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| For some of you, this is old hat. For the beginners, I would suggest reading on. Basic Skin Care: Since we, as men, don’t wear makeup on a regular basis (some more than others J), most men don’t understand the long term effect of cosmetics. Though manufacturers try to make a good, pure product, the bottom line is introducing a foreign substance to our skin. Preparing your face correctly will make removal much easier and protect it from the harmful effects of cosmetics. This will also provide an excellent ‘canvas’ to work with. Preparation Products: A good skin cleanser and a cleaning puff. You will want to deep clean your face after you shave to remove any residual skin oils, shaving cream, and dirt. You would be surprised at how much is left on your face after a shower. Items you will need: An astringent: Preferably organic based. Avoid preparations that have large amounts of alcohol or camphor. A good moisturizer: What kind depends on your skin type. I am very fond of Aloe Vera gel. I have very oily skin and I found that I could moisturize without adding a considerable amount of extra oil. Facial oil is not moisture….it’s oil. Good razors and a shaving gel such as Edge: The shaving gel will provide better protection from razor burn, since you are going to shave close. Twin or even better, triple bladed razors work the best. Have a styptic pencil around for nicks, bleeding through makeup is gross! After care products: Eventually, you are going to need to remove all the work you so painstakingly applied. I know, what a gyp <s>. This must be done properly and carefully. Keep in mind that you’re not Homer Formby stripping the varnish off a dining room table, this is your face!! Preparing your face for makeup: You will need the face cleanser, buff puff and astringent from your prep kit. As males, we need to take a few extra steps that women don’t. Shaving your face is such an example. It is really important to remove as much of your beard as you can. Hopefully you have shaved long enough to know how your beard grows and what the tough spots are. After the shower, the beard is very soft and much easier to take off. Normally the beard doesn’t grow much more than a few millimeters overnight, so this should be easy; more for some than others. The idea is to shave against the growth direction of your beard. This results in a very close cut. You probably know your problem areas. For myself, I have a spot on the back of my jaw that grows in about eight different directions. The best way to check your results is to pull a cotton ball across your face in a number of directions. If any snagging occurs, you need to go over that spot again. If your beard is anything like mine (a wire brush) you will find that not getting a good shave will tear-up you sponges and applicators. Satisfied with your shave, clean your face with the buff puff and cleanser. Use the buff puff gently, your not sanding wood! Rinse 9-10 times with very warm water. Apply astringent per instructions and then moisturizer. The next step is to deal with your eyebrows. Most men have large, coarse hair eyebrows. The easiest way to deal with them is to shave them off, but many of us don’t have that option. You can do a few things that will enable you to get the look you want without drawing a lot of attention when dressed as our ‘alter ego’. One is to thin the whole mess out. Use an electric razor with the short hair length attachment and just go over them. This will take the hair down to a reasonable length and you will still look ‘normal’ on the street. I have used this technique a number of times. My friends and co-workers noticed something different, but couldn’t pin point it. Most ended up saying that I looked younger!! LOL After they are mowed down, so to speak, you can do extensive shaping with tweezers. The rest of the shaping will be done with the eyebrow pencil. You are now ready to start the process of transformation. What you will need: You will probably find purchasing makeup more confusing than filling out a 1040!! There are a veritable plethora of brands, types, etc. and you can go crazy finding what works. I have some specific types and brands I highly suggest, and surprisingly enough, there aren’t that many items. Tools of the Trade: A good set of makeup brushes: It would behoove you to invest in some quality. I have bought the little cheapo sets and the brush hair falls out, usually on my face. You want a couple of eyeshadow brushes (a stiff one and a soft one), a large dusting brush, a good lipstick brush, an eyelash comb and an eyebrow brush. Go to an art store and get a 000 and 00000 sable brushes. These are for eyeliners. A pencil sharpener. You don’t take your makeup pencils over to the desk and shove them in the electric sharpener! There are sharpeners specifically for this purpose and can be found with the rest of the makeup hardware. The metal frame ones work best. Tip: put the pencils in the freezer for a few hours before you sharpen them. They won’t crumble as much. Eyelash Curler: An absolute must! There are a number of expensive 'swanko' steam models on the market, but I have found the $4 Revlon works just fine. You can get similar steam effects by holding the curler under very hot water and drying. A lighted makeup mirror: Get one that has a normal and a magnifying side and adjustable lighting. A good set of tweezers: The meeting edges must be precise. An assortment of makeup sponges, Q-Tips, cotton balls, tissues, etc. A couple of knee-high stockings. Put one on your head to pull your hair back, out of your face. Nice for under the wig too. |
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| I have found that the common brands, such as Cover Girl, Max Factor, etc. are just as good as the high priced stuff and it’s available at Long’s, Walgreen’s, Thrifty’s, etc. Of course, there are some items that merit the extra dollar. Foundations of different shades: I have tried numerous foundations, such as Max Factor Pancake, theatrical, the beard cover that is sold by CD shops and others. Pancake is very difficult to get smooth and even. It is also water based and doesn't adhere well to skin of my type, oily. Theatrical and the beard cover have the consistency of Spackle and about as easy to use. Both are expensive. I have found a product by Cover Girl called 'liquid powder' which I love! It applies smoothly and feels very light. I can get that 'perfect' skin tone look with it. Concealer: Max Factor has a product called "Erase" that is packaged like lipstick. It goes on well and very useful for covering blemishes. Dusting or Setting Powder: This will be the finish for you ‘look’. I would stay away from pressed powder. The powder is oil based and it will smear all the work you put into your foundation. Dusting powder comes loose and it’s applied with the large dusting brush. The whole idea is to apply a translucent layer of matte to your foundation, not to cover it. Blush: I have always found blush a major pain in the ass, but a necessary evil. You will need pink/red and an apricot/beige. Tip: apply blush before eye makeup. Blush sets the tone of 'intensity' of your look. Eye shadow: Most eyeshadow these days is made fairly well, well at least the major brands. The come as separates or in palettes. The palettes are nice because they usually have a number of complimentary colors. Eye pencils are also a nice to have around. I use them for all sorts of highlighting and accentuation. Eyeliner. Pre-mixed liquid in Jet Black. The cake stuff mom used to use doesn’t cut it. There is another item on the market that is really nice; an eyeliner pen. It’s like a felt tip and makes eyeliner much easier. I have found that using liner pencil much easier in the beginning. You can get some really nice effects. Lipstick, lip liner and sealer: Lipstick is one item you might want to go the extra mile on and get quality. Cheap lipstick looks like cheap lipstick. The more expensive brands with go on smoother tend not to bleed and just look great! Lip liners are pencils, like eyebrow and eyeshadow. To really get lipstick right, line the lips and then fill them in using the brush. Never apply lipstick directly out of the tube!! Sealer comes in a bottle and looks like clear nail polish. It is applied over the whole lip area to fill in the natural cracks in the lips, prevents bleeding and provides a foundation for the lipstick. Mascara: Another item you want to go with quality on. Cheaper mascara's are clumpy, flake and are often very allergenic. Quality mascara will pay off in the long run. You will want to get black and clear. You eyelashes are going to adhere to the mascara and the adhesive for the eyelashes is water soluble, so choose a long wearing or waterproof brand. False Eyelashes: Buy the cheaper ones until you are comfortable with putting them on, then you can get the really nice ones. Make sure you get adhesive with them. Walgreen's, Thrifty's, etc. have a good selection. There are a few styles, and you probably want one of each on hand. Before starting into the application process, decide upon your workspace. Generally, the bathroom doesn’t cut it. A good table so you can spread you art tools out is usually the best bet. You are going to be sitting for a while, find a comfortable chair. Now, the most important pre-application step: get dressed. Stockings, panties and a nice robe really starts the transformation and affects your mindset. Makeup Application: Kevyn Aucoin has a number of excellent books on the market and can take you through techniques much better than I can. You will need to practice: no one is an 'instant' makeup artist, even GG's (genetic girls) Afterthoughts.... I know for many of you have experimented with makeup at some point. There's a good chance that you dropped the whole thing because of how difficult, time consuming it was or just not getting the effect you're looking for. Makeup your face as often as you can. Try different things. You will get proficient. Makeup is a vital aspect to the whole scene. It will be the 'switch' that will bring out your alter ego. Believe me, you will see the results..... |