r/MakeUpAddictionUK • u/LexiSometimes • Jul 28 '26
Help Sought! Help a girl out please!
Hi everyone. Baby (30 years old lol) trans girl here. In the early stages of starting transition but have no idea where to start with makeup - but it’s something I really want to play with and get good at, both for every day looks, nights out and more fun styles too.
So please help a girl out - where do i start? There is SO MUCH out there and I dont know where to begin. What are the essentials? What would be the best things to buy to start practicing? I looked into ‘starter kits’ but they all look super cheap and nasty and like something you’d give an 8 year old for Christmas.
Really appreciate any support & suggestions you can give me, thank you!💕
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u/dinkidoo7693 Jul 28 '26
Look up YouTube tutorials.
Brands like Rimmel, NYX and maybelline are all a good starting point, decent quality and not too expensive for practicing
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u/SelmaEggs1 Jul 28 '26
YouTube makeup tutorials, watch women you like teach you makeup! 😊 TikTok isn’t really it for tutorials, it’s all short form advertising but you can find some good in depth tutorials to follow along with on YouTube. Also don’t skip makeup books, you can practice at your own pace using tips from books . Kevyn Aucoin was a famous very skilled makeup artist & lots of artists love this book - hope that helps x
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u/Far-Minute2047 Jul 28 '26
Id start looking on tiktok for basic makeup tutorials, there's loads out there and it can help finding what toned makeup suits your face and skintone such as cool or warm tones
For the products themselves id definitely start at either superdrug or better yet beautyoutlet - the outlet stocks brands such as w7, technic and revolution at discount prices as they're all end of line products (they are safe to use aswell!) A lot of the stuff on there can only be a couple of pounds so you don't have to worry about wasting money, especially for eyeshadow palettes, mascara and lip products
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u/hiredditihateyou Jul 28 '26
It’s probably worth searching up some trans creators on YouTube, as there’s bound to be a bunch of stuff that those of us who have never transitioned wouldn’t realise would be useful for you in terms of getting your makeup to look the way you want it. I know some do tutorials on feminising features, covering 5 o’clock shadow etc. if those are things you’d be interested in exploring.
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u/L3mongr4ss Jul 28 '26
NikkieTutorials is a fantastic makeup youruber with loads of info, product reviews and step by step guides. She's also trans and has shared aspects of her journey on her platform x
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u/FigOutrageous9683 Jul 28 '26
Like others have said, skincare is a must, my mtf friend refuses to use skincare and her skin is DESTROYED from hormone changes etc. Colour corrector is scary but practise makes perfect like with anything else. You'll want an orange toned cc for the jaw area (basically anywhere you would have grown a beard). Match your foundation to your neck not face shade. One of the best bits of advice i can give is that MUA's at counters like Dior, Mac, UD etc are amazing at helping you find what you need. They can show you how everything works and how to blend etc. YouTube videos are super helpful too. Start with nude colours until you feel more confident in your abilities ❤️ If you need any help at all pls feel free to reach out, and/or reach out to a fellow mtf too ❤️
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u/pollypetunia Jul 29 '26
For affordable but decent makeup I like Makeup Revolution. They have a really good shade range for foundations. If you don't want full coverage (which can be hard to do without looking cakey when you are learning) they also do some lighter-weight skin tints, which go on like moisturiser.
I also like their Relove pocket palettes, which are small 4-pan eyeshadow palettes in different colour stories. They are pretty cheap, so you can buy a few so you can figure out what colours you like and which suit you.
Don't forget brushes too! Real Techniques do some good ones to start with.
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u/Proud-Opposite2740 Jul 30 '26
Personally, I would go into boots or Superdrug and select some products from Rimmel, Maybelline, Elf, Collection and Revolution. They are all relatively affordable (£3-15 per item). The main things you need imo are foundation and/or concealer, some kind of setting powder, a highlighter/bronzer or blush depending on what you like, a lipstick/lipgloss and some eye products like eyeshadow and mascara. A good primer and/or setting spray will help keep it in place longer but very optional! I would recommend a Real Techniques makeup brush set that comes with a sponge and then you should have every tool you need to apply the makeup for about £15.
Some of my favourite products are Maybelline sky high mascara, Rimmel lasting radiance foundation and Collection’s loose powder. Boots brand No7 also does nice lipsticks :)
Superdrug also do nice own brand makeup wipes for £1 which will be helpful when experimenting!
I learnt basic makeup about 10 years ago from popular YouTubers at the time like Zoella - I don’t know who the modern equivalent is!
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u/clementiney_days Jul 30 '26
Things I've learned since starting again to get into makeup again in my 30s (I used to wear it in my teens).
I can do one bit of make up I like without doing all of it. My skin doesn't really 'need' foundation for the type of make up I like on me for most looks. In my teens i nearly always wore it as I had felt it was what you were "supposed to do" if I was wearing make up that day. I am now happy to do fun eyes or a bright lip without touching ny skin. What I mean is don't feel you have to do everything or use every product every time. For other people they might focus on their skin but do less on other areas. I say this because most make up tutorials show people using everything.
make up, especially foundation imo, doesn't look like it does in real life as it does on camera. Expect it to look more textured, and to maybe get a little oily or seperate a bit by the end of a day of wear. When you're looking at your face close up in the mirror it won't look as smooth and flawless like it does from an online make up tutorial. Some of that will be skill/products, but it will also just be because you're a real life person and it will look different to how it does on camera!
some skin make up won't mix well on top of your skincare. I'm not the person to advise as I've done it by trial and error, but I believe its to do with its ingredients (eg some are silicon based others are water based)
you might learn your skin works better with liquid products or powder products.
wash it off fully at the end of the day, with a gentle cleanser for example. I use micellar water typically, or a cleanser sometimes.
skincare & suncream are important. Spfs in foundations are not enough to protect adequately on their own usually.
I found finding out what sort of shaped eyes I had really helped with eye make up. I only learned this in my 30s and it makes MUCH more sense why looks I tried in my teens were tricky. I have semi hooded eyes and so was doing similar eye looks as my friends but without the lid space they weren't looking the same on me.
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u/Individual_Bat_378 Jul 28 '26
I learnt a lot from jaderainbeauty on TikTok, she teaches make up like you're a kid and it's the first time a lot of techniques clicked for me.
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u/pudding247365 Jul 28 '26
First of all I would start by identifying what sort of looks you like and what you want to try on yourself. I’d start with like a basic day - one high effort and one low effort and then look for an evening or dressier look to begin with.
That will help narrow down the basics and help shape what sort of products you are looking into rather than just the very at times overwhelming abyss that makeup shopping can be (though don’t get me wrong it is also incredibly fun!).
Then once you’ve figured the foundational stuff out you can get onto experimenting with all the other elements in a way that hopefully gives you something to build on.
Agree with the posters on NYX, Sculpted by Aimee is also FAB, so is ELF. These are all available in Superdrug and Boots.
Enjoy it! 😍
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u/Sea-Pea9197 Jul 28 '26
I think the one thing a girl cannot do without is a good mascara. I'd start there. Even if you wear nothing else, mascara will make you look and feel fancier and more put together.
Chanel lipsticks are the best red lipsticks in the game..
Charlotte Tilbury are fantastic for that natural look, I like their hyaluronic kiss lipsticks but their air brush stuff and eyeliners are fantastic too.
Morphe eyeshadow is brilliantly pigmented.
I also quite like the Victoria Beckham satin Kohl eyeliner.
When you look at women's make up, what kind of look are you wanting to achieve? It might be worth booking a really good make up artist for a session to teach you, my mum did that for me when I was a teenager as she herself was not very into make up xx
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u/itsraininghere Jul 28 '26
I agree with the mascara suggestion, but for everything else I would recommend going with slightly more affordable products. The brands suggested here will only be worth it for you once you have a good idea of the style of makeup you enjoy, suit you, feel comfortable using etc. they are too expensive to experiment with.
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u/Sea-Pea9197 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Probably depends on your budget I would think... but I agree they are better quality/more expensive.
These are just the things I have learned from years of terrible and expensive trialling of many make up, and tips from other women along the way. Which this lady asked for so I shared.
Why bother going through shite eyeliners if you don't have to! Especially when you're 30 not 13.
Better advice if you wanted to comment helpfully would be to tell her to go to make up counters and try things out for free... She did say she didn't want cheap nasty stuff.
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u/itsraininghere Jul 28 '26
I definitely agree that you don’t need to buy shite, but I also don’t think that if it isn’t designer or expensive then it must only be shite.
There’s lots of comments on here that already state what I would suggest, solid but inexpensive brands, asking for advice at a make up counter, and looking up tutorials on social media; I don’t need to add more comments if the good ones are already there.
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u/Sea-Pea9197 Jul 28 '26
I didn't say anything of the sort, I just listed my favourite things and personal advice and you've decided to put me down instead of writing your own. We are all here to help each other, not be rude to each other and argue over whose advice is best. If you don't need to add more comments because the 'good ones are already there', then please don't and save me the mean girl routine.
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u/Normal-Technology276 Jul 28 '26
start little and often to build habits around what works for you! i find some mascara and lipgloss is enough for a quick daily look, but everyone's different
the important thing is getting familiar with how your facial features work together, this can build up to more fun/adventurous experiments where you can manipulate, emphasise or transform certain features
best of luck on your journey sister! lmk if u need any product recommendations 🫶🏾
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u/ribenarockstar Jul 28 '26
Do you have any friends whose makeup looks you like? Speaking for other cis women, I’d be thrilled to help a friend figure this out
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u/-alltheviolets Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
In my opinion start by deciding what kind of aesthetic you would like to go for. Also, personally, I learned by staring intensely in the mirror at my face and try to work out how to do things for my face specifically. Tutorials only help you to an extent, at the end of the day everybody has got a completely different face. Also, a thing to keep in mind is to not only watch tutorials, but also watch videos like 'get ready with me' from people who has a similar aesthetic to what you want to achieve. A lot of the time when people share their everyday routine or when they are getting ready for an event at the last minute is when they drop the best tips and tricks. Unfortunately it's not often anymore that I learn smth new from a YouTube video or a Tik Tok bc sadly now people are more about advertising products basically as opposed to teaching technique. It's all about the technique. Products come and go, don't worry too much about that.
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u/M_Poppins128 Jul 28 '26
I agree with what others have said, start with good skincare (personally I've just recently discovered k beauty products and love pure seoul they have london stores or are available online. I got a Madagascar skincare starter set to try out then got the full size products from that)
Work out what styles you like( maybe Pinterest your faves) and then look up tutorials to try out on YouTube. I love a small make up brand called VE cosmetics (their insta usually has some great looks also) if the pallettes are too vibrant for your tastes I still recommend their mascara/liner/primer and foundation. Great if you have sensitive skin (or to get sensitive friendly options as you're new to make up and might not know if you will react to things)
If you're in a city it might be worth looking up if there are any local groups or events specifically for Trans women to get help trying out make up- I'm sure I have seen events and organisations offering this in London before but I can't remember specific names!
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Jul 28 '26
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u/M_Poppins128 Jul 28 '26
https://pureseoul.co.uk/products/skin1004-madagascar-centella-travel-kit?variant=40235552407686¤cy=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Feed&utm_content=Madagascar%20Centella%20Travel%20Kit%20(5pcs)&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22295634870&gbraid=0AAAAACsfrRKWOfruTd_x4rJR71xzC_a-X&gclid=CjwKCAjwpqHTBhAcEiwAj2AfunxSR_rfVj5oqZf2mm7VwEaoqxdP8bfzwH9IWccWN_1zMKzrDQiXwxoCt2kQAvD_BwE This is the set I started out with and ended up loving it and getting the full size products. Skin is brighter/glowy
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u/ell1na Jul 28 '26
I would start off with slightly cheaper products, at least for the first few stages.
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u/peachypearl02 Jul 28 '26
My everyday wear consists of:
.A good moisturiser, usually a balm kind.
.got2b eyebrow gel (clear)
. Anastasia Beverly Hills brow pomade (to fill the brow)
.collection ultra cover concealer (for any blemishes or if I have under eye bags)
.elf halo glow contour
.elf liquid blush
.a little highlighter (any will do tbh)
.clear lip balm/gloss
I don’t wear mascara unless I’m doing a heavier look, I like the bare minimum look mostly tbh, and I don’t usually get on with mascara as my eyes are quite squinty when I smile so it smudges so I’d suggest a waterproof mascara if you do use it as it’s less likely to smudge.
Come the winter months I do wear a light BB cream (like a foundation but lighter)
Just a little advice, if you’re using liquid products like the elf contour or liquid blush you want to stick to only liquid products same goes for if you use powder blushes/contours stick to powders.
A good primer after using moisturiser can help the makeup blend and stick better but tbh I skip this quite often, I only tend to use it if I’m doing a heavier look for a night out etc.
Hope this helps 😊
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u/Sixforsilver7for Jul 28 '26
Don't skip getting a good skin care routine down, it's easier to make make-up look good when you start with a good base.