If there is one question I get about makeup, it's about foundation. What brand, what color, how? With male skin, often large pored and with a beard, it is tough for an MTW TG person to look good without either electrolysis and hormones, or a good foundation, and foundation is definitely cheaper and easier, if a bit more hassle. What are the rules?

Get a good shave, Everybody has their own preferences. Most people like a wet shave, with a shave gel and usually a GiIlette Sensor blade, as it also exfoliates. It's good to shave in the shower, as warm moist hair cuts easier. Some people prefer an electric shave, and even keep a battery powered razor in their pocketbook for quick touchups later in the day (if someone hears the buzz, start panting,) Others go the intermediate route with a wet/dry electric shaver.

Whatever you do, let your skin heal after shaving. Since you need to use a moisturizer anyway, you can use Lauder For Men Skin Comfort Lotion or Clinque Post Shave Healer, unscented lotions that cut down razor burn This is crucial when you will be shaving closely for a few days in a row, like at a gender convention. Wait 30 minutes before putting on your makeup.

Skin Care

If you don't have a skin care regime (moisturizer, scrub, toner, sunscreen, etc,) you should think about one. There are literally hundreds to choose from, from Mary Kay Men's to off the rack Maybelline to TV Infomericals with Victoria Principal. They all have their own advantages and costs, and can help your skin keep looking good, soft and supple. In addition, the process of taking a few moments to pamper yourself everyday can be feminine and wonderful, even if you choose a men's skin care line.

Under coating

A little something under foundation is always useful. This may include a colored toner: the red blush or lipstick that JoAnn Roberts recommends (minimizes blueness), the mint green Ultima that Barbie uses (minimizes redness) , a yellow from Physician's Formula to take down dark circles, or mauve if you have yellow, sallow skin. Each of these can make a big difference to your eventual makeup.

Concealer

Concealer, tube or pot, can also work to correct under- eye cycles and beard shadow, though if you are puffy, avoid going too light with the concealer -- it will just draw attention to the area

This beard shadow area is when you can use beard cover~ Beard cover is usually a wax based makeup, sold as camouflage cream or some other very high coverage makeup. Dermablend, Lydia O'Leary Covermark, Cabot Clear Perfection, Signature are some of the brands of this stuff.

Make sure you get a good color -- you make have to blend one or more colors to get a good color for you, one that disappears when you put it on your face, Make sure it 5 not too orange (a common problem). You can, if you are going to use beard cover all over as a substitute for foundation, go for a lighter or darker color, but this is risky and theatrical.

Technique is important. Jim Bridges uses a technique with two colors of beard cover, one light and then a dark one stippled over, that adds back color and camouflages any darkness with a pattern. It works well, but takes time,

Make sure that if you use a wax/grease beard cover that you finish it by powdering it and letting it Set before during more work. This is true whether or not you are going to follow it with another kind of makeup. This is flat an argument for the use of beard cover. If you can get away with a color toner and/or a simple concealer, and then foundation, you will probably be better off and look better, There are some great foundations now with good finish and good coverage.

Contour

If you are a heavy beard shadow user, you will take the natural colors out of your face, and you will have to put them back in with contour. You can also use contour if you want to do some reshaping to your face.

Remember the key rule of contour: light comes forward, dark recedes, You can use this to help do some Sculpting on the face, I use "ethnic" foundation for contouring under cheekbones, sides and under the tip of the nose. and under the jawline, places that would be dark if they weren't full of fat, I use the same type of foundation that I will use later for contour.

If it's a big night in a dark place, I will also highlight, using white makeup (usually lust water based clown white) under the eyebrows, under the eyes, all the way out to the ear, down the center of the nose, and maybe even on the jaw line, It's amazing how a little light makeup right under the eyebrow will lift it up, useful for many of us.

Again, the premise of highlight/contour is to make your bone structure more pronounced, with light makeup on the places where the light would shine, and dark where there is shadow, Contour is very powerful - it was the topic of two articles in the April Allure, one on aging women, and one on drag queens, but also tricky. Play with it when you want to go out at night, and use a very gentle hand for daytime shading,

Remember the key rule of makeup: Blend, blend, blend! Hard edges on your face are not attractive, unless you are quite an artist, Natural colors fade and blend.

Foundation

You have a number of choices here.

Greasepaint. This type of product, typified by Max Factor PanStick, Physicians Formula Le Velvet Film and all of the beard cover type preparations, gives great coverage, but requires good blending and work with powders to get a smooth matte finish to the face.

Liquid-To-Powder: This type of product, typified by Revlon Doubleplay & CoverGirl Ultimate Finish is a high tech blending of powder and cream, that goes on Smooth and quickly sets to a powder finish by itself. It has high coverage, is easy to touch up and blends well. Highly recommended.

Pancake - This type of product, typified by Max Factor PanCake and L'Oreal Dualite, is a cake that is applied with a wet Sponge. It give a good powder finish, and coverage can be controlled. Touchups can be done dry or wet. It can be effective, though it is not useful for those with wrinkles.

Cream

This type of product, typified by Revlon Age Defying Extra Coverage and Mary Kay Day Radiance, is a creamy preparation designed to help with wrinkles and coverage. It requires powder to get a good finish.

Liquid

This type of product encompasses a wide range of preparations from the silicone base of Ultima II Sexxy and JoAnn Roberts favored Max Factor Active Protection, to basic Cover Girl and Almay preparations. Usually liquids have limited coverage, though they are the most used by women.

With all of these choices, what should you pick? You should pick what works for you I like the liquid-to- powders for a good blend of convenience, ease of application, coverage, blendability and finish, but I have and do use almost every other type.

Whatever you choose, make Sure you pick a good color, tested in natural light to fade into your skin. A bit lighter may be good for you - most men don't need a bronzer unless you are going tan --and if you do, you will have to shift foundation colors Seasonally.

Most women are picky about foundation, very loyal to their choice. They will often go for a high quality foundation, even if they choose less expensive color cosmetics. You can go all the way up to Perscriptives, who let you choose from over 65 shades, and can even custom blend at counters in big stores. MAC has great foundations, and some women swear by Chanel. Remember that drug Store makeup is made by the same manufacturers as the big stuff -- you pay for service and cachet. Your choice.

Powder

To set most makeups you need to powder it. This is especially true for any makeup with oil, but powder never hurts.

I like the new Corn Silk Natural Matte powder, in loose for the makeup table and in pressed for the pocketbook (bring a big brush). There are lots of good powders out there - I like the pretty brush in Revlon Age Defying.. for example.

Remember that you want to push powder into the makeup, not smear it around. You may want to buff (smear) a bit once you have the powder down, just to get the finish right. getting a natural soft finish on makeup is absolutely crucial for everyday wear. Work hard at this! Don't put powder on until you have all the moist makeup in place, and I even wait until the powder (like blush and contour) are done. You will find that an application of powder can mellow a bold color, like an application of glaze over the colors of a fine oriental porcelain.

You can use interesting powders. Eric likes a violet powder for nighttime, to pickup light, and some do like a bit of bronzer. You can use powder contour and highlighting too. Just make sure you play with them at night, not in the harsh light of day

Art. Makeup is art. It takes time. skill. patience. practice and caring. Just remember: a good canvas is the beginning of all great art.