Social Transition: Hints and Tips

This is the time to try things on! You might not get your name, makeup or sense of style right on the first try, so I encourage you to explore! Don't be afraid to have role-models or to copy a makeup style, because your interpretation of the style will eventually shine through!

Your Name

Because it's such a saga to update your documents, please don't rush on this detail. I would encourage you to start a list of your favorite names or to try on your favorite name with a couple of close friends to see if it feels right being used to address you. For a couple months, I used what was my favorite name for years, but it never felt like the sound reached down into my soul and held me, so I kept my list going until one of them clicked. I've loved, loved, LOVED my name since!

Your Style

Are you classy? Sporty? Punky? Just queer AF? Most importantly, is your new style accessible to the lifestyle you have now? Does this style suit how you see yourself now, or does it define who you want to be? In marketing, one of the first things they teach you is to define your product's demographic, which includes finding out where they shop! What magazines or websites do they go to for inspiration? Where do they go to buy their clothes? I would encourage you to start a physical vision board for your style. Print out images from the net or cut clippings from magazines and put them on the wall you see most. Your mind will do the rest!

Your Makeup

Your first step is to identify your skin type! Your base tone is the foundation to every tutorial you should spend time watching. That means to disregard anything a non-professional has ever said about your skin and really put the details together yourself. Is your skin warm or cool toned? Put a swatch of red, yellow, blue and purple next to your skin to see which it compliments most, and only buy foundations that have a similar undertone. How much does your lightness/darkness fluctuate throughout the seasons? Do you work outside or inside? Do you play sports or work out? Do you have a history with inflammation or rosacea? Do you have oily/combination skin, or dry? Powders make skin look dryer, and liquid foundations make skin look more glossy. Is your style influenced by an era/period? What was trending in the composition of makeup at that time?