One Night Only

Ok, so last night was Taffy's show again. And, as promised, I got my makeover.

Being introduced as Dan's boyfriend, and "guinea pig" model/victim was fun. Taffy, Dan, and a couple of other makeup artists, plus the entire audience at Styxx hearing him say that.  It's sweet.

Anyway, then, because the lighting on the stage is really performance lighting, and not makeup lighting, we got to go in the back room, and I got a private makeup session, complete with my own photographer, my roommate.

I was half expecting to get made up on stage, so the fact that I was hidden away in the back, was almost a disappointment, but at the same time a relief.

Now, mind you, I've watched Dan get into Shaunna Rai's makeup a few times, so I know exactly what goes into it, and how long it takes. But, I didn't realize how long it feels like it takes, when someone else is doing it. I felt like I was in the chair forever. And by the time it was the "midway" check in, to see the progress on my face, I was ready for it to be over...the painting, at least.  I was ready for the reveal, even though, at that point, there really wasn't much to reveal, other than the fact that I'd had a base put on, and was contoured.

The makeup started to get itchy, and it took most of my willpower to not reach up and scratch my face. The makeup on the eyes was the worst part of the experience, because I'm a jumpy, blinky person anyway. SO, sitting there, and having Dan, a person I trust, poking around on my eyelids, with my eyes closed so I didn't know when or where he was at any given point, was enough to drive me nuts.

When we got to the lips, I was happy. It was almost over, by then. I'd been able to catch glimpses of myself in the mirror on the wall opposite where I was sitting, but, it didn't make a lot of sense to me what I was really seeing. But, I knew that we were getting close. And, when the wigs finally came out, I knew that I'd made it to the home stretch.

Judging from watching Shaunna Rai finish getting ready for a show, I figured that I was probably going to get at least two different wigs before we settled on something...or before Dan did. And, I wasn't disappointed. The first wig, was the black, curly Cher wig. Apparently, it was too dark.  And, of the other five or six wigs, it was the one that I was hoping NOT to get, that I got.  It wasn't that I didn't like the red wig...It's just that the last time I was in drag, I was a redhead.  Not to mention, when I go around in red hair, I look so much like my mother...

It all came together great though, in the end. And I was shocked that people didn't recognize me.  I mean, yeah, I'm wearing a wig, and makeup, but it's not like I changed bodies while they were waiting in the audience. And, yet, people who I socialize with on a regular basis, had no idea that it was me.

So, what started off as a night that was supposed to just be fun, kind of accidentally, (although, a "happy accident") became a social experiment.  Even though, I was still dressed in my boy clothes, and literally, the only changes in my look were that I was wearing a hair cutting cape, to keep the makeup off my clothes, and I had makeup and a wig on, people didn't know it was me.  The part where I really had fun, was afterward, when I got all kinds of compliments. People were amazed at the work that Dan had done on me, and more than I couple times, I got, "Gurrrl, you looked so good, I didn't even know it was you!"

It was fun to play make-believe with a new face and hair. But, that was all it was. I was extremely conscious of the fact that I was still Steve, and still shy, even though I was standing up in front of a full bar of people that I barely know. And, it was an odd mix of feelings. Part of me was basking in the attention. The rest of me was ready for it to be over, and get out of face. Once it was over though, I was glad to get back to being Steve, instead of One Night.

 Would I do it again? For something like Taffy's show, probably. For something to just go and do on a Friday night, probably not.  Unless Kathy Griffin needs a stunt double...in which case, I might consider it, because I might be able to pull off the look. The attitude and mannerisms, I'd need to study up on, though.