It is this thickening that makes your voice become deeper. Think of it like guitar strings- the thicker the string the lower the tone. For trans men, this means that HRT will alter your voice and give you a more traditionally masculine voice. Unfortunately, no amount of estrogen or testosterone blocking will skinny up your vocal chords. It’s one of the sad truths about HRT for transgender women- we just don’t experience as many physical changes as trans men do.

There are surgeries that you can undergo to attempt to change your voice, but these can be risky and are most certainly expensive. Luckily, however, you can train your voice to become more “feminine” by altering your pitch, tone, and speech pattern. It isn’t a quick or easy fix, but it has worked for countless trans women and it can work for you. These are the techniques that have been used long before we had the alternatives of surgery. No matter where your voice is now, no matter how deep, you can make headway. Now, you won’t go from Barry White to Mariah Carey- let’s be honest here. However, you will see a difference if you put in the work.

Here, the beautiful and prolific Stef Sanjati goes over the exercises and practices she has employed over the last year for voice training and displays the results comparing her own voice over the course of a year.

Just remember, it’s more than pitch. Talking like Mickey Mouse isn’t going to accomplish your goal. You need to keep in mind pitch, tone, and flow (speech patterns)- it is only in altering all three that you will get the results you want.

One final note, please keep in mind what Stef says in her video. It is important that you are doing this for the right reasons. Don’t do it because you feel obligated, or because you think it is expected. Do it because it is something you want and it will help you to feel more complete. As with every stage of transition, do voice training because it is what you want.

Check out Stef’s YouTube Channel for more great videos.

Luckily makeup can be conquered and you can learn this mystic art that many didn’t get taught when most girls learn. So get a jump start with these need-to-know rules that will expand your makeup game.

1. Not All Makeup Brushes are Created Equal

This is one that almost every woman has to learn at some point. No matter how good you get, bad tools will never get you as far as proper ones can. This doesn’t have to mean you have to spend obscene amounts of money on a single tool, but you will spend a bit more on many than you expect. I’ll put it this way, if you find a 47-brush kit on eBay for $7.95 shipping from China- don’t get your hopes up. They will work, provided the heads don’t fall off and the brush strands don’t shed, and can be good practice brushes. Much like an old beater car though, once you get the hang of it, you will want to move up quickly.

2. Beauty Blenders are Great, But You Don’t Need One

You’ve probably seen these glorious little spongy applicators with a rounded bottom, flat edge, and pointed tip. They are amazing for application, blending, and finishing your makeup and are very cool tools. You know what is also cool? That package of 40 sponge triangles you’ve seen in the drugstore for $4.99. They are incredibly similar material, and also offer a flat edge and a point for application. And as an extra bonus, if you fold it over- you get a rounded bottom ABSOLUTELY FREE!

3. Brow Abuse is Real

There is a term I used to hear alot in the early 2000’s for women that over-plucked their eyebrows. It was called “Bleething”, as in Yasmine Bleeth. You have no doubt seen what I mean. Thinning and attempting to even your eyebrows until your forehead appears to have alopecia. And the kicker? If you do it too much, they won’t grow back right or at all. Learn the right brow shape for your face, and stick to it. In fact, you are in luck. Thicker, fuller, and more natural looking brows are now “on fleek” (or “perfect looking”, for English speakers). Back away from the tweezers, and go to a professional waxer to give you a perfect starting point to maintain your brows for best results.

4. Better Skin = Better Makeup

In everything, the better the surface you are working on- the better the final product. Your face is no exception. If you want the best look possible then you need to make sure you are laying your work down on the best canvas you can. So develop a skin care routine. There are a ton of products out there just ready to overwhelm you. Just know this, good skin care starts with three basic rules. Clean it. Moisturize it. And drink lots of water. Seriously, if you aren’t doing these things as a core routine, then it doesn’t really matter what you do- you’ll never reach your skin’s full potential.

And don’t sweat the $40 container of face moisturizer. Yes, some of them absolutely rock. But you can set a good base just by starting to apply plain old moisturizer in the morning and at night.

5. You Have to Learn the Basics

In order to truly be good at anything, you have to know the basics. This is doubly true for makeup. You need to know how to care for your skin, you have to be able to apply foundation smoothly, you have to be able to blend, etc. If you can’t perform a basic lipstick application, I don’t want to see you going anywhere near attempting pin-up style makeup. If you can’t blend your eye shadow, you have no business trying to recreate the skyline from Aladdin on your eye lid.

6. You Are Already Perfect

This is the most important rule you need to know. Because if you don’t see how perfect you are already, then you will never be happy with what you see- no matter how much much makeup you put on or how well you apply it. Beauty comes from confidence and personality. That is what shines out. All makeup does is help you express who you feel you are to a greater extent. So if your nose is a little crooked, who cares? Straighten it with contouring, or just rock your own unique nose. Skin isn’t perfect? Spoiler alert- no one past the age of 11 has perfect skin. Trust me- they might have been born with it, but baby, now it is definitely Maybeline.

You can always find flaws, so start looking for what you love so you can enhance it and show it off to the world.

You might have heard about the Kylie Jenner lip challenge. Well, put down the shot glass sucky. People have hurt themselves and made themselves look ridiculous by using bad hardware and not knowing how long they should do. What’s more, they don’t understand the makeup techniques that can be used to really step up lip plumping to the next level.

Lip Plumping Hardware

The horrors, the horrors I have seen. In the quest for beauty people will do really dumb things. Kylie says “suck on a shot glass” and they suck on a shot glass. And yeah, it will do the job if you do it correctly. But may I remind you, you are sucking on glass. If you need a refresher, glass breaks. And in a game of glass versus human, glass wins. I think the worst I’ve seen is someone using a votive candle jar. They looked like Jar Jar.

So get yourself a purpose built lip plumping device that is easy to use and causes less damage. One of these, that you see in the video below, is from Liptiful. However you can also look at tools like this set at Amazon.

Just remember, you are messing with your face so err on the side of caution.

And make sure to watch all the way through to see some of Kandee’s makeup techniques to smash it out.

Oh, and what can go wrong if you don’t pay attention?

Beard Shadow and the Color Wheel

See, the color wheel is the great tool that can be as simple or complex as you like. For our purposes we want to look across the color wheel, from one color to its opposite. For us that means we need to take a look at the blue and see what color is opposite of it.

As you can see, the blue we are dealing with is opposite shades of orange. Much like you can use a concealer or cream in green to cancel our redness or zits, you can use an orange color to cancel out the stubborn blue.

So by introducing a concealer or a cream makeup, or even lipstick, in a shade of orange; you will be setting a base that can be covered by foundation and camouflage the blue of your shadow.

Here you can see a great demonstration by Chelsea Jade Conroy

But there is hope! No matter your body size, big or small, there are ways to get natural looking cleavage and start rocking any look you want.

Cleavage with a NuBra

NuBras are cool little accessories that cis women have been using for a very long time. They are also known as silicon, or invisible bras. They consist of two silicone pads that adhere to the chest and are then pulled together to create cleavage. Here is one method that utilizes any number of NuBras to create the illusion.

Two Bras and A Little Support

Here is one that uses one bra that fits you as is, and another that is closer to your desired size. The only other thing you need is a little padding in the form of some pantyhose and polyfill to get your cleavage on.

A Little Rigging and a Little Makeup

This one uses some techniques I have not used before, utilizing some particular items and rigging as well as a little bit of contouring makeup to finish the illusion. Which of course, is one of the most well-known techniques for cleavage out there.

More Makeup

Okay, we saw a little makeup in the last video, but this one goes into a lot more detail and technique. And I realize it looks like she has some cleavage already. I imagine she is either blessed with some breasts already or is wearing a form fitting push-up bra in her current size. In any case, the transformation with makeup is huge.

Beauty is Pain…and Sometimes Duct Tape

Okay, this is truly the oldest method of getting cleavage. Taping. Why is it not first? Because I personally do not encourage it, especially for everyday wear. This method is far more suited to drag queens, imo, than for a trans woman going through her day. It will restrict movement, it can tear the skin, it WILL irritate and redden the skin, it hurts, and it hurts MORE when you take it off. That being said, the results can be pretty spectacular. So if you have a super special occasion, or just really want to take the leap for the evening and turn heaads- then here it is. I am showing you both on a larger model and a smaller model.

BONUS- Removing the Tape

So let us know, have you tried any of these techniques? What works for you? What did we miss?

However, with some practice and these tips, you are sure to be strutting like a pro in no time.

[playbuzz-item url=”//www.playbuzz.com/carlyreeves10/7-tricks-for-walking-gracefully-in-high-heels”]

Trust me. It doesn’t. Ever.

Once you have the right measurements, you can finally determine your body type. That’s huge when it comes to learning how to dress yourself. Dressing for your shape helps proportion out your body and maximize your assets. Which is probably what you are going for.

So learn what every woman has to learn eventually. Sizes can run wildly different from one brand to the next, but if you know your sizes- and how to take them correctly; you have the decoder ring to decipher any size chart.

But in the end, remember that this is the single most important size and clothing rule there is. DO NOT BREAK IT.

And let us know in the comments how measuring like this worked out for you.

As of this writing, police still have no real leads on a suspect or even a motive. However, Young was a sex worker with a prostitution conviction in 2015. It’s believed that may have played a part in this murder.

Others in the city have spoken up about the death of Mya Young, releasing several statements about the tragedy.

“The community is heartbroken once again with the senseless slaying of another transgender woman of color,” wrote Naiymah Sanchez, a coordinator with the Philadelphia based TransHealth Information project on her Facebook page.

Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs, said, “My heart is with her sister, family, friends, and community,” adding, “We must work harder as a city, state, nation, and society to protect and support transgender people.”

She is also fondly remembered by her friends. “She looked like chocolate and caramel,” said Anthony Harper, a longtime friend and former roommate of the 25-year-old transgender woman. He used to call her “Twix,” like the candy bar. “She was sweet, like candy,” he said.

At least 21 transgender people were killed in the United States last year, the highest total on record, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Two were slain in Philadelphia, including Kiesha Jenkins, 22, who was beaten, robbed, and gunned down in Logan in October, and London Kiki Chanel, 21, who was stabbed to death last May in North Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Police Department is looking for information in the Mya Young case, and if you have it, you can call the PPD Police Homicide Unit at 215-686-3344 or 911.

A $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

“My Transgender Coming Out Story” is, naturally, all about Molloy’s coming out. So, other than a little background, you won’t get a lot about her childhood or the lives of others. This is all about the coming out process and how it affected her. However, that does mean that some questions go unanswered and it leaves you wanting for those answers.

Instead we learn as much as we can about her relationship with her girlfriend, and her coming out email to her parents, as well reactions from her employers who weren’t quite as accepting as they claimed. Leaving the questions open about what has yet to happen, only hinting at a life left full of opportunity and chance.

I won’t go so far as to say that Molloy is a great author, but her effort is solid; and she can certainly turn a phrase. And it’s absolutely a great thing to get this perspective. Parker was 26 when she started to transition, and just starting to climb up the ladder of her career in Chicago- an often unforgiving city. I would absolutely read a follow-up that talks more about her experiences as a trans woman in the city at some point.

However, I have to take points for the narration. Parker isn’t terrible, but she isn’t the greatest orator of all time. She sounds unsure at times, and disinterested at others, sometimes stumbling over words and adopting an odd rhythm. It isn’t so distracting as to null the experience of “My Transgender Coming Out Story”, but it’s not helping to engage either.