is it supposed to be a "mask of beauty" that disguises your normal features--changes the shape of your eyes, lips, etc?

2.Is it important to let your "natural" facial features show through

3.Just enough to give you a "girly" look

4.No makeup at all---or at least a "no makeup look"

5.An attempt to look like a specific person or celebrety

6. Do whatever you need to do to look like a woman and not a man?

I tend to go for the mask approach--that is I like to change the apparent size and shape of my face, eyes and lips---not only for the challenge and varety, but to HIDE behind, to obscure my male identity---and also achieve an extra of seperation from my self (Thats what us escapist CD types strive for)

[nikki47]

For me it would have to be no 1,i like to try and make myself unrecognisable as to who i am.I'm trying for different looks all the time,that's the beauty of makeup.

Nikki

[Angie G]

I just like to put on some makeup though it dosen't help much.:hugs:
Angie

[LisaElizabeth]

I guess from what I see.... ALL makeup is to either hide a perdieved flaw or.... to draw attention to another part of the face to hide a percieved flaw.
Such as... Bright lips draw attention awasy from the wrinkles around your eyes, after all you are visually drawn to the lips. or dramatic eye makeup draw attention awsay from thin lips. You are visually drawn to the eyes.
When I do makeup, I do a little color contouring of my foundation to give myself a more oval face. Then I do my eyes a little more heavy both because I wear glasses and the stronger color is needed behind the lenses and because I have thin lips!
I also blend the makeup down my neck to my collar bone, at least in order to give a consistant color to my torso and keep things flowing visually. If I wear something low cut I carry the makeup right down to my 'boobs' and darken the cleavage to draw a bit more attention there. If you don't set the makeup with too much powder it washes out pretty easily from your clothes. A little shout or Spray and Wash and all is well.
So I hope this adds an answer to your question.
Huggs,
Lisa E
I'm certain other girls more experienced than I will post soon!!

[geenalynn]

Just a lot of fun. I love to take the time and try and have the whole fem feeling all the way. Trying not to screw it up, eye shadow just right with multi colors. Watched the fantastic four last week and jessica alba had on blue and pinky shadow that I have been trying to make happen. So now that I think about it, I do sometimes try to copy a look I see on women. And does any know where to get colored mascara like green or red? It seems like I see it but can't find it and I think I NEED it.

[docrobbysherry]

Which classification do u think I fall into?:rolleyes:

[celeste26]

With your full face masks the question is moot.

However the mainstream philosophy is to enhance the best features and hide the worst features (if any). It should make you look the best you can given your face the way it starts. Anything else is "stage" makeup.

[AliciaWeb]

I tend to err towards minimalism, if I try too hard I just mess it up. Just enough to hide the worst and extensive enough to blend to my neck and what chest I display.

[Electra]

I have no particular makeup philosophy but just try to look as feminine as possible with eye shadow, lipstick, wig etc.

[Julogden]

If I'm going out, I subscribe to the "It takes a lot of paint to make a guy what he ain't" philosophy, the trick is in making it look like you're not using as much makeup as you are. I did a lot of experimenting with makeup when I started out dressing completely and learned how to do that.

Of course, sometimes I like makeup that's a bit more obvious, like if I'm going out for an evening (rare nowadays), and then I'll get a bit more dramatic.

But around home where no one else sees me, I'll just use a bit of lipstick and that's about it.

Carol

[DeeDeeB]

I generally keep it pretty light, a touch of powder, eyeliner, mascara, rouge and lipstick. On the rare occasion I go out, then the mask approach seems more fitting. Much as I wish otherwise, I know I don't pass whatever I try.

Dee :fairy1:

[Cathytg]

What a neat question! I love the way you have analyzed it.

Now that I think of it, I am a number 1. I do not (any longer) wear many layers and go much more natural. I do want to change the appearance of lips and eyebrows to look more feminine.

But mostly, I use makeup to please myself. I want to look as pretty as I can.

[Karren H]

Initally I got into makeup to look girlie but that's all changed... Now I'm into makeup big time.. Maybe more so than dressing.. And I feel its an art form.. Although I don't think I'm very artistic...

Not just something to slap on to look fem..

And there's a lot of health and science behind makeup... Like those new beauty tubes.. And moisturizers and silicone foundation primers... I learn something new every day... Its really amazing!! :)

[Annaliese]

For me it is the no makeup look.

[fluffy_kingston]

My goals for makeup are to smooth the look of my complexion, round the eyes and round the face.

round=female
square=male

[bgirl]

I think they put something in the make up that calms me down. Although some brands must add a little excitment because I've felt that too. I am sure they add something, because I am addicted!

[bgirl]

I generally keep it pretty light, a touch of powder, eyeliner, mascara, rouge and lipstick. On the rare occasion I go out, then the mask approach seems more fitting. Much as I wish otherwise, I know I don't pass whatever I try.

Dee :fairy1:

I don't pass either but I also go out. But I feel I am just being honest with myself and being who I am. I always wear a little. Its like underdressing

[suchacutie]

I just got my foundation and concealer color matched for my skin a bit ago, so I'm still in a very experimental stage. I've been trying to read a lot, and like Karen said above, it is clearly an artform and one which is still pretty foreign to me. So far I've been pretty conservative (no blush or bronzer yet, for example) but I'm sure that just as every GG has gone through stages of learning about the artform, so will I, and I'm sure some results will be terrible! But a little makeup remover and we just try it again :).

So, the direct answer is that I go from conservative to wild and I don't yet know where I'll land!

tina

[trisha59]

I strive towards #3 but usually end up in an entirely new category. Clown like.
Trisha

[Carin]

Somewhere between

3.Just enough to give you a "girly" look

4.No makeup at all---or at least a "no makeup look"

[Kate Simmons]

For myself the greatest challenge is covering the beard shadow. After that, the rest of the illusion is to make it look like I'm wearing very little or no makeup so that my own features show through in a subtle way.:)

[Deborah Jane]

Somewhere between number 1 and 2, but i,m always trying differant looks and ideas.

I also try to go for number 5 occasionally and try and look like a celebrity! [I,ve done a good Ronald Macdonald, but i was actually trying for someone completely differant and female :sad: ]

[Raquel June]

Aren't most of us just trying to look our best and most feminine?

I doubt many are trying specifically to make themselves unrecognizable. If you're worried about being recognized, you're probably not going to be seen in public no matter how much makeup you have. If you're not going out in public, why would you be primarily focused on disguising yourself?

Other than that, like celeste26 said, it's about to enhancing your best features and hiding your worst features. Some people think a ridiculous amount of makeup achieves that. Some think very minimal makeup is best.

[KellyCD]

My wife and I have very different make-up personalities.

Her view is "make-up is supposed to enhance your features, not create new ones". So she uses stuff from "Sheer Cover" and it works well for her. She is SO NOT into lots of make-up. Just some eye cover-up(for her "dark circles" that I swear only she can see) eye-liner underneath the top eye-lid, eye-brow pencil(not so much anymore) and some "First Impressions" lip-stuff is all she wears 99% of the time. That's fine with me about 75% of the time, I do wish sometimes she would "go overboard" every once in awhile.

My make-up personality is way heavier. I don't go as far as**forgive me girls** "drag queen" as one would think. But I HAVE to have lots of eye-liner, mascara and eye-shadow. I don't use too much foundation or cover-ups though if I do I throw in some blush cuz I like the offset it brings. But I love *read: LOVE* the heavy, dark, thick, smoky, etc. look.

My wife and I contrast on that very aspect. We were in line at a local pizza hut and one of the girls working there had gorgeous eyes, blue with lots of liner and mascara-the stuff I like. I whispered to my wife "I wonder how she get's her eyes like that, it looks cool". She responded with "I don't like it, it makes her eyes look too small." I still don't understand how make-up changes the size of a persons eyes so we agreed to disagree on that one.

[Glenda]

I primarily try to bring out my natural features with makeup. Makeup has always been pretty easy for me......I'm not sure why. I so wish that it was as acceptable for guys to wear makeup as it is for girls. What's wrong with a little color?

[Samantha43]

My first crossdressing experience was with makeup when I was a teenager. I have been hooked ever since. I like the look of heavier makeup. Not the drag queen type, but more of a Pamela Anderson look. I have been doing makeup for so long that I am actually pretty good at it. I even do my wife's makeup sometimes before we go out for an evening. She enjoys a relaxing makeover and I get to see her look the way I like to see her.

[Annie D]

When I go out enfemme, I just like to look presentable. I try to look like women who are my age going to the places that I go to. Since most of the places that I frequent are shopping, I make sure that my face is clean shaven and I try to cover any dark beard shadows with light face powder. I always wear lipstick and occasionally pencil my eyebrows. I prefer the casual look in my makeup and clothing style and feel most comfortable and confident with that look.

[carend_99]

my philsophy on makeup is typically less is more. obviously I have to use a lot of beard cover and foundation to cover the facial hair, but I like the natural look. But I think it also depends on the situation you're going into.

[Nicki B]

My 'philosophy' is that I should enjoy doing it? Creating looks is fun - I'd feel restricted if I only had one.. :strugglin

[Nicole Erin]

What's wrong with a little color?

Not a thing.

I wear makeup to try to look femme. My male face is black and red, black with my heavy beard and red from red blotchy looking skin. No it ain't hideous but it bothers me.

So I go for a whole different look instead of just emphasising my natural [-]ugly[/-] beauty

[Carly D.]

I think make up is as important as clothing, for some cross dressers the feeling is make up is the prize at the end of the hunt.. however I'm not one of them.. I rarely wear make up, more because of the time consumed doing it.. I have never worn eye make up, I'd really love to try it, but it seems so.. hard to do just right.. i'd love to have a girl do my make up so I might change my mind about it... a full makeover.. that would be fantastic...

[anouk]

My makeup is part of my transfomation, a way to get rid of my manly habitus. For that I need more cover that wold be necessary otherwise.

[mykhelee]

I go for as natural look as possible, I don't want to mask who I am, I want to bring out the feminine side of who I am. I go to the same beauty supply, same SA, she knows I dress and always asks what I'm wearing so everything works out well.

[TSchapes]

There's no set philosophy for me, expect to try and look the best I can. It truly depends on what I'm trying to do, pictures, going out, time of day, etc.

Common among the different looks is beard cover, which I switch between my two favorite ways of RMCA beard cover and everyday foundation, and Colortation. The RMCA seems more natural looking especially when going out in the daytime. I'm contemplating laser...

If I'm doing pictures or going out at night, the makeup is much more involved, eyeshadow, liner black - top and bottom, longer lashes with Fastlash or false eyelashes. The eyes especially I'll spend a lot more time on, brighter, flashier eyeshadow, a stronger lipstick.

During the day, no eyeshadow or more subtle colors, brown eyeliner and mascara, a more coral lipstick or something that matches my natural lip color.

I haven't played with the contouring that much, Jamie Austin did it for me and I liked the result in the pictures, it worked OK too for daytime. The only thing Jamie did for the photos that I wouldn't do going out, is the noticeable lipliner/lipstick difference. I use lipliner as more of a base and use closer matching colors.

If I'm home by myself, I just make sure I have a close shave, and not do any makeup at all. Sometimes it's just nice to dress...

Oh, and please don't hate me for this, but I don't need much makeup to look female. The main thing I have to hide is the heavy brow bone, and that can be hid by bangs on a wig.

Love, Tracy

[Jocelyn Quivers]

A mixture between mask of beauty, and whatever possible to appear as a woman and not a man. I have too many facial blemishes and scars to pull off wearing very little or no make up.