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I've found very little about techniques for reducing the beard shadow I have. Are there any secrets that others will share? Some on this forum have mentioned "concealer" or "foundation" but I'm new to the make-up thing and need a little more details of exactly what to buy, where to buy and how to apply it to reduce the shadow. Sorry I'm so stupid and in the dark about this subject.

Dianna- Nothing stupid about your question. I have been looking for something to hide the "shadow" since puberty, and that's a very long time. Getting the right shade of makeup and not feeling like you're wearing a death mask. I, too, am waiting for hints. Ladies?

Foundation is like the base on which other makeup is applied. It's supposed to be of the same colour as your natural skin tone, so that it merges into it. With women [i.e. G.G.s], they might just use it to touch up areas of the skin - or not at all. But they might also use it over the entire face (and neck area) if they were going for a more finished/glamorous/special occasion look.

Concealer is basically thick foundation. Like the same sort of formulation but less diluted (with oil, if it's oil based). The idea is that it is used to conceal particularly problematic areas - say rings under the eyes. That's for women.

For CDs, the beard area is a big problem, even after shaving. There are special formulations marketed for us (there are ones that contain an orange colourant which is supposed to counteract the blue of the beard). Or you can use a concealer made for women. I use dermablend, which I think is intended for hiding scars and is freely available over here (UK) in reasonable-size branches of Boots, a chemist (=?drugstore in the States). I find I have to cover my entire face with some foundation to get a decent look. But you need a thicker covering where the beard is.

There's loads of videos on Youtube if you search under transgender (Or drag, or crossdresser) makeup or foundation. The makeup tutorials for women don't deal with the basic problem CDs have of getting rid of the tell-tale signs of beard.

I don't know that much about it (not being much more than a novice myself), but I had a thread a few years ago (Uncertain Foundation) which you might find useful:

http://www.crossdressers-forum.com/foru ... 38&t=13219

Thanks Anthony.

Thank you Bill & Ted for taking the time to write such an informative reply. I very much appreciate it and will follow your lead and see if I can hide my beard.

Glad to be of help. It really can make all the difference to get your foundation right.