Greetings dear readers. I hope this blog finds you well and wearing something pretty. In this blog, I’d like to explore a little deeper into the wonderful world of facial makeup. If you haven’t read my blog, “Less is More” you might want to read that first as a primer for this one. Today, I’d like to explore different applications of makeup according to the situation. I’d also like to tip my hat to XDress for the excellent array of makeup they have available on their website. You can view those products here.
As far as different situations, basically we’ll be considering the difference between daytime and nighttime makeup. Whether you are going to be in public or not will likely determine how far you want to go. The majority of us have to walk among the gender binary on a daily basis. Perhaps not so much at night, but that varies with individual lifestyles. My wife and I are not really night people, so I have a lot more latitude in the evenings.
Whether day or night makeup, begin with a facial cleanser in order to remove all that facial oil and dirt. Either ask your gg for a recommendation or just check out your local store and find one that appeals to your skin type. There are name brands you can’t go wrong with. As a side note, at the end of the day or evening, be sure to remove your makeup. It tends to clog the pores. XDress has a good cream makeup remover that isn't drying and leaves your skin feeling soft.
Okay, first let’s consider daytime makeup. The type of complexion you have will determine the first step. Some of us have facial blemishes that tend to stand out. For this, you should start with a concealer. Face Fix is a good product for this. First, you will need a facial sponge. You simply moisten the sponge and then apply the concealer making sure to blend it outwards. Your goal is to have a very even color all over your face. If you don’t have blemishes to speak of, you can skip this step and go on to the next.
The next step is to apply a facial foundation. There are two types of foundation: powder and cream. I’ve tried both and prefer cream. With cream, you can put a dollop of facial moisturizer along with a pump of the foundation in the palm of your hand to mix them together for a truer match to the color of your face. I also recommend blending down the foundation to your neck so it doesn't seem your head is floating above your body. I also find that cream stays with me through the day better than powder. However, having a powder foundation is good for touchups throughout the day. This is the first step, whether we are talking daytime or nighttime makeup.
Now, we get to the difference between daytime and nighttime makeup. The basic difference is that daytime makeup is lighter than nighttime. The big difference is all about the eyes. You can apply a bolder look at night, but we will get to that later. Either daytime or nighttime, start with a blush. You will need a brush for this one. You can find a very nice brush set at XDress with the right array of brushes for different applications on different areas of your face. Use the large brush for blush. The blush should be applied mostly below the cheekbones in order to create an accent for the cheekbones. If you have a darker blush and apply it directly to the line of the cheekbone, you run the risk of looking like a circus clown. Blush during the day is a tricky one if you are in a gender binary environment. The same for eye makeup.
Speaking of eye makeup. This is probably the most challenging, in terms of being in a gender binary environment. The rule of “Less is More” definitely applies here. If you are in a safe environment in the evening, you can let more of your inner femme come out and play. Let’s start with eyeliner. If you are in a gender binary environment during the day, you may want to skip this and save it for the evening. You run the risk of looking like Jack Sparrow. In applying eyeliner, apply it right at the base of the eyelashes. For an evening look, apply it heavier below the bottom lashes.
In the evening, we are looking for a smoky look. This is achieved by the use of eyeliner and eye shadow. For eye shadow, I would recommend that you get an eye shadow pallet. You can see one at the XDress makeup site. The nice thing about having a pallet is you have the choice of several colors and can mix them as you choose. You will need a smaller fluffy brush for this application. Try to gradually intensify the color for a smoky look. It's easier to add more than start out with a large amount of pigment on your brush. YouTube is a great place to start if you have no idea how to apply eyeshadows, but trial and error works too to see what will work for your eye shape.
Next, mascara for the eyelashes. Some folks have eyelashes that stick straight out. If this is you, consider purchasing an eyelash curler. It looks a bit like a pair of tongs and you can find it in the health and beauty aids section of the store. Curl your eyelashes first, then apply mascara. Here again, you can apply more at night. If your eyelashes are a bit sparse, some fake eyelashes can do the trick to get the volume you're wanting and seal off that evening look. As I said, the glam look may be left best for evenings since fake eyelashes can appear as not your natural eyelashes.
Next, let’s get those eyebrows. Use an eyebrow pencil and be sure to match it to your natural color as close as possible. Personally, I’m not much into the heavy brow look, so I don’t use it. It really depends on the color and thickness of your eyebrows. If I applied a dark look, I’d come out looking like Groucho Marx because of the heaviness of my brows, which I have waxed regularly.
Next, let’s go to your lovely lips. Daytime lipstick is safe if you stay close to your natural skin color. With nighttime lipstick, you can go darker. Just use common sense so you don’t end up looking like the proverbial lady of the night.
One way you can get some excellent tips on the finer points of daytime and nighttime makeup and the application is to get a makeover from a pro. Makeover artists mostly could care less about what your gender is, and men do get makeovers.
So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Warm-up those keyboards and share your thoughts with me and others. I always love hearing from you!
Fond regards,
Angie
18 comments
Hi Stevie. I saw your comment and want to encourage you to keep on working with it. I admit I was very anxious and concerned at first. I to was in a high visibility position and didn’t want to out myself. Not to mention when I started men were not wearing makeup like they do today. Things were still very much closeted. It is like anything we try. At first we take extra care and as we get more comfortable or it becomes more natural we stretch just a little further.
I was looking at a picture of myself from years ago and saw how hairy my legs were. Then I looked at a more recent photo and OMG my legs looked so feminine. No hair and so feminine looking. They are smooth and soft looking today. Over the years of using Nair and using creams to keep my skin soft my legs look like women’s legs now. I hadn’t realized how much of a change had taken place. I should probably look at an early day photo when I began using makeup. I am going to guess I use more makeup today than I did early on. Either way I am comfortable with what and how I use makeup today. I don’t think people look and wonder. If they do, so what.
Keep enjoying what you are and how you feel. We all evolve. I know I have. I love it.
Keri
I am starting to dabble in make up
I m keeping it light as i an in a high profile and highly visible profession
So far no exposure yet! I use eyebrow filler with pencil
Concealer under eyes and over a datk spot
Liquid foundation on my face
Lip balm
I love it . It make me feel good and thats all that matters
Stevie
Great topic. I have used makeup for years and learned from experiences some of which have been good and some bad, As Angie has said I learned early on the LESS is Best. It began when I was walking through a cosmetic department in a department store. A young male consultant approached me and asked if I had ever considered using toner. I said no I hadn’t and he offered to show me. He worked for Clinique and was very good at the application and even said then that I should be careful not to over use. I was out of town on business and felt safer than if I was at home.The only thing I bought that night was some skin cream and bronzer. That evolved into more Clinique products over time. I found a lady in the Clinique section that eventually turned me over to the female product side. They were temporarily out of something and she assured me the ladies was the same but with more choices. I loved the Clinique line and my only problem was that it was pricey.
I eventually switched to CoverGirl. A friend that shares our interests told me about it and I soon became a regular customer. I am not into eye makeup so much. I’ve dabbled with it. I use minimal amounts of lipstick or lip balm which is very neutral in color. For the most part I use skin moisturizer, concealer and skin cleanser at the end of the day. I do shape my eye brows and lightly use mascara. Again to Angie’s point be sure to start with or use less. As you become more experienced you can add more if you wish.
I learned the LESS is Best from some big errors early on. Bronzer on my shirt color, lip color on a napkin and small clumps of mascara. Fortunately none of these was too embarrassing. I survived. The biggest lesson was with blush. Oh well. I don’t use blush now. Today putting on my makeup is so easy, quite normal and quick when I need it to be.
I am not a so called flame. I am married. My wife has suggested some things and been supportive. It helps that today more men are using more makeup.
In my world it is just another way to let my inner feminine side out.
Hi all. Thanks so much for your responses. Debbie, you asked about that stubborn bluish color of your chin beard growth. The first thing to understand is that you don’t want a caked look of concealer. First, start with nice clean shave. Next, use a powder from your powder pallet and stipple the area. Stipple means to dot it in, rather than simply brush. Start with a pink powder, then follow up with red until you match your skin tone. Next, use a liquid foundation that matches your skin tone. Following that, use a powder foundation with a large brush, stroking outward. For the nose, brush downward. Following all of that, use a translucent set powder, again with a large brush, and brush outward. It should give you a nice radiant appearance. Thank you for your question, and I wish you all good. Be patient, and practice, practice, practice!
Stevie, my dear faithful reader, I hear what you say. Like you, I’m a man and not sorry to be, but like that femme side of me. I’m not much for makeup during the day, but you can’t separate me from my foundation makeup during the day. Love mascara and eye liner during the evening and a nice lipstick! Glad to hear you like Sephora. I find it a bit pricey, but good quality.
Nathan, always good to hear from you, dear reader. Isn’t it amazing how much time and effort goes into proper use of makeup? As far as blush and eyebrow pencils go, remember the chant – less is more. Match your eyebrow pencil to the color of your brows. It will make them stand out without being obvious. The same with blush. Apply it below the cheekbones and it will accentuate your cheekbones. Not dark enough to make it obvious.
Fond regards,
Angie
Greetings everyone. Thank you Angie for another great blog!
I too have started experimenting more with makeup since my last posting. I now wear concealer, foundation, and setting powder in addition to eyeliner and mascara. This routine I do daily, with the aid of my wonderful girlfriend who knows how to apply makeup very well. I wear this makeup everywhere, and have in front of my own mother which is a very liberating experience.
For “night time” or other special excursions, I will apply lipstick and eye shadow. This certainly emboldens the look makes me feel rather glamorous. I have yet to try blush or eyebrow pencils, but would certainly be open to experimenting with them.
I of course do get some stares from people in public, but that is inevitable when appearing in such a way around strangers. Whether it be my makeup or clothing is irrelevant, for the bottom line is I am at my most wholesome self when I wear makeup paired with a beautiful skirt, blouse, heels, and jewelry.
Have a lovely day everyone!