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The Vampire's Lair
A Sexy Lingerie Photo Session
Okay, I'll admit it. I get catalogs from Frederick's of
Hollywood, too.
I drool over the beautiful women in them. And, yes, I buy clothing from
Frederick's
on occasion. I don't wear their clothing out in public unless I'm in a
trampy sort
of mood, but I do like to be photographed in Frederick's clothing. The
quality of
their clothing is not great, but it seems to be perfect for closeup
photography.
Sexy lingerie. Slutty clothes. Sky high heels. Hey, why not? To some
crossdressers,
dressing up is about personal freedom and expression, and displaying an
intimate
side to be shared by a select few. I'm all for that!
In these photos, I'm wearing a fire red gown with matching thong
panties. The
skirt portion of the gown separates just above my midriff, exposing my
navel. The
"bra" is actually a scarf-like tie wrap that's part of the gown.
It took
a bit of ingenuity to cover up my breast forms properly (among other
things), but,
on the whole, I like how I turned out in these photos. I chose deep
burgundy colors
for my eyes, lips, and nails. My wig is a new style I bought called
Jane that
my wife expertly trimmed. The shoes are open-toe five-and-a-half-inch red
patent
spiked heel slingbacks. I wanted my legs to be the focal point in these
photos. Hope
you like them!
Makeup Tips
One of the best mascaras I've run across recently is L'Oreal
Waterproof Voluminous
Volume Building Mascara in Black "for full, lush, naturally soft
lashes
with the guarantee of long lasting, waterproof wear." Competing
products from
Estee Lauder, Revlon, Maybelline, and Cover Girl are just as good. Going to
the local
drugstore used to be a love/hate relationship for me when I was a teenager,
but now
that cosmetics manufacturers, such as Maybelline, are getting their acts
together
and producing higher-quality products, I'm giving them my seal of approval.
Mascara tip: After each coat of mascara, brush your lashes with a
Rubiglo Lash
Comb. It not only separates lashes, but removes excess mascara, too.
The instructions
on the package tell you to comb your lashes after the mascara has dried,
however,
I have found that combing them immediately after applying a coat of mascara
yields
the best results.  To remove eye makeup, use Almay's Non-Oily Eye Makeup Remover
Pads. These
pads come in a small jar of 40 or 80 and are very easy to use. Simply close
your
eyelid and press the pad over it, allowing the moisture on the pad to soak
onto the
surface of your eyelid and lashes. A number of gentle swipes will remove
the eyeshadow,
eyeliner, and mascara all at once. You may need to use more than one pad if
your
eye makeup is heavy.
To those of you who love to wear nail polish, never neglect a good
manicure! I
see too many trangendered as well as genetic women with jagged, bumpy, ugly
nails
cover them up with any shade of red, violet, or brown. What a mistake! Nail
polish
can oftentimes accentuate ugly nails rather than hide them. Just last week,
I came
across a genetic woman with nails that resembled the concentric rings of
snail shells.
She was, perhaps, the self-inflicted victim of a bad nail sculpturing job.
She painted
her nails with a lilac color, perhaps thinking she could hide their unusual
shapes.
Besides this, she was dressed in a gothic style for a wedding where
everyone else
was dressed conservatively. She talked on and on about a job she just
recently lost
because her boss told her to seriously revamp her "presentation
skills."
She honestly did not know what her boss meant by that. In such cases, it
helps if
you have a close, honest friend who can evaluate your shortcomings. She
obviously
did not have such a friend.
I felt that this woman could have used a lesson from a good female
impersonator.
Always dress the occasion. Furthermore, don't think you can hide your flaws
from
everyone... or anyone, for that matter. The more time you devote to
improving yourself,
the more people will think highly of you, which, in turn, will make you
feel better
about yourself. Improving yourself is a cyclical process. It can also feel
like an
addictive drug, too, because once you receive your first compliment, you
will want
to fix all of your remaining flaws to be able to garner more compliments.
One more lesson on nails: don't think nail polish will cover up dirty
fingernails!
They may do so from afar, but when a companion gets close to you and you
don't display
proper feminine hygiene, you can bet that that would be a major turnoff for
him or
her.
Shoe tip of the month: If your foot looks too big for your shoe, it
probably is.
The next time you're shopping for a pair of shoes, check out their fit in
the store
mirrors. Check them out from all angles. If you can see your toes smushed
up inside,
the shoes are too small. If you're trying on sandals or open-toe heels,
make sure
your toes and the heel of your feet don't go over the edges of the shoes,
otherwise
the shoes are too small. Believe me, I've seen many genetic women make this
fashion
faux pas and it looks absolutely ridiculous. If you can, try before you
buy.
Like clothing, shoes may run a little large or a little small depending
upon the
manufacturer. Case in point: I'm anywhere from an eight-and-a-half to a ten
depending
upon whether I'm wearing a shoe or a boot, what height the heel is, what
width the
shoe or boot is, what material the shoe or boot is made of, and what
manufacturer
makes the shoe or boot. Over time, you may get good enough to tell if you
can fit
into a pair of shoes by just looking at them.
Visiting Philadelphia
Like any major city, depending upon where you walk, you may either be
greeted
with open arms or chased down the street by a horde of angry thugs. Let's
hope you
can sprint in your new fire red stilettos! If you're trekking downtown,
stick with
the safer areas, such as the blocks enclosed between 11th and Broad Streets
and between
Chestnut and Locust Streets. It's a three by four block area and it happens
to be
where some of the cooler clubs in the city are located. Check out a
newspaper called
PGN (Philadelphia Gay News) for entertainment listings if you're in
town.
Bookstores in Philly were once a rare and dying breed. The chain stores,
such
as B. Dalton's, Barnes & Noble, and Waldenbooks
along Chestnut
Street have all gone out of business. For two years, the only recourse for
the book-hungry
person was to go to the slowly-evolving but eminently-popular Border's
Book Shop
and Cafe on the northeast corner of 18th and Walnut Streets. It was a
chain store,
but it was the only decent chain bookstore around.
Until recently, that is.
Barnes & Noble is back and it totally eclipses the efforts made by
Border's.
Poised at the audience drawn by Border's, Barnes & Noble has twice the
real estate
to give you twice as many books on three floors instead of two. Every
section is
brimming with the latest titles. The staff is courteous and friendly and
there are
plenty of chairs to sit on and read all day if you wish... from 8:00am to
11:00pm.
Border's opens an hour later and closes an hour earlier. Even the coffee
shop is
twice the size of Border's. I'll admit that I'm a book geek and I was quite
impressed
with this new store. Best of all, it's right across the street from
Border's.
Now to give a hand to a neighborhood bookstore that's been around for
quite a
while. If you're looking for books with an emphasis on alternative lifestyles, Giovanni'sRoom located at 345 South 12th Street (on the southwest corne
r of 12th and Pine
Streets, 215-923-2960) features gay, lesbian, and feminist books,
magazines, audio
media, and much more. Giovanni's Room calls itself "the front door and
living
room of Philadelphia's gay community for over 18 years" and for good
reason.
The bookstore is very homey (it was a converted brownstone) and you could
basically
sit down and read all day if you wanted to. A small section is devoted to
transgender
topics. If you prefer neighborhood bookstores over chain ones, this is one
cool little
bookstore to check out.
Sophisticated Seconds and Beautiful Beads are now
next-door neighbors...
almost. For those who don't know, Sophisticated Seconds is a terrific store
for designer
merchandise sold on consignment. Yes, drag queens, this includes gowns!
Where else
can you buy an almost-new designer gown for $150 to $250? Beautiful Beads
sells brand-new
designer gowns. You'll usually find a gown sold in Sophisticated Seconds
that was
worn once by some prominent Philadelphian who bought it new at Beautiful
Beads for
mucho bucks. Both stores can be found on the southwest block of 18th and
Chestnut
Streets.
I hope you've enjoyed this month's installment of The Vampire's
Lair!
For more about me, check out my Web Site.
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