So I finally broke down recently and bought some expensive makeup. Sephora to be exact. And I really like it It goes on smoothly and evenly, and it actually puts some color on my eyes (see the pic <= )! I was tired of only having bright colors in that really cheap makeup that doesn’t work, and all of my decent makeup (mid-range stuff like Covergirl) was in boring colors. The only stuff that was visible on my eyes were the dark colors, which aren’t very saturated and don’t show up on camera very well.

Shopping for Sephora makeup was a bit of a different story though. They have a ridiculous number of different lines, and it’s impossible to tell what’s what. I hate asking sales people for advice (especially when shopping for something like makeup!), which I guess is Sephora’s big thing – they don’t bug you while you shop, but they sort of expect you to try stuff out and ask for advice. I shouldn’t complain too much because I found exactly what I was looking for (bright colors), but the problem was that every line had bright colors and I had no idea which line would work best. So I mixed and matched some stuff, picking some stuff with middle of the road price tags . . . and turns out that worked just fine for me.

The lipstick, eyeliner, and mascara I got is amazing. I need to get more of those in different colors. The eyeshadow is great to use, and I love the effects I can get with the silver . . . but the pink stuff I got was a bit of a disappointment. The color isn’t as saturated as I had hoped, though in all fairness I think I’ve found a look that I really like where most of my color comes from the eyeliner – the shadow is just a subtle, well, shadow

Well here’s my new look I think it works well. The lipstick is a shade too light for me, so I’ll have to do something about that, but it’s certainly a start! Now I just need to save up enough money to buy some more colors – it’s expensive stuff, but it’s worth it

And speaking of the brush, it’s attached to the cap, kind of like a nail polish brush, and is at a terrible angle for application. I always expected to get carpal tunnel syndrome from my computer, but not my eyeshadow! This is another part that seems great in the store – it has a really interesting feel, like a firm sponge brush, and gives the impression of having great control and precision – but just try to stick that thing on your eyelid without hitting your nose or brow or something else . . . and all the while little trickles of powder are going everywhere.

Anyway, if you do manage to hit your eyelid with the makeup, it leaves this great intense streak of color that is fairly workable and blendable . . . except that the tip of the brush does not hold much makeup, possibly due to half of it being on the floor . . . and you end up with a big splotch that quickly tapers off to nothing before you can get halfway across your lid.

So overall, if you can handle the frustrations of using this eyeshadow, you can get some very colorful eyes. But I *definitely* don’t recommend it for crossdressing, since most of us aren’t exactly masters of makeup, and this will only make your life even more difficult. Not that I’m throwing the stuff out, but it did prompt me to go buy some really good makeup to use as a base – I think the Beauty Rush stuff will be relegated to only highlights and shadows.

First thing’s first, start with the lightest color of the least precise makeup you’re going to apply. Probably eyeshadow. Now here’s where most of the trouble comes in – you don’t want to smear your entire eyelid with eyeshadow. I tend to think that crossdressers look better with a bright or bold eyeshadow which emphasizes that they are in fact wearing makeup (as opposed to going for that really subtle natural look), but please, you do not want to look like Mimi from The Drew Carey Show.

There are 2 primary locations where you want eyeshadow: along the bottom edge of your eyelid, and along the top of your eyelid. You can use the same color in both locations, or you can do color on the bottom and brown or white on top, or two different colors . . . play around with it to get the effect you want. Notice, however, that for most cases there is no makeup above the eyelid (other than what bleeds over from the width of your brush when you follow the top edge of your lid), and there is no makeup below the eye. There are certain special effects that involve makeup in these areas, but unless you’re experimenting or are comfortable with what you’re doing, I would avoid it.

Ok, so pick up some of the lightest color you plan to use and apply it in a smooth one-directional stroke. From the nose outward is easiest I think. Go ahead and follow the full path you want the eyeshadow to follow, but your brush will probably be running dry at the end of the stroke. Pick up some more eyeshadow on your brush and start from the center of your eye and make a stroke outwards to fill in from your last stroke. Grab some more eyeshadow and go back over everything again, blending the separate strokes together.

Now you can fill in the upper stroke or darker stroke, whichever it happens to be. You can blend the colors together in the center of your eyelid a bit, but it won’t matter too much if you don’t – you rarely ever see that part of a person’s eyelid anyway!

Ok, now time for eyeliner, another tricky task. Eyeliner is (usually) really dark!! That means anywhere it goes, it’s going to show up. So all you have to do is make sure it only goes where you want it to . . . I know, easier said than done if you’ve ever tried before, but you’ll be surprised how easy it really is with this little trick . . . Stretch your eyelid out to the side (see the pic). The idea here is to make the bottom edge of your eyelid taught – pull out all the wrinkles, and keep it from moving under the drag of the eyeliner pencil. Also notice the beautiful two-tone eyeshadow that’s been applied in this photo

Ok, I know I said it’s easy, but you still have to be careful . . . apply your eyeliner S-L-O-W-L-Y, keep it as close to the edge of your lashes as you possibly can, and don’t worry about using a continuous stroke. It’s much more important to adjust your grip on your eyelid skin with your off hand to make sure it doesn’t start moving or bunching from the drag of the pencil. The eyeliner should be dark enough that you won’t even have to bother blending the different strokes together, so start and stop often, checking your progress as you go.

With a little luck, your eyes will look like the below pictures (eyes closed, and eyes open). It might take a few times, but don’t worry, you’ll get there.

Ok, last step is mascara. No pics of this, but I think you’ll figure it out. The trick with mascara is to brush from the base of the lashes outwards, and to twirl the brush as you move it. Rotating the brush makes sure that you get good contact between as many brush surfaces as possible with your lash. Make sure you keep the lashes as parallel as you can, and use 2 strokes, one for your inside lashes (near your nose) and one for your outside lashes. And don’t forget your bottom lashes! You probably don’t need to twirl the brush on the bottom lashes, a few short strokes should do nicely.

Some people say you should move the mascara brush back and forth as you take a stroke, but a) this is only necessary if you have a *really* crappy mascara brush, and b) it encourages clumping both of the mascara, and your lashes. Don’t let your lashes stick together when applying mascara (thus keeping them parallel). If you remember that, you’ll be fine.

And that’s it, now you should have gorgeous crossdresser eyes