One Person's Journey to Womanhood – Part 14

By Monica M

The third of the software skills is presentation and I shall cover my ideas and experience of this in two postings: one on makeup and one on dress.

My feelings, overall, are that you need to minimize as much as possible the areas where one differs from genetic woman otherwise, why try to pass at all?

There are enough areas where we differ and nothing (not even radical surgery) can change: for example, square jaw, big hands, big feet, etc. The more areas where you deviate from the female norm, the quicker you get read. You never get read for just one thing; in my experience, it is a combination of signs that give you away.

Before even thinking about makeup, one needs to get one's skin properly in condition. Everybody has their own ideas on this and Stana has often told us of various products from the Avon range that she believes in. My personal preference is Demalogica as that is the first one I came across when I had my first dermabrasion.

Following on from one of Stana's posts on the benefits of dermabrasion, I was determined to get such a treatment done when I was next away from home. The place I chose was also an agent for Dermalogica. My technician did a skin analysis on me and recommended a Dermalogica regime for my skin. I told her I was transgender and she did not even smile. It was no big deal.

I followed her suggestions religiously and gradually, over about a year, my skin quality really changed. It did become more soft and with less big pores and less wrinkles. It really does make me look 10 year younger relative to my male peer group.

Now, whenever I go to San Francisco and am spending some serious time en femme, I go and have my eyebrows plucked and my face dermabraded. I have a wonderful technician in Maria Mameesh who works at Sanctuary Spa at the Bay Club, she knows I am transgender. If you go, see her and be sure to say “Hi” from me.

Makeup is one of those areas where you can easily get into a routine and often it is hard to see that your routine is not suiting you. I am sure that Stana will have lots to say on this whole topic and would love to hear her comments.

Except from the makeovers in 2005, from which I learned almost nothing, I have watched makeup lessons at Esprit and at Southern Comfort. I have followed the suggestions in Art and Illusion and I have had two different professional makeovers.

I have learned a lot from the professionals but, in truth, I have learned more from MAC makeovers that I have had. I had a wonderful one in Boston in October. I booked it just before lunch, my BFF BA (non-transgender) booked one for the same time slot and we really enjoyed ourselves.

The fact that I was transgender did not bother the MAC person in the slightest. When I sat in the chair, she handed me some wipes and told me to take off all my makeup. Gulp! In the middle of the shop! A few years ago I would have died at the suggestion (take off my beard cover!), but now, tra-la-la.

She did a wonderful job on me and even BA, who is skilled in this area, agreed. She really brought out the female in me. I nearly cried when I saw the result. It took me back to my original Padora dePledge makeover.

I intend, now, to get a MAC makeover every year or so. You learn so much each time. For the MAC makeover, you do need to pay or to agree to purchase a set amount of product. I doubt that MAC is any better than the others but I feel better there. Stana, as I have said, would be a much better guide than me in this area.

I thought I would finish by giving you my morning and nightly facial routine, which really works for me. Maybe others might like to share their routines below in the Comment section.

At night I use the precleanse with a special sponge cloth to remove all my makeup. I then use the special cleansing gel and the daily microfoliant on my Clarisonic brush. Then I apply the micro-needle roller all over my face and forehead. Next I apply the daily resurfacer and the multi-vitamin power serum and follow that with the super-rich repair and the age reversal eye complex. I know that seems a lot. And probably I am over doing it, but the results please me.

In the morning, I use the Clarsionic again with the special cleansing gel and then follow up with the Nu-face machine. Then I apply a moisturizer from Whole Foods that I like. The Clarisonic and Nu-face have brought my skin to an even higher level and I cannot recommend them too highly.

Next time, I will discuss dress.

(Part 13 of One Person’s Journey to Womanhood appeared here.)

 

 

 

Wearing Lapina.

 

 

 

Sha Na Na femulates as chorus girls in a 1978 episode of their television show.