Danielle's Gallery
These are two of the
best pictures of Danielle. Taken at a glamour photo shoot at The Romaine
Markus of London Makeup Studio in Costa Mesa by Mainlight Photography.
Taken March 5, 2005. And these were taken with my own hair too. Permed
and colored several months prior to the shoot. All that was done that day
was brushing and some application of a curling iron and some hair spray.
The makeup was applied by myself with touch up and eyes done by Romaine
Markus.
But before I get ahead
of myself, some history.
Danielle
started with a make over at Pink Book in West Hollywood, California on
July 4, 2003. Too bad the place did not survive but I found a great makeup
salon in Costa Mesa that is transgender friendly, Romaine Markus of London
I sure wish I could
get myself looking this good all the time. I think I come close but you
just can't beat the professionals.
The
next picture is the red headed pro who did the makeover. And their significant
other is the blonde on the right. Can you say WOW!
Danielle has tried
different hair and makeup since then. One discovery is that cheap is not
good. Wet N Wild is for little girls just practicing makeup and mommy does
not want her good stuff messed up. The makeup below is Romaine Markus of
London brand. Expensive and from a small shop in Costa Mesa which caters
to the rich women of Newport Beach. However, it goes a long way. $150.00
worth has lasted over a year. On the other hand, K-Mart sells applicators,
etc that are quite good enough at a fraction of the price.
The hair I started
with is a look that I like to see on middle aged women. Short and easy
to care for. Not the most feminine look but if you look at women and their
hair, you will see the longest hair on pre-teen girls and with most women,
it gets shorter with age. You see very few 50 year old women with long
hair. However, since then I have let my own hair grow out and after 18
months it was at the stage I can manage just with it and did not need a
wig. These pictures are from mid 2003 when I was still figuring this stuff
out.
The pic in the orange
dress was taken at the Camp Pendleton rest stop on the I5 northbound out
of San Diego. I wore the outfit with the khaki skirt to Fashion Island
in Newport Beach, California, on a sunny summer afternoon. I would have
thought I'd have been read in a minute but to my amazement people just
looked as if nothing was amiss. I was an invisible as any one else there.
Either no one noticed or everyone waited until I was out of hearing range
before breaking out laughing.
This is my racoon eyes
shot. Little heavy on the eye makeup. I was trying out Dermablend makeup
from Macy's --> After meeting some
of the other girls in LA, I tried new hair. Long hair is kind of cute,
definitely something for younger women. I think I look reasonably decent
with this hair. The over the hill hippie girl look on the right seems to
go over fairly well. I see a lot of women like that in San Francisco .
In October 2004 I helped
my good friend, Veronica the Digital DJ Girl get back into the DJ business
as a mobile operator. We had a gig for a transgender support group in West
Hollywood so I felt I had to go all out to make a good impression. After
all, there are certain standards to be met if you work in Hollywood.
In the picture you
can see the work of Romaine Markus of the Romaine Markus of London Studio
in Costa Mesa, California. And she was fast. Perhaps 1/3 of the time the
Pink Book Makeover took. The whole job was only $55.00 as of October 2004.
I have to admit I was one of the best looking ladies in the place and that
includes the young ones. If you want excellent
make up done, with the finest products, her shop is at: 2200 Harbor Blvd.
Suite C-130
The cross street
is Wilson 949-642-3468 Even if you get it
done once by her for a special occasion, you will learn enough that the
cost is worth it. If you want the session to be a lesson too, its only
$10.00 more. Of all the foundations I have tried, her stick foundation
seems to work the best. The picture with Danielle
in the red sweatshirt with hearts is from December 2004, with her own hair
after coloring and a perm. It looks a lot better in person than on camera.
I wore this outfit out shopping on December 18 in Costa Mesa, in the heart
of the OC. Borders, Ross, Wendy's, Payless and Target. I started on Propecia
in late 2004 to hopefully help me keep what hair I do. I have less than
5% loss so far and I hope to stop it there without using transplants. I
have been out in public many times with my own hair and no one has as much
as passed a second glance in my direction. I have to admit it feels so
natural to be doing this with your own hair. You sometimes almost forget
you are cross dressed. The breasts seem to disappear and with your own
hair there is never a worry of it coming off or slipping out of place.
By March 2005 there is new hair growth coming up right in front, moving
the hair line down a bit. This hair coverage yet and only a little on the
sides. However, further recession seems to have stopped. There also seems
to be a lot of new hair coming up interspersed with the other hair, where
it had been thinning a little. I would say that the clock has indeed been
stopped or at least slowed down somewhat in the hair department. After
sall, look at the glamour pix at the top of the page. That is all my own
hair and only my own hair. Not bad for past 50. All this work after
I've already bought five wigs. The wigs are easier but I have to admit
but they feel artificial if you know what I mean.
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HOLLYWOOD
Costa Mesa, California 92627
