GenderTrade

I did some experimental dressing the other night in hopes of figuring out a way of perhaps substituting eyeliner with something else that is more easily removed. Anyone who keeps up here knows I already posted a whole piece on removing eyeliner and I really think it’s an issue that plagues all of us. Lo and behold, I discovered something I should have thought of all along, which is definitely an improvement. It’s nothing novel, really. Any of us could have figured it out. It is simply black eye shadow worn as eyeliner.

Now it’s not any more difficult than applying eyeliner, itself, but I did feel like there was something missing from the experience. I mean, eyeliner is so classically enjoyable to draw into place. Brushing or padding it on is just meh. There is no room for detail and you practically have to put it in your eye to do the bottom lids.

On the other hand…

The eye shadow was far easier to remove than the eyeliner. I am uncertain how much I was able to remove, as we all know that after wearing eye make up all night, our eyes look foreign to us once it’s gone…no matter what. The next day, though, it looked like it was mostly gone by 11 o’clock, after a five hour sleep and a single morning eye wash. I washed once more and by 5 o’clock there was certainly no trace of it. (Though it may have been gone sooner without my imagination being able to comprehend it.)

The key factor of the experiment is this: I never even touched the witch hazel. Had this been eyeliner, applied then simply washed without an astringent, it likely would have stuck around for two whole days. The conclusion here is that we ultimately have to weigh our options. eyeliner is great fun, but how long do you want to have it on and what do you have to remove it? If you want to play it safe for the office, your much better off to just go ahead with the black eye shadow. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s definitely less of a hassle.  Also, you should be able to tell from the pictures that the effect of the eye shadow on the lids really is just as good as eyeliner, itself.

On a side note, my readership has picked up here and I certainly appreciate it. However, I really want to start a community here, and share pictures of other girls…not just me all the time. So again, I’m asking for you to email to me pics you’d like to share here: holly@gendertrade.com

I’ve already asked for headband pics (and received none!). Those are still good to send! Email me some eyeliner pics also! Or whatever you have! Eventually, I’ll share them (with more of my own) when we have a good, categorically relevant gallery built up.

By the way, if you’re in the market for some eye shadow to play with, check this out.

But if you’re just looking for black eye shadow, may I suggest this?

As someone who loves experimenting with transvestism, I can tell you that having a friend to play dress up with is an absolutely invaluable commodity. Personally, I have only dressed up with a handful of genetic girls and I definitely have my favorites in this regards.

Aside from an all around good time, a real advantage of playing dress up with another person is that you have a perspective different from your own. This is especially evident if your special friend will do your make up for you or style your wig. I have noticed that most girls will usually do my make up the same way they do their own. My favorite dress up companion can do all sorts of wonderful things with make up, as well as wig styling, so the result is always something fun and new.

In addition to your make up and wig, a dress up friend can also suggest different ideas with clothing and body form. The picture at the top of this post is one of my favorites. My friend did the make up, picked out the dress, styled the wig, posed me, added the boa and took the picture.

The dress up friend’s role in picture taking is also important. She can hold a camera and take a much more stylized and objective picture than you could on your own. This perspective outside oneself can have incredibly dynamic results for picture time.  She can find just the right angle and lighting  for the prettiest picture.  She can also take care of small details as necessary.

Here is another picture comparison.  This picture was taken solely by me.  I did the make up myself, styled the wig and took the picture of the mirror.  (I cropped out the camera I held around waist level.)  It’s definitely not a bad picture.  I’m always a sucker for long hair hanging over a shoulder.  But check out my more dire look in the picture below.  It’s the same wig, but my friend has styled it differently, provided the make up, and also posed me and took the picture.  I look like an entirely different young lady!

So how do you find a dress up companion?  That’s a tough question.  Obviously, you have to have someone who enjoys it, themselves, and is comfortable enough to do it with you.  I think it is definitely important and more fun to include them in the dressing up.  Share your wigs with them and trade off the camera with new looks.  Most nonreligious genetic girls seem to generally be down with this.  Girls love dress up by nature (or something).  As long as you don’t cross any lines regarding sex, a lot of them will entertain the notion, regardless of your birth gender.  Some of them may even find themselves enticed by it in ways they do not understand, in which case it can become a fun exploration for both of you.

If you plan on being discreet, and wish to avoid rumors and gossip, you should probably try to find someone you have known well for a while that can keep a secret.  Of course, most girls view this as a bit kinky or sexy, so as long as you make it known that you want your dressing to remain a secret, it’s no rare thing that it does.

For the more esoteric among my readers, let me suggest this:  Find a Libra girl to dress up with.  It’s been my experience that this kind of thing tends to appeal to them more than other astrological signs.

Now, as mentioned, all this has been in the context of dressing with genetic females.  I have no real idea of what it’s like to dress with other gendernauts or with men.  Anyone that can shine light on either of those topics should certainly send me an email at holly@gendertrade.com

Also, I know my readership is picking up.  Don’t be shy!  Say hello!  Maybe we can be dress up pals! And I’m still waiting for headband pics! I don’t want to post only pictures of myself here forever!

I went to a concert a few nights ago and I saw a girl with the most wonderful hair. It was straight and chin length with bangs. Furthermore it was colored orange and yellow, and adorned by a thin black headband, positioned on her head like a crown. I could not help myself from looking in her direction periodically to take it in. When the lights came on, though, I realized she was actually wearing a wig. Not only that, but she was wearing a very cheap wig!

Being a wig connoisseur, I am generally not often fooled by even the most high end wigs. How could I have been, not only unaware, but in awe of this inexpensive costume wig? Simply put, it was the headband. In this case, said headband pushed up the hair coming from the back of the crown of the wig, causing this strange, unintentional and natural look. It proved to me in someone else, something that I was first aware of from experimenting on myself: headbands are an accessory that can enhance a wig very positively.

Even a somewhat poorly designed wig can gain a new life with the right headband. Decent wigs can, at least, gain a new look. Check this out… In this first picture, the wig is worn as purchased. It’s kind of cute. Not a bad wig. Then I added a simple, red, elastic headband, much in the style of the girl at the concert. I tied the hair up in the back of it and achieved the look in the second picture. As you can see, it looks like two completely different wigs. The headband held the hair tightly to my head, allowing for those great, sweeping bangs. All I did was experiment! Though though are no pictures of it here, I later untied the hair in the back and let it cascade down, leaving the headband in place. I then used a wig brush to elevate the hair that sat behind the headband, but in front of my crown. It gave me a very cute, bouffant, southern kind of appearance. So because of a single piece of red elastic, I was able to create three completely different styles with a single wig.

I am particularly fond of the headbands which are tied. The blue one in the picture at the top of this post is an example of that. For one thing, they are wide enough to obscure a part in the top of the wig that may look awkward. Also, though, because you are in charge of the degree of tightness of the band, you can use it for all kinds of practical things. One such thing is the ability to tighten it so that it pulls back on your forehead, lifting your skin for a more feminine facial appearance. You can also take the excess ends of the band (if it has any) and retie it into the wig like a bow, or something funkier.

If you have any pictures documenting what a headband may have done for you, then by all means, email them to me at holly@gendertrade.com. I will share the best ones here.