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Danielle's Gallery
Updated June 8, 2008
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.
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.
HOLLYWOOD
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 of Danialle with the red jacket 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
Costa Mesa, California 92627
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, when she could first get by with her own hair in
public, 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. Your 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.
And sonce then Danielle has gone on hormone therapy. I know. An extreme
way to stop male pattern baldness.
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.
CHEAP CLOTHES
Let's
face it, a girl never has enough clothes. If you live in the LA area I
have found a great place where Hollywood disposes s clothing. There is
an outside rack with loads of stuff for 25 cents and the dollar rack is
great too. It is called "Studio Wardrobe" at the corner of Highland and
De Longpre. 1125 North Highland Avenue. It is two blocks south of
Sunset on Highland, between Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd. It is on the
south-west corner and has free parking in the back.In early October 2005
I bought about 30 pounds of clothes for $6.50 including the fabulous vintage
dress shown here for $1.00. I don't know if it is vintage or vintage copy
but this is just the thing I would wear to the Cocoanut Grove in 1946.
Of course, these are clothes worn by other than the stars. Those they rent.
When I was there another woman was renting for the weekend a party dress
worn by, I think it was Cameron Diaz.
In August my daughter was going off to college in the east and needed a dress for the Homecoming Dance. In high school, girls spent hundreds of dollars on homecoming dresses. At this store, she got a fabulous dress for all of $5.00. It had to have been hundreds of dollars originally. The catch is that the stuff on the 25 cent rack often has a defect. My red blazer needed a button sewn on but at least half the items were perfect.
As well, because much of the clothing was custom made for
a movie, about 1/4 of the stuff have no labels. Not even for size. But
at the price, if you get it home and it is the wrong size, just buy a bunch
of stuff and whatever does not work out, give to the Salvation Army. Also,
because some of it is specially made for Hollywood and no one sees the
inside, many items have no lining. But my $5.00 London Fog Trenchcoat sure
does and is so comfy in the cold and the rain.
It Never Rains in Southern California
Speaking of the cold and the rain.
Some pictures taken in October 2005 in Newport Beach, California. In
my $5.00 trenchcoat from Studio Wardrobe.
Actually I look better than this in person. The camera can be so cruel!
I have my own hair now, quite long enough for this and
I finally bought gender neutral glasses. It is amazing. No one looks twice
at me.
A bit of a breeze coming in off the sea though. It is interesting though
that I don't get any colder than wearing pants. A skirt is actually warmer
than you might think. It may have been chilly that day, in the high 50s
but after growing up with 40 below winters, I just love living where the
palm trees grow. One good thing about being rainy that day was that I could
get a parking spot close by.
LA Valley Pride
c
Studios and setting up our display in front of the bungalow housing the
offices of The Bernie Mack Show, just across of where they shoot That 70s
Show.Another thing I noticed when I was there. The LAPD had
a huge recruitment drive going on there. The same police department that
30 years ago would arrest gays and cross-dressers now had signs proclaiming
"Gay Recruitment Month". Go figure. And yes, they said cross dressers were
welcome too.
2005
Here is Danielle at the corner of Hollywood and Highland
in December 2005 in the heart of Hollywood.
Out on the town in October on a Saturday night at Laguna
Beach
2006
2008
In 2008, after two years of hormones and almost five years without cutting
my hair, Danielle has no problem passing. And the interesting thing is
that when I am out and about this way, I am a more serene person. More
calm and just all around more comfortable with the world. And maybe its
just the way that other people treat women compared to men. I'm not talking
chivalry or anything like that. Chivalry is dead except when a guy wants
to get into a woman's pants. I'm talking more like a sort of sisterhood
that women share. Like just today when Danielle was riding her bike and
the seat broke. Danielle was sitting on the sidewalk fixing it and four
different women stopped to see if I needed help, as I am quite clumsy when
getting up, due to a minor handicap. Something they would never do if a
male were anywhere around. The ones in the van and SUV even offered to
give me ride home if I was hurt.