Make-up Look 1: The Tranny Queen of Hearts

It is all too easy to get stuck in a boring old make-up rut, feeling safe in the knowledge that a slick of liquid eyeliner is fine for everyday. If you have a bit more time, however, it is always great fun to experiment with make-up and to remember what is possible with a little effort. In these sections I will be building on tried and tested methods to create some exciting new beauty ideas.

Recently my housemates and I had a housewarming party and fixed the theme as ‘Las Vegas’. The first thing that sprung to mind was the Queen of Hearts. This seemed a bit ‘done’ though so I decided to go as the transvestite version! Lots of transvestites blank out their eyebrows as changing these (surprisingly crucial) facial features is one of the fastest ways to alter the appearance of your face. Illusionists who use ‘quick-change’ in their acts are also very much aware of this (If you are interested in illusion and quick-change then crime author Jeffery Deaver has a brilliant novel called ‘The Vanished Man’).

I searched high and low for products to hide my brows, experimenting with ultra-coverage concealer and thick face paint to no avail. Eventually I found what I was looking for in the Screenface store in Covent Garden (see http://www.screenface.com/ for locations etc.) I was advised to buy Kryolan’s ‘Eye-Brow Plastic’ which is basically a tube of hard wax. You will also need a sealer and Kryolan do one of those too (pictured on the left). I won’t bore you with the particulars of application because I found this link which does the job admirably:

http://www.tgcosmetics.com/makeover/makeoverBrow.htm

It is important to persevere with this technique and vital that you whack on enough concealer to sink a large battleship. Use loads of powder afterwards too. For a great concealer, make-up shop Charles Fox (http://www.charlesfox.co.uk/) stock Dermablend which make-up artists use to cover tattoos and scars (I use it on monstrous spots and dire eye-bags!) Any old face powder will do as long as it’s the right colour.

Once you have the basics down, it’s time for the creativity to commence! I tried a glittery brow which seemed to work quite well-it gives a really ethereal feel. I vamped up with bold red lipstick (Maxfactor’s Lipfinity in ‘Hot’ is a great pillar box shade and lasts forever). Some false lashes and a bit of bold red blusher (use your lipstick on the cheeks for a perfect match) finish the look.

I’m sure you will agree that these looks are not exactly ideal for everyday but they can look sensational for special events!

The original blanked-out brow

The blank brow covered with brown kohl liner and gold glitter

The Queen of Hearts look with gold glitter brows and a red lip

With some fresh-faced Vegas brides!