Gina wanted to learn tips for her daily makeup routine and add a few images to her social media. Since Gina values simplicity, we used two creme eyeshadows to minimize blending time and a black eyeshadow as a simple eyeliner. We reviewed other techniques including concealer, foundation, blush and bronzer application, and Gina left with printed guidance including her formulas and colors. Check out her girl-next-door look below.
It’s the happiest time of the year here in my tgirl world! Halloween is just around the corner with tons of fun opportunities to dress, including a perfect time for many first-timers to debut.
The excitement starts tomorrow, Oct. 26, when the DC Trans Ladies Meetup group heads out in two groups. The Classy DC Sisters will be hitting up four straight bars in Chantilly with their Tour de Force while Diane, dressed as Malificent from Sleeping Beauty, leads the way to Town Danceboutique for a 10:30 p.m. drag show and midnight costume contest. I have two girls coming for makeovers for the big night plus two more girlfriends coming to get ready at my place before we head to meet Diane and friends at Town.
People show off their costumes at DC’s 2012 High Heel Race.
On Tuesday, we have the DC High Heel Race, where genetic males dress as women, don high heels, and run two blocks while surrounded by throngs of onlookers. Participants include drag queens, gay guys in dresses and other costumes, and trans-women both in dresses and in costumes. What a great opportunity for the closet crossdresser to dress and blend in! I attended last year and loved all the pageantry, excitement, and throngs of onlookers. This year, I’ll be giving a makeover to a client who will be attending the race with me, and she may even decide to run in the race! Then I’m pregaming at a friend’s condo in walking distance of the race before I meet up with my client to walk over together.
Thursday is officially Halloween! I originally had a client who wanted to go out dressed for the first time but she’s had to reschedule due to work. I hope another brave girl will decide to debut on Thursday!
Three of the 2012 High Heel Race contestants show off their looks.
Saturday I’m hosting my next makeup party where girls can come practice their makeup and create a new look for fall. My makeup party has a waitlist already! I have one guest who hopes to have a total makeover before the party and then attend so she can meet some girls in a safe, laid-back environment. This will be my second official makeup party that I will have in my upstairs studio instead of at my dining room table. The lighting is so much better in the studio than downstairs and all the makeup and skincare is in arms reach.
Happy Halloween and Happy Dressing everyone!
I model a smoky eye look using techniques I learned with Mary Kay products. Prior to trying this method, I had had little luck with creating a flattering smoky eye. I’ll share this technique with you at my August 10 makeup party!
Create a simple yet sexy smoky eye look with techniques I’m teaching at my next makeup party, August 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Alexandria, VA. Email me for details at elizabeth.taylor.makeover@gmail.com
Last week I held a makeup and corset party for trans-ladies and allies. My standard makeover party has focused on skin care and makeup using Mary Kay products and teaching girls how to apply their makeup. This party had another core theme: body shapers.
Girls began arriving an hour early to get fitted for corsets and panty shapers to give them a beautiful hourglass look and rounded derriere. The Ardyss shapers gave immediate results, flattening tummies, pulling in waists by 2-3 sizes, rounding the buttocks, and creating a beautiful, feminine figure. The girls wore the shapers throughout the entire makeup party and were definitely disappointed to take them off at the end of the night.
After we had all put on our makeup and enjoyed apple pie, hummus and pita, all six of us decided to go to Freddie’s Beach Bar (http://freddiesbeachbar.com/) in Crystal City including the girl who had never been out of her house dressed before! We strolled into Freddie’s with confidence and sat at a large hightop table near the bar. Another couple of friends joined us and we totally had fun chilling with our group of the evening until the lights came on and we returned to our homes.
This particular group of girls totally clicked with each other. The girls were super affirming, supporting, and accepting of each other. I loved that they helped build each other’s confidence to go out in public to Freddie’s.
To another fabulous evening!
I worked with a girl today on a one-on-one makeover. She gets out about one night a month and is looking to get out to lunch more with the girls on her days off work. Since her primary look was an evening one, we focused on creating a softer day look.
She had beautiful blue piercing eyes and fiery reddish hair past her shoulders. She hadn’t tried purple eyeshadows before so we used a combination of the Violet Storm cream eye color and Iris and Crystalline mineral eye color. With her deep set eyes, we applied the Iris only to the outer corner of her eyes while the lighter Violet Storm went on her eyelid and just a touch into her highlight area. With its white sparkly hue, the Crystalline filled in her highlight area and the inner corner of her eye. She applied a dark blue/purple eyeliner to her upper lash line from the middle to the outer edge of her lash line, tapering it off just past the middle of her eye as we worked back toward the center. We worked on mascara next; she prefers only applying mascara to her upper lashes but we modified her technique to have her lift the brush up through her lashes rather than on top of her lashes. She immediately saw how her eye opened up with the natural curl that this mascara technique provided.
She learned another technique for creating her desired brow look–using eye shadow in a color that matches her hair.
We moved on to her facial contours, using Strawberry Cream blush, Desert Sun bronzer, and Pink Porcelain highlight powder to accent her cheeks and soften her face, and Spiced Tea lip liner with Berry Kiss lip stick.
We moved on to accessorizing with jewelry and taking photos and then she treated me to lunch. We plan to have another makeup lesson and convince other girls to join us out for lunch. 🙂
To being fabulous!
I love my girls and helping them look and feel beautiful. I’ve hosted several makeup parties with four to six guests. Two have been specifically for trans-women and allies. We learned about and applied anti-aging skin care, matched foundation shades, covered various hues and intensities of beard shadows, and created a basic makeup look. For cis-girls, many beauty consultants use a “face race” to see who can apply their color the fastest and reward speed.
Speed doesn’t work in my trans-world–in fact, this makeup application process is where I get to do the most teaching. At a recent party, the girls selected one of four different looks, each of which had directions for how to apply the color. I helped the girls choose their looks and get started. One girl had very deep-set eyes and so I recommended skipping the darkest eyeshadow color or just using it on the outermost part of the eyelid. Another girl was super cute and bubbly. She was already wearing a bright pink lipstick that suited her outfit and attitude perfectly, so I encouraged her to keep that as part of her 80s look. She applied the rest of her makeup with relative ease. The third girl is working on a natural look since she is planning to go full-time. She applies her eyeliner impeccably and proudly tells me that she’s been practicing with the help of her sisters. The fourth was totally thrilled that she successfully covered her beard shadow and set to work on a dramatic eye look.
After we all finish, we take fun, silly, and flirty photos in my hallway. I wish I could share them with you all but my girls’ privacy and safety is important. I have a client who recently walked in her neighborhood during the day alone and was quickly taunted with “go to hell” and worse from a passersby. She told me she won’t be walking alone in her neighborhood anytime soon. Less than a month earlier, she walked outside dressed and in makeup for the first time ever (I accompanied her and took photos for her). I felt so proud to be with her as she developed confidence in herself.
I hope I can help change our culture so more people accept and appreciate us for who we are regardless of our gender identity or gender presentation.
To being fabulous!
Elizabeth Taylor
elizabeth.taylor.makeover@gmail.com
“I love giving all women (cis- and trans*) skills, tools, and confidence to express their natural and inner beauty. I seek to provide you with excellent customer service while making you feel pampered and relaxed in a warm and authentic environment. Just tell me if you’d like a one-on-one consultation or a party with friends. I look forward to pampering you soon!”
Makeovers with Elizabeth Taylor 