Our Makeup Needs are Different

Sally Stone has kindly written a series of articles about makeup and makeup application that is specifically targeted for girls like us. The first installment of her series begins with this post and will continue over the subsequent posts.

By Sally Stone

This article is the first in a series about makeup usage and application techniques. Before we actually begin talking about makeup tips though, it is important to mention that our needs often differ from the needs of cis-women. What works for them, many times, isn’t going to work quite so well for us.

The first thing we need to realize is that makeup is generally designed for cis-women. That is, it is formulated to be used on female pattern skin, skin that is generally smooth and doesn’t possess much texture. Makeup is also designed to accentuate feminine features, not necessarily to camouflage male pattern features or flaws.

Makeup is also marketed and sold with women in mind, so a lot of the claims about what it can do are made based solely on the female face. As an example, one of makeup’s biggest selling points is that it provides sheer coverage. Okay, the fact that sheer coverage is an oxymoron notwithstanding, sheer makeup just isn’t going to work for most of us because we generally have more to hide. The moral here is that what makeup company’s claim their products can do usually has to be taken with a grain of salt when a transwoman is buying it.

That’s not to mean we can’t use female-oriented products; in fact, we pretty much have to. It’s just that we have to remember that the way we use makeup is quite a bit different then it is for cis-women. We want to transform skin that possesses male pattern characteristics into skin that looks decidedly feminine. It can be done if we fully exercise makeup’s transformative powers. To do this, however, we girls have to use techniques oriented more for our unique needs.

So, as you read these upcoming articles, keep in mind that the way I use makeup is going to be different from or a modification of,many of the cis-oriented techniques you’ll find on the Internet or in fashion magazines. Still, I have learned a tremendous amount about makeup and its application from cis-women; it’s just important to know how to adapt those techniques so they work effectively for us.

My intention is to demonstrate how to get the most out of your makeup and hopefully, the series will provide some insights on how to use makeup in ways that complement and enhance the male pattern complexion. Additionally, some of these makeup techniques could help you unleash the true makeup artist residing within.

Wearing Balmain

Boy and girl attending Tuntenball