I turn men into women!
My makeovers are truly lifechanging for my clients
Swigging the last of my cocktail, an idea started swirling in my mind. It was winter 2012 and I was at a party with some friends.
Standing in a group, my pals chatted about using something called a dressing service.
‘But there’s just not enough out there for transvestites,’ one sighed.
I was 46, and a lot of my friends were transvestites and drag queens, who I’d met through different social events over the years.
But I’d never even heard the term ‘dressing service’ before.
Intrigued, I looked into it and found out it involved giving people makeovers.
I’d always loved cosmetics and beauty, often did friends’ make-up for special occasions – and was a shopaholic, always online shopping.
I’d never actually styled someone from head to toe before, but I was already in love with the idea.
The trans community had always been so welcoming to me.
Maybe this is something I could do for them, I thought.
Back home, I started pulling some bits and pieces together.
I knew I’d need a variety of
different outfits, in all shapes and sizes.
I begged friends and family to let me have first pick of any clothes they were chucking out.
Next, I set up my website Queen Bea Makeovers. com and started sharing it on social media.
Within weeks, requests rolled in.
Booking my first client,
I was nervous.
What if I’m no good? I worried.
And when my doorbell rang, I was shaking with nerves. Inviting the gentleman in, I offered him a cuppa and a biscuit. Then we chatted about the look he envisioned for himself.
He admitted he had never transformed into a woman before. It was a first for us both!
Wow, I really can’t mess this up, I thought. Starting with his make-up, I wanted to build a natural look. This wasn’t about creating a drag-queen look, it was helping someone find a sense of identity that they hadn’t been able to explore before. Next, I picked out a mid-length dress and a pair of classy court shoes. ‘You look amazing,’ I cried when the
makeover was finished.
Turning to look at herself in the mirror, she burst into tears.
‘I’ve never seen myself like this before,’ she sobbed.
So emotional.
This person trusted me with a secret they’d not even dared to reveal to their own family.
I knew then that setting up this business was the best move I could’ve made.
For the first few months, I booked in two or three clients a week.
With every makeover, my confidence grew.
Everyone loved their transformation. Seeing their smiles as they looked in the mirror made my heart burst.
Then, in January 2013, I met Jenny through a mutual friend.
She’d dressed as a woman plenty of times before, but she’d heard about my makeover service and was intrigued.
Looking through my closet together, joking and giggling, we just clicked.
For the next hour, I worked on Jenny’s hair and make-up and picked out an outfit.
When she saw the finished look, she gasped.
‘Let’s go out for dinner,’ she grinned at me.
Jenny had never been out in public dressed as a woman before.
Yet my makeover had given her the confidence boost she’d needed.
Such an amazing feeling.
Since then, we’ve become inseparable mates.
Jenny is a warm, kind and caring person.
I never for a moment imagined launching a makeover service would find me a friend for life!
My daughter and six grandchildren think what
I do is fab.
And all my clients are so grateful.
But every one of them enriches my life more than they could ever know.
I don’t just turn men into women. I transform caterpillars into beautiful butterflies.
It’s not about creating a dragqueen look