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There I was, sitting in a busy Sephora with my eyes closed as the makeup artist worked on my face. It was a busy Saturday evening in a resort town full of locals and tourists out shopping for the evening. In hindsight, it was not the best time to have booked a full makeover, especially since there was a sale on. I was enjoying the facial massage, and she cleaned and hydrated my face. I was lost in the sensual pleasures of it all. Many languages were being spoken, and there were people of all ages, but mostly it was young women, who appeared to be Sephora’s primary customers.
There were mothers with their daughters, middle-aged ladies, and a few women near my age. An occasional male happened to be present, although most seemed to have been dragged along by their girlfriends, and then maybe a few were enjoying the thought of playing with all that makeup. There were even a few male Sephora employees on the floor. I mention all this because I was caught up in the middle. There was no hiding the fact that a mature crossdresser was getting a full makeover.
It had been a marvelous day that started with walking the dogs along the promenade that runs along the beach. I had on a wig, skirt, strappy sandals, with my painted toes and fingernails. It was busy, but such a beautiful day that I didn’t have a care in the world. Nobody cared or even noticed that I was a guy in a dress, though with my 38C forms in place, sunglasses, and a hat, nobody was probably the wiser. At any rate, it was a good start to a good day.
I booked the appointment at Sephora for a full makeover, my first public makeover. I once went to a dressing service in London and had makeup and wardrobe done, but that was in private. This was a big step, but one I had been wanting and anticipating doing for some time. I had the afternoon to kill, so I changed into some casual clothes and went to State Street in Santa Barbara, CA. For those who don’t know, some call it the California Riviera, and it is remarkably a lot like Nice France without all the history. I strolled through the shops but did not find anything of particular interest. Even Victoria’s Secret was uninspiring. Still, it was nice to just stroll along the sidewalk with my head up and a certain sass in my step.
When I arrived for my makeover, I was a tad early and had to wait for my makeup artist to ready her station. That was when it really hit me! I was exposed to the world, as a 65-year man who likes to dress en femme. I was wearing a wig, but no makeup since they recommend arriving without any. I had on a snug tee with my 38C forms, which are proportional to my frame, and while a touch large, fill out my chest well. I also wore a tight pair of jeans as my legs were in between waxing. I started to feel a wee bit self-conscious, but I took a deep breath, and all was fine. The store was packed; I knew the chances of seeing anybody I knew was low, and the many women rushing about paid me the least bit of mind. I was going to do just fine… just remember to breathe.
My makeup artist arrived and led me to her station, right in the middle of the store. After a few quick pleasantries, she asked what type of look I wanted. Once I told her, she began. She said very little and asked just a few pertinent questions, which I was quite happy about. She began with a full-face cleansing, basically, a wonderful facial massage. I closed my eyes and relaxed, an amazing experience. The constant din of the store and the multiple languages spoken added to the sensory inputs I experienced. With the makeup artist saying little, it allowed me to sink deeper into the sensations. Occasionally, I would open my eyes just to ground myself back in reality. As the season progressed, I loved the strokes and dabs of the brushing across my skin and the moist feel of eyeliner and lipstick being applied. I felt immersed in a deep, meditative state. While I was aware of my surroundings, they blended together into one sensual experience.
I was disappointed when she said we were done. That was until I looked in the mirror and saw the results. Oh my! What an amazing transformation. I could hardly believe it was me. I just glazed at my reflection for a few moments before recovering and thanking the makeup artist for her skill. I paid my bill and gave her a generous tip for the miracle she’d performed and headed out the door. I was floating down the sidewalk, feeling perfectly wonderful with my new look. I happened upon a dress shop and went in. I found some lovely dresses and tried a few on. The bright lights of the dressing room allowed me to appreciate my makeup, and trying on dresses was great fun. The SA brought me a few and complimented me on some, but none fit quite right. I stopped at a great little New York Italian-style restaurant that looked like a scene from “The Godfather.” It was wonderful to sip wine (and leave lipstick marks on the glass) and have a bit to eat.
I had to get home to let the dogs out, but my day was not quite done. I didn’t want to waste a minute of my look, so I pulled out a nice dress, rolled some stay-up stockings up my legs, and freshened up my lipstick for a few photos. It was with great reluctance that I finally had to admit it was well past time for bed, and my lovely day out was complete.
It is my hope to inspire a few to give such an experience a try. Sephora was great, and I felt 100% comfortable there, although I have heard Ultra and MAC are very accepting as well. Nobody in the store paid me the least mind. I never caught anybody giving me the slightest sideways glance. I did not notice any comments or conversations, or even anything I could imagine of such happening. I did some people several times, and whether it was just because I was in the middle of the store, or they were walking by occasionally to see the progress, I don’t know. I hope it was the latter, as it gave me a sense of pride that people were curious to my transformation. All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I hope to do it again soon. I do not do makeup often, mostly because I do not know what I am doing, but after this, I won’t bother and instead enjoy the whole experience of having it professionally done.
Hugs, JJ
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just hope you had the best time of your life having a me over even tho the people around you seen you. to me BIG deal. wish i could get a make over that would be my dream come rue. but i seem to learn more as ago doing my make up better and better. but still in the closet so to speek my wife knows i dress up and seen me dressing up and also seen me dressed up. she does not seem to bother her any more good. for that part. well hope you enjoy the time dressed… Read more »
Sounds like you had a most amazing day. And you have inspired me to think more about having a make over day. Thank you for the great adventure.
I hope you do have a makeover, it is a very fun experience. My goal in writing this was to tell the story about how much I enjoyed it, but more importantly to encourage others to give it a try. I had once gone to a CD service, and while it was great, they are few and far between and therefore not readily available to most of us. Sephora, Ultra, and MAC are very common, at least here in the US, so everyone can take advantage of such a makeover. I emphasized how public it was to encourage those who… Read more »
What a nice experience for you, to enjoy yourself being fully immersed in a feminine environment and becoming comfortable as part of it. It’s a wonderful thing to experience something women would take for granted, when for us, it is validating and even spiritual on some level.
It is very encouraging that Sephora and other stores offer makeovers and welcome “All” women to enjoy the experience of being a woman among women, comfortably,
That’s such a fabulous experience you had!
Yours is very similar to my first one, and in my case it was at a MAC store here in Ontario, and when I left my feeling was like yours, I felt like I was floating through the mall!
I’ve had several since then but that first one was my best I feel.
Thank you for sharing.
Amy
Hi JJ,
That’s my dream to have a professional makeover and photo shoot,
I’m hoping that sometime in the new year i might get the chance to have it done,if i manage it I’ll upload some photos so the girls can look X
Hugs Rozalyn X
I hope you do, it is so much fun. I would consider just doing a makeover sometime, they are readily available and pretty inexpensive and so much fun in and of themselves. But, I agree, adding a professional photo shoot is on my list as well.
Sounds like you will do this again It really is a great experience, I’ve done it many times and thanks to the facial you actually really have a much better look to your face whether en femme or back to the initial man-mode: The other really great thing is that you pick up quite a lot tips from the make-up girls and can try and test them at home.
Hugs
Just a quick update…the first makeover went so well I made another appointment at Sephora, but this time at my hometown location, which add a bit of worry of discovery. I went in en femme, buy sans makeup so was a bit worried about running into someone I might know especially whe in the makeup chair for so long. As far as I know, I did was not seen by anybody, so step one went well. I then headed home and changed in a nice dress, stockings, et cetera for an evening out on the town. I drove up the… Read more »
@J J JJ, thanks for the update. I have a great deal to look forward to when I first come out. Your posts are very encouraging.
xxx
Jamie
One of my goals here is to help and encorage others, as I have been helped and encouraged here. No point in reinventing the wheel when we can learn and build on the experiences of others. When I first started to dress the internet did not exist, but I was still able to benefit from others’ experience in a more analog way. My best bit of advice is to not be afraid to push yourself a bit. In hindsigjt, the only rhing I regret is not doing many things much earlier in my journey. Good luck!
@J J One of my goals here is to help and encorage others, as I have been helped and encouraged here. No point in reinventing the wheel when we can learn and build on the experiences of others. When I first started to dress the internet did not exist, but I was still able to benefit from others’ experience in a more analog way. My best bit of advice is to not be afraid to push yourself a bit. In hindsigjt, the only rhing I regret is not doing many things much earlier in my journey. Good luck! This. All… Read more »
@Jamie White Oh you certainly have my dear 🙂 I must have missed this thread the first time round, but it certainly rings a lot of bells with me from when I had some MUA assistance before Easter, albeit that was just ad-hoc rather than a booked session. Anyway I can thoroughly recommend an experience such as this!