Conceal 5 O'clock Shadow (Stubble) for crossdressers

Stubble is the regrowth of shaven hair, when it is short and has a rough, abrasive texture.


Facial


During the 1980s, facial stubble on men became fashionable. This was also known as designer stubble and was groomed, shaped, and maintained as a regular beard. Electric clippers can be used to maintain stubble on the face as a men's fashion style. 


The companies, Wahl and Philips, manufacture trimmers that are designed to maintain facial stubble. Removing the guard from most trimmers will give the user a stubbly look.




The term five o'clock shadow refers to beard stubble that is visible late in the day on men who have shaved their faces that morning. The term can also refer to a visible stubble of underarm hair regrowth on men or women who shaved their armpits that morning.




A study in the United Kingdom found that women rated men with facial stubble as tough, mature, aggressive, dominant, masculine, and as the best romantic partners, either for a fling or long-term relationship.[1]

Solution for Concealin 5 O'clock Shadow (Stubble) 

I have used a number of products and methods to remove/reduce the appearance of beard shadow.

Firstly, without close shaving no cosmetic product will work very well....

In terms of shaving, we all have different levels of beard growth. I found that wet shaving was the best solutiion for me. The routine I developed was as follows with a twin or triple balde safety razor:-

1) Apply shaving cream and shave normally down your face with the hair growth
2) Wash off and scrub with a fine skin exfoliator (the anti-spot cleansing type with small beads is best). This prepares the skin and helps stop nicks and cuts.
3) You can either leave the exfiloator on, or re-apply shaving foam as you preffer  
3) Carefully (and I mean carefully), with short upward strokes, shave up the face against the hair growth with light downward pressure on the razor. Initially you may get some redness, but with practice this will go away and you can increase the downward pressure with care.

You will probably still have to shave twice a day but the the hair will have been cut clloser to the skin.


In terms of cosmetics....

You can also use a product by Mac Cosmetics called a "Paint Stick" in
the color orange. The color orange somehow hides the dark hair better. It's a Pro
product so you cannot buy it from the Mac counter, you have to find a professional
makeup artist to get it.


Mac also has a foundation called "Full Coverage" that is sold at the Mac counter (or online) that is lighter
than Dermablend and works almost as well. It feels and looks great. You can also try "Studio Tech" which is
about the same but photographs better. Both need to be matched to your skin tone and coloring. 




 However please note the following hints:

1) It is quite expensive and you may struggle to find the right colour for your skin
2) You need to by the Dermablend Fixing powder to go with the colour to fix it
3) If you have greasy skin it tends to make your skin sweat underneath
4) Invevest in a good make up remover, this stuff can really clog your pores and cause spots if not cleaned off properly

BUT.... If you have perfected the art of shaving closely, or have finer facial hair, there is a really great product in the "Rio" Brand called "Skin Camoflage". This retails at about £30/$60 and is a complete kit complete with instructional DVD.

The kit contains a set of colours to blend at home, brushes, pads and fixing powder. Because the kit has multiple colours (4) you can even contour the shape your face with the product. Dont worry if the tubes look small, the coverage is fantastic from only a small blob on your finger.

The result is half way between dermablend and a normal foundation, but it can be worn all day, and is resistant to water. The only thing you need to ensure is that you have a good make up remover, as it will resist soap and water (and clubbing ).

  

Learn How to Cross Dress

Tips for Men to Learn How to Cross Dress

Learning how to cross dress for the first time is and exciting and nerve-wracking experience! Learn the tips that you will need to successfully pass as a woman and release your fears of cross dressing. Whether you are considering plastic surgery and hormone therapy or not, these are the top tips to learn how to cross dress.

These are the beginning - many people spend years perfecting their female self.
Remove Body Hair - Especially Right Before Dressing

The first step in learning how to cross dress is hair removal. Genetic males tend to have much more body hair then genetic females. Invest in a good razor. Consider laser hair removal as well if you want to cross dress more frequently.

You can also try waxing and plucking. Both of these will be painful when you start cross dressing, but it gets better over time.

Give your skin some time to adjust, when you first start waxing and plucking, your skin may get irritated and makeup or perfume will tend to make this worse.

Find a Gaff

A gaff is a contraption similar to a jock strap that allows you to hide your "goods" and provides considerable smoothing for the pelvic area.

A gaff is a "must have" for cross dressing and passing as a female. Some methods of taping and pinching may not be safe and may result in considerable pain or a very uncomfortable moment when they fail!

Wear a Bra with Silicone Breast Forms

When beginning to cross dress this is the most comfortable and economical option available. There are elaborate taping methods around, but these tend to be fairly painful. A good quality breast form that adheres to the skin can make you feel sexy!

Silicone breast forms were originally created to replace a woman's natural breasts after a mastectomy. They are the closest thing available to the "real deal."

Stockings or Hose?

When you first learn how to cross dress, stockings are probably the easier of the two as pantyhose are very delicate and will run faster than Michael Phelps can swim. Especially if you are still learning how to walk confidently in your new shoes, I would steer clear of hose. Stockings are a sturdier option that present a feminine appearance without the hassle of constant danger of running.

What Outfit to Wear?

When choosing an outfit to wear, keep in mind that overly tight clothes will reveal things you don't want seen. Choose outfits that are complementary to your body type - for example, if you have broad shoulders, don't wear something with shoulder pads as this will make you look more like a football player and less like a woman. Wear clothes that are age appropriate. The latest teen fashions may be hot, but if you aren't a teenager they won't help you pass as a woman.

Shoes!

Walking in heels will take a while to get used to. Heck, many genetic females can't do it in style. However, anyone who is trying to pass as a woman will tell you that the shoes make the outfit. Choose something that accentuates your outfit while still allowing you to remain standing. If you have large feet, it may be difficult to find shoes locally without special order. The internet is your friend.

Don't Overdo Your Makeup

Probably the number one mistake people make when they learn how to cross dress is believe that more makeup is better. If you overdo it, you will stand out and get unwanted attention. Its better to invest in hair removal or a good razor than to continue piling the foundation on. Consider consulting with a makeup artist when you are just starting to cross dress as they can give you expert advise on how to match your skin tone and choose feminine colors that will complement your complexion.

Wigs

Choosing a good wig is vital to passing as a woman. Too perfect and you will stand out. On the other hand, if your wig looks obviously fake, so will you. Learn to cross dress in a manner that creates an illusion of your feminine self - the wig you choose, like your outfit, sets the tone for the entire illusion.

Other Tips to Help You Pass As a Woman

Smell like a woman - choose soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and body sprays or perfume that have a feminine, soft smell. Don't overdo the perfume, a little goes a long way.

Carry a mirror with you - when you first start passing as a woman, you will be amazed at how many things can "go wrong" with your look. Hair gets blown out of place, makeup is moved around or removed, etc. You will need constant touch up when cross-dressing.

How to apply a flawless foundation(2)

Everyone asks me how to do their makeup better, and I’m certainly no expert, but I’ll tell you what I’ve learned over a few years of doing it. And it all starts with foundation (or coverup, same thing).

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I’m going to fly in the face of modern dermatology here, but you’re going to want a good thick cream foundation. Everyone these days uses powders or liquids or whipped foundation because they are lighter and let your natural skin color show . . . and they don’t clog your pores. But they also don’t cover up stubble. And I’m not talking about “I didn’t bother to shave this morning” stubble, most modern foundations won’t ever cover “I just shaved 5 min ago” stubble. Unless you are lucky enough to have really fine hair, in which case ignore everything I say.

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Don’t fret too much if you need cream coverup, you probably don’t wear it often enough or long enough to worry about clogging your pores – remember most gg’s wear the stuff 12 hours a day every day! The only trick is finding the stuff (and in the right color). Look for makeup in a compact, not in a bottle or jar. And make sure it says “cream”. Neutrogena makes a pretty decent one if you need a place to start looking. Or you can try Ultima II which is available off of Amazon, but it’s a bit light on coverage for a cream.

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Colors have semi-standardized names, so you can guess a little bit, but your best bet is to go into a store and compare the color sticker on the package to the skin on your wrist (palm side). You’ll probably want something just a tiny bit darker than your skin if you’re in between shades, otherwise get the closest match. If you’re guessing from the names, here’s a basic guide. “Ivory” is the lightest shade and has little color in it. “Natural”, “Amber”, or “Nude” are light skintones with some color in them (not color as in tan, but color as in more yellow than grey). “Buff” and “Beige” are usually medium tones but with a bit less yellow (leaning towards grey). “Golden” and “Honey” are medium tones with color. “Tan”, “Almond”, and “Cocoa” are exactly what they sound like. And of course there are combinations of the colors like “Natural Ivory”. And then sometimes the colors just make no sense. If you’re just looking at the colors on your computer screen though, err on the light side – most people guess a little too dark, and because your screen is backlit colors will look brighter than they are in real life. 

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Before you apply your new makeup, take a shower. Seriously. And wash your face, but don’t over-do it – you want to get any dead/dry skin off, but you don’t want to dry your face out and create new dead skin either. Stay in the shower for awhile with pleasantly warm water . . . makes a great time to shave your legs too. Now, if you want great makeup, apply a quick and thin coat of foundation while your face is still damp (not dripping, just damp). The moisture will keep the makeup spread out thin. Go cool off and dry yourself off, letting the foundation set up. Obviously don’t touch your face for a few min or stick it in a towel!

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When you’ve got your foundation in hand and are ready to apply it (this goes for the base coat if you put one on, or your “topcoat”), use a sponge or cotton pad – lots of coverup will come with a sponge anyway, which is great. Cotton pads may leave fuzz if you have course hair. “Brush” in the direction of hair growth as a general rule, unless you find a little hair that you missed when shaving in which case go over it in the opposite direction first and then in the direction of growth. Spread the foundation out thin at first, you don’t want cakes of it, and you can always go back over and add more if you really need. Keep it off your eyebrows and hair, because that just looks funny. Feel free to go over your eyelids and lips though, as that will help keep your eyeshadow and lipstick in place when you apply them overtop the foundation. And don’t forget the little places, like the undersides of your eyes, and underneath your nose. Take the foundation all the way down your neck, but spread it out *really* thin towards the base of your neck – you want it to cover any stubble down your neck, but the color needs to fade out to your natural skin gradually. Don’t rub it in, just gentle strokes in one direction.

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That’s it, all there is to it  Ok, that plus a LOT of practice. But you’ll get the hang of it. And don’t worry, it may not look like much, but you’re well on your way to being one hot crossdresser 

Courtesy:  http://thecrossdresser.org/2009/01/how-to-apply-foundation/

Photoshop tips for crossdressers

Here is something I see WAY too much of – a beautiful tgirl who has totally botched a photo of herself by carelessly overusing Photoshop. I personally have no problem with using image editing to remove the occasional flaw, though frankly the flaw is often easier to take care of in real life with a little planning before the photo! Photoshop is an amazingly powerful tool, but while it is very capable of turning you into an airbrushed goddess, it is equally if not more capable of turning you into a corpse or cartoon. So a) use Photoshop correctly, and b) don’t overuse Photoshop.
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Ok, Photoshop is a tough program to learn. So here’s a crash course on touching up a photo. I’ve selected a rather old photo of myself from before I started shaving – you know, back when crossdressing was just about feeling the clothes on my body . . . anyway . . . Here I am dolled up, my makeup done . . . but I’m still rather rough looking in the face, and DAMN am I hairy 
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I’ve purposefully selected a difficult photo to work with here – my first recommendation would be to shave or at least hide all that hair! But take a look at the arm hair which is much more manageable, and the roughness of my face. Those items are easy to fix in PS  And while we’re at it, we’ll clean up the dingy colors and get rid of that harsh shadow behind me. How’s that for a start? You’ll notice I did select a photo where I’m happy with my facial expression, my eyes look fairly bright, and I have a nice clean smile. Fixing up those items if you need to will have to wait for another day.
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Ok first step. Open up your photo, crop it as you see fit, and create a duplicate layer of your image. We’re going to edit this layer and then hide it . . . and reveal it selectively in places that need help.
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Now on the duplicate layer, apply a “remove dust and scratches” filter. You can also use a “median” filter, though I find dust and scratches works a bit better for hair and spots on the skin. Crank up the radius of the filter higher than you normally would – remember, we’re going to hide this version of the image anyway. You want it to completely take out all of the blemishes you can without totally losing the image.
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Notice that doing this results in some ugly color edges, sort of like using a posterize filter. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that in the next step. Also note that I’ve totally distorted the image, but that’s ok . . . obviously if you don’t have as many blemishes to deal with as I do here, it would be better to tone down the filter a bit. But even with this aggressive filter I still haven’t fixed all of my chest hair. We’ll get that later.
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Next step is to take care of the funky edges that the dust and scratches filter introduced. Apply a Gaussian blur to the image. Again, you’re going to want to crank up the radius on this filter higher than you normally would. The idea is to smooth out all the transitions and edges that the dust and scratches filter created. Don’t worry about the edges of your image, or the features on your face for that matter  They will come back.
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At this point you should have a relatively clean but dreadfully obscured photo of yourself. Remember, I’ve selected a particularly problematic photo as an example, so hopefully yours doesn’t look QUITE this bad. And don’t worry at this point, it only takes a little practice on these two steps before you start to get a feel for the settings to use. Save your time and effort for the next step 
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Before we get into step 3, we need to hide all this blurring so we can see straight again. Create a layer mask attached to the duplicate layer and select “hide all”. This will make your entire duplicate layer disappear. So much for all your hard work so far, hmm? Don’t worry, this is where the magic of Photoshop comes in. We’re going to paint in the blurry image where we want to cover a blemish, and keep it hidden where we don’t need it.
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Oh here’s a strange image for you. This is my layer mask – you won’t see this image except in the thumbnail in your layers pallete, but I wanted to show you how I painted in the blurry image. The white spots are where the blurry duplicate image are revealed, and the black spots are where it’s completely invisible. You can see my brush strokes pretty clearly here, but these edges don’t really show up thanks to the fact that I’m just revealing a blurry version of the same image – they naturally blend into the underlying image so you don’t even have to worry about them 
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Ok, to create this mask grab the paintbrush and set your foreground color to white. You’ll want to set the opacity and flow to something around 50% each – this will let the duplicate image show up slowly over a series of strokes rather than right away at 100% wherever you click. If you have a pen tablet, now’s the time to break it out – it will make this step MUCH easier. In fact if you’re using a mouse, you might consider setting the opacity and flow to 20%.
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Once you’ve got your brush set up, start painting on your skin only! I can’t think of anything other than skin that you’ll want to use this on, as it will completely obliterate textures. Speaking of which, some people recommend adding some random noise to the duplicate layer after all your blurring to match the capability of your camera (all cameras naturally introduce some noise, and if the background has more noise than your face something might look fishy). Personal taste though, I usually don’t add the noise back in. If you want to, try something around 1% though.
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Don’t paint all of your skin! Remember how the blurry image lacked any definition and all your features disappeared? People have natural lines and edges. We’re 3D afterall. So don’t flatten yourself out. When you get to an edge or a corner or even a dimple that’s supposed to be there, leave it be! Don’t paint over your eyes or your lips, and only touch your nose right along the bridge. For the most obvious example of leaving an edge be, look at the area of this mask where my collar bones are – completely black.
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Here’s what your image should look like once you finish your mask. Much better already! Ok, my chest looks like crap still, but check out what the airbrushing did for my arm hair and face Generally speaking, if you have a difficult spot to get rid of, brush perpendicular to the spot (ie across the hairs, not with them). And if you have an edge you want to preserve, brush parallel to it (ie the strokes near my collarbone). A single spot can be taken care of by just tapping the pen or click-click-clicking the mouse a bunch of times – this will progressively make more of the blurry image fill in until the spot is gone.
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Really take your time on the airbrushing part. Change your brush size for different areas, and be very careful when you come up against ridges or lines. Make sure you stop to think if that line should be there or not. You’ll notice that I erased some of the lines around my mouth, but I carefully left a few there as well – if I hadn’t, my face would look really funny. Another good idea is to never ever airbrush hands or feet – these body parts have such a complex surface that even a little airbrushing can completely ruin them. Also take care around any bones that stick out, like around your wrist – these are subtle gradients rather than lines, but they are important for defining your body and you don’t want to erase them.
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Time to take care of my ridiculous chest hair. We’ve already tried to blur it away without success, so let’s unselect the layermask and work directly on the blurry image (remember, this image should be almost completely visible in the chest area since we were trying to blur away my chest hair). Instead we are going to dodge it away, so grab the dodge tool and do something you never do with dodge. Set it to dodge shadows. Normally you want to dodge highlights to brighten them, or burn shadows to darken them. In this case I actually want to erase “shadows” by brightening them. Again, set your opacity low to begin with so the dodge occurs gradually.
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After dodging away at the chest hairs you will eventually get to a nice even tone across the chest, but it will probably be pretty gray-ish. A quick remedy is to select a nearby skintone, add a new (blank) layer on top of the duplicated layer with a blending mode of overlay, and paint in a little color. You’ll want to set the opacity on your brush very very low for this, but just use the paintbrush to color in a little skintone. With a little luck the overlay blend mode will retain the shading of the chest so it still has some shape while adding in some color from the new layer.
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Ok, time for a relatively easy step. Flatten your layers from the previous work once you’re satisfied with them. Now it’s time to work on the composite image as a whole. Alternately you could do this step first on the original image, but I always forget  The original image here was a bit dark, and the shadows were very sharp. Often if you Auto Tone, Auto Contrast, Auto Color the image (in that order), Photoshop will do a rather nice job for you and you’re done.
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In this case my image needed a little extra loving attention, so I went into Image->Adjustments->Levels command. I brought the white slider down a good bit to increase the number of white pixels in the image. Then I bumped the black slider up slightly to make sure the shadows in my photo were actually black. And I shifted the medium gray slider (aka the gamma) to lighten the image a bit – this slider reduces the total contrast in the image if you move it from 1.0, so be careful with it. Overall not bad though, hmm?
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Ok, the last step! Let’s soften that terrible shadow behind me. Hopefully the shadow won’t be as bad in your images, because I didn’t manage to get rid of the whole thing. But the steps are pretty easy. Grab the Quick Selection Wand and select yourself. Ok, that step might take a few minutes of playing around, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to get a decent selection. Now open the Select->Refine dialog box and feather the selection just a bit. You’ll also want to contract it so that the shadow is definitely outside of the selection. Now copy yourself onto a new layer.
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Open the blending settings dialog for your new layer, and give it a drop shadow. I know, I already have too much of a drop shadow, but trust me! Now set the shadow color to white and the blending mode to screen, and set the light direction to be opposite of the current shadow – this will cast a white shadow on top of your existing shadow Play around with the size until you get it right. You can also add an inner glow to clean up any shadowy parts that were inside your selection.
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And that’s it! Now you have a properly airbrushed and fixed up image, no matter how bad it looked like to begin with 

Courtesy: http://thecrossdresser.org/2009/05/photoshop-101-for-tgirls/

How to Apply Makeup for Drag Shows

How to Apply Makeup for Drag Shows

Good lighting, nice hair and a lot of makeup can go a long way.

Makeup is the most important part in transforming a male into a female.
Dressing in drag should always be fun, but a proper understanding of contouring and how make up works is key in taking in turning just a plain old cross dresser into a drag queen.

Difficulty:

 

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Foundation Concealer Shaving kit Tweezers Moisturizer Eye shadow Mascara Faux lashes Makeup remover Eye liner Powder Bronzer and blush Lip liner Lip stick Lip gloss

1. Start Clean

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     Shave! No side burns, no mustaches and no 5 o'clock shadows.
   • 2
     Zak before makeup.

     Pluck, wax or tweeze your eyebrows too; however you do it, it needs to be clean.
   • 3
     Don't forget nose hairs. This has to be the most clean shaven you've ever been. Remember your suppose to be a girl.
   • 4
     Moisturize. After you've shaved everything off, just like any lady, you have to moisturize your skin. This is of the utmost importance because your clean shaven face is the palette that everything is going to be based on.

   Eyes

   • 1
     Eye makeup can be messy so I like to start with the eyes. This way you don't have to reapply concealer or foundation.
   • 2
     Eye shadow and lashes.

     A classic smokey eye can almost instantly transform any masculine face into a more feminine one. To keep things soft and feminine looking, I like to start by blending soft grays and browns as a opposed to blacks. Black eye shadow can often times look too hard and bring back the masculine features.
   • 3
     Nothing sets off a good smokey eye like fake lashes. After you have finished applying eye shadow, finish off the look with a nice set of fake lashes and mascara.

   Concealer

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     Clean up an smudges from mascara or crumbs from eye shadow with a little makeup remover.
   • 2
     Brighten up around the eye area with concealer. Blend the concealer into the upper cheek bones to create a contour effect.
   • 3
     This is also a good time to look for any blemishes or areas where there may be hints of facial hair that need extra coverage.
     Double check around the eye brows, because most men have thicker brows than girls do. This is where you might want to cover up any stray hairs around the brows.

   Foundation

   • 1
     Use your fingers to blend foundation into any areas in the skin where it needs to be more evenly toned and to smooth out concealer.
   • 2
     Set the foundation and concealer with loose translucent powder.
   • 3
     Let everything set for a minute after adding powder.

   Cheeks and Countouring

   • 1
     

     Apply a light amount of powder bronzer under the cheekbones and under the jawline. This will create a more feminine contour effect that should highlight the cheekbones and jawline.
   • 2
     Find a soft pink tone that is complimentary to your model's skin tone to use as blusher. Apply the blush to the "apple" of the cheeks.
   • 3
     Set this again with loose translucent powder.

   Lips

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     Start with a soft pink lip liner ( I prefer softer pinks because they appear more feminine than bright reds). Over line the lips as much as you can before it starts to look fake. The bigger the lips the better. Fill the lip liner into the entire lip, not just the outside, to avoid any kind of Tammy Faye look.
   • 2
     

     Apply a matching lipstick over the newly lined lips.
   • 3
     Finish the lips off with a dab of a lighter colored gloss in the center of the lip, for a fuller effect.

   Finishing Touches

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     Go back to the brows and fill in any gaps in the hairline.
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     Find a wig or hair style that compliments your drag queen's new and improved feminine features.
   • 3
     Put on your best dress, push-up bra and heels. Presto! Your ready for a night on the town.