There is no doubt that there are differences in the structure of male and female faces. And for transgender women, overcoming that hurdle is a big concern. However there are tricks out there to help feminize your face. Here are a few we like.
1. Let Your Hair Down
It may seem that the answer to a more feminine look is long, luscious hair (rock it if you’ve have it!) however the secret’s actually in the hairline. A traditionally masculine hairline is lowest at the center and highest at the corners (think an ‘M’ shape for ‘male’) while a traditionally feminine hairline is much more evenly curved. To fake a female hairline, sweep your bangs across your forehead or tuck the front portion of your hair behind your ear Ariana Grande-style.
2. Raise your Brows
Everyone knows how important it truly is to keep the brows on fleek nowadays (should you need a little help, Audra has an awesome tutorial) and the right brow shape can instantly feminize your face. Natal females generally have higher brow bones than natal males, making a greater distance between the bottom of the brow and the eyelid. When grooming your brows, concentrate on the hair beneath your brow line and complete using a concealer or highlighter to brighten the area and exaggerate your eyelid.
3. Flaunt Those Lashes
It’s not a secret that we love to finish a great makeup look with butterfly lashes, and why not? Thick, dark lashes emphasize your beautiful eyes and convey a female flair to your face. If you want amazing lash-plumping recommendations, Audra has a great help guide to getting the falsies look without springing for all those Velour lashes.
4. Contour Lightly
Kim Kardashian has probably already inspired you to have fun with contouring, but ever thought about why we’re so obsessive about the contour craze? Traditional Kim K-eque contouring (darks around the perimeter, lights inside the center) is supposed to make a perfectly oval face, one that’s slightly longer than it is wide and gently rounded. In other words, the ultimate femme. It will take a little bit of experimenting to discover your ideal contour, but Cara can certainly help you with the basics!
5. Don’t Ignore Your Cheeks!
If your already-gorgeous face is long and flat, the center of a more feminine shape rests at the center for two main reasons:
First: A femme face boasts slightly fuller cheeks than the usual traditionally masculine face.
Second: A more masculine face features a larger distance between the bottom of the eye and the top of the jaw when compared to a feminine face.
A lovely peachy-pink blush along with a sweep of highlight over the first half of the apples of your cheeks (the part that shows up when you smile) is capable of doing absolute wonders. It will not only round out the middle of your face, but it’ll also distort the length of your face. Science!
6. Plump Your Lips
You don’t need to fake Kylie Jenner proportions to appear more feminine, but fuller lips is definitely an easy cheat. Just with the middle of the face, a more masculine face has a longer distance both between the tip of the nose and the top lip and between the bottom lip and the tip of the chin. It is possible to fake a fuller pout by (slightly!) overdrawing the shape of your lips with a fine-tipped lip pencil and finishing any lip look with a dot of highlight in the center.
