Stuff: Maintaining It

By J.J. Atwell

Hello again!

Well, that sounds like a boring topic. Yes, it probably is. But it is a necessary part of putting on your femme persona. 

We use many “accessories” when we get dressed. Obviously the clothes are important, but it’s more than just the clothes. 

My Stuff needs maintenance?

Yes, it does. Perhaps the most obvious thing is that your clothes need to be clean and wrinkle free. Pay attention to the care instructions that you’ll find on the tags of the clothes. Remember that the female version of clothing is often made of more delicate fabrics which may need more careful handling. 

And it’s not just clothes. Don’t overlook your shoes. Look at your favorite pair and check the soles and heels for wear. Is it time to replace them? Look at the uppers. Are they cracked or do they need polish or cleaning? It’s all part of the effort to present as your feminine best. 

Don’t forget your makeup brushes

Something that you might not think about are your makeup brushes. They need cleaning regularly to give the best results. 

How do you clean makeup brushes? It’s fairly easy. You can buy a special product to wash your brushes in or you can just go with a gentle liquid soap. Gather your brushes and clear the area around your sink. Fill the sink with some lukewarm water and a squirt of your cleanser. Wet the brush in the water and work the cleanser into the bristles. Place the wet brush on the side of the sink while you work on the other brushes. When you’ve done them all, drain the sink and rinse the brushes with cool, clean water. Gently squeeze out the water and re-form the bristles. Place the brushes on a towel to air dry, which will probably take overnight. 

Speaking of makeup brushes, here’s a funny story about forgetting them! I was bringing my genetic female friend Alicia to the cruise port and halfway there, she realized she forgot her makeup brushes for the trip! Who does that? We got a good laugh, but luckily we were able to stop at Walgreens where she was able to gather the necessities! Certainly not the quality she’s used to, but it got the job done for her trip! Just goes to show you how important these little things are when presenting as a woman. 

One more thing that needs maintenance – your wig. But that’s the subject of a future Stuff post.

I’ll be back

Yes, there will be more Stuff. In the meantime, comments are welcome either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. JJ is always looking for more stuff, so if there is something you would like to read about, please let me know!

Wearing Rue La La

Scott Thompson femulating in an episode of Canadian television's The Kids in the Hall.

Favourites

I have an account on Deviantart where I post images I created for Femulate.org, as well as a few unposted images. I have posted a bunch over the years, but did not pay attention to how many until I checked my statistics. Turns out there are about 285 in all.

People who view the images that they like can designate an image as a “Favourite.” The image at the top of this post had the most (106) Favourites. The two below were second (105) and third (100).

Funny thing is that the images I think will be most favoured often are not! For example, the last image below was something I created quickly without effort and never thought it would be so popular! Go figure.

Holy Crossdresser!

 

Wearing Cynthia Rowley

Rachel

My Dream World

I have mentioned my dreams here in the past. I seldom recall them when I wake up, but the ones I do recall usually have a trans theme.

Over the years, my dreams have gone through a few stages.

The first stage, which lasted for many years were dreams about getting dressed en femme or trying to get dressed en femme and not being able to do so because something prevented me or because I woke up before I was dressed.

The second stage, which lasted a year or so were dreams about getting dressed en femme, then going out and encountering friends and family, who approved of my dressing.

The third stage, which has lasted for years are dreams where I am dressed all the time, that is, I do not get dressed in the dream, rather I am dressed as a woman from the get-go. Getting dressed is not part of these dreams because I am living as a woman full-time or I am a woman in these dreams (it is unclear which is the case).

My dream themes are random everyday occurrences that any woman may encounter. I am a woman full-time in my dreams experiencing those random everyday occurrences.

For example, once I dreamed I was back in college during final exams, unprepared as usual. With only 15 minutes to go before my Psychology course final exam started, I was out on the campus scrambling between buildings trying to find an exam schedule because I forgot where my exam was taking place.

At one point, I dumped the contents of my white pocketbook on the ground and rifled through each of its pockets trying to find the schedule. Still looking for the schedule, I woke up from the dream.

In that dream, I did not get dressed and I did not run into a friend or relative, who accepted me. I was already dressed and never noticed how I was dressed. Only when I searched my pocketbook was there any indication that I was dressed en femme. Getting dressed and being accepted was not an issue. Instead, I was dressed en femme and acting as a woman might in that situation.

How I became a woman is never given a thought; I am fully accepted as a woman in my dream world and no longer need the affirmation of others.

Wearing Cult Gaia Franco

Womanless wedding party, circa 1965

Now Playing

Wearing One 33 Social

Cary Grant femulating in the 1949 film I Was A Male War Bride.

Flight Attendant Simulator

Michelle asked, “I’ve been trying to find a fun video game where I can become my best female self. No luck so far. Any suggestions? I figure you might have a better idea than me.”

I am not very familiar with video games. I played a lot of Mario Kart with my daughter when she was a kiddo and I had a lot of fun trying to successfully land planes using Flight Simulator, but that is the extent of my video games experience. So I am passing Michelle’s question onto you, my readers.

If you are aware of a video game that allows you to become your best female self, leave a comment below or email me at stana-stana at-sign sbcglobal.net.

Wearing Venus

Robert Morse (left) and Tony Roberts (right) femulating on stage in Sugar.

Runs in the Family

Wearing ba&sh

Norman Wisdom femulating in the 1966 British film Press For Time.

Stuff: Birds of a Feather...

…Flock together

By J.J. Atwell

You remember that old saying? Well, it looks to me that many of us agree with it. It’s fun to get together with a group of like-minded people and share things that many have kept hidden. 

Why join a group?

Well, I kind of touched on that above. Being in a group gives you an opportunity to exchange info with others and just be your girl self for a while. It also helps you if you want to expand your horizons. 

Groups typically meet regularly giving you an opportunity to get dressed more frequently. But more expansively, the meetings get you out of your house. Even if the meetings are in a private, secluded location, you still have to get there. That means leaving your house and driving to the meeting location – most likely en femme. 

Many groups also hold meetings in public places like restaurants or LGBTQIA+ friendly night clubs. That’s a great opportunity to get out in public. Yes, it can be a huge step, but expanding our horizons is worth it. 

For me, I found joining a group to open a door to a much larger closet. As a result of pushing myself to go to that first meeting, I’ve now come to a better place; a place where JJ can put on a pretty face and go out in public with minimal stress. No, not a “place” as in something physical – a “place,” as in what you feel. 

I’ve also wound up making new friends. Friends that I can chat with outside the actual meetings. Friends that I meet up with at times to do things together no matter how we are dressed. 

For those of us with significant others who are a bit ambivalent about our crossdressing, accompanying them to a group meeting can be an eye-opener for them as well. They see just how “normal” it all is and they get to chat with the other significant others. Friendships develop outside of the crossdressing group and you wind up doing non-crossdressing stuff with them. 

Finding a group

It can be hard to find a group in your area. I’d say that Google is your friend, but sometimes I doubt Google really understands what we are looking for. I can’t recall how I found the group I joined a few years ago. I’m sure I got some leads from a Google search. But I’m also an active member of www.crossdressers.com and I may have found my local group from a post there. So there are a couple of good places to look. 

I’ll be back

I’m not sure just what kind of schedule I’ll be keeping, but I do plan on finding more Stuff to write about. Until then, I welcome comments here on Stana’s page or by email at Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com.

Wearing Cynthia Rowley

Lovely Emma

Boys-Only

Wearing Marina

Bilal Hasna femulating in the 2024 British film Layla.

Double Your Fun

Wearing Bebe

U.S. soldiers femulating in Papua New Guinea during World War II.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Gala

I was a satisfied customer of Kiss brand stick-on nails. Usually, I stuck them on top of my natural nails and they hung on until I removed them (by soaking them in hot water). 

On extended outings, I always packed extra sets in case a nail got away from me. On the other hand (pun intended), I have had four-day Hamvention trips and seven-day Fantasia Fair trips without losing a nail.

Awhile back, I discovered that the Kiss was discontinuing the nail style I preferred, so I stocked up buying all that I could find on Amazon and other sources, often at overstock prices. I ended up with over two dozen sets – a lifetime supply! So it seemed. 

I now only have a few sets left including a couple of sets in a style I kept avoiding to wear for some reason. Monday, I decided to wear that set I had been avoiding.

All dressed up and ready to go, I sat down to do my nails. They go on quickly and in less than five minutes, I was completely nailed. But something did not look right and I concluded that I had put the nails on upside down! 

I had a second set of the same style, so I removed the first set and put on the second set right side up, grabbed my purse and my keys and drove to the Gala.

The drive was uneventful, but walking from my car to the museum, I lost two nails! What the heck!

Seated at the Gala, I studied my nails and concluded that I might have put the nails on correctly the first time and when I put on the second set, the curve of the fake nail did not match the curve of my natural nail, thus there was a gap between that the fake nail’s glue could not fill completely. 

I’m surprised I did not lose more nails. And proof that my nail installation was faulty, I removed them all without having to soak them in hot water.

A few words about fake nails.

The fake nails are designed for dainty fingers, not the hot dog fingers that a lot of girls like us have. All brands of fake nails I have tried match the eight fingers on my hands, but matching the my two thumbs is hit and miss (usually miss). That’s why I liked the old Kiss brand that I used – the fake thumb nail was large enough to cover my natural thumb nail.

My point is that a lot of girls like us will run into the same nail size issues. It is probably worse for many of my sisters because girls like us do not have dainty hands. Lucky me, I have my mother’s hands and not the big mitts my Dad had, so once I solve the thumb issue, I am home free.

Wearing Venus

French World War I prisoners-of-war femulating at a German internment camp.