Observation from wearing makeup in guy mode. What does it mean?

Hello Girls,

Sometimes when I go out in guy mode, I would put on a little eye liner. I love it because it makes my eyes look bigger and slightly more feminine. I have hooded eyes so it's fairly hidden and I don't draw it on real thick like I usually do when I dress. You can notice it at the corners of my eyes but otherwise, fairly undetectable.

I noticed that sometimes a GG that walk past would notice and smile at me. I know it's because of my eye line as GG's don't normally smile at me. :brolleyes:

Do they think that I have forgotten to take it off? Are they smiling in approval? Usually, I try to smile back.

I think I get more GG's smiling at me when I just do eye line dressed as a guy than presenting fully en femme. Maybe I should do that next time I go to the bar and see if it's a good conversation starter! :eek:

I wear makeup everyday in every mode Keichen. My tones of white eyeshadow and nude and white liners are subtle yet clearly visible (I'm Pale), add a touch of moisturiser with foundation and a subtle lip liner and it becomes quite clear to all that I'm wearing makeup!

I get nice looks from women which appreciate someone presenting themselves nicely, my chemist, beautician & the tattooed chick at the supermarket! ( These are some which I know approve and like my look) I get nice looks from guys which like the appearance as well!

The best thing about wearing a touch of makeup for me is that if I'm shopping for womens clothing whilst in my male/50/50 mode, it does become quite clear quite quickly to everyone that I am doing some seriously shopping!

I also believe that I do receive more acceptance when i present in guyish mode with subtle makeup on than I would if I were to wear red lippy and bright blue eyeshadow in said mode!

Stacy!

Fret not, Keichan.

I too frequently go out with a touch of make up when I'm in guy mode or a mixed mode.
Mostly it is lipstick. Love lipstick for some reason. I don't always use a bright and immediately noticeable color. I stick with natural pinks and neutrals that are close to real lips. Yet if someone took a moment to look they'd immediately realize "that guy's wearing lipstick". Like I care. My favorite place is to enter the health club rec center with a swipe of lipstick and gold earrings.
I haven't gone to eye make up in "guy mode" yet, but it looks more attractive as I spend more time en femme.

BTW, I was at the Denver Hamburger Marys on Wednesday night. Mary's is a well-known CD and LGBT friendly restaurant with a bar and drag reviews. One of my servers was a young (gay) man named Marshall. Marshall was in obvious guy mode with jeans and a little hoodie, but he sported the nicest eye makeup. A nice blue eye shadow, great lashes and crafted brows. Even in guy mode it was attractive and well done.

I wear a little eye liner and a little eye shadow everyday, also, if I don't put my eyebrows on, I don't have any. I've been doing this for years. I don't feel complete if I am not wearing a little makeup each day.

Keichan maybe the reason GG's smile at you when you walk by is because they see you as coming over to one of them. Maybe they also like what you represent to them; feminine, girl, female..... and you like girl things just like them. You could be so different than the average, grunge look sloppy guy, a fem guy the two of you could shop together for girl things.

Not to burst your bubble but a smile sometimes is just a suppressed laugh.

I also think it might be the sign of suppressed laughter. As people laugh to someone who is dressed funny, the same probably goes if they see men wearing make up. Due to rock music and their supporters we can get away with nail polish in more manly colors, like dark blue or black, but makeup I think it's still no-go for men in mind of most of the people.

As a GG I can say that sometimes a smile is because we like the look , or we respect that you are openly expressing your self.

Mind reading is never a very reliable activity. I think I could, however, discern a suppressed laugh from a simple, warm smile of acknowledgement. What you cant know is whether you are more prone to make eye contact when your wearing make up alone or when you're en femme. It could be that when en femme, you are more likely to avoid eye contact, and thereby miss those smiles.

In any case, I think nicely applied eye makeup can be a plus for any presentation :)

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Originally Posted by Keichan

Do they think that I have forgotten to take it off? Are they smiling in approval? Usually, I try to smile back.

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I suggest you address them in your loudest voice and demand, "What are you smiling at?" Be aggressive so they understand you're sincere. ;)

Aside from that technique all you can do is accept it. They smile at you when you wear eyeliner. Smiling back, I think (seriously this time) is the right move.

I agree with Pat. Just return a friendly smile, no matter what was their reason for smiling at you, it's the best replay. I always do this and never got a bad reaction from anyone for that.

I have permanent (tattooed) eyeliner, eye shadow and lip color. In boy mode, I've never seen or heard any reaction from anyone to my eye makeup. Maybe twice in the last twenty years, I've had comments about my lip color (it is pretty subtle, unlike the eyes). Of course, I may have been the subject of some break room conversations from time to time, and that doesn't especially bother me. But most people don't notice or don't particularly care about what they see.

- Diane

hi,
sometimes I wear clear lip-gloss in guy mode. Women seem to notice it or at least wonder.
luv J

Appreciate everyone’s experience and opinions, all are appreciated even if I don’t respond directly.

Stacy – I’m still a little shy and nervous about interacting while presenting either fully en femme or a guy with slight makeup. As many here have experienced, the majority of people are not out with pitch forks and torches. This is one area I need to build more confidence on. You are right, perhaps SA’s will not ask if it’s a present if they can spot the makeup.

Ilene – I’ve been wearing makeup a lot recently even if I’m not going out for the day just to get some practice time. Now I feel I look so plain without it, the eye liner definitely makes me look a lot livelier. Now that you mention it, I have noticed one day while shopping that there was a guy wearing full makeup but in guy clothes.

Trish – I wish I could do that too, but unfortunately work does get in the way of me wearing makeup each time I step out the door.

Micki / Karmen – Just trying to keep a positive attitude. Yes, I did suspect, maybe she thinks I’ve forgotten to take off my makeup while closet dressing at home!

Paige – Thank you for your opinion. It’s definitely confidence boosting to see smiles from the general public not necessarily just SA’s.

Kim – Totally agreed, I definitely pay a lot of attention to my surroundings while not in 100% guy mode.

Pat – OMG I’m not the violent type :p

Diane – A little off topic, but I bet that saves a lot of makeup time in the morning!

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Originally Posted by Micki_Finn

Not to burst your bubble but a smile sometimes is just a suppressed laugh.

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I think you've got the right answer here. Unless you have some sort of blemish or scar you're trying to hide, wearing makeup as a guy puts you in the "weird" category. Makeup is for women.

If you're trying to pass as a woman, makeup is important and a good thing. As a man, not so much.

Well, I guess some of us are just "weird"....but at my age I don't really care all that much.

Plus I live close to Austin, TX and you know what Austin is known for!

I wear eyeliner in guy mode frequently and its never been a big deal.
People notice but don't say anything about it.
If you are shy and or worried about it I have to ask why do it then?
If a GG smiles at you it means nothing really just smile back and go on your way.

Being from the same city as keichan its a pretty open minded and tolerant city, I would guess the smiles are more along the lines of encouragement. I can't see the smiles being mocking.

I notice guys in Melbourne wearing eyeliner rarely draw a comment, they just look arty.

I think it depends on local customs in your area.

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Originally Posted by Keichan

I know it's because of my eye line as GG's don't normally smile at me.

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Are you sure? Most GG's will smile when you make eye contact, it's just part of being nice. Maybe it just seems like GG's smile more when you have on whatever, because you are looking at them to see if they are looking at you. When you are not wearing anything you don't notice because you are not looking for a reaction out of every GG you pass.

I agree with Robertacd.

I might should be offended by Krisi's comment about it being weird, but she's probably closer to the opinion of the general population than you'll typically get here. Besides, after 4+ decades of doing this, I've to skin a thick as a rhino (but smooth as a china doll)!

Sometimes I'm not even sure where the line is between male mode and female mode. It used to be when I added boobs. Now I typically don't wear forms at all, so that screwed up that definition. Maybe it's when you wear one item of female things, like makeup. But, I've been out in makeup, jeans and a top from the women's dept, nail polish, heels, and carrying a purse and still felt like I was in male mode. It gets pretty hard to define what male mode even is.

Staying on the subject of makeup in male mode, I do it and love it! More subtle than fem mode, but I like wearing makeup and don't see why I should limit it to full fem mode. In most any dept. store or Ulta, etc., there are probably guys who work there who wear makeup every day, or at least when they're at work. I've never seen one who I didn't think looked better with makeup. I don't think eyeliner alone does anything for anybody, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Keichan

I think I get more GG's smiling at me when I just do eye line dressed as a guy than presenting fully en femme. Maybe I should do that next time I go to the bar and see if it's a good conversation starter! :eek:

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Then again, maybe they're simply mistaking you for Nikki Sixx or one of the countless other '80's "Glam Rock" rockers... ;) :heehee: :eek:

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Originally Posted by Robertacd

Are you sure? Most GG's will smile when you make eye contact, it's just part of being nice.

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And they don't automatically smile at men unless they're attracted to you; what they do, is smile at other women OR men who are not considered a potential threat; you know, relatives, children, male friends, etc.. If they don't know you, then you don't fall into the auto-smile category (unless they're working; women, especially in any service job, usually smile at everyone when they're working). Seeing an unknown male with make up will usually trigger their gay-dar, and they'll assume you're safe to associate with because you're gay.

After I started wearing some makeup and a unisex wig in "guy" mode it seemed as if more women were talking to me and smiling at me than ever before. There was even some mild flirting. Maybe it was a coincidence but maybe the new look made them feel more open toward me. Besides....why shouldn't guys be able to wear makeup?

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Originally Posted by sometimes_miss

And they don't automatically smile at men...

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Drab or drag, the vast majority of GG's I make eye contact will smile or at least return a smile.

What's the big deal? Guys have been wearing makeup for a long time!

I wonder if the presence of eyeliner serves as something that attracts people to look you in the eye.

Without eyeliner it's probably normal to not have anything specific for a stranger to focus on and the gaze just moves on. However, the presence of eyeliner is unusual and can serve as something to catch the eye, almost forcing eye contact. Once that eye contact has been made the most normal response is to smile, either in appreciation or to show there isn't any kind of threat.

Thank you for sharing your comments and experiences.

Totally agree that some will just put me in the “weird” category. Also to address Tracii’s comment, I’m shy in terms of actually interacting with someone. What a passing stranger thinks of me, I really couldn’t care less. Why I do it? I just feel I look so much better with it and I’m getting more and more used to how I look with makeup on. To echo Diane’s comment “Why shouldn’t guys be able to wear makeup?” :)

Everyone is different and I know that a smile can mean different things coming from a different person. It’s interesting to see it coming from other’s perspective, definitely keeping an open mind about things :)

I occasionally wear the barest hint of makeup in male mode: eye lining pencil, skin-color-matched eye shadow, a light dusting of blush, and light lipstick (blotted). I've gotten smiles and I smile back.