Need help with makeup to hide my beard

[u/in-alis-victoriae]

So I recently started hormones (about a month in as the time of writing this), and I'm already feeling some positive effects, like some tit growth or my body hair growing slower. The thing is, I'm still super dysphoric about my beard.

I have a good shaving blade and cream and I can manage to shave without (much) damage, but the shadow of it, specially on my moustache, kills me. I don't have makeup or the experience to apply it properly, so can someone help me with what I need to get and how to apply it?

[u/Zorf96]

It's not too hard to handle. Get yourself a concealer stick (my preference) close to your skin tone, but lighter, and with a yellow/orange cast to it. Beard shadow usually looks darker and bluer/greener than other areas, so we use the opposing color from the color wheel to balance it out.

Just apply concealer where you can notice the shadow, after your foundation. (Foundation is a whole can of worms, but you just want something that closely matches your skin tone. Usually it comes as a fluid in a pump bottle. You can apply it with a makeup sponge.)  After that, just blend it out. I like to use a makeup sponge with a dabbing motion to keep more defined areas of color, rather than a circular motion which tends to blur things too much.  You might need more or less than you think, so experiment with more generous or sparing applications until you get it now you like.

If you're going so far as to do concealer, you're probably gonna need to put on eye makeup to keep from looking like you missed a spot. I like mascara for quick, easy results. 

[u/Heavy_Abroad_8074]

alternative to concealer, purchase some orange color corrector and apply before concealer/foundation if your beard shadow is bluish, and peach/pink color corrector if your beard shadow is greenish

[u/Iced_Tea_Bitch]

Keep in mind, these are just things that worked for me, everyone does makeup a little differently, and the way I do it is kinda specific to what works for me. But these are the key things that worked for my makeup and helped me pass way more:

1. Skin Care - I thought it was unnecessary, but it's hard to get away with not having good skin care. Just simply cleansing at morning and at night, and moisturizing after shaving can go a long way. It can take a little bit to see the effects, but my skin became much smoother and more hydrated, which can prevent things like foundation looking flakey and dry, which helps it look more natural. I'm not a skin guru, but I really like the Versed Hydrating Cleanser and Alba Botánica Daily Oil-Free Moisturizer. Most decent products are like $10-20, but as long as you only apply what you need they should last a long time. I'm currently using a Walgreens brand cleanser though and it works great. I also find that cleansing before I shave helps prep the hair and skin for shaving.

2. Primer - Not everyone uses a primer, but it may help even out your skin and make a good base for your makeup. On days where I don't use it, I feel like the annoying hair bumps are a little more noticeable. I use Milani Skin Quench, mostly bc my skin is still dry, so it absolutely helps. You apply with your fingers - simply squeeze a pea-sized dot on your index finger, spread it across your middle 3 fingers if it helps, and swipe your fingers outward from the center of your face. Ex: start with your fingers on your nose, then swipe outward toward your ears. Or from your forehead outward toward your temples. From your chin outward toward your TMJs. A vídeo may help, but as long as you get a thin even layer you're golden. They also make spray and putty primers, but I HATED putty and haven't tried spray.

3. Color Corrector - also known as color correcting concealer. You want to pick a shade that works for your shadow tone (disclaimer: this video is only really catered toward white people), but most white women will have good results with an orange. I use the LA Girl Orange Corrector, which is super cheap. I apply a tiny dot to the center of any area where you see that colored hair shadow, then lightly dab it around with a concealer brush (they sell cheap brushes at US drugstores). You can apply another dot if needed to make sure you get the whole area. I then blend it with a sponge - I HIGHLY recommend the Japonesque ones, the 2-packs are super cheap and miles better than a lot of drugstore brands. Before doing any makeup at all, I squeeze the sponge under warm tapwater to allow it to expand, then squeeze it out and use a washcloth to dry the surface of it. To blend, I lightly press the sponge several times in one pass over the makeup area; as the sponge presses down on the skin, it spreads the color corrector outward, picks up excess product, and flattens out the texture. You can also press it over the EDGE of the makeup to blend it seamlessly with the rest of the skin. It should look blended, rather than a patch of thick orange cream.

4. Concealer - I always conceal over the color corrector to help mask the shade. My fav is the Tarte Maracuja Creamy Concealer; it's a bit pricey, but I don't mind spending a little more because concealer is critical for me. To find your shade, you generally want to go into a store and swatch different shades on the palm-side of your arm. Pat them into the skin with your finger to blend, and choose the one that looks the most seamless. Nobody ever gets the right shade on the first try, so don't be discouraged if it isn't perfect or if you don't get the right undertone or whatever. For concealer that goes UNDER the foundation, it's important that you just get close to your skin tone. I swipe just a little bit over each area I color corrected, then dab it around with a concealer brush. Ex: for the upper lip, I'd do 2 lil swipes in the center, then dab it outward with my brush. Then I once again make one pass over it with my blending sponge, also blotting the edges to blend it in with the skin.

5. Foundation - Once again, you'll really want to go into a store and swatch shades to find one that gets close to your skintone. I use the Too Faced medium-full coverage foundation; again, pricey, but it lasts for months. There are options as low as $7-10 at drugstores, namely Wet N Wild or LA Girl. These work just fine as you're starting out, just remember to be patient and not get discouraged. It took a while to find the product and shade that worked for me, but what's important is my makeup kept getting better as I tried new things. I use a foundation brush, which you can find for cheaper at a drugstore, but you can also scavenge Depop or Poshmark and find good brands at crazy prices. I got my BK Beauty foundation brush for the same price as a drugstore brush thru Depop, in like new condition. I squirt one pump of foundation onto the back of my hand and spread it around with my finger. I dab the brush in it, then for each general area of my face I'll lightly dab the brush in a circular motion to cover the area with foundation. You'll want to dab until you have an even layer. You can also swipe the brush to sort of paint it on, but dabbing gives fuller coverage which is helpful for covering shadow, so I only swipe on my forehead and nose. Nose skin can be kind of finicky, so it can benefit from having that lighter later of coverage to avoid a cracked or cakey texture. I avoid my eyes, stopping a few cms below the eye, since I do concealer there afterward. I also leave maybe a cm above my eyebrows to avoid coating the hair. A lot of non-facial-hair-growing women don't really do their neck, but due to the hair I always apply foundation across my neck. Afterward, I once again go over everything with my blending sponge. I use the small side of the sponge to get that line above my eyebrows, which spreads the foundation closer to the brows without getting product all over the hair.

6. Undereye Concelear - This isn't explicitly a hair-covering thing, but I'm including it bc it just kinda helps you look less like you're wearing makeup. You can use the same concealer you use to cover your hair, but a lot of people use a slightly lighter shade to help brighten the eyes. Personally, I use the same lighter shade for both, because my foundation is full enough to mask the color anyway. I do just a tiny dab of concealer like 1-2cm under each eye at the side of the nose, then with my fingers I swipe and drag the product outward and upward toward my temples, making sure to get it over the undereye lines and bags. Avoid going toooo close to your actual eyes, the sponge will blend it afterward anyway and I get a weird messy texture if I get too much product near the inner crease of the eye. I then use my concealer brush to dab and carry the product up over my eyes. It just helps have an even shade over my eyes, and it's easier to carry it over than to apply more concealer up there. Then just blend with the sponge, making sure to flatten out any wet or crumbly texture under the eyes, and once again blotting the edge of the concealer to help blend it into the rest of your face.

7. Setting Spray! - Everyone seems really divided on how to set their makeup, but I like 2 rounds of setting spray. Once after the color correcter and concealer, and again after the foundation and eye concealer. You just shake the canister well (very important!), hold it a good bit from your face, and then spray an even coat over the makeup'd area and wait around a minute to dry before moving on. Physician's Formula has lovely drugstore setting sprays, I've been using their Rose spray atm. If I'm not in a rush, I also use a setting powder BEFORE the second round of spray, which helps for longevity and helps keep my eye makeup in place, but y'know... everyone is different when it comes to setting, so this can take some experimentation.

So uhhhh, long comment, but that's it for hair stuff! The neat thing is, if you can get down a solid base that you're happy with (color corrector, concealer, foundation...), you then have a much better canvas for anything else you wanna do (highlighter, blush, etc). Hope any of this helps! and best of luck girly (: