Sitting in here in a hotel partially dressed

[Kristyn Hill]

I am out of town working for a while and have every opportunity I need but I am too scared to go buy make up, a short skirt and a top. I was too scared to stop in Austin on the way down and I could kick myself for that.

So....I sit here in my new red headed wig, a long black skirt, thong panties, black thigh highs and a pair of new white patent d'orsay pumps. Oh yeah, my new bra from 2 weeks ago as well. My wife bougth the bra, panties and skirt and I ordered the rest. Now, I just need to get the courage to buy make up. I look at myself with my new hair and now would really love to see what concealer, foundation, eye make up, a little contouring on my chubby face then some killer hot lips would look like.

I still have a few days here and may venture out to walgreens or the like and buy some make up for "my daughters easter basket"? She really is asking for that too!

What a rush actually packing up Kristyn's suitcase to go out of the town for the 1st time. Before revealing the true Kristyn, my wife knew I would stuff a pair of heels into the bag but it was never discussed. Last week, I was more concerned with gathering my pretty things and she packed my work clothes. What a difference a month or so being on here has been in my life.

Had to tell someone my feminine pains today. I just need some damn make-up!

Pretty in Heels,

Kristyn

[Lori B]

oh,,just go out to Wahlgreens and get some,,,I do it all the time,,,just throw a bag of pretzels and a roll of toilet paper in the cart too:heehee:

[Kristyn Hill]

LoL, Lori, for real. wow, that easy, huh? I need everything. I have nothing and fear to look like an idiot but with an easter card, some chocolate and cart full of make up, surely, I can pull that off. So, you are saying, pull up my pantyhose and just do it. Gotcha.

[TxKimberly]

oh,,just go out to Wahlgreens and get some,,,I do it all the time,,,just throw a bag of pretzels and a roll of toilet paper in the cart too:heehee:

I'm with Lori - just go to the store and get it. Don't make any explanations or lame excuses that they will see through anyway, just go buy it! Oh, and you dont have to go to the expensive "arm and a leg" places either, just to to someplace like Target, Walgreens, or (much as I hate to say it) Walmart. Even the inexpensive stuff is gonna set you back a good $100 to get everything you need to "make your face".

[Kristyn Hill]

ok, Kimberly, do you have time to give me a rundown on what you would include? I will purchase the exact list tonight or tomorrow, no excuses. I have a wally, target and walgreens next to me.

[Cassandra Lynn]

You have as good of odds of winning the lotto as getting questioned about your purchases, or sadly dodging tornados, hope your all well down yonder.

Of the stores mentioned imo walgreens is hard to beat, my experience has been very good in fact, the SAs always seem to be helpful in a professional way without all the false pretenses of a guy shopping for women's products.

[STACY B]

I swear if that was me ,,, OUTTA TOWN !!! I would be at the nearest ULTA ,, BELKS, DILLARDS , JC,PENNYS , Or any other of the 1000s of makeup places getting my self matched !! FOOOOOO SHOOOOOOO ,,, Dont let the ol outa town oppertunity pass ya by ,,Dont come around every day .Im just fixing to go to ULTA now just swung back threw to get a coupon I forgot an waiting for someone to drop off something .

[Kristyn Hill]

Oh, I wasn't even thinking eyelashes. Thank you, Stephnie. Multiple lipsticks and eyeshadows, I can feel it now. I have $ 200 cash on me but will use my card if I need to. Please, someone, include a comprehensive list here, visitor message or pm. whatever, you feel comfortable with.

Kristyn

[Kristyn Hill]

Thank you, MJ. I didn't see yours or Stacy's comment prior to commenting to Steph. Tornadoes were just east of us where my family is. they were flipped out. For some reason, walgreens is compelling to me.

Stacy, really. go get matched at the mall. wow, that would be a huge step for me. I am an assertive person for sure. What a great feeling that would be. Walk in and say hey, I am a cd (what you taling about willis?) yep, that's right! who wants to make some money today. I have bought heels without my wife and have no problem with those purchases. hmmmm.....

[Kristyn Hill]

Silk, I am 8 hours from my house in south texas so I may just drop some easter candy, a card and $ 100 in makeup and ask "what are you looking at? As in Texas, there are idiots all over the world.

[TxKimberly]

ok, Kimberly, do you have time to give me a rundown on what you would include? I will purchase the exact list tonight or tomorrow, no excuses. I have a wally, target and walgreens next to me.


I'm afraid that you are asking the wrong person, because I'm really not that good with makeup. You should ask Karen Hutton - now SHE is an expert. Still, I'll take a stab at some basic advice!
Foundation - I use a Panstik that is no longer sold, so I can't really offer a lot of advice there. More or less we are both in the same boat now, with neither of us knowing what shade or brand to get. Best advice I can give you is to compare the shade against your arm to find the right one. It will not be a perfect match for the color of your face, but it will be close.
Setting Powder - Most liquid foundations require a powder to set them. I use Cover Girl loose powder - not the hard cake stuff.
Eye liner. Since I have blue eyes, I use a black eye liner on the top lid, and brown on the bottom, because that really kind of sets blue eyes off.
Eye shadow - I use brown on the eye lid, and white for the rest. Again, these colors are good for blue eyes - I dont know what color yours are, or what colors would set yours off. I think in Walmart, some of the makeup displays will actually tell you what color eye shadow to use for your color of eyes. Also, many of the eye shadow compacts will show you how best to apply it - what shades go where.
Blush - for someone that wears a heavy foundation like I do, I think a powder blush (looks like a large thing of eye shadow) is ideal. Best to apply lightly with a kind of large brush and blend, blend, blend!
Lipstick

Now all of that is for do it yourself. If you can have the money, and maybe more importantly the courage, you would be best served by going to a department store and just be honest with them. "I'm a crossdresser, have never worked with makeup and have no idea what I need. Can you help me find a foundation that will work with my skin shade and help hide a beard shadow and all of the other things I might need to look fabulous?!"
The good and bad of the department store method:
The good is that you will have the help of an expert - someone who makes their living doing just that. It took me years of stumbling around on my own, and ultimately a lot of money lost to trial and error, trying to find makeup that worked for me. You might avoid that heartache just for the cost of a few moments of embarrassment. Mind you, I'm not saying to go all in and get a makeover there, but she can still help you select things with out doing that.
The bad news is that department store makeup is NOT cheap. You know that $100 estimate I gave above for Target or Walmart? Yeah, that estimate goes out the window the moment you enter a department store.
By the way - MAC has a reputation for being VERY TG friendly and I have spoken with a few of their people.

Oh, and I'll say it again - do NOT offer up any explanation for why your are buying it if you buy your own at the store. Trust me - all it does is to draw attention and thought to your purchase. Most cashiers are on auto pilot - slide the thing across the widget and make sure it goes "beep". They dont notice or care what you are buying. Act like a nervous wreck and start stuttering out excuses for what you are buying and you take her out of the auto pilot mode. You might as well wave a big banner saying "I'm a nervous cross dresser buying makeup.". Just smile, put your stuff on the counter, hand them your money, and go away with a grin on your face.

[Kristyn Hill]

Aweosome information, Kimberly. My wife and I were in the NYC MaC store in december and so many cd/tg/ts girls in there working. I hadn't completely come out at that point but I was wanting to go for it. My daughter wears a lot of MAC and loves it. She is a make up artist if you can believe that...at 15. already does my wifes, other daughters and all of her friends make up. she has a gift. I asked her an innocent question about contouring the other day. I just wish she could do mine but do not want to unload that brick on her at 15.

I am going to copy and paste your info and take it with me wherever I land. I am glad I posted.

[Kristyn Hill]

Well, it is settled. I will walk in with some of new pumps, oops, forgot to change my shoes....and just act like i own the place.

[Kristyn Hill]

What about wig help? can you style and comb like regular hair?

[Kristyn Hill]

Thank you, Stephnie. The push I was looking for. I will report back after the successful make up caper.

[TxKimberly]

What about wig help? can you style and comb like regular hair?

That depends. As a general rule, most wigs can only be trimmed and not really styled. By that, I mean that it can be cut to fit your face, maybe even layered, but you can not curl it. A curling iron or even hair dryer will physically and permanently damage the vast majority of wigs. In fact, even washing them in hot water will take the curl out of them (though it wont actually damage it other than that).
OK, so that is the majority of wigs out there - but of course there are exceptions.
If your wig is of the latest generation of fairly high end synthetics, some of those can be styled just like human hair. Also, if the wig is actually made of human hair, you can style it.
How do you know the difference? If you bought a human hair wig, you will have paid a small fortune for it ($500 or more) and will KNOW it is human hair. If you bought one of the newer synthetics that allow for styling, you have still paid a pretty good hunk of change ($250 and up) and probably are well aware of what it is you have. So pretty much, if you didn't pay $300 0r better, and don't know if it can be styled or not, then it probably cant.

[darla_g]

You know especially if you buy items in a place like Target or similar, the cashier doesn't know whether you came in with someone or whatever. You put it on the conveyer and no one will say a word. I promise you.

[JenniferR771]

I went to a Walgreens near me and there is a girl that man's the makeup counter. I told her I was a cd and my friend did too, and she was very helpful. Helped my try some bottles and matched my foundation type.

[kimdl93]

Better than going to a drug store why not go to the mall. Find the MAC counter and ask for a make over..even instability. You'll learn a lot andget some products well suited to your needs.

[Barbara Ella]

Just do it, go in, fill your basket, and check out.

Went out totally underdressed with my female shoes today. Went to Lowe's for tiles, caulking, and bathroom fixtures, and no one asked me a question about what I was buying.

Went to Sally's and bought some adhesive pads for false fingernails, and the SA did not ask me a question about why.

Went to Payless, and bought 4 pair of flats (well, two pair, black and white, just need two sizes of each..Bummer) and high heel pads, and the only thing the SA said was "you are such a good husband, buying shoes for your wife" Who was I to argue with her. If she had looked at my feet she would have recognized a pair of female payless shoes.

Shopping is fun, just do it.

Barbara

[Kristyn Hill]

Darla, Jennifer, Kim and Babes....thank you so much for commenting. I want to read everyones views so I can work my angle and figure this out. and Kimberly, thank you for the wig information. Wanted to buy cheap for the first just to look at what I see, know what I mean. It is way too long and makes my face look like a whale. I hate it but I have it on because I have no other option except to cut, cut, cut. I may open a salon once I get this down..............joking but that would be a hoot.

[Kristyn Hill]

Stephnie, I am giggling like a little girl. I was doing paperwork but you know what? I am thinking about finishing a couple of things and doing a 10 oclock to one of the places we have mentioned. Just wish I had the nerve to wear my black pumps out with this skirt I have on. If I do, I may be picking up a tight short skirt to show my legs. I hate this long wally world one I have on now. As I get my look down, I will spend some real cash on beautiful clothes.

[Kristyn Hill]

I am wearing a long pleated style with some new 4 1/2' black baby doll pumps with a strap. cute shoes but they are a cheaper variety. Just trying to break them in since they are less than a week old. Everything feels better in Heels!

[Anne2345]

I agree with Kimberly in that MAC is very TG friendly. MAC's credo is actually "all races, all ages, all sexes." I am not sure what your budget is, but if you go to MAC, the MAs will match all of your makeup to your skin tones, eye color, etc. Walgreens is definitely cheaper, but if you dont know what you are doing, you may end of with a crazy hodgepodge of mismatching colors. Regardless, I am extremely high on MAC. I purchase all of my makeup and brushes from MAC. I even show them pictures of me dressed en enfemme so they can better assist me with their help (and yeah, I'll admit it! I am simultaneously fishing for compliments! Is that so wrong???!!!). Regardless, I have never met a MA who I didn't like, and who wasn't respectfully, polite, and just all around awesome to deal with. I cannot recommend MAC highly enough. The MAC experience is simply sublime . . . . :)

[TxKimberly]

So refresh my memory - where are you visiting in Texas? I think you said San Antonio. If so, they have a few HUGE and nice Goodwills there: http://locator.goodwill.org/
I'm telling ya, if you dont know exactly what you want, and want to experiment with styles or figure out your sizes, you really should make an expedition to some of these stores. I know I know, I used to think that the idea of buying "used" clothing was yucky, but it's really not. The vast majority of the clothing in these stores is very gently used, and quite a bit of it is brand new and with the tags still on it. (If a department store doesn't sell an item, they donate it and write it off on taxes). The neat thing is, you can get new, or like new outfits, for a small fraction of what it would have cost anywhere else.
Most of their stores are really nice places. A very few are run down and on the verge of being nasty. You will know which one you have entered very quickly and can always turn around and leave if you dont like it. I'd say that probably 40% to 50% of my wardrobe came from Goodwills. You just have to be willing to look through racks and racks of stuff for the items that scream out at you that you must have them.
Oh, and same rule as I mentioned about buying makeup - dont offer excuses and explanations - put it on the counter, laugh and bullshit with them while they ring it up, and then go home happy!

[Julie Martin]

Kristyn, it'll be interesting to hear what you did! FYI, I understand the whole fear of what people will think thing, and have brought the "list from my wife" for make-up, nails, etc, and bought a few guy things at the same time as a cover(for what is ON the list, other posts had some good advice). That said, the posters who said no one bats an eye at a guy buying women's stuff are absolutely right in my experience. Realistically, they probably think it's odd, as it's unlikely that any woman would send her husband to buy make-up, but so what, they don't know you. Whatever makes you comfortable.
Good advice from Kimberly on wigs, make-up etc. If there is a transformation service either near you or somewhere you travel to, they will do a makeover and teach you how to do it at the same time, if you want to get good at doing your own make-up (I don't have the patience so I just have them do mine when I go out!) The good ones are not only skilled makeup artists but have special tricks that help make a CD'ers look believable. They will also generally supply and style wigs that are flattering to your face, are age appropriate, etc. If you haven't done this, it's pretty amazing. If you have..then you already know!

[tamara]

Buying make up for the first time it can be a expensive treat. Mostly, because if you do not have the experience, it will make very difficult to find out the right tones for the foundation, concelaer, eye shadows, etc. After spending too much money, one day I took courage and I went to a lady who was at the cosmetics counter and ask her for help to choose the foundation, concelaler, p[owder, etc. She also help me on what colors would be right for eye shadow, lipstick, etc, considering my skin tone. After that, my make up improved soooo much.
If you do not want to waste a lot of money, go late or during the day when ther is not too many people, and ask the person who is at the cosmetics stand to help you out. Once she is working with you, the rest of the people will not know if it is for you, your daughter, etc.
You will save tons of money by not making the beginners mistakes that almost everybody of us have done at first, and you might get some good tips from the person who is helping you. And the rush to go and ask is also something that you might want to experience. And it better be sooner than later.

Tamara

[Kristyn Hill]

My laptop got hit with a virus last night. Ouch. Probably will be buying a new one tomorrow.

Anne, as always, your comments are so inspiring and informative.

Kimberly, I am in McAllen but live in the Dallas area. Thank you for
the goodwill / thrift store angle. Will pursue.

Julie, I have not done this. I have been dressing all of
My life but just realized the full desire to go all of the way and/ or courage tI
admit it. Good info and thank yOu!

Tamara, I like your style by kicking me out to get it done. you may have just give me the push
to go do it right. per Anne and a few others, it sounds like MAC may be where I head.

Hugs Ladies!!!!

Kristyn. Now, who fixes computers? Just
Kidding. I am going to run over it then put her
In reverse and do it again.

[Kristyn Hill]

I knew I could count you, Stephnie, to stand between the computer and the car.

"No, No, Move, Steph"!

[Kristyn Hill]

that is greatness. I was using my phone last night but on my computer right now. after hours of working, scanning, etc., it seems to be breathing somewhat but who knows. this could go down HEEL. if so, I will put on my beautiful beige 5" pumps and step on it like it was that cig you were pretending to smoke. great commentary, stephnie.