My Makeover Page

 

The photos above are the first 8 that I have been able to process. More should follow soon. Feel free to read my makeover story below.

My Makeover Story

I do not remember when I decided that I wanted to have a photo makeover session done. I suppose you could say that I got to a stage where I wanted something of what I look like now to keep for posterity. Since then, it has been finding the right time to do it, and getting up the courage to make an appointment with the photo studio.

Over the months prior to my makeover session, I have been asking around about what I was up for, and basically building a common sense about what was a good package for the right price. After sharing my curiousity with a few girls who has had theirs done, I felt that I would be happy with about 10 good 8" by 10" pics and not spending more than $500. One of the girls paid $1000 to have 10, 8" by 10" pics taken, but she was given the royal treatment for a good part of a whole day for her session. As you can see, it really depends on what your needs are and the bottom line is that you have to weight up between what you'd be happy paying, how much time you have got for the session and what type of service you'd like during the session. All in all, I rang about 3 different photo studios, asking them for their photo makeover package costs, what was included and how fully booked they were. The first 2 were very pricey, what around $80 up front for the makeover session, and I had to order at least 3 prints. WOW! All up, I would have been up for $300, and for 3 photos! Mind you, these were professional photographers, who would have to hire professional makeup artists to do the makeup.

Being a no frills type of person, I decided to go with New Image Photographics in Dandenong, where a few girls from the club had theirs done. The makeover and photo session only cost $25 for 2 hours and no pre-requisite to purchase any photos. At the time, the package included the option to purchase 3, 5, 10 and 20 pics, with prices varying from $200 to $780, obviously cheaper per photo the more you ordered. I opted for the 20 pic package, all of which were 8" by 10" in size.

So, with all this information floating around in my head, I finally took the bull by the horns and rang New Image to book myself in for a week day the following week. I was very nervous initially as I spoke, as I knew I had to tell them that I was transgendered and the photo session was for me. When I finally got around to mention it, the receptionist was somewhat surprised but said that it was ok, and they have had other clients who had done so in the past. She politely mentioned that I should bring along whatever I wanted to be photographed in on the day itself, and not to wear any makeup beforehand. As each day went by, I could feel a growing anticipation welling up inside me. It was like waiting for an upcoming school exams, except that this time I wanted to do it. I went through some of my frocks, and picked three which I were my favourites. One was a black halter neck dress with a flair skirt which I really adore. This one lets me show off my legs. The other was a full length velvet dress with a velvet knotted bodice and lastly a cream ball gown with sparkly bodice and a large bow at the back. I also packed a casual black dress with large red rose prints, to wear when leaving the place. Yes, I was going in a boy and coming out a girl. I packed all the other stuff as well, including my lingerie & hosiery, hips paddings, my wig and the rest of my jewellery. There was quite a lot to bring along, but they all fit into my roll away suitcase which I had purchased earlier for occasions when I wanted to dress away from home.

The day finally arrived, and I was totally beside myself. As I drove towards the studio, I felt only butterflies in my tummy. Being a warm day 32 C, I was a bit concerned that the heat would get to me during the photo shoot. Images of my face just melting off sent shivers running down my spine. As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed there were 2 people having a cigarette. I waited until they were gone before getting out of the car and getting all my stuff into the studio.

As it turned out, the 2 people were the makeup artist, Kylie and the photographer, Peter who would be taking care of me. The studio was quite large and a bit stuffy, since mine was the first appoinment for the day. Peter led me from the reception area into a small room where Kylie would be doing my makeover. Peter introduced Kylie to me, and I instantly felt comfortable with her. For someone of only 19, she carried herself very professionally and confidently as though she had done this for years. She knew I was a bit flustered, and nervous, and she left me to unpack my stuff and strip down to my waist. When she came back, she motioned me to a stool and proceeded to place a wrap under my arms from my armpits. Apparently the makeup was to go all the way down to just over the shoulders. As Kylie applied my makeup, we spoke about her work and her future ambitions. We talked about my transgendered nature, and she asked many questions about how I came out and the support groups that was around Melbourne, all the while paying very close attention to what she was doing. Before long, she had applied all the necessary makeup, and I must say that at that stage I looked rather tanned. Apparently, the foundation they used are always 2 shades darker, in order for the photos to come out properly.

She left me to change into my gear, being careful to remind me not to smudge the makeup she had just applied. I went berserk at that stage as I wanted to see what I looked like all dressed up. I felt like a movie star about to go on stage. I chose my black halter neck flair dress as my first outfit. I put on my matching black lace bra and pantie set, with my breast forms and then my hip paddings, followed by my long Shiaperelli pantyhose I had bought specially for this occasion. I put my dress on, and then my black high heeled shoes with a buckle on the front. The last to go on, was my wig, and I was finally transformed like a caterpillar into a butterfly. I looked at myself at the full length mirror, and for second the girl I saw took my breath away. I was overjoyed with how the makeup turned out.

At that stage, neither Kylie or Peter had seen Sarah, nor had Sarah had any close interactions with total strangers who were not transgendered. Hesitantly, I made my way into the photography room, and saw Kylie and Peter chatting. As they turned to look at me, I saw Kylie's eyes widened and her expression of total disbelief at what she saw. Peter was also surprised at my transformation. Kylie was so nice, as she came up to me and whispered that I looked stunning, and she wouldn't have known that I was not a girl. My spirit soared when I heard what she said. Peter was less expressive, but he was a total gentleman throughout the photo shoot. He motioned me into the various poses, and happily snapped away. I changed into my other 2 gowns somewhere in between all the snapping of the camera. I was somewhat nervous during each snapshot, as I am not used to posing in front of the camera. Peter had to remind me to smile every time. Before I knew it, it was over and we sat down to go over the proofs he had taken to select the ones I wanted in my package. As we waded through each photo, we discussed about what was a good pose and which ones weren't and why. I must have learnt quite a lot about posing as a girl for the camera.

When we finally settled on the 20 pics for my package, Peter explained that the photos would take 4 weeks before I would get them, and that they would be sent to my preferred address. Apparently, the photos are sent to Queensland for processing at their head office. I went back into the makeup room and changed into my casual black dress, and packed away the rest of my things. As I left, I thanked Peter and Kylie for such a wonderful experience, and they wished me luck for the future. I left the photo studio very happy with the morning's events, and could not wait to see what the photos looked like.

When they finally did arrive, I was just over the moon with how they turned out. Kylie was right about the colour tone of the foundation. Each photo was 8" by 10" and they all turned out very well. In hindsight, I found that the best pics were the ones where I smiled more in. Overall, they were well worth the money that I had paid, not just for the photos but also the experience.