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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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