Diana made her first trip to The Keystone Conference last month in Harrisburg, PA. On Friday, she got a makeover from me. We used a range of browns and coppers to bring out the blue in her eyes. We used black gel eyeliner and fake eyelashes to add drama that would carry her from afternoon seminars into the evening. She selected Pink Cherié lipstick with a touch of icicle lipgloss for shine. For photos, we used natural light and a bounce flash with a white backdrop. Diana’s favorite photos from our shoot are below.
Tag Archives: CD
Diana Loves her Keystone Look
Halloween: The Crossdresser’s Favorite Holiday
It’s the happiest time of the year here in my tgirl world! Halloween is just around the corner with tons of fun opportunities to dress, including a perfect time for many first-timers to debut.
The excitement starts tomorrow, Oct. 26, when the DC Trans Ladies Meetup group heads out in two groups. The Classy DC Sisters will be hitting up four straight bars in Chantilly with their Tour de Force while Diane, dressed as Malificent from Sleeping Beauty, leads the way to Town Danceboutique for a 10:30 p.m. drag show and midnight costume contest. I have two girls coming for makeovers for the big night plus two more girlfriends coming to get ready at my place before we head to meet Diane and friends at Town.
On Tuesday, we have the DC High Heel Race, where genetic males dress as women, don high heels, and run two blocks while surrounded by throngs of onlookers. Participants include drag queens, gay guys in dresses and other costumes, and trans-women both in dresses and in costumes. What a great opportunity for the closet crossdresser to dress and blend in! I attended last year and loved all the pageantry, excitement, and throngs of onlookers. This year, I’ll be giving a makeover to a client who will be attending the race with me, and she may even decide to run in the race! Then I’m pregaming at a friend’s condo in walking distance of the race before I meet up with my client to walk over together.
Thursday is officially Halloween! I originally had a client who wanted to go out dressed for the first time but she’s had to reschedule due to work. I hope another brave girl will decide to debut on Thursday!

Three of the 2012 High Heel Race contestants show off their looks.
Saturday I’m hosting my next makeup party where girls can come practice their makeup and create a new look for fall. My makeup party has a waitlist already! I have one guest who hopes to have a total makeover before the party and then attend so she can meet some girls in a safe, laid-back environment. This will be my second official makeup party that I will have in my upstairs studio instead of at my dining room table. The lighting is so much better in the studio than downstairs and all the makeup and skincare is in arms reach.
Happy Halloween and Happy Dressing everyone!
My First Southern Comfort Conference
I returned late Sunday night from my first Southern Comfort Conference (SCC) after driving over 600 miles from Atlanta, GA, to Washington, DC. My mind is still whirling from four days of total immersion in the trans* community.

Beth dresses in a black top and skirt, black wedge sandals, silver jewelry, and Mulberry Forest Glossy Lip Stain to head down for her first night of networking at SCC.
I arrived late Wednesday night to a bustling patio filled with trans-women. My minivan was packed full of Riedel wine glasses, wine, Mary Kay demos and products, Ardyss corsets and shapewear, and one small suitcase of my clothes. After three bell hop carts delivered my wares, I changed and went downstairs to mingle with the ladies, including several I’ve met before in the DC area. I went to bed early by SCC standards between 1 and 2 a.m.
On Thursday, I was completely consumed by preparing for and running my wine education seminar and wine tasting social. Twenty guests attended my wine education seminar and gave me excellent feedback on the information I presented, my presentation style, and personal appearance. Yes, I love getting compliments and trans-women never cease to compliment my appearance! 🙂 We tasted three United States wines during the seminar and used a simplified Court of Master Sommeliers tasting grid to analyze the wines together. The guests enjoyed this so much that one girl even asked for permission to take a photo of my slide!
After my seminar, I had to hurry to set up for the wine tasting social in the bistro area. The hotel graciously provided tables, ice and ice buckets, and standing cocktail tables while SCC volunteers helped me move 15 dozen wine glasses and three cases of wine from my room to the bistro area. My friend Laura and SCC volunteers helped me with many set-up and logistics details. We tasted six wines from the lands of the Romance languages (Spain, France, Italy, Chile, Argentina, Portugal). I’ll post more details of the wine tasting on my zindiva.com website soon. Guests had a great time and many thanked me as they left. After tear down, I was exhausted and went back to my room and fell asleep by 11 p.m.

Beth and Kristin Beck both attended the trans-vets reception on Friday. Kristin recently published the book “Warrior Princess” that described her time on Seal Team 6 and life as a transgender woman.
On Friday, I slept through the seminar I planned to attend on trans-veterans but did make it to lunch, Kristin Beck‘s talk, the trans-veteran’s reception, cocktail hour, dinner, and the Jungle. I met some awesome people at the trans-veteran’s reception including veterans from the Korean and Vietnam eras up to the present and all branches of service. I really hit it off with Christine, who is also a Mary Kay consultant who works primarily with trans-women but also has some genetic girl (GG) clients. She also took photos of the conference and I loved posing at her portable studio on Saturday night. At dinner, I sat with a couple of cute girls, Markee and Raven, who had attended my wine tasting.
Later that evening, I headed with the SCC ladies via shuttle bus to the Jungle, the largest LGBT club in Atlanta, though about half the size of Town Danceboutique in DC. I had a blast at Jungle, the best night out at a club for me in quite some time. I loved dancing and flirting with the trans-ladies and before I knew it, it was 3 a.m. and time to take the last shuttle back to the hotel. Did I do the smart thing and go to bed? Of course not–it’s SCC! I had a few girls up for some wine and hanging out and stayed up til 6 a.m.!
On Saturday, I slept through the SCC lunch and ate at Maggiano’s across the street.

Laura looks fabulous with her Mary Kay makeover. Despite her hard work on video production and lighting, her makeup stayed put all night!
Then I had a Mary Kay makeup makeover for my friend, Laura, who wanted a simple yet elegant look for the ball. After applying skin care and liquid foundation, I set to work on the fun part–color! Her soft blue eyes invited me to use beautiful golds, browns, and coppers (Honey Spice, Gold Coast, Amber Blaze, Copper Glow) for eyeshadows along with black eyeliner, lash primer, and Lash Love Lash-Lengthening Black Mascara. We created light pink cheeks (Shy Blush) and subtle contouring (Bronzer and Highlight Powder). We finished off her look with the Enchanted Mauve Glossy Lip Stain and the Finishing Spray. I love the limited edition Glossy Lip Stains! The stain stays all night long and into the next day unless removed with eye makeup remover!
After that, I took a nap, applied my Fantasy and Fairytales makeup, then went to dinner, danced, and socialized.
With it being the last night of SCC, I made sure to talk to lots of girls and dance with a few too.

It’s time to get silly! Beth helps Tiffany, a first-timer, smile for photos by being her silly self.
Then I invited a couple girls up to my room for some wine and I stayed up til 4 a.m. chatting. Yikes–this SCC schedule is nuts!
Sunday morning, Sarissa invited me to join her for breakfast and then she came up to my room for a makeup makeover before my late checkout. She loved her look and the tips she picked up.
I finally got on the road to leave SCC close to 3 p.m. Sunday when there were very few trans* people still at the hotel. I felt like I was leaving almost a ghost town compared to the bustling venue that greeted me when I arrived.
Kerri loves her latest looks!

Kerri shows off her new boot-cut jeans from her Saturday shopping trip with Beth, Allison, and Jasmine. Kerri’s eye look: coastal blue (lid), meadow grass (crease), pale blush (inner eye corner and center of brow highlight), and beach blonde cream (brow highlight) eye shadows with dark denim eye liner and Lash Love purple mascara.

Kerri (left), one of Beth’s (right) regular makeover clients, is quoted in the Tagg Magazine article about Makeovers with Elizabeth Taylor

Kerri shows off her latest look featuring the Mary Kay @ Play colors. She loves the textures of the new eye crayons and sticky lip jelly gloss.
One Woman Can…
One woman can… give trans-women the skills, tools, and confidence to express their natural and inner beauty! ~Elizabeth Taylor~
One woman can… increase awareness, acceptance, and inclusion of trans-women! ~Elizabeth Taylor~
One woman can… live by her core values while running her own business and changing the world around her!
“One Woman Can” was the theme for Mary Kay’s 50th Anniversary Seminar, which I attended last month in Dallas, TX. Our first motivational speaker inspired me to come up with my own “One Woman Can” phrases that embody who I am and why I love my Mary Kay business. National Sales Directors told stories upon stories about how their Mary Kay business changed their lives for the better. I took these ideas to heart.

The King of Personal Sales sits on a white throne that lowered from the ceiling. He is the first male Mary Kay consultant to be crowned King of Personal Sales twice. His partner joined him on stage for accepting the award.
One woman can… give trans-women the skills, tools, and confidence to express their natural and inner beauty!
As a Mary Kay consultant who works primarily with the trans-women community, I believe I can change women’s lives for the better. I’ve seen client after client who thanked me, hugged me, and cried in front of me after their makeovers, telling me they have never looked so beautiful or felt so good about themselves! I love seeing the huge smile on the girls’ faces as they look in the mirror after fastening their corsets, donning feminine attire, and having their makeup applied. I love coaxing them to pose for the camera and to embrace who they are including their beauty. I encourage them to see and embrace the many beautiful and positive feminine traits that they have.
Many of my makeover clients have become my friends. Yesterday, I went shopping with four girlfriends at Pentagon City Mall, including three transgender clients who have become friends. Two presented as female and the other as male. First, Kerri insisted on introducing us to Belle at Michael Kors. Belle had helped Kerri find a gorgeous pink and black dress when Kerri was in “drab” (boy mode). Then we went jeans shopping for Kerri at Macy’s, jewelry and dress shopping for Allison at Icing and Forever 21, and accessory shopping for Jasmine (in drab) at Icing.
One woman can… increase awareness, acceptance, and inclusion of trans-women! ~Elizabeth Taylor~
Because of my makeover business, my team members in my Mary Kay Unit based in Lancaster, PA, have increased their awareness of transgender women. Many of my friends have increased their awareness, acceptance and inclusion my trans-women friends and hang out with my trans-friends with and without me. I will continue to share my story and business concept with others.
One woman can… live by her core values while running her own business and changing the world around her!
I seek to never have to work for someone else again while running my business and life by my core values. My core values include the following: authenticity, rewarding relationships, diversity, passion, warmth, and fun.
Authenticity: I love to be able to be honest about who I am while continuing to explore and learn more about myself. I want to create that environment for my clients as well, especially as it relates to exploring their gender identities.
Rewarding Relationships: I’m a big believer in friendships and community. I love helping girls get introduced to other trans-ladies in a comfortable environment where they can learn from each other.
Diversity: I invite people from across my social circles to parties and events, seeking to build understanding, acceptance, and inclusion across the LGBT and allied communities.
Passion, warmth and fun: These traits really make up much of who I am. I’m excited about life, my work, and people. I love bringing happiness and acceptance to my clients. I seek to be approachable so girls can feel comfortable almost immediately. I love to meet new people and make new friends.
Three Girls Debut at my Grand Opening Celebration!

Beth preps the girls for their debuts at her Grand Opening celebration. Kerri eyes the new on-trend looks and Mary Kay @ Play items and selects the Plum and Green Lash Love mascaras later that night to add to her beauty collection.
This weekend has been a whirlwind of activity between my grand opening celebration, makeover and transformation appointments, and tgirlnation! My grand opening celebration welcomed three trans-girls who debuted for the very first time as ladies and another girl who wore makeup for the first time! The day’s activities started early at noon and finished after 1 a.m.!
Set-up and Two Fabulous Surprises!
My first guest, Kim, arrived at noon and graciously helped me set up and finalize details for the 7 p.m. party. Kim debuted later that evening looking absolutely stunning and shocking guests that this was her first time out! At 3 p.m., Darcy stopped by to toast to my new studio with a fabulous bottle of Roederer sparkling wine from Anderson Valley. She planned to stay in drab but I convinced her to just try on a few things. Before you know it, she was adorned with a slim shaper corset, panty reshaper, tights, shoes, bra, breastforms, and a wig sipping bubbly wine out of champagne flutes! Shortly after Darcy left, I received a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from Sandy to wish me the best on my open house. 🙂
Transformation Pre-Party:

Beth puts the finishing touches on Belinda’s makeup while Gina anticipates her lips and look being complete soon. Belinda and Gina both debuted on Friday!
From 4-5 p.m., three girls arrived to transform from drab into fab and two had no clothes of their own. I helped Belinda and Gina dress from head to toe including accessories and then we set out to do the skin care and makeup for all three. Michelle chose a neutral look from the Mary Kay catalog, which fit her personality well. Belinda tried out the new Smoke & Shimmer Eye Wand in Amethyst Smoke. We created an Enchanted Forest look similar to Dawn’s look from the Fantasy and FairyTales limited edition line. Gina went for a light smokey eye look using the Violet Storm creme eye shadow and granite and crystalline mineral eye shadows. We added on the Mary Kay @ Play pink lip crayon and Berry Me lip jelly gloss for a fun, flirty lip look. I snapped photos for the girls to use on their MeetUp profiles.
Party On with Girls and Prizes!
By the time I finished helping the last girl with her makeup, the party was in full swing downstairs. I opened a bottle of Cava, poured myself a glass of bubbly, and started meeting the rest of the guests. After we chatted for a good while, I gave out lots of prizes including free makeup and skincare and discounted products and services. Every girl won a prize in addition to enjoying 10% all of my products and services and 20% off my skin care through this past Sunday. 🙂
After-Party
After girls added their favorite makeup and skincare items to their beauty collections, the girls split into two groups with some heading to Ziegfeld’s/Secrets in DC and other to Freddie’s Beach Bar in Crystal City. Ziegfeld’s/Secrets offers drag shows and male dancers in a nightclub setting while Freddie’s features nightly karaoke in a relaxed bar decorated with flamingoes and Barbies. Both venues are accepting of trans-ladies. I was far too exhausted to attend an after-party–the first after-party I have missed with one of my events. There’s always next time though! 🙂
Cheers to a Girly Weekend!
What a fun weekend! Here’s my weekend in a nutshell: transformation makeover, makeup party, Freddie’s with the girls, makeup makeover outcall, makeup makeover plus dressing tips/assistance, tgirlnation, makeover studio updates, and transformation makeover all from Friday to Sunday. What a blast!
Makeup Party: I absolutely loved my makeup party! All five girls who RSVP’d showed up and practiced their skincare and makeup. One girl came out to an event for the first time ever with the exception of a one-on-one makeover with me. She borrowed an outfit and wig for the party since she’s still waiting for her girly items to arrive.
We went through skin care and beard coverage and then moved on to color application. The girls loved using the Sunny Citrus lipstick to neutralize their beard shadow instead of the yellow concealer that I offer as a less-aggressive option. Once we got to the eyes, I checked each girl’s progress and gave them tips on how to improve their look and complimented their handiwork. The most common problem: Girls would apply eyeshadow or eyeliner only about halfway or 3/4 of the way across their eyelid, skipping the outer corner. Once corrected, the girls caught on. 🙂 We all tried the Lash Love Lengthening Mascara, my new favorite mascara, and my first time demoing it at a party. Next we moved on to blush, bronzer, and highlight power to create the illusion of a round, full cheeks. Finally, we picked out lipstick colors and applied them.
Following snacks, three of us went to Freddie’s Beach Bar to watch karaoke and hang out in a safe, accepting, and comfortable environment. 🙂
tgirlnation: I arrived at tgirlnation quite late at almost 11 p.m. after completing two makeovers to prep girls for the party. 🙂 As soon as I walked in, I saw girls everywhere that I knew! How fun is that! tgirlnation and the DC Trans-Ladies MeetUp group are really starting to feel like a fabulous extended family! As soon I walked in, Brandy, Destiny, and Pamela greeted me and showered me with hugs. Next up, I saw Rhonda and Sarah and that means more big hugs! I love Rhonda’s positive and fun outlook on life. The first time I met her she told me a story about swimming in a lake in full femme attire and losing her wig! I first met Sarah at tgirlnation in March, and I count her as a good friend. 🙂 From there, I saw Lynette and Giselle, both of whom I made over for the event. 🙂 From there, the night turned into a whirlwind of greeting and catching up with friends, acquaintances, and newcomers. So much fun! If you haven’t been to tgirlnation, you should check it out!
First Corsets, Cocktails, and Conversation Party a Hit!
Life is good! I’ve met so many new girls from the crossdressing and transexual community this month! I’ve been honored to fit them with corsets to give them an instant hourglass shape, pamper them with makeup makeovers, and completely transform girls who have no clothes or accessories into beautiful women!
First up, the June Corsets, Cocktails, and Conversation Party was a hit! Girls brought a beverage or food item to share and most were fitted with corsets and some with panty reshapers. The girls loved their hourglass shapes and many purchased their shapewear and wore it home with them.
One girl, Vee, arrived wearing an attractive though completely shapeless dress. After being fitted for a Slim Shaper and Panty Reshaper, Vee couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw her curves! I raided my crossdresser wardrobe and created a new look for her for the evening with a form-fitting camisole and miniskirt. Vee said it was the first time in her life she had worn a tight outfit like that! She loved it and kept on the improvised outfit until she departed later that night with her shapewear.
After thoroughly enjoying the cocktail party, five of us hit up Ziegfelds/Secrets to enjoy the drag shows, male dancer entertainment upstairs, and dancing. We closed down the bar and wished each other goodnight!
To being absolutely fabulous, ladies!
~Elizabeth Taylor~