Always "picture perfect"?

[Kate Simmons]

When you decide to dress up and go out is you makeup always "perfect" and you don't have a hair out of place? A long time ago I was told by a more experienced CDer that this was a dead give away shouting out to others that you are a guy en femme. I therefore learned to "tone down" my makeup. mess my hair up a little and look more natural. Besides that acting as if you own the place goes a long way. The biggest thing we may learn to emulate a woman in is to improvise and "fake it". What they don't know won't hurt 'em I always say.;) :battingeyelashes::)

[Teresa]

Kate I was reading an article in on online Cding magazine about a lunch date between a CDer and a GG friend ( I don't know if I'm allowed to use the title ?). The Cder kept checking her makeup in her vanity mirror, eventually the GG laughed and said you do realise you're the most perfectly dressed person in the dining room, not a single GG was wearing a skirt and very few were wearing full makeup !

It reminds me of the thread I posted titled , " Only one wearing a skirt, must be a CDer ! " It was only for fun but obviously there was some truth in it !

[stephNE]

Hi Kate,
Sometimes, I do spend a lot of time and try to get everything "perfect" though I know I never actually achieve that. But many times, if I am just going out shopping, I do the makeup quickly, try to wear casual clothes, and blend in.
Last year an old coworker had a Halloween party, and I went as Stephanie, but I didn't tell them I was a cross dresser. After I heard "OH MY GOD" a bunch of times, a number of them said your make up is a little too good. I love keeping them guessing.

[TanyaWonder]

I guess crossdressing may and often does go hand in hand with narcistic self-perfection. But then again, GGs dont need makeup and skirts to look girly :D

[LeslieSD]

Totally agree!

And the latest thing I focus on is to really reduce my makeup routines. I mean "really" simplify it. That to me really opens up a different way of "going out". I used to spend hours on makeups and liked to wear dresses / pantyhose. Lately, I have been shortening my basic makeup routine to 20 minutes and going out a lot with shorts / tank tops. Sure the picture is not as glamorous, but actually it makes me feel a lot more like a woman because that's what a woman would do most of the time. A girl gets to dress and go out at most once a month (even less), but a girl lives as a girl every day.

Another advantage is that if I can get ready in a short time, I am going to have a lot more "girl time" than if that would take me "one hour". And I really enjoyed these extra time I got.

[noeleena]

Hi

Picture perfect .gee wonder what that would be like , that would be a joke , though many of us here wear skirts most days, and i can tell you none are dressers or trans people around here were i live .

And the comment of perfectly dressed and and very few wearing full makeup, dont wear it any way not so sure about perfectly dressed, maybe we have a different idear of whats really importaint , and as we,d say we just get on and do what we need to ,

...noeleena...

[CynthiaD]

I agree. Trying to look perfect, with no hair out of place can be self defeating. I usually try for a more toned- down look, but I'm not giving up my skirt!

[NicoleScott]

Kate, you might be right if the goal is to not stand out, but that's not the goal of every CDer. My goal is to achieve the look that compels from within.
By the way, some GG's want that "perfect" look, and they stand out (in a good way!).
Once again, there's no right or wrong way to crossdress.

[Krisi]

If you want to be taken for a woman you have to look like the other women at that time and place. This often means less makeup, less jewelry, flats not heels, and jeans rather than a skirt.

It's not rocket science and we don't live in a vacuum. Go to the mall, go to the restaurant, the park or wherever you plan to go and make notes of what women your age are wearing. Note their makeup.

Obviously we as crossdressers will have to wear makeup to cover our beards and lipstick goes a long way towards tricking the mind, but gobs of blue eyesgadow in the daytime? Heavy mascara and eyeliner?

[bridget thronton]

I like wearing foundation as beard cover and a little lippy (eye makeup seems too much bother for everyday outings) and skirts are much cooler in the summer

[michelleddg]

Yeah, I'm that girl. I know the difference between daytime and evening makeup and daytime and evening outfits, but I always strive to look the best I can given my skill set and what I have to work with. No doubt I spend more time on my makeup than anybody other girl in the room and it's a tell, but so it goes. Hugs, Michelle

[Jenniferathome]

Wow, I completely disagree. When my wife goes out, she spends quality time getting ready and making certain what make up she wears is perfect. She brushes her hair and tries to look her best. I am no different.

I think the issue is make up appropriateness as well as clothing appropriateness. Over the top makeup application as well as clothing is a CD give away for sure. Wearing a dress and heel to the grocery store at 10AM is a give away as well as slathering on blue eye shadow from lid to brow with fire engine red lipstick and purple rouge.

Venue appropriate applies to how one dresses as well as the makeup choice. "Less Is More" should rule the day for any daywalking (TM RenneB) cross dresser.

[Eringirl]

I'm with Krisi, just enough make up to hide the "blue beard", and lip gloss. As for clothes, what ever the situation calls for, so general day time, jeans, tops and flats. But when I want to wear a skirt and dress up a bit, then a bit more make up. Sometimes, less is more, ya know?

Erin

[Kate Simmons]

Some folks seem to take personal affront to things I say sometimes. Just for the record I really don't care how anyone does it nor was I saying there is a right or wrong way.Everyone has their own unique style. It is just a topic for discussion as all my threads are.:)

[Cheryl T]

Unless it's a formal event then my hair and makeup is far from "perfect" when I go out.
I'm just a regular gal and am fine looking that way. I don't need to fuss that much when I know it's for Walmart or Kohl's or whatever.

[Stephanie47]

As an in-home dresser the only thing I do to my face is take a close shave. I do not have heavy facial hair. It works well enough for me. I stay away from mirrors..no close up facial shots. I am more interested in the clothes I wear...always a dress and heel. I'm stuck back in the 1950's a la June Cleaver. When my wife goes out with friends or to work, she'll put on a little lipstick. When my granddaughter goes out she'll get on her warpaint. She's new to the makeup scene and doesn't realize her beautiful face does not need any makeup at all.

[mariehart]

All true but as CDing is a special event for many. Being a bit over the top is OK.
But it's fair to say there are women like that. I know several, my brother in law's wife being one. She's over six foot, huge feet, but always beautifully presented, clothes, makeup, fabulous custom made shoes. Another is a medical receptionist she always reminds me of a crossdresser in the way she dresses and her seeming exaggerated feminity.

So you can use that as an excuse!

[StarrOfDelite]

I guess crossdressing may and often does go hand in hand with narcistic self-perfection. But then again, GGs dont need makeup and skirts to look girly :D

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Crossdressing are frequent bed fellows, I'm sure.

[Lorileah]

if that's the only "tell" your life is wonderful

[suchacutie]

I was waiting fora subway car yesterday when a woman walked by on the platform. Now, I will admit that Tina has turned me intoa detailed GG watcher to see what works and doesn't, especially when a woman has close to my body shape. What attracted my attention to this woman was the platinum blond hair cascading over her leather jacket! It looked fabulous, but it did grab my attention and led to me paying more attention to her.

To cut to the chase, because I had a reason to pay attention I soon realized she was one of us! Overall her presentation was fantastic, but there were a few things that were clear, only because I was encouraged to take that second and third look because her hair and jacket presentation was so alluring.

I then watched the other people on the subway car. No one paid her any attention. If she hadn't had such a striking presentation, I probably wouldn't have noticed her either.

[Emi_]

WWWD: What Would Women Do? We spend way too much time trying to quantify and codify exactly how to dress but the answer has been staring in our faces all alng: actual women living actual women's lives. What do they do? Do that.

[Tracy Hazel Lee]

I guess crossdressing may and often does go hand in hand with narcistic self-perfection. But then again, GGs dont need makeup and skirts to look girly :DYou nailed it... My thoughts, exactly. Especially the latter half.

Since 80% of my dressing is alone, and 95% of it is at home, I almost always go for the 'best of my ability' when applying makeup. That being said though, I will 'soften' it if I know I will be going out somewhere. I do this by not using bold shadow colors, use less eye liner (or sometimes none), and the color I use to contour my face will be lighter and more subtle. Lipstick and mascara are ALWAYS part of the routine. Sometimes I fill my brows. Sometimes, I don't...

Now, just as the thread title states, if I'm dressing to take pictures, then I go ALL OUT.

Ultimately, I am kind of expecting people to read me anyways, because most of my opportunity to dress is during late~early hours of the night/morning. I also like to dress quite girly, much more so than the average GG. I mean, just take a look at my current avatar. I took that pic a few nights back, earlier this week. If you walked past my house at 1:30AM and saw me standing outside my garage having a smoke, wouldn't you find it weird? I'm thinking yes.

I don't care... I'm having fun. :D

[kimdl93]

I've seen my pictures. Perfect is never a word I would use to describe my appearance in person or in pixels.

[susan54]

We all do this differently. If you want to blend in, fine. For me, I dress to the nines -everything has to be perfect. If people realise I am a man, that is fine - I am. I am just a guy dressed up and ACTING as a woman. My ultimate compliment would be - That's a guy but he looks fabulous in that dress, and he knows how to walk in these heels.

[pinklilly211]

HI ALL,
My then girlfriend and myself dressed up one Holloween as a hooker and her Pimp. You guess who was the Hooker! LOL. The evening was a BLAST!. I did get one comment from a person that I know, but not very well, "YOU DO THIS TOO GOOD!"

[Dana does shopping]

That Avatar is a lockdown look Tracy very good work ...

[Adriana Moretti]

I wish it was perfect...but nobody is perfect ..I have bad makeup days...then I just wear a paper bag over my head.

[Jackie7]

Well if it is a party or a restaurant dinner, I will do eye make up and sometimes foundation and get it as good as I can. But most of the time I follow my wife's lead: she won't get out of the car without lipstick and fluffing her hair and neither will I.

[Tinkerbell-GG]

I was far more concerned about having the perfect appearance in my single early twenties. Shift to the thirties and yep, I'll spend time perfecting my 'look' before I head out like Jennifer and his wife, but honestly, then I'm done for the night until I need to visit the Ladies for an actual restroom trip and quick hair tidy. Not a 'powder my nose and preen in the mirror for three hours' trip of my youth. I eliminated those when I realised you miss so much fun staring at your own reflection!!

I'll be gently honest and say you're all a little bit like teenage girls here - I wish I still held this much excitement at getting into a cocktail dress. It's sweet though...I never really knew men could be this innocent :) But Kate is right - blending does often mean looking less than perfect and having not a hair out of place is usually how we look at the start of the night. If we still look like that hours later, the night wasn't worth remembering!

Now go have fun!

[Kate Simmons]

I always do Tink. Dressing for myself would be pointless without the fun part. I have to dance, I have to move around, I have to socialize and I can do that either way.;):)

[NicoleScott]

I'll be gently honest and say you're all a little bit like teenage girls here -

Good observation. I confess that I'm like a teenage girl who was told "No, you can't wear makeup and high heels. When you're 18 you can do whatever you want". When I'm alone with my makeup and clothes, it's like I just turned 18, overdoing what I have been denied.

[Katey888]

I'll be gently honest and say you're all a little bit like teenage girls here...

Tinks - it's a simple set of logic equations and substitution...

Mature Male = Teenage Male (psychologically)

=> Mature CD = Teenage CD

Therefore

Mature CD + Dress (substitute for preferred attire) = Teenage CD + Dress

And => Teenage CD + Dress = (close approximation psychologically to) Teenage GG

:)

I guess, Kate, a lot of us just don't want to do half a job... and this:

The biggest thing we may learn to emulate a woman in is to improvise and "fake it".
For some reason just had me thinking of Meg Ryan... perhaps it's your avatar... ;)

Katey x

[Lorileah]

"Blend in" "Pass" both to me sound like you are trying to pull something over. Maybe I am different, but I want to be noticed, not started at but seen. I want to smile at the person passing or watch the child in the cart smile up and me. I think you should have the same mind set that GGs have when they go out "Just be comfortable." In the past weeks I have seen many women in dresses and skirts. while most are wearing flats, they are dressing "up" to go shopping. They have pride in how they present. I think most women think that way. It is less often when she would say "Ah geez I don't want to look nice...who cares?" they may not have time to primp but they don't think (I hope no one notices me" You will find that if you act like you belong there no one will care. You will never see me without makeup. This is something my GG told me when we first started dating. She wore dresses and heels mostly too. And people liked what they saw. If I spend time getting ready someone better notice otherwise I will just dress like many men

[Kate Simmons]

I guess a lot would depend on if you happen to be dressing for yourself or for other people. I'm of the opinion that if people don't like the way I'm dressed, they don't have to.:)

[DeeArel]

I try to get my make up "perfect" before I go out. However, I usually make a little goof and just leave it. I try to start with my hair brushed and fluffed. Once I get out the door, I rarely do anything to the face other than touch up the lipstick when going to the loo and figure comb the hair when I come in out to the wind.

[suchacutie]

Tink...my wife has been monitoring Tina's progress in just the kind of language you are using. Tina started knowing nothing,effectively a very young girl. She's probably now a very late teen, and if will certainly take time before all of this becomes natural enough to have a good perspective. One problem most of us have is not enough time en femme to gain that experience at all quickly. Then again, I do think that I'll miss at least some of that fascination of newness. At home, I have no perfection limits, and I constantly thank my life for guiding Tina's perspective in all circumstances.

[Tracy Hazel Lee]

That Avatar is a lockdown look Tracy very good work ...Why, thank you....:o

[jillishy]

the equation is a hoot....that's funny...and true

[Ondine]

It took me the better part of a year spending hours in front of the mirror learning to do a full-on evening-type look--before I could then relax into a more casual, less-fussy "blendable" daytime look. (The former takes me two hours; I can do the latter in 30 minutes.) And there is definitely a growth curve in terms of being able to observe and then (attempt to) reproduce what's situationally appropriate. But it all gets easier over time.

[NicoleScott]

That Avatar is a lockdown look Tracy very good work ...

Yes. I would describe Tracy's look as glamorous.

I had a friend/classmate in college who was always "picture perfect". Very nice yet appropriate clothes for the classroom, perfect hair, perfect makeup, perfect painted nails.......everything perfect. We became good friends and made a Saturday morning tennis date. She was stunning in her short tennis dress (and wearing pantyhose!!!), perfect hair, perfect makeup, perfect nails.......I was never so attracted to her as I was then. To me, glamorous is always appropriate.

Epilog: only after we went our separate ways did I regret not finding out if we could have been more than friends/classmates. sigh

[Tracy Hazel Lee]

Thank you again ladies...

And to respond to Nicoles opinion on 'glamorous is always appropriate'. I tend to agree, even if it makes one look out of place or 'over-dressed'. I don't care. I hugely appreciate the time and effort that one makes to take their appearance to that level. I can also agree, that it is NOT always required, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

If I had a woman that could dress and look glamorous whenever she wanted, I would never discourage her from doing so. Take as much time as you need! I will never complain. I know I take quite a bit of time to reach a look I'm satisfied with. But it's the end result that drives me. And one that I am always happy to put in the effort for.