Masculine makeup for butch brides, brooms and celebrants
For butch lesbians and masculine women, makeup isn’t usually a main concern, but even the most perfect complexion can look blotchy under wedding photographers’ lenses. The sun and lights can make your skin go from fair to glare, so take a tip from these three soft butch lesbian celebrities, who know how to tweak their makeup routine just enough to battle the close-ups, while still retaining a natural look.
RACHEL MADDOW
Even the first openly gay prime-time host is not above a little powder. After seeing herself on television, and some pushing from her partner, she admitted that a little makeup wouldn’t hurt, “Without it she looked like a dead person,” her longtime partner, Susan Mikala, mentioned in a New York Magazine profile. So she opted to get “done up like a dude.”
Get Rachel’s Look
Face: Basic foundation makes sure every visible surface is covered, keeping her fresh-faced and smooth, even with studio lights beaming down. Follow up with powder, which helps tone down glare.
Eyes: Apply eyeliner to the bottom half to contour the eye ever so slightly so it doesn’t look sunken in on camera.
Lips: Skip the lips and go au natural; just be sure to keep them hydrated with chapstick throughout the day so they won’t dry out. The good thing about this route is that you won’t have to worry about smudging when you kiss your new wife.
ELLEN DEGENERES
We all would give anything to have a face as youthfully fresh as Ellen’s (she’s 58 and looks 35!), and, as a face of CoverGirl, she’s a good person to take cues from.
Get Ellen’s Look
Face: Obviously, she’s a devotee to CoverGirl cosmetics. Her makeup artist uses the CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer/Foundation/Concealer trio. These three products will smooth out your face and cover up any blemishes, and they feel so light, you won’t even realize you’re wearing makeup.
Eyes: A subtle smokey eye adds glamour without being too femme, and plays up her baby blues. Her makeup artist then lines with brown eyeliner, smudges, and then tops with a neutral shadow such as grey and brown mascara. Using brown eyeliner and mascara instead of black gives a more natural look.
Lips: Instead of lining the lip, DeGeneres’ makeup artist applies liner lightly to the lip area because it holds the actual color longer (a great wedding-day trick!). Then CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss gives a luxurious, albeit natural, color and shine to finish the look.
JANE LYNCH
Someone who can make a tracksuit look good clearly has style. The former Glee star has the ability to glam it up for the red carpet but we think she looks just as fantastic on set.
Get Jane’s Look
Face: Foundation smoothes her skin and barely there blush on the apples of her cheeks show off her strong jawline while adding just a hint of color to keep from looking washed out under bright lighting.
Eyes: Light eyeliner along the outer edges and a subtle brown eye shadow help create definition.
Lips: Jane plays up her natural lip color with Smith’s Rosebud Salve that keeps them moisturized and looking healthy.
Photos: Rachel Maddow courtesy of MSNBC; Ellen DeGeneres and Jane Lynch courtesy of IMDB.com
