My CD Journey (Part 8) - Complete CD Transformation [Make-up is a MUST]

Sorry for the slow update... Have not been updating my blog these days as I had decided to take a few days off writing due to my busy schedule. Usually, I will find small pockets of time especially early morning when I wake up early and my wife is still asleep to update my blog. Continuing from where I left off in my previous post, I was looking at various ways to upgrade my storage space so as to make it conducive for me to crossdress. I was thinking of venturing into makeup as I saw some of the CDs in SammyBoyForum, FaceBook and InstaGram and they looked so pretty and complete in their female clothing together with the makeup.

During this period of time, I was chatting up with another CD on FB and she was encouraging me to take the stride forward and try on makeup. I was quite hesitate about it initially as I got no experience with makeup, and with zero knowledge, trying out something different was quite daunting for me... But after much deliberation and planning, I decided to take the step forward. Just earlier this year, this was some time before the Circuit Breaker period (technically it was a lockdown in Singapore context), I decided to book a hotel room and wanted to do a full crossdressing session.

Early that morning, I headed out to get some cosmetics from Watsons and drove to my secret lair to pick up some costumes for the crossdressing session. Prior to this, I was watching YouTube videos to pick up the basic fundamental on makeup and did online research on what to get for make up. Hence, for a start, I gotten some foundation (in powder form), eye shadow, lipstick and of course, make up removal stuff. Feeling excited, I proceed on with my plan and went to the hotel with two luggage of my CD stuff that I gotten from my secret lair, a plastic bag of cosmetics and also some simple photography items for a photoshoot.

After checking into hotel, I tried finding the best place to position my tripod for my photoshoot, then I got myself ready for my crossdressing session. I went for a quick shower and shaved my face off any unwanted facial hair around the lips, chin and sideburn areas. After that, I began to do my makeup try based on what I remembered from YouTube. I sat myself on the hotel room's study table and used the mirror while I put on powder foundation on my face. After that, I tried on eye shadow and lipstick. In the midst of rouging, I felt so feminine and sexy, I have to admit, the process of doing makeup was quite arousing as I saw myself transform from a dude to a lady-like person. It was not perfect but I was thrilled and excited with the result of the make-up session. 

I put on my wig and donned on some lingerie and hosiery followed by the costumes... I was quite turned on by myself (Francesca) I have to admit. That is how Francesca wants to feel, feminine, glamourous, lady-like and sexy, I simply loved this feeling... A desire inside me wanted me to go further with the make-up session, to really doll up my face and be complete. So I looked online for more information about make-up, then I realised that I forgotten about the primer, blusher and eye-liner. Registering that, I had to clean up my make-up and change back to my guy mode to head out to buy those items I needed. So I drove from the hotel to a supermarket that I was familiar with and get those items. As mentioned earlier, the way I avoided that awkward feeling was to pretend that I was getting these items for my wife...

Anyway, after getting the items, I rush back to the hotel for another session of make-up as I was so hooked to that sensual feeling of dolling up. I cannot contain that excitement knowing that make-up does wonder by transforming me from a middle aged guy into a lady, I felt I was one step closer in fully release Francesca out, a full transformation. Doing make-up felt like giving an artist a big piece of canvas and you can style or paint in whatever style you wanted just to achieve aesthetics masterpiece on the face. 

With the first experience, I was quite fast with the foundation and eye shadow part. As for the eye liner, that took me an awfully long time as it was my first time and I was quite afraid of having something around my eye. My first eyeliner experience was a disaster... I had to keep cleaning my eyes area, then put back the foundation and eye shadow again. It was taking a grueling time to get it right, so I decided to try and live with the messy eyeliner. After that, I put on my blusher and lipstick to complete the make-up. At the end of it, looking at the mirror... I was completely dazzled by what I saw. I have to admit that I am not slim or pretty face but the make-up really changed me to a completely different person... I simply love what I saw... I continued with my CD session with my usual lingerie and hosiery and put on a few costumes and put on my satin gloves and the pumps.

I was parading inside the hotel room, enjoying the CD session without any disruption or fear. I was in love with this feeling and sensation... The transformation of Francesca was now complete... I used this opportunity to capture a few shots of myself in different costumes that I gotten from TaoBao, just to share one below.

After that hotel CD session, I had to pack up all my items and put them all into my secret lair and resume back to my normal life. However, after that CD experience, I was so hooked to the feeling of make-up and do a complete transformation, I was really looking into ways and means to convert my secret lair into a conducive place for me to crossdress... So began my searching and planning...

Portrait of a Lady - Part 4 (Skirt)

This is part four of "Portrait of a Lady", I am going to talk about skirts. Skirts are garments fastened around the waist and hanging down around the legs, worn by women and girls. They come in various lengths and designs. It is the lower part of a dress/gown or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. 

The history of skirts can be traced back to prehistorical times when cavemen of both gender worn straw-woven skirt or animal skins to cover up their private areas. As time progresses and human started to get civilised, each culture, both Western and Eastern developed their own style. From the skirt of the Hanfu worn around Han dynasty from the East, to the hoop skirts worn during Victorian times from the West, skirts are generally worn to cover most parts of the legs as a form of modesty, which is what a lady must always do. 

Fast forwarding to modern times, skirts design started a dramatic change, the length of skirts begun to become shorter. However, the hemline of skirts can vary from micro to floor-length and can vary according to cultural conceptions of modesty and aesthetics as well as the wearer's personal taste, which can be influenced by such factors as fashion and social context. Most skirts are self-standing garments, but some skirt-looking panels may be part of another garment such as leggings, shorts, and swimsuits. The design of modern skirts vary as can be seen from the pictorial descriptors below.

In modern context, skirts are popularly worn by the fairer gender but as mentioned above, skirts were worn by both male and female since ancient times. Skirts are still worn by men and women from many cultures, such as the lungi, lehnga, kanga and sarong worn in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and the kilt worn in Scotland and Ireland. However, the stigma of modern people viewed skirts must be worn by female and this puts any male who donned on skirts as crossdresser or weird. However, in a recent post, a 61 years old straight and married man was challenging gender norms and wears skirts to work every day. That is a good start for the CD community.

Back to the topic of skirts and how it can accentuate the charm of a lady. A lady should wear skirts that are modest yet alluring at the same time. Typically, skirts that are long, covering up to the ankle, can be viewed as conservative while skirts that are more than 6 inches (or 15 centimeter) above knee cap (while standing) can be viewed as slutty or unprofessional. In my view, a lady's skirt length should be around knee cap length, exposing the shin and should not be too high as the skirt will ride up when she sits down. A skirt with the hemline that is around 6 inches above the knee cap (measured while standing up) will ride up around 2 inches, so after sitting down, around 8 inches of your thigh that is above the knee cap will be exposed. That, in my opinion, should be the maximum among of "flesh" that a lady can expose to maintain decency and modesty. You can check out this poll on how short is too short for a skirt. 

The reason the skirt rides up is because it is too tight. Any piece of clothing that is too tight will ride up or move to a smaller part of the body to accommodate less tension and strain on the fabric. However, skirts should be worn fitting enough to highlight the slim waistline and gorgeous hips in order to showcase the feminine and appealing side of a lady. A pencil skirt of around knee cap to slight above knee cap will be the ideal design and length for a lady, a mini skirt is still permissible as long as it still in moderation. Tie that skirt in with a satin white blouse on the top, and a nice pair of matching stockings or pantyhose and a suitable pumps or stilettos, you got the looks to knock any man off their feet with this feminine yet professional looks. 

The photos below show the various skirt length and how the differing length brings out the character and charm of the lady especially when the skirt hemline becomes shorter, it adds that element of tease yet add that flavour of reserve and modest. The type of footwear to go with the skirt is also plays an important role to accent the beauty of the lady. 

While the skirts cover enough of the thigh, the footwear helps to focus on the calf and ankle. The looks will be perfected if the lady wear some nude pantyhose which leave the men wondering if the lady is covering up her legs. It is such a captivating sight... As a lady, always wear a skirt that is fitting to the waist and hip, it should hug and cover her lower half of the body nicely. The length of the skirt should cover a good portion of the thigh and long enough to cater for ride up when she sits down, around the knee length or slightly above is ideal. Hence, pencil skirts will be the best. Of course, in order to maintain her elegance and modesty while wearing the skirt, a lady must always put on a nice pair of pantyhose. The pantyhose should be simple design and solid colour, nothing too fanciful in order to showcase her maturity and beauty. Now, to complete the looks, the pantyhose feet should be wearing a nice matching pair of covered heels, it can be patent or matt finish, does not matter. And with that, it can definitely can help to bring out the lady in you. 😉

For further reading about skirts, you can check out this post "Let's Over-Analyze Skirts!" as it bears interesting insights about skirts. Enjoy. 😃

My CD Journey (Part 7) - Storage Woes [Secret Lair Project]

Finally got time to work on this post after so long. I thought of ending off my CD Journey with only 6 parts. Ended up, my previous posting was getting a bit long, so I decided to split it up. As I am typing this post, more and more ideas gathered and I might have to extend to a Part 8 or 9, not sure about that. In case anyone wonder if these are just made up stories. The answer is NO. These are my life stories and they are as true as it gets. I might have gotten some details or timeline slightly wrong or omit a bit of details here and there to protect my privacy as I prefer to stay as a closet CD, but these are true accounts of my life. The experience shared in my latest posts are more recent happenings, that is why I tend to share more details. The situation is ever changing, we never know what to expect... Anyway, back to my CD journey story...  

In my last post, I talked about the rebirth of Francesca after my purge and how I managed to CD after my marriage. At that point in time, when I was crossdressing, I simply donned on those feminine garments and took some photos and admiring myself. However, all my photos are without my head portion even though in some instances I did put on a wig, in some cases, I was wearing a scarf to cover my face. The reason was quite simple (besides the point that I wish to remain as a closet CD), it was because I did not put on any makeup. I got zero knowledge about putting on cosmetics but I do love those scenes when a woman put on her lipstick. I would say that is one of the most feminine moment of a lady.

During this stage of my CD journey, I had to find pockets of time either when my wife was having a night's out with her friends or staying over at her parents place then I could dress up. Hence, I did not have time to don on makeup and dress up at the same time as it will take time to put on the cosmetics and then clean it off later. Even when my wife went for her stayover, where I had ample time to makeup and dress up, I still did not venture into the realm of powdering up due to a few reasons. Firstly, having no knowledge about dolling up one's face is quite daunting for me to get started. Secondly, it is easier for me to store feminine clothing than cosmetics as I can simply claimed that the garments belonged to my ex-gfs and I forgot to dispose them away if anyone ever ask. But for cosmetics, it might look kind of strange... Anyway, more of my cosmetics journey in my next post.

I continued to find small pockets of time to dress up until almost the end of last year, my wife got a new job and was getting much busier. So she stopped having stayovers at her parents' place and had fewer meetups with her friends... On top of that, I desired to expand to my CD collection but was met with a space constraint issue as all those places where I could stash my CD stuff secretly were getting filled at an alarming rate. Time for me to think of a solution...

Just then, the idea of getting a storage locker came to mind. Well, I keep a lot of stuff in my house as I collect things like books, bicycle, electronics equipment, sound systems and etc. I am pretty much a collector and hoarder, so my house was good enough for me alone. However, after getting married, the house has to cater for the stuffs of two adults and coupled with my "cannot be told" hobby, I really needed more space. A quick and fast solution was to get a storage locker. Initially, I thought that all the storage space offered was just a locker size that can barely fit a human. It was only after some research, I realised that some of the storage space can be as big as a small bedroom. This gave me an idea for my "secret lair" project. The idea for a secret lair was also hatched after seeing most the CDs on my FB account had their own space to dress up. Hence, I did my investigation and decided to settle for a 25 square feet storage locker with a height of around 2.7m high, and develop it as my secret hideout to crossdress.  

After I gotten the access to my storage space, I went on a shopping spree for furniture and such to make the storage bay a conducive space for me to CD. I went to IKEA and Giant to get a foldable chair, some wooden flooring decks, some hangers and a clothes rack to set up the area. After getting ready the necessary stuff, I went on to get two big luggage, which came with a free cabinet size luggage each. I waited for the chance when I managed to leave my work early and my wife was working late, then I rushed back to load all my CD stash into the four pieces of luggage and transported it to my secret hideout. You can see my simple setup for my CD lair below.  

Now with a space to keep my CD items and for me to dress up in peace, I began my shopping splurge across the various shopping apps such as TaoBao and AliExpress... In fact, having a proper storage space without the fear of been discovered by my wife, I started to venture into breast forms in hope to make me more feminine during dress up. I will talk about breast form in another post some other time. I gotten a lot more items such as military uniforms and Chun Li costume, hosiery and lingerie as you can be seen from the boxes in the photos above.

While it is good to have a proper storage space and a potential hideout for me to dress up, the downside of my storage hub was that there is no air con in the facility and I need to figure out how to "lock" myself inside the room in order to have some privacy while dressing up, it was not easy. You see, storage locker is to be locked from outside, there is no way of locking from inside and the doors can swing open easily when it was not bolted from the outside. Hence, you can see the conundrum here. However, after much testing and trying, I finally figure out a way to close the locked doors from the inside and get myself locked in my storage locker in order to enjoy some peace and quiet while dressing up, without the fear of been discovered. While that only took care of one problem, it still can be quite warm to dress up in my locker as the facility only has fans installed in certain areas and there is no power source inside the cubicle, so getting an electrical fan is out of the question. On top of that, the fans and lights are triggered by motion sensors. So, if there is no movement detected after a certain amount of time, the electricity will be cut off and the space can be quite dark and stuffy... 

My initial plan for my secret lair was quite magnificent and practical. I was planning to get one of those USB powered mini air cooling unit, USB LED light and some power bank, so that it can provide light and cool me down as I dressed up. I was even planning to get a mini foldable table and a mirror as I was planning to try on rouging...

Getting your Female Outfit in Singapore - Part 2 (Online)

Originally, I wanted to consolidate my recommendations for physical shops and online stores on a single post but it was getting too wordy, so I decided to split it into two postings instead so that it is easier for my readers. In addition, when I was typing, I realised that I got more information and personal observations to share to help fellow CDs. Hopefully they can share their insights with me too. 😊

In my last post, I shared about purchasing from physical shops in Singapore. The pros of this is definitely no waiting time involved, no shipping cost incurred and what you see is what you will get. The cons are running the risks of people seeing you as perverts or giving you that curious or awkward looks when you shop in guy's mode.

As for online shopping, it is the in-thing now. With so many sales and offers per year such as 11.11, 12.12, so on and so forth. There are also coupons and discounts up for grab with perks such as free shipping or 1 for 1. Online shopping also reduces the risk of getting weird stares from others when they see a guy shopping for ladies items. Most of all, it opens the possibilities of getting all sorts of items from all over the world all at your palm of your hands if you are using a mobile phone. The downside is mainly getting items that does not suit your size or the fabric quality is not what you wanted and of course, what you see online always looks better but when you get the items, it is nothing like the pictures. I guess that is the chance we have to weigh and take...  

There is not much trick to online shopping except to know your dimensions such as your height and 3 vital statistics when buying any female clothing and also the necessary conversion of length and weight in some cases. There is also a conundrum that CDs faced when buying stuff online is the receiving part. Some CDs may worried about family members questioning about the content of those packages and boxes delivered to the house. Some of the packages include labels with the description of items that will arouse suspicion. Here is my advice. So far, based on what I know, only TaoBao has this option for 官方集运 – 空运 (Consolidated Air Freight) and you can select the option of sending it to a locker for self collection. You can refer to a guide here. Self collection lockers are like POPStation or BluPort and there is a size limit to the items delivered. I learned this the hard way as I ordered a make-up trolley box and I chose the self collection option. The delivery took almost 3 weeks as SpeedPost did not bother to call and inform me that my parcel was too big to fit into the self-collection locker.

For delivery, air freight usually takes about a week or so to arrive but it is usually more expensive. As for normal sea freight shipping, it is usually cheaper and it takes around three weeks or so to arrive, and there is no option for self collection but will only deliver to your doorstep. So for those who do not want your family members to know about what you have been buying, you may consider finding a fellow CD who got more freedom and have the shipment sent to her house instead. Just my suggestion, I am open to hear more ideas on how to receive overseas package without rousing questions... Anyway, just sharing my opinions and experience with some of these online shopping or shopping apps below.    

Online Shops or Shopping Apps

When it comes to online shopping, I started pretty early with Costorm where I bought a flight stewardess uniform for my first ex-gf. Then of course, I also purchased satin opera gloves and Hooters uniform through eBay. However, with advancement in technology and birth of e-commerce, I advanced to buying from online stores such as Suddenly Fem and Sonata Dancewear. However, ever since my previous purge, I totally shut myself off from online stores and such. Even when TaoBao and Aliexpress came into existence, I was not catching onto the bandwagon yet. I just took a backseat and not moved by it until I stumbled upon WISH app...

So I must say, I am not an expert on TaoBao or shopping apps but I am learning, catching up and managing how not to let my better half knows about my CD hobby... Anyway, just to share some observations and tips from my 1 year plus of online purchases experience...

TaoBao (https://world.taobao.com/)

- As we know, TaoBao is mainly in China and they offer a wide range of items that is literally a heaven for CDs. However, the language is the main barrier that put people with poor command of Chinese off... However, you can use the cheatsheet below to help you to understand the description of the item. 

Just a note for TaoBao items, if you are buying female clothing but you are slightly on the stout side like me, it can be quite a problem as the clothing range suits Chinese ladies who are quite small and petite size. So the trick is to look for 大码 (big size) in your search. Alternative, you can look for 伪娘 (crossdresser) and they should have sizes that suits CDs.

Aliexpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/)

- Aliexpress is a  subsidiary of AliBaba. The biggest difference between AliExpress and Taobao is that Taobao is a B2C platform specifically catering to Chinese manufacturers. On the other hand, AliExpress is made for the international market. It also has a wider variety in comparison with Taobao.

Aliexpress usually have the same items as TaoBao but you can find items that are bigger size here. However, in terms of pricing, it is more expensive... Usually, if I find something interesting on Aliexpress, I will usually try to find it on TaoBao as it is cheaper.

WISH (https://www.wish.com/?hide_login_modal=true)

- A lot of WISH merchandise that are available through the app comes from China and other overseas distributors such as Indonesia or Vietnam. These products are usually smaller items which are cheaper to ship. However, the shipping is quite slow and takes around two to four weeks. I started with WISH but the items tend to get a bit boring as compared to TaoBao or Aliexpress. One more thing, do not be fooled by the cheap price offer as the shipping can end up quite expensive...

Lazada (https://www.lazada.sg/), Shopee (https://shopee.sg/) and Qoo10 (https://www.qoo10.sg/)

- I decided to lump these three shopping apps together. I used mainly Lazada and Shopee for TYR Swimwear or other items as they frequently have discount for some of these brands. Never really used Qoo10 before though. Lazada and Shopee sell items from local and overseas market, so some of the shipment are quite fast as the suppliers are located locally.

Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/)

- Amazon is US based and most of their items are from US suppliers, so the sizes offered tend to be bigger than those offered on TaoBao. The prices of items from Amazon are on the high side but what they offered are more unique and suitable for the Western world. The problem with Amazon is that there are some items that they do not offer to Asia or Singapore, so the best way out is to get a freight storage and forwarding company based in US to consolidate your purchases and forward it over. I will share more details later. 

eBay (https://www.ebay.com/) and Carousell (https://www.carousell.sg/)

- I decided to combine these two marketplace websites together. As we know, eBay is an international marketplace while Carousell is mainly for Singapore market. I used to get a lot of satin opera gloves from an eBay seller angelsbridal because of the texture and quality. But I have to admit that it is a bit on the high side but I still cannot find a China supplier that can match the quality of opera gloves provided by angelsbridal. The main thing about buying from eBay is the extravagant shipping cost but I figure out that you can save some money by using a freight storage and forward company based in US to tap on the cheap local delivery cost. As for Carousell, I did a lot of buy and sell of other items but I never really tried getting my CDs products or items using this platform. For marketplace websites, do not have the impression that they only sell 2nd hand stuff. They do offer brand new products. Do check out the description and communicate with the seller for more information. 

Buyandship (https://www.buyandship.com.sg/)

- Buyandship is a global shipping service that can help to send overseas goods to Singapore with ease. I gotten a new set of Hooters uniform from Amazon and the supplier from US, does not ship to Singapore. However, I signed up for Buyandship and managed to get a US address where I put that as my shipping address. The supplier just send it to that address and my items was forwarded from US to Hong Kong and sent to Singapore. I just need to pay for the freight forwarding cost. Quite easy to use and they have a few warehouses that spread across United State, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, Thailand, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia.

Sonata Dancewear (https://www.sonatadancewear.com/)

- Sonata Dancewear has always been my favourite when it comes to ballet leotards and tights. You can place your order for what you want and pay through Paypal. A pity that more of their recent releases do not have XL or XXL size. Hence I am turning to TaoBao instead. However, do visit them as their products are of good quality. 

Corset Story (https://corsets-uk.com/)

- Corset Story is based in UK and was recommended by another CD who I know through SBF. Love the recommendation from her as these corsets are steel bones and really help to tighten the waist. It can reduce anything from one to three inches. They have good offers and range of corsets. They also carry garter belts and stockings collection. Do check out their 4 for 1 promotion. 

D' Corselet (https://www.dcorselet.com.sg/)

- D'corselet is also another online shop selling corset but this is based in Singapore. Their quality of corsets is also acceptable and they also carry a good range overbust and underbust corsets too. They do have physical shop but it is more like a pop-up store idea where they will rent a shop (usually around Far East Plaza) for a period of time before wrapping up after the lease is up. Do check out their website or Facebook to see where is their next pop-up store. 

These are the list of online stores and shopping apps that I used and had purchased some of my items from them before. Do free feel to share what are your favourite stores with me. Cheers. 😃

Getting your Female Outfit in Singapore - Part 1 (Bricks and mortar shops)

I will be using this and next posts to share tips about where to get your CD items such as make-ups and female garments such as shapewears or tights and so on around Singapore. Of course getting online will be the easiest but there are always a lead time or wait time involved and what you see online may not be always what you expect to get in the end. I will share my experience about online shopping also, covering topics such as how to receive online purchases without people suspecting; you can use this as a tip for your next purchase. 

Do note that the brick and mortar shops that I will be sharing are just normal shops and may not be totally CD friendly but I will share my tips how not to act too suspiciously. For a start, when I get those girly or feminine intimate wears, I am still in my guy mode, just to set the context and record straight. Of course there will be no trying on or testing even though I visited the physical shops, but at least you just get the item, pay and leave immediately. 

Sizing and Measurements

For a start, I guess I did a lot of trial and error to get the sizing correct, I got some purchases that ended too small, so I either give it to other CDs or just throw it away. I know it is wasteful but it is quite hard to dispose those items that do not fit. I am open to suggestions on how handle all those wrong and impulse purchases that cannot fit onto me.

Anyway, here are some advices on getting the right size before we get started on buying.

1. Get to know your height and weight in guy's mode. Record them in meters and kilograms. 

2. Get one of those mini retractable flexible measuring tape handy.

3. Depending if you are going to wear a breast form and also a fake vagina bottom panties. If you are wearing those, put them on before doing the measurement. If not, you can measure them while in guy's mode. 

4. There are a few critical dimensions that you need to know. 

• Chest [If you are wearing a breast form, then you need to know the underbust (aka upper rib cage just under the nipple) and bust.
• Waist
• Hip
• Shoulder
• Neck
• Arm Length
• Length and Width of Feet [If you are getting shoes or heels.]

A guide of where to measure is as below. I will usually record them in centimeters. For the heels or shoes size, there are variations. The chart shown here is for China (CN) shoe size which is different from US, UK and Europe. So do make a note for that. I will probably do a more detailed version on how to take body measurement next time. 

5. In case you are getting garments from Chinese websites or apps such as TaoBao. Some time, they have different dress sizes based on recommended weights but the weight is in Catty also known as Jin (斤). So in order to get from Kg to Catty, simply multiply your weight in kg by 2. That is just a recommendation, I prefer to go by actual length measurement. 

6. For length measurement, some time, they are measured in 丈 or 尺 or 寸. This can get a bit complicated because the Chinese, the Imperial Units and the International System of Units are all different. Let us not get too technical here but for a quick summary, 1 Chinese Ruler (尺) is around 33.3cm and 1 Chinese Inch is around 3.33cm. So you can do your own conversion, but it may be better to seek clarification from the supplier.

After you know your sizes, keep those information handy in case you need them. 

Bricks and Mortar Shops

Some bricks and mortar shops that I am recommending are more or less those that I gotten my stuffs there before. I got to know most of them from SGButterfly where CDs shared where they gotten their stuff. The question you may ask, how not to feel awkward when shopping especially for those intimate wears especially while in guy's mode. The trick is... imagine that you are buying for your spouse or girlfriend for a special occasion and you wanted to surprise her. Sounds easy but when it comes to the crunch, guys around my generation will feel a stigma that it is embarrassing to buy bra or panties for their wives or girlfriends, some will feel uncomfortable and will panic or stammer when talking to the salesgirl. Some CDs buy their female clothing while they are in their Crossdresser personas. This will be good for someone who is passable (I am far from passable as a CD, that is why I prefer to remind as closet.) but when we talked to the sales ladies or counter staff, our voices will betray us... That is my opinion and reason why I prefer to do my shopping while in guy's mode. 

I use the following steps while doing my shopping.

1.  Psych yourself (regardless are you married or single) that you are getting something for your girlfriend or wife (not your sister or mother please, it will sound weird...)
2. Have a readily available backstory at hand and rehearse that story in your mind. 
3. Shop during the time when there are very few or no people at the shop.
4. Have the dimensions that you measured on hand. If not, simply say that your girlfriend or wife is around the same size as you... (This is quite true as some couples tend to be around the same size)
5. Shop at various shops a few more times, practice, practice and practice. I guarantee you that your skin will be thicker and you will be bolder next few time. 

I used the above steps even before the COVID-19 time where wearing of face mask looks like a sore thumb sticking out, so I was shopping for those lingerie with my bare face as a guy, imagine that. If I can do it, I believe you can too. Now with COVID-19, wearing face mask is mandatory, so it is even easier for you to shop for women's clothing. 

Without further ado, these are my list of shops recommendation... The opening hours as shared are correct as of time of posting due to COVID-19 Phase 2 safety restriction. I will update this post whenever I can if I ever come across any interesting shops where I get my CDs stuff.  

Garments and Lingerie

Mustafa Centre (145 Syed Alwi Rd, Singapore 207704)

- I got my shaping bodysuit, half slips, Triumph panty and large size brassier from the ladies section there, which is located at Level B1. Most of the items are like those old brands such as Beauty and so on. They are put on the shelves so it is easy for you to pick what you want except for Triumph items where a sales lady is in charge. I simply do not care about how the sales ladies viewed me, I just pretended that I am getting intimate wears for my wife... 

Before COVID-19 period, Mustafa was operating 24 hours, so it was easy for me to shop in the middle of the night when the volume of shoppers are significantly fewer. However, with the current pandemic and so many Safety Measurement in place, the opening hours is up till 11:30pm as in the time of this posting...

Sara & Pat (Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Rd, #01-52, Singapore 228213)

- I got quite a few items here, mainly pantyhose and gridles. They also sell Nu-bra here even though I never get it from them before. The shop keeper changes from time to time. Some are super friendly, some will give those looks...  They have membership plan where if you accumulate $100 worth of receipts from the shop within a period of 4 months, you will be offered free membership. I think their operating hours is 10am - 9:30pm daily.

On a side note, there are a lot of shops in Far East Plaza selling women's stuff. Did not really check them out as they do not have anything that caught my eyes or at least I know that what they have cannot fit me, but do feel free to check them out.. 

Talismans (Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Rd, #03-139, Singapore 228213)

- I got my Zocks tights, fishnet pantyhose and satin opera gloves here. Quite a lot of ladies items here such as feather boa and so on. Quite tempting. Some of the items can be found in Sara & Pat also. The shop keepers are quite lukewarm to me. I usually just pick what I need, pay and leave. I think their operating hours is 12pm - 10:30pm daily. One more thing, they charge for their plastics bags, so try to have your own shopping bag or put your merchandise in your backpack after paying. 

Takashimaya (391A Orchard Rd, Singapore 238873) and other Department Stores in Singapore

- I got my some of my pantyhose from Takashimaya here. They used to carry quite a lot of brands of pantyhose when the hosiery section was located within the lingerie section. Now, the hosiery section has moved to the shoes section and the variety of brands that they carried dropped significantly. However, if you are looking for some Japanese brands or sheer ivory pantyhose, you can find it here. The counter staff may ask if you need help, I will usually just say that my wife asked me to help pick something up. Their opening hours is 11am - 8pm daily. 

Just to divert a little bit, I think a lot of department stores these days do not carry hosiery anymore or at least the variety selection is miserable... Metro used to carry a good range of hosiery in the past, now I can hardly find them...Have not really check out OG yet but it is usually crowded...

Sonata Dancewear (107 North Bridge Road, #02-25, Funan, Singapore 179105) and Costumes Connection (390, Victoria Street, #03-21 Golden Landmark. Singapore 188061)

- I got my leotards and ballet tights from these two shops. However, ever since Sonata Dancewear consolidates all of its other outlets into a main store at Funan, it has become quite hard to shop for leotards openly. I used to patronize their Orchard Central outlet as it was more deserted. Now, I got my leotards mainly online (will share the link later).

As for ballet tights, I always get them from Costume Connection. Simply just tell the store keeper that what you are looking for. Payment mainly in cash or NETS only.

Adult Toys Shops

- Adult toys shops sell quite a lot of costumes, body stockings and hosiery. If you are looking for costumes that are more erotic or sensual. You may want to check it out. I gotten a pair of garter belt and stockings here. The reason is, garter belts are not easy to find in physical shops around Singapore. The garter belt that adult toys shops carry are those lacy types...

Make-up and Accessories

Daiso Stores around Singapore

- Daiso carry quite a lot of stuff but they do not really carry garments. Nonetheless, they do offer cheap yet good fake eyelashes or other female make-up items like fake transparent plastics nails, eye shadows and so on. Just try to either go early when the shop is not so crowded or go to those Daiso that are quite quiet with low customers volume. I will usually slip some of these make-up items with my other purchases like Nissin noodles or some other stuff to avoid suspicion.  

NTUC, Watsons and Guardian

- My favourite range of stores when it comes to make-up items and accessories. Some of the NTUC has self-checkout counter, that really makes my buying of cosmetics easier. NTUC Fairprice Finest at Waterway Point has a good range of cosmetics on display and it is 24 hours. However, the self-checkout counter is only available after 7:30am or so... Next is Watsons and Guardian. I really love their range of make-ups and how they are displayed on the shelves. I just pretend to look at my phone while looking at those cosmetics, pretending that my wife had given me a shopping list to pick up some make-up for her.

These are my list of recommended bricks and mortar shops on where to get your CDs items. Next, I will talk about the new trend, online shopping and shopping apps in my next post.