My CD Journey (Part 16) - My first visit to a CD Friendly Studio

If you have been following my previous blog posts, I have been doing some major upgrade on myself. I started off with the removal of my skin tags, trying putting on contacts and going for hair removal. I was doing all these in preparation for something rather major. I am visiting a CD friendly studio overseas (just across the causeway). So this blog post will be about my visit to the CD friendly studio, the preparation beforehand, the experience at the studio and the post visit reflection… so this is going to be a long blog post and I do apologise in advance…

The thought of visiting this studio, Miss Y Studio, started by a few photos posted by a FB friend called Micky. From the photos, I can see that Micky got to try on various ladies outfit and most of all, wedding gowns. What captivate me was that the studio offers quite a few packages that are quite interesting. They have something like “A Day Girl’s Life First Experience”, “Pseudo-Girl Shopping Experience” and “Pseudo-Girl Personal Bridal Photo Package” and so on.

After a few FB messenger messages and enquiries with Joyce (Miss Y Studio owner), I decided to try out their “A Day Girl’s Life First Experience”. Well, why I choose this package is because it offers the experience of menstrual period and wearing of sanitary pad (sounds really feminine), learning of body manners of females and trying on of women’s clothing and wedding gowns on so on. I have to admit, I think my mannerism are nowhere close to been female and somehow I feel that this package can offer what I was looking for… To feel like a girl. And so, this started my chain of events for the past few weeks where I started all the revamping of myself for this upcoming visit.

The trip to Malacca was quite an adventure for me as I was heading up there alone. Well, the truth is, I am not a big fan of traveling up to Malaysia because of the jam and of course, security issue. The number of times I went into Malaysia can be counted with 2 hands and the last time I went up was almost like 12 years ago, and with some friends… So heading up there alone and visiting Malacca, a place I never visited before, does sound crazy and scary for me… However, to visit a CD friendly studio was something that I never tried before but it is something that I really wanted to do… So I just pressed on with my decision… “Applying leave” from my wife side was not easy, I have to lie about heading up to Malacca with some friends and taking it as guys’ trip for food and fun… (PS: I do feel bad but I take it as a white lie…). Instead of driving up, I decided to book a coach ticket instead to save all the unnecessary trouble and danger of unfamiliar roads in Malaysia and it is cheaper too. So here begin my 3 Days 2 Nights CD Adventure Journey… 

Day 1

The coach service that I booked has drop off at three hotels in Melaka and that makes it so much easier. I chose the drop off at The Straits Hotel and Suites and stayed there. The Straits Hotel and Suites is now under the care of Noble Resort Hotel Melaka, so for those who are considering of visiting, can use this hotel also. The whole journey to Malacca started at 7:15am and by the time I reached my hotel… It was about 3:45pm. It took me like 8½ hours on the coach, all thanks to the school holiday jams… For the first day, nothing much to do except to rest and also explore around Jonker Walk area and Melaka river. Before the night ended, Joyce messaged me about what we will be doing tomorrow. As I took “A Day Girl’s Life First Experience” package, she asked what I most look forward to in the package. I told her that this was more like a try out experience for me and I wanted to be more girl-like in my mannerism and to really experience how it is to be a girl.

Day 2

Now for the actual day, I woke up early and packed my stuff. I got a big bag of CD clothing that I wished to pass to Joyce as I doubt any of the local SG CDs will want it (a convertible wedding gown, a purple gown, two cheongsam and a black dress, I will talk about this in my next blog post on Purging) and also two pairs of satin gloves. More about the gloves later. The fact is, Joyce told me no need to bring anything and that is the truth because the studio have a range of clothing. However, if you got some woman clothes that you like to wear, you can bring along. 

Anyway, from my hotel to the studio is not as easy as getting to Jonker Street where you can walk. You need a taxi to get there as it is around 10 to 12km away (based on Google map) and 18 to 20 mins by car. Thankful, with technology such as Grab, travelling to the studio is a breeze. I just need to input the address of the studio and wait for my GrabRide. I booked for my first Grab but the driver cancelled on me. Luckily, I was able to get another rider quite quickly. As I waited for the driver, my heart was racing as I eagerly anticipated about visiting the studio. The ride was smooth and it cost me like RM27. The Grab driver was really friendly and he asked why am I heading to the outskirts of the city. I did not know that the studio was located at the outskirts but I just told the driver I was visiting a friend. Haha…

Anyway, I reached my destination early so I decided to go over to a MacDonald nearby for breakfast. After getting a bite, I headed over to the studio at 10am, the time where my appointment was scheduled. Once I reached the studio, I was greeted warmly by Joyce, who congratulated me for taking on this journey to visit her studio. Before starting anything, Joyce and I had a good chat, she shared with me why she started this studio and I also shared about my CD journey. Joyce was really friendly and not sure why, I just open myself to her and shared with her openly about my CD journey. 

Before starting with make-up, Joyce asked me to select the clothing I wanted to wear. Note, this is more of those normal female clothing like a one piece dress or two pieces top and skirt kind of clothing. For me, I chose a red jacket and white top with a red skirt OL combination. Before wearing the clothing, I was asked to paste nipple tapes over my nipples and change into a panty and pantyhose. For the panty, Joyce showed me how to put a 45cm long sanitary pad into the panty before I proceed on to wear it. This has to be one of the most feminine thing I have done so far… So I did as per instructed and then she begin putting on Nubra(s) and push-up bra to create the cleavage for me… After which, I begin putting on the top, skirt and jacket. Joyce also handed me a size 45 heels and I just put it on and wear it. Joyce told me not to worry about the cleanliness of the clothing as she will wash them after use, plus with the sanitary pad on the panty, I feel quite assured of the cleanliness. However, if you feel uncomfortable about these, you can always bring your own if you want.

That is simply the appetizer as the real work begins now. Before doing make-up, Joyce asked if I wanted to try on contacts and I thought with my previously new gained skill, I can do it… However, it ended as a failure as I tried for a good 25 minutes and failed to get the contacts in even though the contacts she provided was smaller than the one I managed to put in the other time. Joyce stopped me from trying any further as my eyes are getting a bit red. Guess I got to manage without contacts this time round… The make-up process was really the highlight as under Joyce’s skillful and mastery use of make-up, she was able to do a fabulous make-up for me. In contrast of what I have been doing where I used lots of overpowering make-up colours to cover my face. The make-up done by her was not overpowering, it was light and subtle yet emphasize on the plus points which is my eyes… Everything was so beautifully done. Nothing too flamboyant but all in the right proportion. Once that is done and with a wig properly worn over my head, Francesca just came alive so beautifully. 

After the make-up, this is where the fun began. I was taught how to eat like a girl, how to seat like a girl and behave like a girl and most of all, how to walk in heels like a girl. Throughout all these activities, there are mini challenges. Only by passing these challenges then can I be allowed to try on more clothing and of course, the wedding gowns. I won’t go into the details of the challenges as it will spoil the fun for those who want to try out this package. The challenges are fun and definitely helped me to be more mindful on how to more girl-like… Remember that sanitary pad that I was wearing? Well, it is not simply wear for the sake of wearing. Joyce will put water onto it periodically to simulate menstrual period coming of a woman. That really let me understand how a girl feels like when she is having her period, minus the pain of course. It has a very different feel and it really make me feel quite feminine and vulnerable at the same time…

After passing the mini challenges (thanks to Joyce for not setting the bar too high), I was allowed to try on quite a few other clothing. For me, I was quite open and do not really have much preference, so I let Joyce decide for me. So, she let me try on the “Joshi Koukousei” (Japanese female high school students) uniform and also a different colour wig. She tied a double pony tails for me, I looked kind of funny, yet cute at the same time… So Joyce helped to take a few photos using the mobile phone and a ring light. After that, I tried on a red wig with a lilac mermaid-like gown. That gown is nice but somehow I do not think that I did justice to it as my broad shoulder and slouch sitting posture did not help to bring out the aesthetic beauty of this mermaid gown.

For the next segment, it was the putting on of the wedding gowns. Before wearing it, Joyce helped me to put on a corset to get that hourglass figure. The next outfit was a red wedding gown that I chose, with my red wig. I think it goes really well. Remember the gloves I mentioned earlier… Well, the studio has some satin gloves but they are white and the shorter version. The longest they have is 52cm opera gloves. Luckily a FB CD friend named Melissa advised me to bring my own. I took her advice and bought two pairs of 70cm satin gloves, both black and white along for this trip. That was one of my best decisions… The red gown together with the black satin gloves and the red wig. Francesca look really beautiful. 

Now, the finale, the white gown that all girls are looking forward to. For this set, I changed into the white wedding gown first and then Joyce changed the wig for me. The wig is a bit brownish in colour, full of volume and length with slight curl towards the end. After putting on the wig and looking at the mirror, I could not believe my eyes. That was the perfect look I was looking for. We perfected it with a tiara and after putting on my white 70cm long satin gloves, Francesca transformed into a beautiful bride. 

Throughout the process, Joyce was helping me to take photos using my mobile phone and I also did some selfies too because my package never include studio photography but more of the girl’s experience. So for those CDs who are considering this package, photography is not part of the deal. Joyce was nice enough to set up a ring light for me and guide me with the posing while she helped me to take some shots using my mobile phone. This is value added service with no extra charges. 

Alas, all good things must come to an end. With the last white wedding gown. It has come to the end of my 6 hours package. So I changed back to my guy’s clothing and Joyce helped me to remove my make-up. I had such a wonderful experience at the studio and time flies without me realising it… I was so happy with the whole package that I gave Joyce the two satin gloves as a gift to her studio, hoping that it can help her to expand her collection. And with that, I bid farewell to her and took a Grab back to my hotel. Strangely, it only cost me like only RM14. And with that, this draw an end to my first CD friendly studio visit in the land aboard.

Day 3

This morning, as I wake up, I feel that my girl’s heart was awaken, I feel the feminine side of me arising, that feeling of gratefulness, love, tenderness and happiness inside my heart. I feel free for the first time… For once, Francesca was able to fully release herself and find herself in this process. 

However, as this day passes, I have to put all these behind me, bid farewell to Malacca and head back to Singapore. As I journeyed back to Singapore on the coach, a feeling of emptiness engulfed me. I finally understood how Isabelle felt when she mentioned how empty she felt after going for her first bridal studio shoot. I guess that emptiness came from the fact that, I never knew when will be the next time I can visit Miss Y Studio (and Joyce) again and most of all, I do not know if I can get the same look for Francesca again, that feeling of lost, heart-broken and emptiness… 

As the journey back was long, I have some time to reflect about this trip. I tried to look on the brighter side, I experienced something I have never done before. I went on a solo trip to a place I never been to, I tried on a CD friendly studio and make a new friend. Most of all, I helped Francesca to discover herself. Not sure what gotten into me but I decided to have a Chinese name for Francesca, her Chinese name is 许慧心. It means intelligent heart, or wisdom. That is how I envision Francesca to be, diligent and intelligent, smart yet beautiful with a pure and loving heart. 

Anyway, my coach back begins at 4:15pm and I only managed to reached Singapore drop off point around 12:30am the next day. It took me like another 8½ hours again. I took Grab back and that concluded my solo 3 Days 2 Nights CD Adventure Journey to Miss Y Studio. 

Conclusion

If you are still reading this, I thank you for your patience as I tried to record my whole experience as vividly as I can recall from my memory. Here is my overall conclusion about my visit, Miss Y Studio is located at the outskirts of Malacca, you can get a Grab and it should take around 18 to 20 minutes to reach if you stationed in the city heart of Malacca. There is a MacDonald nearby, so no need to worry about going hungry. In fact, throughout the whole process, I was not hungry at all. Haha… The studio is of reasonable size, probably 50 to 60 metre square area. Not really that big but the place is rather cozy and non-cluttered. The environment is totally safe to CD as the whole place belongs to Joyce and there is also a bathroom in the unit. The range of clothing offered are quite interesting and a lot of varieties catering for slightly bigger size like me. In fact, I did promise Joyce that I will pass her more of my costumes or clothing that I want to discard to her the next time I go over. Hopefully more CDs can consider visiting Miss Y Studio so that Joyce can have more businesses and she can expand her studio and collection in the future. 

In terms of service, Joyce is a very warm, caring and friendly person, she really knows how to hold a conversation well and I feel so comfortable with her. Her make-up skill and photography skills were something she picked up over the course of her life. She is truly an amazing lady. She is also playful and daring to try different styles and that make the whole process so fun and engaging. There was never a quiet or dull moment throughout my time at her studio, there was always fun and laughter. During the make-up application and removal process, Joyce will ask if I am feeling okay because my eyes tend to be sensitive, so she put in extra care to check if I am fine. Felt really good to have an "elder sister" to show concern throughout the whole process. In terms of age, I am older than Joyce, so technically she is like a "younger sister". However, once I complete my transformation, I was like a young lady in front of her, and she got that "elder sister" vibes. To Joyce, thank you so much for making my first visit to your studio a memorable one and appreciate you for taking care of me during my time in your studio and most of all, helping me to find Francesca and discovering herself as 许慧心.

As for the package, it is “A Day Girl’s Life First Experience”. This whole package is about the experience and not the photography. That experience of wearing a sanitary pad and worrying that it will start leaking. How to behave like a lady when sitting near a table and eat like a lady, how to put my legs when sitting down, how to undo the hooks for those heels with strips without exposing yourself and keeping yourself balance at the same time, how to walk briskly on high heels without looking like a man walking (tell sign that it is a crossdresser). All these behaviour and mannerism. It is not easy if you do not have someone to look out all these for you and guide you along. I did suggest to Joyce to have organised some paid workshops for CDs like Make-up Classes or lady etiquette grooming class in the future. Hopefully she can work out something. Back to the package, this package is around 6 hours in total and the whole make-up process can take around 1.5 hours to 2 hours depending. My advice is, for those who considering this package, keep an open mind and heart to try out what Joyce has to offer. If you have something that you wanted to try in mind, better check with her first so that she can prepare. The key to this is communication, openness and most of all, enjoy the process. 

What are some things that I regret about this whole experience… Well, for a start, I am disappointed with myself for not been able to wear the contacts. I could have perfected the looks for Francesca with bigger iris and my eyes will look more attractive. However, my normal eyelid reflexes was such a let-down that render it hard to put in the contacts… The next regret was… I should have apply to go back a day later instead as I heard from Joyce that there is another open slot on the day I was scheduled to go back to Singapore… I should have extended my stay by another day and engage her for another package… The last regret was, I forgot to ask Joyce to help me to take an overall body shot of that first red OL suit that I was wearing initially. I think that whole set suit me really well and I love it. I never really knew that I can look good in red… Guess I was too excited with the experience that I forgot to take a good full body shot… Oh well, I really look forward to the next time where I can visit Miss Y Studio again. I totally love the experience there. 

Some may ask, is the 17 hours to and fro Malacca worth it? For only a 6 hours visit. Like I mentioned, if I had planned beforehand, I would have stayed for another day and take up another package. However, even though it was just 6 hours, that whole first time experiencing something that I never expected. Totally priceless. In fact, I really don't mind taking up the “A Day Girl’s Life First Experience” again or should I try her other packages. Should really consider driving up to Malacca next time instead, maybe during off peak season. Anyway, really looking forward to my next visit. By the way, for those who are thinking of squeezing two packages within a day, I feel that it will be very tight and rush, and you will not enjoy the process as you will be all tired. Joyce will be quite tired too. So if you can, try to only do one of those 6 hours package in a day and do another package another day.

And with that, this has come to the end of my really long blog post… Thank you so much for reading... 

Disclaimer: I am NOT paid to write this blog but more of sharing my personal experience after engaging Joyce from Miss Y Studio. Each of our experience will be different, depending on the mentality and expectation, so your mileage may vary. I hope that I did not oversell this package but I personally really enjoy my session and time at the studio. As mentioned before, communicate with Joyce beforehand, openness in the mind and heart, get yourself ready mentally to try out anything, then just go with the flow and enjoy the whole experience and process. Good luck and enjoy. Cheers.

(PS: For those who have not visited Malacca before, the hotels will impose a Melaka Heritage Tax of RM2 per room per night, just for your info)