Living North Magazine's First-Ever Makeover

It’s Living North’s five-year anniversary and we wanted to do something BIG! Something we’ve never done before. Something that got the Northland chattering. So, here it is.

Living North’s first-ever makeover.

We partnered with Barb Server of Bladez Styling and Lifestyles with Barb to give these two beautiful women a complete hair and makeup transformation.

Add in fabulous ensembles from dressbarn and – voilà!

Two stylish, sophisticated women emerged. Read on for the complete story.

Name: Wendy Newell

Age: 42

Hometown: Duluth

Occupation: Implant Coordinator for Northern Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

The Nomination: Wendy was nominated by her friend and co-worker, Samantha Williams, who wrote, “Wendy has had the same look since she was in college and now that she is 40-something, I feel she needs to update her look with something more age-appropriate. She wears the darkest red lipstick which gets all over everything! She teases her hair so bad that it looks like she just rolled out of bed. She really is a wonderful friend.”

Wendy’s reaction: “I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked! I thought, ‘Why would I need a makeover? Don’t I look okay?’ But then I thought ‘I

understand, I do wear a lot of makeup.’- I do.”

THE HAIR:

When Wendy Newell first stepped foot into the Bladez Styling salon,

she had no intention of letting anyone take more than an inch off her

hair. “A lot of us are really attached to our hair,” said Server. She explained to Newell that carrying around extra inches of hair does not always do one's facial structure good.

After a little persuasion, Newell agreed to trim more than seven inches from her long locks. A slight inverted bob framed Newell's face while layers were added to give bounce and volume – something Newell definitely loves.

Next, Server smoothed Newell's bob using a blow dryer and a ceramic brush. “If you want volume,” explained Server, “you have to pull the hair the opposite direction while you're drying it.” To give Newell’s style that little extra boost, Server used a root lifting spray, concentrating on just

the crown of her head. The end result was a sleeker hairstyle that still had all the volume Newell formerly achieved by ratting and teasing her hair.

The Makeup:

Imagine a dark shade of maroon lipstick covered with that slight

frosty glow, a look that was quite popular in the 80s. Have the image?

That was exactly what blanketed Newell's lips when she entered the salon. “My friends always joke that it gets on everything. My hands, drinking glasses, business documents – and I guess it does.”

To tone down Newell's look, Server stripped the lips, lined them using a brown pencil and added some raspberry-hued gloss, blending the liner with the gloss. The result? Lips that stood out without completely overtaking the rest of Newell's makeup.

“She has a beautiful skin tone,” said Server. To complement Newell's coppery skin tone, Server used a bronzer over the foundation instead of blush. “It brings a little bit of summer to the face,” said Server. She also taught Newell how to achieve a great smoky eye. “Like any type of design, never decorate in even numbers,” says Server. She used a brow

highlighter on Newell's brow bone followed by a caramel brown all over the eye. To complete the look, she added a third, darker shade of brown to the outer corner of the eye and swept on a layer of mascara.

Wendy’s Outfit

Wendy has a great figure, and we wanted to show that off. A pair of jeggings under a belted brown tunic accentuated her curves in all the right

places. Matching boots and a blue handbag completed her look.

DressBarn

Boots – $44.99

Jeans – $29.99

Top – $32.99

Cami – $20.00

Necklace – $29.99

Earrings – $12.99

Purse – $29.99

Name: Trish Berger

Age: 31

Hometown: Esko

Occupation: Stay-at-home mother of six and small business owner

The Nomination: Trish, who nominated herself, wrote, “I just had baby number six. My oldest is ten and I have had one [child] every two

years. I need this makeover to feel like a real being again. I have cut my own hair for years. I still have baby weight and live in sweat pants and long t-shirts. It’s so hard to feel gorgeous in sweats accessorized with baby spitup. It sure would be a great confidence booster to get made over.”

Trish’s reaction: “Basically, I started crying because I haven’t had this in so long. When you have a baby, you kind of get into a rut and stop caring as much.”

THE HAIR: Trish Berger came to the salon with dried out, dishwater blonde tresses that washed out her skin tone. “I never use conditioner,”

remarked Berger. Server wanted to give Berger a style that worked with her busy lifestyle. “This is reality here. She’s a mom of six,” said Server. “I don’t want to give her a style she’ll have to spend an hour on every

morning. That wouldn’t work for her. What kind of stylist would I be?” Server started with a short, piecy cut. The sideswept bangs hid Berger’s high hairline while keeping the look soft and feminine. For color, Server

chose a dark auburn. This color is a perfect complement to the slight reddish undertones of Berger’s skin.

Next, she applied leave-in conditioner to help moisturize Berger’s hair. “Not using conditioner is like not using hand lotion during the winter,” said Server.

Makeup: Berger doesn’t spend much time on makeup. Usually a quick swipe with a mascara wand is her only morning makeup routine. “She’s so natural she doesn’t need a lot of makeup,” said Server.

A base of powder foundation was all that was needed to even out Berger’s complexion. Mascara made her eyes pop and a coat of lipgloss completed Berger’s look. Server also shaped Berger’s eyebrows. “Eyebrows are a very important part of your eyes,” said Server. “It really accentuates them when all that hair is gone.”

Trish’s Outfit

We gave Trish a long and lean form by putting her in darker colors. A printed shirt added a funky flair, keeping the look young. Jewelry close to the face introduced a pop of color.

DresBarn

Boots – $49.99

Sweater – $34.99

Top – $32.99

Pants – $49.99

Necklace – $19.99

Earrings – $9.99

Purse – $29.99

Tags: lnlivinghealthy, livingnorth