Jamie Austin - Make-Up Artistes Business Profile
(featuring pictures of some of her clients "on their first visit")

What is the name of your business and where do you work?

My name is Jamie Austin I am a make-up artiste and I work thru a store called Glamour Boutique located in Auburn, Massachusetts in the U.S.A.

How friendly to TG customers is your business?

Some make-up businesses just tolerate TG customers. I primarily work with TG clients, and find them intelligent, articulate, successful, driven, and most importantly friendly. Most of my clients bond with me after a session,,, we are face to face for hours at a time and they trust me to make them look gorgeous and hopefully I can please them with the girl they want to be. It is a lot of fun cause we share a good sense of humour. I try to attend most events in the northeast and make a trip to Atlanta every fall to work on girls at Southern Comfort.

Do you only serve the TG community - if mixed together with genetic females, how does that work?

No, I also work on genetic females, my appointments are made in advance, so there is really no interaction between TG and genetic females, however I get a lot of couples and most wives are very interested in the transformation process, Once in a while a wife may get a bit concerned cause the husband looks a bit too good and the wife might feel a bit threatened, but if I think this is happening I offer to also do her makeup for free to ease her concern. Above all I try to ease the tension with some humour and that works also..

How long have you been doing it?

About 7 yrs but I had some experience with models in my "younger days", lol!

What arrangements do you make to help TGs?

I work out of a converted carriage house just down the road from the Glamour Boutique store,,, Parking is usually plentiful, and the neighbours are aware of what i do in the carriage house and are discrete and accepting, so there is no problem with my clients coming and leaving as long as they are also discrete and do not create a scene. If contacted by email I provide info on what I do and provide a mobile/cell phone number where I can be reached for further info and directions to the carriage house I work in. My hours are pretty much flexible and I can accommodate most of my clients with very little problems.

Are high street makeup products suitable for TG people?

Yes, I use MAC for in house make-up and rotate sanitized brushes for all clients... We also sell a line of makeup thru the Glamour Boutique and soon I will offer products thru my website.

What special considerations are required for TG make-up?

I feel I have an advantage over a lot of TG make-up artists because I have had some modelling experience so I have seen how these professional models are made up. (I use to date a model and got to attend the modelling shoots. It was fun seeing my average looking girlfriend turn into a gorgeous model). I also have a good knowledge of how the difference in facial structure of a male and female and I use contour and highlight to change a male face into a female face,,, along with a few other "tricks" I use..

What special tricks of the trade can be applied to TG make-up?

As I mentioned highlighting and contour are very important as well as a good knowledge of facial bone structure... and how to use both of these technique to create a female face,,, In fact I can do a female face in less than 20 minutes however male faces take considerably longer. I also use a facelift device to create an even more feminine look... In fact most of my TG clients who use this device are barely recognizable by most of their friends. Not to mention it can knock off about 10-20 yrs off a person's age.

Do you teach your customers to do their own make-up?

I have taught a few select clients to do their own,,, however anyone can do it,,, just not as well. I am toying with the idea of doing a monthly make-up class soon.

Apart from "keep your appointments" what major piece of advice would you give to TG readers?

Relax and have fun!. 

What could TGs do to help you provide a better service for them?

Write to me and tell me what you would like me to do for you in a future session.