I am sharing my trade secrets with you, my twa divas, just cuz I am so proud of you.
So....
Some of us transitioned for months, close to a year, before doing the big chop. Others of us, either out of impatience (me) or sheer bravery and badass, did the big chop two, three, four months in.
Some of us found our way easily.
Some of us were like, "what the heck, why do I look like a boy?!" (or other phrases of amazement and confusion).
Some of us are doing just fine figuring it out but aren't too proud to say we are still learning the best things for ourselves.
To all y'all, my twa companions on this journey, I have decided to share everything - yes I saaaidd everything *giving side eye* on what knowledge I have accumulated over the years pre- and a little post-twa for enhancing our already beautiful selves.
This is a beauty post. I may do another post about fashion, maybe.
I am breaking this out into a series of several posts because it's loong. Just think of the series as my beauty tell-all (I like the sound of that). Maybe you'll find some tips to help enhance what you already know and maybe it will save you from going back to relaxers if you are still in the 'what the heck have I done? I look like a crackhead' stage of your journey *forced smile.*
Smooches.
Here we go:
So you all know that during our twa and nstwa stage, our face is all anyone who meets us see. Our features are brought into the spotlight including flaws and blemishes and for some of us it means that certain things about our face that we have been insecure about and been able to hide behind our long, relaxed hair, no longer have a hiding place.
For some, the twa stage brings a new discovery about the beauty of their features that were lost behind longer hair and they get compliments galore about how much short hair 'fits' their face and brings out their features.
For others, this stage only brings out more insecurities. These less secure new naturals may feel their features are too 'weird' or their face and head too 'weird'-ly shaped to look cute with a teeny weeny 'fro.
Well I am here to tell you we can all be cute with little to no hair on our heads. The secret is changing how we put it all together.
For me, my biggest concern was that I'd look like a boy. I'm already long and thin with a narrow, face that sometimes looks too serious to me. I was sure, people would start mistaking me for a boy (at least until they see the 'twins' which are unmistakeable. Love you guys *looking at chest*).
I also thought my head was weirdly shaped. I wasn't sure why, but even though others would tell me my head, like my face is small, I just thought it was too big. I mean I have my horror stories of going shopping, finding a cute hat, and falling in love with it - only to find out it wouldn't fit my big-ass head.
(Maybe all the hats I tried on were size small?? *tsk*).
So, I'm going to share some tips about my beauty regimen namely, how it changed with my chop.
Let's start here: What, to you, are the best features on your face? Your eyes? Your lips? Those amazing cheekbones?
You have to think of at least two and I'll tell you how to make them pop.
The key is to play each up or down in relation to the other to get that flawless look.
Eyes
My best feature, I think are my eyes. And what better to make my eyes look more cat-like, feminine and sexy, than liquid eyeliner.
Yep, the one thing I hated to do, I would do everyday for work. Why I hate liquid-eyeliner? I always messed it up.
So my goal was to perfect it. To become the best liquid eyeliner-applying-chick ever. As long as it's not time-consuming or overly complicated, I can do it. And so can you.
Tools
-Q-tips - yes I said it right - you will need q-tips. Why? To erase mistakes
-Water
-Eyeliner: The secret to applying liquid eyeliner is - well - a good liquid eyeliner!
Good ones I've found:
Benefit, MAC, Maybelline and CoverGirl. I use CoverGirl and sometimes MAC FluidLine with a flatbrush applicator. The process for applying the MAC FluidLine is different so I'll explain the CoverGirl one.
Tip
-The key is that the applicator is easy to hold, it goes on smooth and has a very pointed tip.
-When I apply liquid eyeliner, I start at the outer edges of my eyes, as far out as I want the 'tail' of my eyeliner to go. I keep the 'tail' of my eyeliner narrow if its for work and go more elaborate if I'm going out at night.
-Remember this tip: Day makeup should be light, mostly neutrals. You want to give the illusion you naturally look that way - NOT that you applied tons of makeup to get that way. Totally unsexy.
At night, you can go crazy with it. The darker atmosphere means your day makeup will not show up as much so use it as the opportunity to go all out (but still not look overdone).
Directions
If I use my CoverGirl liquid eyeliner:
1. Draw a sweeping line from the edge of the eyes (farthest from your nose) inward. Don't worry about where the sweep ends, the key is to get the edge right (the hardest to do). Making it a 'sweep' means you have to loosen your wrist somewhat which will help reduce shakiness in your hands.
Think of drawing (if you've ever taken an art class you know what I'm talking about). You may need several more inward 'sweeps' to get the tail the way you want it. Once you have your tail, draw your lines inward toward the inner edge of your eye (closest to the nose). Don't freak out if the line ends up really thick and looks shaky, thats what the q-tips are for.
2. Wet your q-tip under running water (do not use oil, it will spread and make your line smudgy). If the q-tip is too wet, dab it on a towel to get rid of excess water.
3. Going from the inner edge of your eye (the part closest to the nose) outward, use a sweeping motion to thin and smooth the line. Be patient, you may go through several q-tips to get the line perfect (if you're a perfectionist).
Cheat
Here is a cheat if you are in a hurry. Instead of working to clean up the entire line, clean up the outer edge, make your tail sharp and angled however you like, and then smudge the parts of the liner that are more inward (directly over the eye). People will mostly notice the outer edge anyway, and the key is to get it cat-like. If I'm going out at night, I will add color above the liner.
4. To add color above the liner:
-Choose a color (please don't pick one that matches your outfit! *side eye*).
Pick one that
complements the colors in your outfit. For example, if you're wearing brown, green eyeshadow is a perfect complement. If you are wearing blue or green, silver eyeliner is a great complement. You get the picture.
Just dab it on the eyelid with a brush or your fingers, and then I blend the top part of the liner into the shadow with a rubber-tipped applicator. It looks like this:
I will also add gold or brown shimmer to the insides of my eyes where the upper and lower lids meet. And, of course, finish with mascara (if I didn't apply liner to the lower lids, I make sure to apply mascara for an old-school look)
Get creative with it. Find what works for you.
Part 2 I'll go over enhancing those standout cheekbone and giving the illusion of flawless skin.
In the meantime, and for inspiration, here is a pic of a gawwwwgess model rockin' a twa and flawless makeup:
Isn't she purrtty?
