Wendy Thompson before (left) and after her makeover. Photos: Sarah Cole / The Anniston Star
In our spring issue, we gave away a makeover to celebrate our own redesign. Wendy’s name was chosen from among 88 entries.
Wendy’s new look came courtesy of Susie Palmer (hair) and Fawn Summers (makeup) of the Spa at McClellan Park.
Wendy, 42, is the senior citizens coordinator for the Jacksonville Senior Center. She works every day with 120 seniors, teaching nutrition classes, traveling to health fairs, going out to eat once a month and more. “They keep me moving,” Wendy said.
A working mom, Wendy was hoping for a routine that will get her out the door quickly, and last all day. “When I fix my hair and makeup in the morning, that’s it. I might have time for a little lip gloss, going from the senior center to a ball game.”
Wendy wanted to update her look, starting with her hair color. Her natural color is a dark brown, which she had been highlighting with a golden blonde. “I like it blonde, but I’d like a more natural blonde,” Wendy said.
She also wanted to update her style. “I feel like I’m stuck in the ‘80s,” she said. “And you know how it is … you just get stuck, and you get scared to step outside of your comfort zone.”
We think Wendy stepped out with fabulous results.
Step by Step Makeover
1. Color: Susie Palmer started by adding new lowlights and highlights. She went darker on the lowlights, using a shade closer to Wendy’s natural color. And she went lighter on the highlights, using a cooler, silvery blonde instead of a golden blonde, to better match Wendy’s skin tone.
Susie put in both colors at the same time, rather than dark followed by light. Otherwise, she said, it’s too hard on your hair.
2. Cut: Susie trimmed about three inches off the back, and reshaped the layers to better frame Wendy’s face.
She advised that Wendy do a deep-conditioning treatment once a week, using a moisturizer (such as Paul Mitchell Super-Charged Moisturizer) and, to strengthen hair, a protein conditioner (such as Paul Mitchell Hair repair or redken Extreme CAT Protein Reconstructing Treatment). Apply conditioners, put on a shower cap, heat hair with a blow dryer, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse.
3. Style: Wendy wanted to add more volume to her naturally wavy hair. While Wendy’s hair was still wet, Susie applied Sexy Hair’s Healthy Sexy Hair Soy renewal Styling Treatment.
Before blowdrying, Susie applied redken Guts Spray Mousse. To add volume, Susie blew the hair in the opposite direction from which it grew. She pulled sections of hair up with a big, round brush, then blew it dry at the roots.
Next, Susie used a flat iron to straighten Wendy’s hair. To keep adding volume, Susie straightened some sections of hair to flip out, others to flip under. (You can use the same technique with a curling iron.)
For a finishing touch, Susie used redken Tousle Whip Soft Texturizing Cream and Sexy Hair’s Big Sexy Hair Spray (sprayed at the roots to help hold in the volume).
4. Face: Base: Cosmetologist Fawn Summers started with a base coat of Wendy’s usual foundation. Then Fawn brushed on Bare Minerals’ tinted mineral veil in a similar shade, to add just a slight hint of color.
The Spa at McClellan is the only shop in the area that sells Bare Minerals makeup. The products are all-natural, with no additives or preservatives. Fawn used some of Bare Minerals’ new ready-pressed powder products, which can be less messy than the loose powdered mineral makeups.
Blush: Next, Fawn applied blush to Wendy’s cheeks – but not pink. She used a shade called The Confession, a little darker than Wendy’s natural skin tone. “Blush should be natural,” Fawn said. She added a light layer of mineral veil on top of the blush to seal it.
5. Eyes: Brows: To emphasize Wendy’s eyebrows, Fawn brushed them with a dark blonde/medium brown brow color – a shade just a little bit darker than Wendy’s natural color. “Your brows frame your face,” Fawn explained. “Dark brows make your eyes pop.” While you can buy powders specifically for brows, any eyeshadow will work.
Eyes: To accent Wendy’s blue eyes, Fawn used a quartet of natural browns called The Truth. “You don’t want to use too much color, because you want the blue to pop,” Fawn said.
Fawn applied a light shade of brown to the eyelid, then went over it with a darker brown, so that a little of the lighter brown still comes through.
“You can use brown with any eye color. Brown is a good everyday choice,” Fawn said. Plums and greens would also look good with Wendy’s coloring, she added.
To make wide-set eyes appear closer together, apply a darker color toward the inside of the eyes. Do the opposite for close-set eyes.
6. Lips: Fawn then lined the top and bottom lash lines with a chocolate brown eye liner pencil, before finishing with a volumnizing black mascara.
Fawn used three colors on Wendy’s lips – all subtle hues to keep the emphasis on Wendy’s eyes. Fawn started with Wild Honey as a base color, then used a lip liner in Shell, before finishing with a gloss in Cassis. “In summer, your lips shouldn’t be caked or bright red,” Fawn said.
Wendy liked the look – and the feel – of the Bare Minerals makeup. “It all feels so light,” she said. “That’s one of the biggest things about minerals. You don’t feel like they’re caked on,” Fawn said.
For those busy mornings, Fawn recommended this five-minute makeup routine: Just do eyes, lips and cheeks. One color for each. No face powder.
The Spa at McClellan Park
171 Town Center Drive
Anniston, 256-241-2275
thespaatmcclellanpark.com
