Apologies for my absence but getting settled in the new home had to be a priority.

last month we had a record breaking L.F.F. trans event over 200 attended from all across the UK and the photos are available in the albums section, this coming Friday is the nov event and this will be tinged with sadness as one of the original founders of L.F.F. passed away recently, we have fond memories of Ruth who started the buffet when we were based at Xibit and continued this on to The Viaduct, I know that she was really pleased at how the event has flourished since its early days and she wil be sadly missed.

Shopping in groups

A lot of the T-Girls have regular shopping trips around Leeds but this is a bit of a different story

A lone shoplifter in a suspicious wig is hardly newsworthy, but when transvestite thieves start rampaging through shops in dresses – and in groups – it makes the papers, even in Florida.

"It was a whole gang of drag queens," Amanda Marshall of Jo-Ann Fabrics told the Orlando Sentinel, after the crime spree ended in several arrests. Blithely disregarding the first rule of shoplifting – don't draw attention to yourself – the gang targeted fabric and hobby shops across Central Florida in search of the raw ingredients of cross-dressing, and had hit Jo-Ann Fabrics at least three times before. "They'd come in and order yards of fabric at up to $39.99 a yard, stuff it in their man purses and leave without paying," said Marshall. "Oh, gosh, they could wipe out a whole section of boas in seconds."

The notion that one can never have too many boas is not generally regarded as a spur to felony retail theft, but the gang were helping themselves to an eclectic range of accessories. One suspect, wearing a tank top and multicolour tights (in retrospect, perhaps he wanted to get caught), was seen shoving the following items into his handbag, according to the Sentinel: "Five packs of black feathers, two packs of red feathers, two packs of red lace gloves, two packs of black lace gloves, eyelashes, five bra pads, five butt pads, five gel inserts as well as three handbags, two boas, three pair of costume glasses and 10 bandanas." How big was his handbag? Quite apart from all the feathers and padding, he managed to put three other handbags in it.

Three men have now been charged. On the one hand the Florida drag-queen community's loss is the Florida sequin trade's gain. On the other hand, it's sad that whatever extravaganza the gang was attempting to kit out for free will now have to make do with a less fabulous wardrobe.

Friends have commented on my new slimmer look well it’s not easy to maintain but to be a Trans supermodel is even more demanding

Dude looks like a lady supermodel and is forced to eat like one too!

Andrej Pejic, a Serbian male model who has soared to supermodel status by strutting his stuff in women’s clothes on international catwalks, has admitted that it is not very easy to maintain his wispish figure.

“Let’s be honest,” the beyond stick-thin 6’2” beauty dished to British Grazia magazine. “You can’t eat much if you want to do this.”

Pejic, who has modelled for everyone from Jeremy Scott to John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier, admits that competing with the top female models has forced him to follow an extremely low calorie diet and engage in intense cardio workouts.

“To do women’s wear I have to be disciplined.  My waist has gone from 29 to 25 inches, my hips are 35 inches,” he says.

But don’t ask about his sexuality; the 20-year-old has never talked about his orientation, or admitted to being gay or straight, nor has he ever identified himself as a woman. He has, however, been dressing up in women’s clothes since his teens.

He recently told New York Magazine about his younger years growing up: “When I started experimenting, it was to make myself feel happy, to look in the mirror and be satisfied. I never did drag or anything like that. It was always that I wanted to be pretty, to look beautiful, as a girl would want to.”

Not everyone has been accepting of Pejic’s androgynous persona. Dossier Journal reported that Barnes & Noble informed them that they were going to censor the cover of their magazine, which featured the shirtless model, because of the possibility that it could be interpreted as a young, naked female.

Makeup and makeovers there are quite a few stores including Boots and Harvey Nichols in Leeds who will help with the above and photography studios like GLOW on briggate who will include a photo-shoot but what are the basic rules for make up?

There are many women who do not know how to properly apply makeup. The main reason for this is poor colour choice. Many women choose a foundation that does not match their skin tone. If you apply the wrong colour, your face will be much lighter or much darker than your natural skin tone. It is very noticeable and very unattractive. Here are a few easy tips to get you on your way to successfully applying makeup.

 Makeup Basics

Cleanse Your Face

Cleanse and moisturize your face before applying makeup, so you can wash away any excess oils and dirt. Apply a generous amount of cleanser. Wait about ten to fifteen minutes and then rinse your face in warm water. Then pat your face dry with a towel. Next, apply a moisturizer with sunscreen. You will notice that it is now easier to apply the foundation because your skin will be more likely to accept it.

Apply Concealer and Foundation

Choose a concealer that is a shade lighter than your foundation. Pour a generous amount of concealer on your fingertips. Then, smooth it on your face using either your fingertips or a makeup sponge. Make sure that you cover any dark circles and blemishes.

Unlike concealer, your foundation must perfectly match your skin tone. Dab the foundation on your fingertips and apply it in dots to the centre of your face. Then, blend it with a makeup sponge to cover your entire face. Powder is great for keeping concealer and foundation on longer. You should always keep a pressed or loose powder with you, whether it is in your purse, car, or office desk. You can touch up your face with powder during the day or while you’re enjoying the night life.

Apply Blush and Lipstick

Before you place the powder on your face, apply blush. For best results, use a mirror and smile. When you smile, you can see exactly where to apply the blush, on your “apples.” These are the upper parts of your cheeks. Place the blush on a brush and dust off any excess blush. Then, lightly brush the blush on your “apples.”

You should moisturize your lips, so you can apply the lipstick smoothly. Apply lip liner to your lips. The liner serves as a guide, so you will know what boundaries not to cross when putting on your lipstick. Now, you are ready to apply the lipstick to your lips. A neat trick is to run your finger across the centre of your lips to get rid of excess lipstick that may get on your teeth.

Apply Eye Makeup

Eye makeup should be applied last because you will naturally use less makeup for your eyes. You can apply either a pencil or shadow to your eyebrows. For a more natural look, apply eyebrow shadow with a slanted, hard brush.

For eye shadow application, choose three shades of colour. You need a light, medium, and dark colour to add more definition to your eyes. Place the light shadow under your eyebrows. Then, place the medium shadow in the crease of your eyelids, and line your upper eyelids with the dark shadow. Next, line the upper and bottom eyelids with eye liner.

Finally, apply volumizing mascara to your upper and lower eyelashes. These easy steps should get you on your way to applying makeup successfully

Hoping the above may be of assistance to more than just the Trans community

Hugs and kisses

Susan Platt