This article is brought to you by a collaboration between Plume and Jecca Blac, a UK-based, vegan, gender-free makeup brand.
Jecca Blac began with educational, safe space lessons for makeup wearers at the very start of their journey with self expression, many of whom were from the trans and nonbinary community. Our makeup sessions presented clients with an opportunity to experiment with makeup for the very first time in an empowering, private, judgement-free setting. Many of the clients to attend these makeup lessons came to Jecca Blac’s founder with requests for concealing beard shadow and developing a contouring regime.
Our entire ethos and vegan, cruelty-free collection is considerate of the needs of the trans community. As part of this collaboration, Jecca Blac has created an exclusive discount which grants you 15% off any full price items in our collection. Simply add PLUME15 at checkout!
Today, Jecca Blac is sharing our top tips for makeup wearers to master at the start of their transition! These tips were created by and for transfeminine makeup wearers. However, they’re designed to help anyone who loves wearing makeup!
1. Look after your skin
Makeup is an excellent tool used to transform, enhance, and celebrate your features. However, one rule we live by is that if you look after your skin, your skin will look after your makeup. You can get the most out of your makeup with a smoother application and better staying power for your finished look if, first of all, you ensure your skin is cared for. Some key components we recommend incorporating:
- A cleanser that incorporates chemical exfoliation in order to remove dead skin and product buildup
- A daytime moisturizer to apply before your SPF
- A night time moisturizer to nourish and restore the skin’s natural barrier while you sleep
We recommend using a product that incorporates Vitamin C in the morning as it brightens the complexion. Try a cleanser that contains Glycolic Acid in the evening, as it helps maintain a natural pH balance which will help prevent breakouts and maintain even skin texture.
2. Become a pro with beard shadow coverage
Concealing beard shadow can seem super intimidating, but the more you understand the thinking behind color correction and concealing, the easier it gets.
Once your daytime skincare regime is complete, apply a primer. Primers are designed to be applied after skincare, but before you apply any coverage. Primers do not contain any color or coverage themselves, but help provide a seamless base for your makeup, making for more effective staying power and a smoother result in your application.
Our Hydrate Primer is great for beard shadow coverage as it is formulated with aloe juice & shea butter, which are amazing ingredients for locking moisture into the skin. Dry skin is makeup’s worst enemy—but Hydrate helps combat this!
Once you have primed, the next step is to apply a color corrector and a concealer. Our Correct & Conceal Palette was designed to meet the needs of any makeup wearer. It was developed to also include simple and effective color correction and coverage for makeup wearers who want to combat beard shadow. We opted for a cream formula with this product so it is easy to work with and leaves a natural, skin-like result without looking cakey. Here are four steps to help you master beard shadow coverage:
- Apply the color correct shade to any areas of darkness
- Apply the concealer shade on top in order to even out your skin tone. This can also be applied as an all over base in place of foundation. It can also be applied to any redness and blemishes.
- Apply a translucent setting powder.
- If you need more coverage, repeat steps 1-3 until you’re happy with your result.
3. Contouring!
When it comes to contouring, we recommend working with creams. As with our Correct & Conceal Palette, working with a cream contour (such as our award-winning Sculpt & Soften Palette) will help provide a natural, blendable result with a seamless, skin-like finish. When selecting your products for your cream contour, you want to opt for:
- 1 x shade that adds shadows to the face (Shade Sculpt in our Palette offers this)
- 1 x shade that adds light to the face (Shade Soften in our Palette offers this)
- 1 x brush used for the shadow product
- 1 x brush used for the highlight part of your contour
- 1 x brush for the blend of your contour
We recommend using separate brushes for those three components, so you end up with a cleaner looking result. Otherwise, it can be easy to end up applying and spreading the shadow part of your contour all over your base. We want to avoid this by using different brushes, as it can look muddy.
With contouring, there is no one-size-fits-all method, but there are tips and tricks to follow for softening and reducing certain features for a look deemed more traditionally feminine. Not sure where to get started? Our Sculpt & Soften Palette contains a free 34-page guide with diagrams outlining how to contour for different features.
4. Blush!
Applying coverage to the face for beard shadow coverage and contour can leave the skin looking like it needs a little color added back into it. With blush offering a freshened vitality to any makeup look. There are a multitude of ways to use it. If you’ve been working with cream base products, applying a cream blush is a super versatile way to add a touch of color into your look. Here are some of our favorite ways to make the most of blush, using our Red Touch Play Pot. (Fun fact: this play pot also doubles up as a lip tint and eyeshadow!)
5. Eyeliner and shadows!
When it comes to enhancing the eyes, we recommend mastering two options: a subtle wing or an eyeshadow. Both of these will help celebrate your eye shape, and can also help to elongate and open up your eyes, too!
If you’re new to eyeliner, maybe experiment with a dark eye shadow at the outer corners of your eyes and a shimmer on your inner corners. If you’re ready to take the plunge with liquid liners, there are so many ways to get creative.
Water-activated liners are great because they’re easy to tidy up with a Q tip in the application process, and provide great, smudge-resistant staying power. Super versatile, these are amazing once you get the hang of them. Here’s a quick tutorial using Coke Float:
6. Lips!
When it comes to lips, finding something comfortable and easy to wear is essential. Check out our Red Touch Play Pot, which was designed to be used as a blush or lip tint. Opting for a product that gives you freedom of creativity with comfortable wear is a great starting point for your chosen lip look. If you’re using a lip liner, we recommend overlining the lips a little for extra effect. As you’re starting out, it’s worth experimenting to learn what works for you!7. Brows, shimmer, and mascara!
For the finishing touches of any makeup look, we recommend:
- Sleeking the brows into your desired shape. Do you prefer a laminated look, a fluffed finish, or something sleek and tidy?
- Adding a touch of glow to the high points of your face such as the cupid’s bow, cheekbones, and tip of the nose
- Celebrating your lashes with mascara
8. Wherever you are with your makeup journey, have fun with it
Mastering makeup at the beginning of your transition can be daunting, but nobody starts out as a pro. You have no idea where your skills will take you once you begin your journey of developing them. We’re always here to provide free makeup tips and words of encouragement.
We know that if you practice and remember to be gentle with yourself, you’ll see your makeup journey as a fun and empowering and creative process in every way that it is designed to be. So, try not to place too much judgment on yourself for when things go a little wrong—which they do from time to time when it comes to makeup!
We hope you’ve found these tips helpful! Thank you for taking the time to read them. For free makeup assistance, click here! For more information, head to jeccablac.com or any questions, email support@jeccablac.com. Be sure to save 15% on any full price items with discount code PLUME15!
As the largest provider of gender-affirming care for the trans and nonbinary community, Plume is committed to providing information about many types of information, including questions about hormones like estrogen and testosterone, gender transitioning tips and experiences, and guidance on social transition and self care.
While we strive to include a diverse range of voices and expertise, not everything will be for every person. Each individual’s experience is unique, and the information Plume provides is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always first seek the advice of your primary and/or specialist physician, the Plume Care Team, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, your mental health and emotional needs, or your health care needs regarding gender-affirming hormone therapy. If you are experiencing an emergency, including a mental health crisis, call 911 or reach out to Trans LifeLine.
