Outfit For 5/28/13 & My Wife and I

On Me:

Top - Bobeau

Jeans - Mossimo

Belt - Mossimo

Shoes - Fitzwell

On Jules:

Dress - Back-Gamin

Shoes - Franco Sarto

Do you like my new shoes?  I do.  I think they are super cute!  They were my first purchase ever from Zappos.  I know, can you believe it?  Zappos has been around for so long and yet I have never purchased shoes from them.

I think that I have been afraid to purchase shoes online because I really appreciate being able to try my shoes on and guarantee that they are going to fit before paying for them.  It was a little unnerving to pay for shoes first and then get them afterwards and hope that they would be okay.  I suppose that I was lucky because they fit super well, and for their height they are pretty darn comfy.

They other thing about the shoes that I think is pretty cool, they offered them in wide and extra wide.  I have never purchased, or even tried on, a wide pair of women's shoes.  Wow, they are great!  Admittedly I did not try on the regular width shoes, but they wide ones fit great.  I am really happy with the purchase.

I decided on this pair of shoes because they are a round toe pump, in black leather.  One day I will have to take pictures of the shoes that these replaced.  They were super pointy witch heels.  At the time I really liked them, but now I put them on and my feet look huge.  The nice round toe makes me foot look super small.

BTW - I'm shocked I haven't updated in 2 weeks.  Wow, where have I been?  Ummm... work.  I've had lots of projects finishing up.  Yay, they're done now!

Love ya!

Outfit for 5/13/13

Crochet Top - Still don't know - Thrifted

Tank - Guess

Skirt - Guess

Shoes - New York Transit

Purse - Borrowed from Jules, unsure who made it

I wore this outfit for a day out with Jules.  She had made an appointment to have her first ever bra fitting.  I thought this was odd considering she is 41.  I suggested she go have it done after she modeled all of her bras for me and asked me which ones I thought actually fit her.  I had the unfortunate task of being honest and telling her that I didn't know if any of them fit very well.  Oh well, the bane of my existence, honest to a fault. I find that more often than not people aren't wanting you to be honest, they are wanting you to validate how they feel.  In the end I told her I am not an expert, maybe you should consult one of those.  So she did.

Want to know what is involved?  Where my wife went, Soma, the sales associate asked Jules her name, and told Jules her name.  They then went into the dressing room together and closed the door.  The lady then measured under and on top of Jules' bust, while she was still fully clothed, and then went and found her bras in that size.  Jules would try them on and the sales lady would come and evaluate if the garment actually fit.  Eventually Jules settled on two different choices.  And then we paid and were done.  It took all of about 15 minutes or so; very uneventful especially considering that Jules was so nervous I thought she was going to pee herself.

As it turns out Jules has been wearing the correct size, but not necessarily a correctly fitting bra.  Now at 41 she finally knows how a bra is supposed to fit and has two that actually fit.  Yay, good for her.

During our outing I suggested going to TJMaxx as we had some time to kill before we had to then go to a Dr's appointment for her.  While we were there the sales lady ringing us up complimented me on my crocheted top and asked who made it and where I got it.  I unfortunately do not know the answers to that, and told her so.  But I appreciated her complement of my outfit.

A couple of funny things happened at the Dr's.  I went in with Jules to see the Dr in his room.  He kind of gave me an odd look as I followed Jules into the exam room.  Jules then spoke up and told the Dr I was her wife.  He shook my hand and I took a seat while the Dr and Jules spoke.  Somewhere during the conversation the Dr asked if we knew of someplace or other, and we responded with "no."  He then said, well I was just asking because I see many same sex couple that come from there.  Fairly complementary huh?  Jules and I thought so.

Okay, gotta run.  Love ya!

What Can the Right Wig Do For You? - Nadine Retrospective

I don't think this is the right style for me.

Choosing a wig is a very difficult decision.  More often than not the only way cd's often choose a wig is over the internet.  I have done that as well, but the vast majority of my wigs have been bought in person.

I really wish that I had pictures of me with every wig that I have ever owned.  I'm actually not even sure how many wigs I have owned over the years, but far too many!  If I had only known what I know now, I could easily afford the one I want now.

The one thing that has taught me the most about which wig I should wear has been to take pictures and attempt to evaluate the results objectively.  Lets start with the worst first and progress from there.

This wig was purchased off the street in Hollywood.  It was possibly the least expensive wig I have purchased at around $30.  I think this wig does absolutely nothing for me.  It is way too platinum blonde and too short.  The shortness of it landing around my jawline is not a good look for most cd's.  My face is round and the wig hitting at that point adds to the roundness.  By the way, this is the oldest photo of me cross dressing circa 2006.

This wig was also purchased somewhere in Hollywood.  I should specify what type of store these wigs were purchased in.  There are several smaller wig stores in Hollywood.  Most of the wigs are what I would call costume wigs.  These stores sell many wigs at very inexpensive prices.  This wig is a little better than the last in color, but the problem of where it hits my jaw line is a bit more accentuated with this wig and it makes it appear as though I have a beach ball for a head.  Not a good look.

This wig was purchased at Wilshire Wigs in North Hollywood.  They have an online store, but I went in person.  I really thought that with this wig I had moved up and purchased a wig that would really work for me.  This wig is synthetic but can handle being curled with warm curlers.  It was so much fun curling this hair and styling it, but unfortunately it looks horrible on me.  Again the color is just not right, far too light again.  The other thing is that it is too long, it makes my whole neck and head look huge.  This is because it is way too fluffy, which will not make a head look small, and I already have a huge head.

Okay, maybe I was wrong, maybe this is the worst wig, on me.  Maybe it would be great for you, but for me, it is way too small!  It fully hits at the worst spot on my jar.  Also, the color is just not right.  In fact I returned this wig after this evening of trying it on.  It was also purchased through Wilshire Wigs, though I bought this one online.

The last two pictures are of the same wig.  It unfortunately was my most recent purchase and it is pretty bad.  I purchased it in some shop in San Jose, CA.  It was a totally emotional purchase.  It is the only wig I have purchased that is fully human hair.  I absolutely love the feel of the wig itself, but the color is so wrong.  It is just not the right color blonde for me at all.  Also the length is way too long.  It really makes my neck look huge!

This is another wig purchased through Wilshire Wigs.  I do believe it is the Miranda from Amore - Rene of Paris. I purchased this one online as an exchange for the short black one above.  I actually wore this one for a few months during the winter one year.  It is the same style of wig that I have in blonde.  This is possibly the best picture of me in it, in many others I look way too pale.  I kind of think that maybe this color could work on me if I was tanner.  I don't hate the look of this one, but it is not my favorite.

Here is another wig that I purchased through Wilshire Wigs.  I like this one much better than any of the previous ones.  I prefer the color much more than the others.  It is actually a mix of blondes.  It has a lighter and a darker color in it.  I think the length is much better as well.  It hits a little low though.

This wig is very similar to the previous one and again was purchased through Wilshire Wigs.  It is actually the same one as the longer black one above, which is the Miranda from Amore - Rene of Paris.  I really like the color.  With this one I found a blond that works with my skin tone.  I think the length is still too long though.

This wig is the one that I have worn the longest.  It was also purchased through Wilshire Wigs.  I think this one is Samantha from Amore - Rene of Paris.  What I think is best about this wig is too things, one - the color.  There are many shades of blond, but this one suits me best.  Why do I think that?  Personally I think it is because it very closely matches the color my hair used to be when I actually had my own hair.  Secondly - The length is great on me.  It comes to just above my shoulders and has a tendency to kind of wrap around my neck.  This has the added benefit of reducing the appearance of the size of my neck.  Also with the straight hair style it helps to not accentuate the size of my head.

This wig was purchased about four or five wigs ago, translation, about $1000 dollars ago, I wore it a few times and put it away for a longer version of the same wig.  After I purchased the long ugly blond human hair wig and saw some pictures of me in it, I tried on all of my wigs and took pictures of just my head in all of them.  When comparing them all side by side, this wig looked best on me and I have stuck with it ever since.

What is my advice to you in purchasing your next wig, or maybe even your first one?  Go to a wig store, try it on, and have someone take your picture in it, from several different angles.  Watch for how different wigs can affect the shape of your head.  Also as far as color is concerned - try to match your natural hair color, this will tend to look the most natural on you.  Most importantly, try on as many different styles, shapes, and colors of wigs and take pictures of all of them.  Then purchase nothing until you have had the time to look at all of your pictures objectively evaluate if the wig actually helps you to look your best!

Oh, so what wig do I currently want?  This one.  But I think it is a little long, oh and of course it would have to be some shade of blonde.  I might then take it to a hairdresser to get it the right length for me.  What can't I do?  I can't stomach the cost of it.  If only I would have known way long ago, I could have bought this one and saved myself about $1000-2000.  Why do I want it?  It is human hair, and it has a larger cap size.  But before I ever dare to drop that kind of cash on a wig, I will drive down to Hollywood and try that puppy on, and take lots of pictures first!

Good luck!

Love Ya!

purple wig pictures used from: The Morning Mist

Apparently If You Are A Real Woman, You Are Not Free To Make A Choice

I was perusing one of my favorite blogs, Already Pretty, and happened upon one of Sal's newest bloggers, coincidentally name Nadine.  She wrote a great post about pubic hair preferences.  It is an interesting read.  Within the post she states that initially she was reluctant to remove her pubic hair, but for her own reasons she decided to get a Brazilian.  After doing so, she discovered that she liked it.  She ends her post by stating"  If I could wave my magic wand and make this The World According To Nadine, personal grooming would not be motivated by shame, mandated by popularity, or seen as an act of definace. It would mostly be about our personal tastes and what works for each individual person. "

I thought that her post was well thought out, and well written, and she expressed her opinion on the topic quite well.  I saw nothing wrong in her post.  I read about a woman that interacted with her world, questioned it, rebuffed it, rethought it, and then discovered she actually liked it.  Where things took a strange turn was in the comments.

There are currently 77 comments on the post.  Some of the comments are in support of removing pubic hair and some of the comments are not.  Which, as I see it, is not the point of the post.  I think the point of the post is that, if you like your pubic hair, keep it, and if you don't like it, remove it, but most of all, do what you want to with your pubic hair.  You are free to make the choice to remove it or keep it.

But many of the comments are on a different topic entirely.  It is as if they are responding to a post titled "Men oppress us by making us hate our bodies and forcing us to do unnatural things to it so that we more closely resemble adolescent girls."

One lady commented "No matter how many times we say “it’s a woman’s choice!” it is not a choice made without societal pressure…so not really a choice as much as a compromise we make with the patriarchy." This comment pretty much sums up my concerns about this.

Apparently, according to some women, women are not free to make a choice about removing their own pubic hair, because some men prefer for women to remove it.  I think it is this type of mentality that harms women far more than anything that men do.

Women telling other women that they are not free to make a choice based on their own personal preferences is just wrong.  I am of the thought that each of us should be free to do what we want to do to our own bodies.  If you do something to yourself just because a man tells you to, that is not right, but if you don't do something just because a women tells you not to, isn't that the exact same oppression?

Who owns you?  Prove it.  Do to you what you want, because you want, not because of what someone else wants.

Love you.

RIP Leonardo - we will miss you.

“The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”

― Lao Tzu,  Tao Te Ching