A blog about the adventures or misadventures of an occassional crossdresser. Writing about why's, when's, how's or what's that I like about dressing in womens clothes.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Wax On, Wax Off



All I had ever heard about was how painful waxing is. They make fun of it in movies and on television, I've discussed it at bars and in private with girls who have had it done, I guess I needed to find out for myself. So on the Wednesday before my photo shoot I set up an appointment for a waxing.

Let me back up a little. Two months before my photo shoot I was researching waxing and I found an esthitician who had a private business doing waxings and that was all he did. I sent an email and he was generous enough to set up a free consultation.
He answered my questions about how long it would take, how long the hair would take to grow back, cost, and those sort of things. He explained how you need to follow the hairs growth patterns and how the movies made it look more painful than it really was for effect, he was very knowledgeable. When I asked him about the pain he said everyone is wired differently. He then did a couple of test spots on my arm, thigh and back. Little Band Aid size strips and warm wax cautioning that the wax might feel hot but wouldn't burn. A quick pull and the hair was gone. I was surprised at how easy and seemingly painless it was. So I set up an appointment the Wednesday before my photoshoot.

When I showed up he had me strip down and climb under the modesty sheet before he came back in to start the waxing. He started on my back, which I am lucky in that I don't have a lot of back hair. The wax was very warm and once he applied the strip, which was no longer the size of a band aid, it seemed about 2 inches wide and a foot long. The shoulders and upper back were no problem, I thought this was going to be a breeze. When he reached my lower back, where I had a little more hair, it started to hurt some. Sort of like touching a hot pan on the stove for a second. My back was done and I had survived, things were going along fine.

Then he started in on my legs. Now my legs are pretty hairy normally and you need to have at least 1/4 inch of hair in order to wax successfully. Again with the wax and the linen strip was applied and off it came. Ouch! It really does hurt. I will again go back to the touching a hot pan analogy but the thing with the hot pan is...you don't keep going back for more. This kept on and on and on, then you get a little break and you realize I have another leg to go, and my arms, and then I have to turn over and do the front. It really, really hurt.

After my legs were done front and back, I was lying on my back as he moved on to work on my arms. We had been discussing all sorts of topics and I changed the subject asking if anyone had ever just said "I can't take it anymore, I quit." He said that in all the years he had been waxing people no one had ever quit on him. He asked if I wanted to quit and I said no I was just curious but deep down I wanted to know that I was at least a little braver than some one else and for sure I didn't want to be the first person to quit.

The entire process went on for about two hours. I realize now that I would not do very well in a torture situation. I do not like pain. To be fair, the esthitician was very good, the pic above is of my legs. He was a good listener and talker trying to keep your mind off the pain and moving at a good pace. He kept asking how I was faring or if we should take a break. So I bear him no ill will. It just really hurts.

My initial plan had been a waxing from the neck down, including the private bits. This, in fact, was his area of expertise. But after the two hours I had been though I was ready to call it quits. We had discussed why I had chosen to get a waxing and my crossdressing plans for Saturday, so he knew the look I was trying to achieve. In the end I settled on cleaning up the bikini area and my backside if I wanted to wear a thong. But the genitals got a late pardon from the governor.

The day after I felt and looked a little like a plucked chicken. I had little red spots where each hair had been pulled out by the roots. I put on the lotion he had given me for the next couple of days and soon enough it felt like a mild sunburn and then it was just smooth, pale skin. I didn't get hair growing back until about a week later and even then if was very light. I was able to wear stockings very comfortably for an extended period of time which is a very fun thing for me. Even now, six weeks afterwards, I have just enough growth on my arms that I can start to wear short sleeve shirts again.

Would I do it again? Maybe. When talking with the makeup artist for my shoot she said that her friend takes a valium before hand. Maybe something to help dull the pain first would help. All I know is nothing feels sexier than a pair of nylons sliding up a hairless leg. Yummy!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Fun With Immersion



As I prepare for my photo session in a couple of weeks I think back to my week in London in 2006 and how much fun it is to do a real photoshoot. I have played around with digital photography at home plenty of times, but there is something special about a professional photoshoot. Its nice to have someone else's perspective on things. They can give you real feedback on how a particular pose looks or if your facial expression is good or bad or if you have lipstick on your teeth. I found the number of quality photos is significantly higher. By quality photo I mean one that looks somewhat like me looking like a girl versus a guy in a dress. I highly recommend trying this if you have the means.

I have come to a point where I like trying all the fun things girls get to do when getting ready for a big night. Dressing is fun but immersion is really fun. As I was preparing for the upcoming shoot I remembered something my girlfriend asked me last Halloween. Yes, my girlfriend knows, which is cool but she is still acclimating to it. She has been very supportive and will talk issues out with me but I don't know if she wants to see me dressed or not. Short story quick, I thought it would be better to tell her early on in the relationship versus being discovered. She was happy I told her and has been great about it since I told her almost a year ago. Back to what she asked me last Halloween; "Why don't you do it for more than just one night or a couple of nights in a row?" It was a pretty good question and I decided to try a long weekend this time - morning, noon and night.

I had mentioned in a previous post that I had a waxing consultation. The esthetician tried three different test spots which allowed me to see how painful it was, how long it lasted, those kinds of things. It wasn't too painful and the irritation was minimal, so I am happy to say I have a full body wax scheduled for February 20th. That will give me three days before the shoot to get rid of the redness from the waxing. This is my first step in immersion.

Secondly, I have painted my nails before, I have had a nail technician paint my nails before, I have glued on false nails before but I have never had a full set of acrylics. Side note: My girlfriend did invite me along to a manicure pedicure with her about a month ago, it was fun but it was a manly mani-pedi for me. Back to the upcoming event. I found a salon and asked if they would be OK with a man getting a pedicure with polish and a full set of nails. I would rather people were aware of what I want going in so it is easier for me and for them. I don't like to force my hobby on anyone that isn't interested. They made sure their nail tech was OK with it and now I have an appointment scheduled for Feb 22nd. This will allow me to keep the nails for the entire weekend.

Thirdly, also in a different previous post "Fun With Hair" I talked about my coloring done at the salon. My hair isn't long enough to try that again and I am a little bored with the wigs I have. Mostly because they are small and give me a headache if I wear them for too long. So in order keep on with the immersion theme, I had a lace front wig made. If you are not familiar, this is the kind of wig that Beyonce, Tyra Banks or RuPaul would wear. It is made of human hair and is adhered to your head for days or weeks depending on how long you want to wear it. It is also sized specifically for your head. It was expensive but I am looking forward to seeing how it looks and lasts.

I also just ordered a new set of breast forms off E-Bay that are self adhering too. I don't know how they will work out, they were $100 which is pretty cheap for breast forms. I am hoping they give the right weighting on my chest. Beyond that it is just the same old, same old. Trying to find cute outfits for the photo shoot and to wear around the house all weekend. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

New Year, New Plans



I have always enjoyed pinup art, the femininity the models convey is always something I wish I could achieve in my pictures. I have been lucky enough to have had an opportunity to try my hand at modeling a few times while dressed. The last time was in London in December of 2006. I am currently trying to set up another shoot sometime in February.

I was surfing around a few months back and I happend upon a web site that had photography for pinups. What's even better is that the studio is in my hometown. The concept for the studio was a burlesque dancer went to her photographer friend for some pinup photos for herself. This blossomed into a the idea that maybe there are women out there who want to have these kinds of photos for themselves. Kind of a retro/pinup Glamour Shots.

Since I thought this was this was the best idea ever, I decided to contact them. I explained my situation, no sense in surprising the photographer when you show up in drag. The dancer sets up the shot, does the makeup and those sorts of things. She e-mailed me back and said she had never worked with crossdressers before, at least in pinup photography, and said she would be glad to help.

This was two months ago and I have been waiting patiently to set up the appointment. Based on my schedule and my two times per year dressing up plan, I figured mid February was my best option. I sent off an e-mail the other day to schedule and I am now waiting for the reply.

In the last two months I have been diligently planning the shots I want to do. I will be going for the five photo's plan which will allow me to have a few different wardrobe changes. There are essentially two kinds of pinup shots. The "Oops" moment where the girl is "caught" in a situation with her delicates exposed. The other is just your basic look at me in my undies shot but tastefully done. I, of course, plan on doing both of these.

The studio web site suggests that you tweeze thos brows, shave/wax those legs and bikini area and polish those nails. All wonderful ideas as far as I am concerned. I found a waxing specialist and have set up a test appointment where I can have questions answered and have two test spots done for this upcoming Saturday. This is something I hae always wanted to try and I just might do it this time around assuming the test hair removal doesn't scare me away.

Next on my list is nails. I have had manicures before with a polish but I have never had a full acrylic set. I think this would be a perfect time to try. This also would mean having to remove them. I am going to do a little research on this but I think it can be done without issues. Since I will be having the nails done anyways I figure I might want to keep them for a few days too. My plan right now is to take a couple days off around a weekend and work from home one day. This would allow me to keep them for four or five days. I might just have to dress up for that many days. Oh, woes me!

Lastly, I have been looking for some fun retro clothing and lingerie. So far I have a dress picked out I want to buy. I also have made a purchase of an open bottom girdle and bullet bra. For one photo I plan to wear the girdle and bra with nylons and heels while I am "ironing" my dress before a big night out look.

Thats all for now, I will share more details as they come about. I might even post some pics here when I am done.