Makeup shake-up

by Allison Blaylock
Transgender Advice Columnist

Alli,

How do I learn to put on makeup? As a newly out trans woman, I look at my makeup and just think I look hideous. My sister would help me, but she lives in Boston and it's tough to learn makeup tips over the phone.

Are there trans groups online for that or a Facebook group I can join? I live in a small town in Kansas and have no local resources or trans friends nearby. I have to go all the way to Wichita and it's about 115 miles away.

Thanks,

Small town girl - Jenny

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Jenny,

The joy of makeup is something many transwomen both look forward to as well as fear. Many of us do not have that older sister, girlfriends, mother and so forth to help us in our road to authentication.

In the beginning stages of my transition, I would not go out of the house without makeup on. That meant I had to spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos and reading online articles until fortunately I met up with some people who had experience. It was not until I realized that the saying "less is more" is very true when it comes to applying makeup!

As for Facebook groups, there are many out there. However, I tend to find that they relate more to the drag style of makeup and that is not what everyday users like us need.

There is a group in Wichita called WiTCoN (Wichita Transgender and Community Network, www.witcon.org). I’m not sure if you have heard of them or looked them up, but they could be a resource of friends nearby.

If you look online to gain the skills you are seeking, YouTube is going to be the best way to go. You can look up people like GiGi Gorgeous or Princess Jules and look for videos from five to seven years back when they did more of the tutorials. Incidentally, both are transgender women.

To find good makeup and the skills to properly place it, there are two great places I like: the stores Sephora and Ulta. They do packages where they will discuss the make up options with you along with apply makeup for you.

You can then watch and study. I know that when I worked with Sephora, they were really good with me asking the questions and in many cases applied for myself.

There are three locations of each of those stores in Wichita. Perhaps the next time you are there you can treat yourself.

For those of you in other locations, an easy internet search will help you find locations for Sephora and Ulta near you.

This is by far one of the things that can harm or help with transition for transwomen. Having good, not necessarily expensive makeup can make a world of difference. Buying the cheaper stuff does help with technique which is a good way to go as well.

One very important thing to remember is that you will need to spend time working on your application technique and finding what the ideal look is for you. The reality is that we all have different skin tones, colors and areas we want to focus on. Please do not give up on finding your look.

In time, I think you will find that you may not be wearing makeup anywhere close to like you do now. I may find myself wearing a little foundation, if anything, most times now.

Alli

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Dear Alli