Psychology of who we are...or at least who I am

[Anne Bonny]

Make up is not difficult.

First...you need bright light...that's what those lights above your bathroom mirror are for! It is assumed ladies will be doing their make up leaning in over their vanity sinks..ha!

1.Use a fresh 5 bladed razor and shave carefully from several different directions so you have at least for a little while a baby smooth face.

2. You may also need to groom your eyebrows I use very sharp tweezers to pull any white hair, because my brows are rather sparse I use tiny Scissors to clip any long wild hairs instead of pulling them if they are brown/black. I then proceed to make a vertical edge on the inner part of my brow...then from the center of the eye at the iris of the eye out I thin pulling hair from below the brow forming a gradual point at the outer edge of the brows. My outer brows are thin...er...but not like little thin lines in my other life I am a guy so.... And most ladies just thin them enough to provide a little curvature, a gull or birds wing like effect. This only has to be done occasionally as they grow.

3. You do need both a concealer itty bitty tube and Foundation powder that match your facial skin tone I recommend consulting a pro....or a lady friend as this is important. You are creating a uniform and clear canvas on which you will paint your pretty face.

I apply concealer over my chin and over my upper lip to minimize and hide remaining beard and mustache shadow or bluing coloration. If you have any blemishes a spot here and there.

Concealer is amazing stuff just an amount the size of a pencil lead covers an area about an inch or a little more in diameter!

Follow this with Foundation powder a quarter of a sponge will cover nearly half to a third of your face cover forehead and then below eyes and cheeks, chin and mustache area and neck.

4. I have a brow kit that has a tiny brush that is cut and angled about 45 degrees it is wedge shaped that way for a reason...you will see if you obtain one like this, and brush a matching brown powder over my brows to give them definition. That edge helps when you start at the vertical edge you created on your inner brow and sweep the powder in to mid eye...then you turn the brush 45 degrees to continue sweeping the narrower part of the brow you created to the pointy end you do not want power on the skin but on the hair of your brow or on the skin directly under the brow hair (not the skin under your brow where your eye shadow goes!).

5 I use eye shadow in brown tones because I have brown eyes...use the tip of my little finger (but they do make tiny sponges for this too) to apply the lightest shade directly under my brow on the brow ridge under the brow....then the medium brown over my eye lid...and a touch of the darkest shade under the outer edge under each brow (the effect done properly does not look like a black smudge but gives the illusion of contour or curvature to your outer brow ridge directly under your outer brow above the eye). You do have to blend some and you do not want these shadows too dark.

6 I have found an eyeliner grease pencil that is not sharp to apply eye liner just above my upper eye lashes works very well but there are many ways to do liner...while using the finger of my other hand to pull the eyelid taught by drawing it from the outside of the eyelid at the corner of the eye. Then you use the pencil to draw a relatively thin line just over the upper edge of your upper eye lashes. from the inner to the outer corner of your upper eye lid.

7. I prefer brown black water soluble mascara...pull it from the tube and just dab the end on some toilet paper to remove excess from the tip of the brush. then I carefully angle the brush to the inner part of the upper eye and blink and roll as I go so the lashes pull through and are coated until I am satisfied (if you use too much it can clump) then move to the central part of the lashes, then reverse the brush so the tip is now at the outer part of the upper eyelid. Once done I do the lower eyelashes I am about 1/8th to 3/16th of an inch away from the tear duct on the lower lid as there are no lashes there anyway and gently brush the lower lashes using a similar technique except you cannot blink the lower lid...it is easy to smudge the lower lid...you don't want that it takes some practice and the right touch. Tip...Qtips are wonderful when cleaning up any mistakes or smudges so you do not have to start all over again may need more than one cause you want the qtip tip to be clean and white.

8. Finally I do my lips with lipstick to the color of choice usually some shade of mauve or pink or rose....

This is how I do my make up...I believe women who do their face every day do about the same and it usually takes less than 10 minutes!

Make up is an art that takes practice and the effect is just amazing...with bangs and hair you will be amazed when you see a female version of yourself staring back at you in the mirror. It is literally the difference between looking like a man in a dress and a wig vs a rather much prettier and feminine woman If done correctly you will be thrilled. Try it.

You can order online but the foundation must match so for that it is best to see someone who can assist you in choosing the correct shade. Hope that helps.

Applying make up can be very advanced especially for those going out for a special evening. But there is no need for fake Tammy Faye eyelashes "Helter Skelter!" thinking of Robin Williams ha! when yours will be just fine.

[Stephanie M]

The problem I'm facing is most of the time I don't have the time to dedicate to getting all done up, a lot of times I have to be able to switch back to man mode quickly. If I end up ever going out dressed my wife will do it for me like she did for the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Perhaps in the future I will be able to have more me time and be able to start learning the art.

[Stephanie M]

[quote="Lexi And when it comes to intimacy, well typically the guy is the one who always wants it, and the woman says no. Complete role reversal in my relationship. I don't like saying no, I can tell it makes her upset and I end up feeling bad too. I just can't quite figure out why. Does it have anything to do with crossdressing and the psychology behind it? Maybe. Probably. I really can't think of any other reason behind it... Ugh... just makes your head spin sometimes trying to put it all together and keeping it together.[/quote]

It may have to do more with her not accepting who you are than you. If you have barriers in a relationship it could affect sex drive. Or if you have always been that way it could just be the way you're wired.

[Anne Bonny]

I do not use waterproof make up for that reason it has to be powder or water soluble so it comes off quickly with a washcloth, even the eyeliner and mascara but I will say it does take a little bit longer to wash the Mascara and eyeliner out of the lashes but not more than a minute.

Yeah... I tend to just do lipstick lots of times...but I know when to expect people....I can do a quick change from full make up, clothes and jewelry to male clothes, watch and a clean face and combed hair in about 4-5 minutes. my male gear is all laid out and ready and panties can stay on under my pants. If all the frilly stuff is in my closet or Master Bath no one visiting will be going in there but I can easily drop it in to the jewelry bag and put it all in the vanity very quickly.

I am not ashamed of who I am but I do have people in my life who would really really disapprove so that the relationship would be permanently changed were they to see that I am a girl at times. It is sadly a huge double standard. Men are absolutely not allowed to be anything but men at all times or they are no longer men in the eyes of most people. I think this is the reason many men are so insecure about their sexuality. Society sees women as less than men and men are seen as being at the top of everything. Women really really object strongly but they play right into societal roles and expectations of being in second place when they do not think about it. The ladies doth protest too much...because when men like us move in their direction they strongly object to that ...they like the status quo though they argue the opposite. I believe, well I know in my case that I do not see women as below or beneath me but as equal to me, my wife was smarter than I am I had no problem with that but actually loved it it made me feel more secure...I am smart in my own right but about different things.

[Stephanie M]

I am not ashamed of who I am but I do have people in my life who would really really disapprove so that the relationship would be permanently changed were they to see that I am a girl at times.

Yeah I know how that is. That is what causes so many of us to repress or attempt to repress any feminine feelings.

Back to the makeup I'm not sure if I'm really ready for that stage yet, time will tell.

[Emily]

Take your time Stephanie... you'll know when you are ready.

I don't know if I quite agree with Anne though!

No, make up is not "difficult" but it can be a challenge, especially if you want it to be perfect. It takes practice... lots of practice... trial and error and experimentation.

But once you've established a routine, it becomes easier and just part of the whole feminine experience. I don't always feel the need for a ton of makeup, sometimes I might just do a light application... Just depends on my mood, how much available time I have and if I'm going out.

BTW, Anne... great pointers and tips!

[Heather W]

Lexi is 100% correct Stephanie, you will know when you are ready.

Yes in the beginning it takes a bit to put your make-up on and even though there are tutorials out there on YouTube as well as places such as Ulta and Merle Norman that will help you but the only way to get it down is practice, practice, practice! When I first started wearing make-up it would take me what seemed forever to get ready. Now that I wear it everyday it takes maybe 5 minutes at most.

When you are ready Stephanie you will know and when that time comes enjoy!

[Stephanie M]

Take your time Stephanie... you'll know when you are ready.

No, make up is not "difficult" but it can be a challenge, especially if you want it to be perfect. It takes practice... lots of practice... trial and error and experimentation.

Well it just happens I'm very good at the error part of trial and error.

[Stephanie M]

When you are ready Stephanie you will know and when that time comes enjoy!

Yes I'm actually looking forward to that part.