Posted on: Thursday, February 17, 2005
Valentine's Day makeover: Glammed up by the experts
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
We shower loved ones with flowers, sweets and little somethings on Valentine's Day. But what about giving a little of that love in a day of pampering and personal attention? The Advertiser asked readers to nominate loved ones for a gentle Valentine's Day makeover. E-mails flooded in from husbands, wives, friends, daughters and mothers. From many deserving nominees, we chose three. Here's the story of their transformations, which took place on a whirlwind Monday, Valentine's Day.
Oh, sure, they each look more beautiful (or handsome) and glamorous. But most exciting was the subtle transformation we witnessed as the attention they received from beauty professionals worked its magic on their self-esteem.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser The gold strappy stilettos were the pi¸ce de rˇsistance. "They made her stand tall and elegant, even changing her posture," Combs said.
Toyomura positively glowed, grinning from ear to ear. "I love it all, but the shoes are my absolute favorite. It was all just so fun for me!"
Dawn's transformation
The hair: Aveda Salon and Spa Ala Moana stylist Yong said Toyomura's hair was dark, with 15 percent gray. She decided to cover the gray and color her hair light golden brown. She added highlights to bring out some gold tones. Although Toyomura's hair was already short, Yong took out some of the volume in the back. She left length on top, but gave it texture to soften the look and make it more manageable. It's an easy-care cut for the busy woman. All she needs to do is blow dry and use a little control paste to give it even more texture.
The products: Aveda shampoo, conditioner and control paste. The makeup: Makeup artist Sarah Mattingly said Toyomura's skin is so good that all she needed was a tinted moisturizer set with translucent powder. Mattingly filled in her eyebrows with shadow and a brush for a soft look. She used bronze and violet eye shadows, brown eye liner and mascara. Toyomura's cheeks got lightly tinted with a cream cheek tint. The overall effect? A soft, natural, dewy glow. All the makeup was by Aveda. The clothes, shoes and accessories: Selected from Macy's Ala Moana by stylist Michelle Combs of Aveda Salon. The date: Toyomura and her husband, Robert, went to dinner at the Hau Tree Lanai. Her husband's reaction: "It's been a great experience for both of us, and she looks wonderful. ... She is always working to be giving of herself for our family and sacrificing the nice things for herself in favor of us. I love the color of her hair, and the makeup really brings out her already beautiful eyes."
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser However, he relaxed right into it, falling asleep while having a lavender hot-towel treatment, then again (to the point of snoring, though quietly) while owner Joe Randazzo cut his hair. "I've died and gone to heaven," he said, sighing as he nodded off.
As he changed into his café-latte-colored shirt and geometric tie, we could hear a soft voice saying "Wow! I really like my hair." Chris emerged from the changing room with a huge grin on his face as his wife, Leilani, shrieked with delight and pulled him toward her for a big kiss.
"You wouldn't believe what a small-town celebrity he has become!" Leilani exclaimed. "We're getting calls all day and people we don't even know are calling out to us on the street! All the women are asking him to teach their husbands to be more like him — he's just basking in the attention. He never does anything for himself, so it's wonderful to have Joe doing all these things for him."
Chris' transformation
The hair: While Chris already had short hair, J Salon owner Joe Randazzo tweaked it to make it more flattering and fashion forward. He had asked Chris to grow his sideburns to lengthen the look of his face. Randazzo trimmed his hair to a length that enabled it to sit smoothly and not curl up into tight curls. The products: Phytoneutre, a shampoo with a clean, eucalyptus scent that many men like. Phytosesame, a conditioner with a moisturizer, especially good for curly hair, which tends toward dryness. MOP Orange Peel molding cream, which enabled Randazzo to shape the hair into a stand-up, textured, rock-star style. The grooming: Anthony glycolic cleanser and shave gel, from a men's line carried at Sephora. Randazzo likes Anthony shave gel because it's clear, so you can see what you're shaving. He also recommends daily sunscreen and moisturizer for men, especially those who work outdoors, as Chris does. The clothes: Kramer's Big & Tall, Ward Avenue. The date: Chris and Leilani went to the Turtle Bay Hilton for dinner, without their five children. His wife's reaction: "He never does anything for himself. It's just so wonderful to see him being pampered. And he looks so fabulous!"
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser A successful makeover? Oh, yeah.
"I've never been glamorous before. I guess I'd forgotten how young I was. I really didn't know I could be this beautiful," April said as she threw her new shawl over her shoulder and breezed out the door of Chop Salon in Restaurant Row.
April's transformation
The hair: Chop Salon colorist Brianne Bartoy used an all-over reddish brown, followed by highlights to give April's hair more dimension and texture. Stylist and co-owner Richie Miao cut inches off and layered the hair to give her softness around her face. He used a leave-in conditioner and a defrizzer to calm her curls. To polish off the look, he used a blow dryer, followed by a curling iron just on the ends. The products: Bumble & Bumble hair products. The makeup: Makeup stylist Liz Dahl, well known in movie and television circles, also does private clients out of her space at Chop. She gave April a blemish stick to apply religiously on the days leading up to the makeover, and it worked wonders. Dahl started with the eyebrows, waxing and tweezing them to give more of an arch; she also extended April's brows with eyebrow pencil. Dahl used a full-coverage foundation and contoured April's cheeks with a foundation that was two tones darker, as well as a bronzer. Blush was placed only on the apples of April's cheeks. Eyeliner and a full strip of false eyelashes glammed her up. The products: Ultra blemish stick by AnneMarieBorlind. Makeup by Face Stockholm. The clothes: Plum skirt and white sequined T-shirt from Koko Cabana in Koko Marina Shopping Center, shawl from Banana Republic, bracelet and earrings from Pineapple County in Waikiki and shoes from Sears. The date: April and her friend, Veronica Lopez, whose husband is in Iraq, went to dinner at Buca di Beppo. Friend Davinity Jones, who nominated April, says: "When I first saw April I was in total awe. ... I didn't even recognize her at first. She was in total awe too. She says she forgot what she looked like before kids. The makeover fit her just perfect — everything was tailored to April's style."
DAWN TOYOMURA
Kailua preschool teacher and mother of three
"She's a beautiful woman and sometimes you need someone else to convince you to try something that's out of your normal comfort level. Dawn was a trooper, willing to try anything. It was so fun for me because Dawn has such a great, positive attitude," said stylist Michelle Combs, who spent a fun hour shopping with Toyomura at Macy's Ala Moana.
Dawn Toyomura before ...
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
... and after
"I love it all, but the shoes are my absolute favorite. It was all just so fun for me!"
CHRIS PAKALANI
La'ie, construction worker and father of five
Chris Pakalani is a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. He gets his hair cut at whatever barber shop is handy. So being treated to pampering at J Salon in Chinatown was a foreign experience to him.
Chris Pakalani before ...
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
... and after
Leilani Pakalani says of her husband, "He never does anything for himself, so it's wonderful to have Joe (Randazzo,a stylist) doing all these things for him ... he looks so fabulous!"
APRIL PEAVEY
Marine wife, mother of two, childcare giver
When Marine Staff Sgt. Michael Peavey receives the Valentine's Day photos of his wife, April, of Kane'ohe, he will see a brunette beauty with dimples flashing and soft, wavy, movie-star hair moving gently around her face. And we're betting that when he returns home from Iraq in May, his wife will greet him feeling more beautiful than when he left. Some of the beauty lessons she learned on Valentine's Day are sure to stick.
April Peavey before ...
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
... and after
"I've never been glamorous before. I guess I'd forgotten how young I was."
