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Keirakitty

Keirakitty

Joined
Apr 27, 2012
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Hello,

My name is Keira,X I'm 31 and a MTF who lives in Canada. I've been transistioning for about 2 and a half years with hormone therapy and living full time for 2. I noticed a person on here asking for advice on a similar topic so I thought I would give it a shot considering my ordeal and I have found this site to be very helpful as well full of great information . I am not looking for approval in any way scince I feel very feminine and have never been called a male in person or on the phone scince I started going full time but I have had people question my appearance which is sometimes due to my height 6-1 and my somewhat questionable features. There are lots of tall women and I have a great figure but long legs always attracts attention and my face is the issue, I'm only looking for advice on makeup or what you feel I can do to improve my look not as a barbie but just a little more feminine.

I've been told my best trait is my eyes and I tend to agree and I also have long eyelashes but every day I struggle with the issue of feeling passable due to the male features which the hormones cannot change, these are my nose and my chin area basically. My weight tends to go up and down and when I gain weight I find my face looks more rounder which helps but it usually appears boney and it looks literally like there's an ass coming out of my chin when I loss weight :p /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> ., Also I use a hair straightener to do my hair and it has done some heavy damage and really slowed the growth after 2 years of daily use but I have a cheap hairstylist who has offered to help in in a few days so I'm going to give that a try and see how it goes off du .

Basically I would like to know what I need to do to draw attention away from the maleness and express more femininity without looking like I'm caked in makeup,I honestly don't care what people think of me in person I'm more concerned with what I see in the mirror everyday and have to carry with me when I get the odd look and plastic surgery is not an affordable option at this point in my life and I would rather avoid if possible. I would like to look at myself and see more femininity but I really suck at makeup and I have little support around me to get assistance and feedback also going to Mac or someone to do makeup applying is rather expensive

Here's a few pictures to give you a better idea of what I look like lately, I've looked better but I choose these pictures because I felt they express my problem more accurately and there's no lighting tricks which usually hide the testosterone damage. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

For makeup I usually only apply mascara, light eyeshadow ( white or light brown) and lip liner (natural rose) and gloss to make my lips stand out a little better and in the picture below a little eye liner on the edges. My eyebrows I tend to over pluck because they grow bushy ( I'm Sottish ) so I shade them sometimes with a brown shadow

Any advice I would greatly value and thank you for you time :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />







 
I think the color kind of washes you out and you either need a brighter blonde or darker with highlights and lowlights. You have pretty eyes that are nice and big so play those babies up as well as some nice high cheekbones.

 
I personally think that you look great. If your eyes are your best feature then get.better definition on your brow. Fill it in. Your last photo, where there is better contrast (black hoody). You can really see your eyes and your brows are well defined. Where you are in beige, you are all washed out....come to think of it, you should just stop wearing beige because that's what's making you look washed out.

 
I def agree with playing up your eyes! Eye liner will help with that, and you don't have to do it super thick to get a nice effect. I learned a lot about make up by watching youtube tutorials, which can be monotonous when they blabber on and on about nothing haha, but totally worth it! Have you tried using a gloss with some color in it? They don't look as cakey as a lipstick. And I think your eyebrows look great in the last pic! 

 
I think you're lovely, and you do have a beautiful eye color!

Your hair color is fine - you may want to go just a bit darker blonde in order to show off your skin tone. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I agree that if you fill in your brows it will help frame your face more, I think everyone should do that. That is one thing i always do before leaving the house because it makes such a huge difference. Use a flat thin brush and try a taupe shadow and lightly fill them in.. It will make your eyes more of the focus as well. Then you can add a little liner or even a darker shadow right at the base of your lashes to make them look fuller.

 
I think you're beautiful! You've got pretty eyes and nice high cheekbones. To make your eyes really pop you might want to go a little darker blonde, or add some lowlights.

 
Thanks, I think your right about the color, when I wear black I find it much easier to bring out my features.
 

 
Thank you very much everyone's advice has been very helpful, I do use a lip gloss with color it is a bit darker then my pencil but I really like it, if I'm wearing something light I tend to tone it down a little I feel it gets to bright so I put a bit of frost over it and it appears for natural.

Would a bright gloss or a darker one be more suitable ?

With the eyeliner I use black above me lashes and go as fine as I can because my lashes are very big more so when I curl them, the problem I have is getting it to match the shape of my eyes. In the third picture I put some on but the line looks odd when I raise my eyes and is a bit hidden by my brow bone. I've watched lots of video's but still have a problem finding the right shape without over doing it, I've tried doing the bottom as well and smokey but have had the same problem. I may be using the wrong product which is a liquid liner or a bit of pencil on the end or need more practice scince I usually have to correct it many times with a que tip. I'm going to go with more practice :p /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Does anyone know what shape my eyes are ?

 
To begin with, I think you are very attractive. I would have assumed you were born female, with your features.

I like you as a blond but with cool tones (ash).

You might consider a medium ash blond for a base colour, but add brighter highlights.

Your skin tone and colouring is cool. Consider clothing that has a blue undertone (grey rather than beige, black rather than brown).

Chose colours that are summer and winter. Check out the site "Colour Me Beautiful" for more ideas. 

Your eyes seem almond shaped to me, but hooded as well. A great trick for hooded eyes is to apply eyeliner to upper lash line by wet lining.

Consider brown liner - it will bring out the blue in your eyes and won't be too harsh.

Light to medium shades of brown shadow would also look nice.

Pink looks nice on your lips. But what about something stronger like a glossy rose tone?

Many women use two foundations or powders to help with shading. Because your bone structure is strong, consider a darker powder for the chin, sides of nose and forehead. Then highlight down the centre of your nose and tip, to slim. The darker colour will help recede or make smaller.

Best of luck with your transitioning.

 
I personally think everyone looks better darker, so I would lean towards getting your hair done a darker color...maybe even with some high and/or low lites...with the light hair and light skin and light eyes, you're washed out. I would not recommend going lighter! lol. but you have beautiful eyes, so like everyone else has said - play those babies out! oh & try smiling with your teeth =D you're a lovely looking person and I hope you find the hair tone you're looking for. and NEVER be afraid to play with your makeup!

xox

 
I think a darker hair color, and a fuller, darker brow would be nice.  Full brows give a younger look and frame the eyes nicely.  I don't usually wear much makeup to work, but I always fill my brows in and it makes a huge difference.

 
Originally Posted by Keirakitty /img/forum/go_quote.gif

With the eyeliner I use black above me lashes and go as fine as I can because my lashes are very big more so when I curl them, the problem I have is getting it to match the shape of my eyes. In the third picture I put some on but the line looks odd when I raise my eyes and is a bit hidden by my brow bone. I've watched lots of video's but still have a problem finding the right shape without over doing it, I've tried doing the bottom as well and smokey but have had the same problem. I may be using the wrong product which is a liquid liner or a bit of pencil on the end or need more practice scince I usually have to correct it many times with a que tip. I'm going to go with more practice :p /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Does anyone know what shape my eyes are ?
Click to expand...
It definitely takes practice.  When I first started doing winged eyeliner, it would take me forever to get the shape right, but now I can do it in one stroke.  I have similar eyes to you.  Mine are somewhat hooded, so when I open my eyes they are mostly covered.  I start my eyeliner about 1/4 of the way from the inner corner of my eye, and I make it thicker just past the actual high point of my eyes, which gives my eyes a totally different shape.  I don't know of that makes sense..but basically it just took a lot of trial and error to find a technique that enhanced my eyes the way I wanted.  If you don't like using pencil or liquid, there's also gel eyeliner.  A push liner brush is easy to use...it's a square brush and you just push it into eye shadow, gel eyeliner, or cream eyeshadow, and then just push it onto your lash line one little section at a time.  It's much easier than trying to draw a line in one stroke.

You said you don't want to be caked in makeup, but how much time would you have to spend on makeup?  Or are you just wanting to learn makeup techniques in general?  You already have really nice skin, which is where most people have to spend quite a bit of time covering imperfections.  

 

 
You know, I'm really feeling a strawberry or rose gold for the hair...something with a bit of "oomph" 

I actually think the brows are fine, since this season, a deep brow seems to be the goal. 

I happen to think you're quite lovely, but I understand the insecurity about looking "mannish", so here's what I recommend FOR NOW. While it can look a bit iffy for daytime, practice contouring the nose; it's not that difficult to make a nose look thinner and more along the traditional ideal. Same thing with the chin; I get how the semi-cleft might seem a bit masculine, but once you get the hang of doing contour, you'll be able to make it less rounded and a bit more heart-shaped, which again hews to the traditional. 

Honestly, to learn proper contouring, the BEST way is to watch how drag performers do it (I'm NOT getting into the gradations of gender identity here, btw. I'm far from heteronormative.) YES, they are doing this for stage, and some of the applications are going to be too much for daily wear, but it's to learn the technique, which you'll then practice, practice, practice. 

 
I like the Blondie color it suits your skin tone. Being a makeup artist for apx 27 years and have with many people, the eye brows need attention, they are arching too soon. The arc should always mimic the curve of your lid and arch on both the top and bottom, the top first and the underneath a little further out. The outside of the iris is a suitable guide line for the top arch and the bottom just depends on the look you like. Before tweezing draw the shape you want and then anything that is not covered with eyebrow pencil gets tweezed. They should have only a slight tapper from beginning to arch and a more sever taper from arch to end.I better stop I could go on and on about eyebrows, I love them.

 
Thank you everybody ! All the comments so far have been a enormous help for me and to be honest the best feedback I have ever had. Everyone here is so kind and all the advice so far I'm going to play with and see what I can do. I'll post a couple pictures up here soon from all your suggestions and show you my progress. I'd also like to thank everyone who has commented for being such a huge support, I'm very shy and somewhat self-concious so going to the makeup counter can be sometimes a nervous experience for me and I often buy the wrong things so this has helped me so much and made me feel pretty good about myself and I don't feel so shy now :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />.

Luv you all and I'll talk to you soon !

Keira ^..^

 
Originally Posted by Keirakitty /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Thank you everybody ! All the comments so far have been a enormous help for me and to be honest the best feedback I have ever had. Everyone here is so kind and all the advice so far I'm going to play with and see what I can do. I'll post a couple pictures up here soon from all your suggestions and show you my progress. I'd also like to thank everyone who has commented for being such a huge support, I'm very shy and somewhat self-concious so going to the makeup counter can be sometimes a nervous experience for me and I often buy the wrong things so this has helped me so much and made me feel pretty good about myself and I don't feel so shy now :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />.

Luv you all and I'll talk to you soon !

Keira ^..^
Click to expand...
Good luck, babe! can't wait to see how you play up your features! xox

 

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