ok, the good, i needed to have my first meet-up, i picked a gay bar in Asbury NJ, i was nervous so this morning got up and went to some thrift stores to look for a jacket, no luck in the first the second was closed so i opted for the mall, i must be too picky.
go home for lunch and set up the car for my night, called the wig store to set appointment for makeover, less stress than the dashboard vanity... killed some time online. later i got pre-underdressed and said goodbye to my son and headed out to the merle norman store.... parked and gathered my things and headed in.... the owner greeted me and laid out the area for me to apply my makeup, right in the front of the store......OK so during our talk earlier i was advised of the cost for the makeover and we agreed that i could come and get made up there with my own stuff, really nice offer from her, so i started, she then checked the color of my foundation and it was to light, she asked how i picked the color, you matched me 2 years ago i told her, she pulled out some of the foundation she sold and it matched, i rummaged through my purse and i found the other foundation i had she tested it and it matched hers, explained to her that she was the first one i ever came out to outright, she seemed to enjoy that....
anyway i proceed to apply my make up and start to use the red lippy to cover my beard and baggage under my eyes and she asks what im doing and explain to her and continue, she asks about color and i explain not looking for glam just to blend, she was kind of impressed how low key i went and she offered tips along the way and helped with my lips and choose pencil to match the lipstick and said it was a good color..... told her it was the one she choose for me when i picked my wig two years ago.
its a little intimidating making yourself up in front of someone who does it for a living....i was fumbling with the mascara and she offered to apply it and i accepted, she started to pump the brush and i told her that dries it out... she said your right, then i told her that if you apply a few eye drops into the container if refreshes it, she then asked how i know all this and told her the internet, as we talked she remembered when i came in two years ago and said how nervous i looked and she had hoped i was there for a wig and not casing the place, told her their are probably much better places to make some quick cash than a wig salon. i offered her a generous tip and she declined.
now she offered to let me dress the rest of the way which she wasn't comfortable with when i made the appointment...she had a bad experience, i came out of the restroom and she complimented on how well put together i looked and surprisingly told me she wondered how well i would pull it off and said how nice i looked, we talked about the things i worried about and she said i shouldn't, i gave her my camera and asked her to take a picture and she did, then she asked if she could take one of me, so i let her, its like what is she gonna do post a picture of me on the internet.....we say our goodbyes and i take my drive to my venue feeling confident....
the bad, get to the bar on time and walk in, felt like all eyes turned and looked, felt a little self conscious looked around the crowd to see if the girls were there and found a seat and ordered a ginger ale, wait for about an hour and no one shows, finish up my drink and gather my things and go...
the ugly, my ride from the salon as well as the time in the salon had me arrive early... so i had about 45 minutes to kill, so i decided to fill the tank, a fail my last time out, pulled up, the attendant sort of peeked in and handed him my card and my best girl voice, fill it regular please (not bad if i do say so myself) filled the tank and got the receipt and again a feminine thank you, didnt get ma'am-ed but i didnt get sired and i did it this time......still time to kill so off to the liquor store, walk in make my selection, proceed to the checkout area but didn't know the protocol, the line starts over there i was told.... waited the cashier swap, women to man, called over and may i see your ID yea right, i look that young, give me a break, show and make the purchase.....hope he felt good about that....
now after the failed meet-up i decide to drive home pretty, got close to home and still want to stay dressed, i could use some more makeup remover wipes so drive up to the store and proceed in, make my selection and the lights go down, really windy last night, so guess ill have to go else where, now the lights flicker back on so i jump in line, im next...easy peasy, so we stand there and the registers wont boot up, another associate comes up to try another register, now i feel the line behind me start to build up, more time booting up and more customers enter and more line up, some one comes forward to grab some Easter candy marked down on the counter but grabs it to give me the once over and puts it down, feeling a little less confident, the registers start up the cashier finishes the customer who was there when the power went out, step up and hand her my item and by now i already had the money out and paid, she said thank you and turned to smeark and in my best man voice i said thank you...have a good night....
i didnt turn to look at the rest of the people on line when i left but they had to hear also, so needless to say the day was a mix of emotions and experiences and more firsts for me, but even with the bad reactions from folks i was comfortable for the most part and now iv even experienced my biggest fear, being stuck on line while dressed which i dont enjoy much in any event, sorry for the long winded tales but that may be why the people didnt show up at the bar, sometimes i wont shut up.....
now we all get self conscious and some younger girls surely pull it off and i try my best to blend, i now read these threads out loud to practice my voice, i feel the best way for me to fool folks is with a convincing voice, all the experiences wont go the way you imagine no mater how good you plan so i wanted to share this mixed bag with you...if you made it this far thanks for reading.....
any one in the ocean county nj area that would like to try a wig or tested for color with makeup do visit the the Mearl Norman salon, Michele the owner is a sweetheart and her associate is trans friendly..... and they now know how to cover the beard area....mention that you know me and it will put her at ease at least that is what she said....