A touch of sun for the Miss Princess Party

Preparations for the Miss Princess party continue, after much searching a dress has been selected, from Little Mistress. A gorgeous pink dress just perfect for a Princess. Yet something is lacking even after a summer avoiding the hot sun. Yes, my white skin is not so evenly white, bits are a touch red others slightly brown. If you look closely you’ll see what I mean in the photograph. Of course the transformation was performed by the star JJ from crossdressing-service.com.

What I need is a more even tan. But not the real thing, everyone knows too much sun damages the skin. Obviously I need a fake tan, something out of a bottle. I didn’t fancy the thought of a bronzer as the dye can transfer to anything and the moisturiser can leave a sticky feeling to the skin. On top of this you have the problem of the exact shade the dyes will show on your skin, the “orange” tan fear! Must be a self-tanning agent then. These contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which reacts with dead skin cells to give melanoidins with a natural yellow to brown. Despite what is said, all self tanning agents will give the same colour since it is the reaction product in the skin. Though I suppose what this looks like will depend on your skin. Nevertheless this would be the same regardless of which product you use. Rather than go to a salon I opted to use an in-shower self-tanner. These only need a few minutes on wet skin to give a light tan. You can then apply the lotion every day for a few days with your daily shower to build-up the colour. This is great for a beginner who doesn’t quite trust the colour given by the classic leave on for 6 to 12 hours self-tanner. My experience was I had to leave the in-shower lotion on for about twice as long as the instructions suggested before showering it off, though less than 10 minutes. This was true of both the Rimmel and St Tropez products I used.

Still, both gave a sufficiently deep tan to hide the blemishes in my skin colour which must count as a success, even JJ had to admit that though she thought me a chicken for not using a salon. Most likely the time required is a highly individual affair as it will depend on how readily the DHA is absorbed into the wet skin and how “wet” the skin becomes in the shower. Obviously if your skin does not absorb the DHA readily your skin will not tan. Probably the classic type of self tanner would work better, especially for a deep tan, since absorption can take place over a longer period. Maybe I’ll try this next or even go to a salon and have myself sprayed.

PS

Yours truly won!!!!!!! Miss Princess 2018

Crossdresser Makeover Party

What better way to celebrate than a party with JJ crossdressing-service.com. Just goes to show what a wonderful time is had by her girls. This was a themed Murder Mystery where I performed a starring role as the maid, Cleo Du Boudoir. I say starring, though really should say that role belongs to JJ. She naturally enough outshone us all.

From http://www.crossdressing-service.com/crossdresser-makeover-uk/

An opening note of elegance and sophistication was struck by JJ greeting us at her door. Oh my, JJ looked drop dead gorgeous in a slinky sparkly dress and white fur wrap. How did we resist giving her a rapturous round of applause, perhaps we were all too stunned. Naturally we girls did our part, fabulous outfits all round, everybody looking the part, so congratulations to all the girls for making the effort. Marvellous entertainment from Samantha after an opening by Lady R. Samantha was a joy to listen to, such a powerful voice covering a wide repertoire from Adele, Someone Like You to Snow Patrol, Chasing Cars. Tasty and well-presented three course meal. Wine freely flowing livening up the occasion. All wrapped around a Murder Mystery. Who killed Ginger Whiskers, fiancee of the Gray Catsby? Pity the maid, that’s me, was not quite in top form. We had a couple of  false starts on the Murder mystery but no-one seemed to notice or even care. Hardly surprising given that everyone was having so much fun. Nor did anyone complain when we never got beyond Act I. Could anyone remember what questions are asked or answers given, of course not?  After the meal and into a Karaoke session where the hidden talents of Rita were discovered. As the evening drew to a close, farewells were said reluctantly, none wanted to leave the embrace of JJ and her Murder Mystery evening.

 

Back to the 1950’s

Seems like ages since my last post but time to recapture the joy of being one of JJ’s girls.

Discovering a retro look or perhaps a unconscious association with my childhood. Anyway had a marvellous time with JJ at http://www.crossdressing-service.com/ . Every visit is a treat she is a consumate professional taking care over every detail. Make up a dream, wish it could always be so. Took ages to get the beehive look just right which is hard with the wig. You can’t see the high heels but after all the time posing my calves ached no end. To cap it all the pictures she took are superb. Strangely, standing there looking at her and the into the camera, time flew past. It is always with a tinge of sadness that the visit comes to an end. Relieved only by the thought there may always be another time.

Lipstick for anyone?

Hollywood glamour

How do you achieve Hollywood Glamour? Easy really, you visit JJ at http://www.crossdressing-service.com/

She is an expert at transforming the ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. No, you really wouldn’t want to see a before photograph of me. Enter into her domain and shed your drab male clothes. On with the sensuous lingerie, well for a moment at least because a change will be required for the photo shoot and we can’t spoil this before it is needed. Sit in the comfortable reclining chair and luxuriate in the attention that JJ lavishes on you. Gently but firmly she takes your hand to apply the base coat to your nails followed by a red polish to match the outfit. Be treated to a fantastic facial, moisturiser smoothed first into your face releasing any tension you might have. Oh it is such a delight to feel her fingers smooth the lotion into your face. Just this makes the visit worthwhile. Once prepared an exfoliating peel follows and is left to set before being removed. Foundation is a must for those of us who have exposed our unprotected skin to the sun for too many years. Disguise the wrinkles and smooth the imperfections. Eye shadow next and mascara, not forgetting the false eyelashes. Finally lovely red lips, somewhat over the lip line to enhance the shape of the lips. To top the lot, literally, Marilyn Monroe like hair. A final touch before a change in attire, a false breast plate to provide that oh so necessary look when wearing the skimpy clothing. Completing the look a red wrap with a large Christmas bow. Halfway there, photo shoot to follow. Lying on the sofa covered with red satin fabric you try to follow JJ’s instructions about how to place your body. Now you appreciate being a model is not so easy especially when you have JJ who demands perfection taking the pictures. Can you possibly hold your foot in that position while half extending your leg on a slippery surface? Indeed you must. Should you hold the position or hope you can return to it while she attends to your hair, getting the curls in the correct position? The dilemma, for if you get it wrong and waste her time you’ll be told off in no uncertain terms. As you can see though the outcome is well worth the effort. Perfection JJ, Hollywood Glamour at its best.

Jessica Howard at JJ’s

Visits to JJ’s http://www.crossdressing-service.com/ are such a treat. An absolute star at transforming us to our, or perhaps I should say her, desired feminine look. Being pampered is a joy, her application of makeup a delight. Relaxing in the easy movement of her fingers over your face. Dresses galore and one bound to suit you, her range is extensive. JJ always finds the right dress for the way you feel at the moment. Take my last visit with a Jessica Howard dress, fits an absolute treat and more importantly conveys just the perfect look for me. She also introduced me to the idea of a breast plate as a way of achieving the oh so desired cleavage in a natural manner. You wouldn’t even notice from the photographs. Which brings onto another excellent reason for visiting JJ for a dressing experience to die for. With every visit her photographic skills have improved, lately she has acquired a set of lights adding to the vibrancy of her colours. Amply demonstrated by the colours in the Jessica Howard dress. Her skill at handling the digital images leads to a perfect result, one you can treasure for all time. A fleeting moment of how you might have been in some other life.

A damsel in pink

A long time since I last posted. Now though another fantastic photo after visiting JJ. She truly excels at bringing out the feminine. Every time she seems to take even better photos. That is not to say her earlier ones were poor just her latest are even better. Ever since she added special lighting the colours are much more vibrant. If you’ve seen my Twitter account photo you’ll see JJ has tried this pose before. I must say she had her work cut out trying to get me in the right position. Far too rigid, that’s me, looking tense. Still a few, well more than a few words of encouragement and I started to think “relax”. So if you think you’re too tough a nut to crack well think again. Let me tell you she’ll manage to transform you a treat. Look at her web site for more details http://www.crossdressing-service.com

Can you swim in a burkini?

All this talk about burkini bans has made me wonder just how easy it is to swim in them. Some look like they are very loose fitting garments which would make them horrible. They would just fill with water so anything but a gentle sweep of the arm would be mushy. Front crawl would be impossible. Still they could simply be a wet suit with a hood in which case who could possibly complain. Strangely is is difficult to find any comments on the practicality of swimming in these garments. Lots of images of women standing around in water but almost none of an actual swimmer. Arguments both ways with the sun. On the one hand no need to apply Factor 50 sunscreen all the time but on the other hand surely wearing one of this in the sun must be hot and uncomfortable. I happen to love this tropical design Billabong wet suit.

Delights of high heels

Seems like ages since I posted anything. Anyway my attention was draw to the endless fascination of high heels. In particular thoughts of walking in them, I know I feel very wobbly when I put them on but as this Youtube video makes clear the real problem is lack of practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NsqfS1wU7M

Practice does indeed make perfect. A few simple tips, always place the heel first unless walking up and down stairs or on a soft surface such as grass. Take short steps and do not over extend otherwise you are sure to slip. Start with wedges as these give a larger initial contact area than stilettos, then move on to the chunky style if you happen to like them. When you feel confident move on to those delicious stilettos you’ve been longing to wear. That’s it, now put those high heels on and start practising.

Room temperature roasting……….

Bronzers or sunless tanning in other words. Spray dihydroxyacetone DHA 3-5% on skin, wait a few hours, lo and behold a tan.Supposedly a natural looking colour and decent fading. What is happening is that a chemical reaction takes place between the DHA and amino acids in the dead skin cells to form compounds called melanoidins. Maillard reaction, the same reaction that occurs in the roasting of beans and grain. Of course with roasting this requires highish temperatures but even at room temperature a reaction still occurs only it is 2-4 hours before the colour starts to appear and it can continue for up to 24-72 hours, darkening all the while. Gradually the colour will fade over 3-10 days as the dead skin cells, where the product lies, are exfoliated. One thing to be very aware of if you are using this to prepare for a holiday and don’t want to appear snow white on the beach. Fake tans do not protect your skin from the UV in sunlight, over exposure will leave you with a nasty sunburn ruining the rest of your holiday or worse. I think I prefer the pale look.

Just in case you’ve interested, the Maillard reaction.

What is in a name?

Quite a range in prices from the cheapest to most expensive lipsticks, Christian Louboutin Very Prive Silky Satin Lip Colour  at  £65.00 to e.l.f Essential Lipstick at £2.00.

Makes you wonder what you are getting for your money, certainly the CL lipstick comes with gorgeous packaging but is that all? Advertised as being wholly natural that doesn’t necessarily mean a marvellous or even safe product. Indeed strychnine is wholly natural, from plants of the genus strychnos, but I certainly wouldn’t want that on my lips. Pity I can’t do a test application because I’d say if it feels and looks good on the lips, has a pleasant taste, and lasts without feathering then as a special treat it is fine. So it doesn’t have mineral oil? Oils are oils and dare I say will taste like oils whether from plants or petroleum. No parabens, these are added as preservatives which means something else must have been added otherwise that lipstick is going to get loaded with microorganisms, yuck. Phthalates are used as plasticizers, to ensure the lipstick isn’t too brittle depending on the composition of the waxes, still even the cheap lipstick doesn’t have phthalates. Then again neither does it have diethanolamine (DEA). Really it looks we are seeing a variation on the nonsense theme man-made chemicals bad, naturally occurring chemicals good. Oh but there is the name and that is well worth dropping into the conversation in the right circles.