Diana Pauze is a nurse who takes great pride in her work ethic and the strong relationships she has developed with colleagues throughout her career. When a knee injury kept her from going to work last year, she struggled to find meaning and value in matters outside her job.
Amid a difficult respite and with feelings of isolation, along came the opportunity for Diana to participate as a makeover candidate at INSPIRED Magazine’s 55+ Lifestyle Show.
“I loved the experience,” she says. “I am not a shopper, so going into the clothing store was a lot of fun, and I was surprised that there were a lot of things that fit me.”
Diana’s favourite part of the makeover process was getting her hair done by Hana Akai at Akai Hair Design in Victoria.
“I have great hair, but I have a hard time finding a stylist that will take their time with it,” she says. “I also loved all the other appointments: the facial, nails and I also did my eyebrows for the first time.”
The makeover experience was a bright spot in an otherwise challenging year for Diana, which boosted her self-worth. For others interested in a makeover, she recommends it and suggests making it an occasion to celebrate.
“It was fun to get dressed up for a day,” she says. “I wish I would have made plans to do something special afterwards… I should have asked my family to come into town that day and we could all go out after.”
WHAT THE STYLIST DID:
HAIR:
When I first met Diana, I immediately noticed her radiant smile. That and her joyfully positive personality brightens every room she enters.
Diana’s hair has a fair bit of curl, but the shoulder-length cut she had was pulling down that curl and overpowering her face.
I decided to showcase her beautiful face by removing some of the hair that was hiding it. I wanted to bring the shape of her hairstyle closer to the shape of her head, which meant taking off some length in the back and around the middle of her face. I also wanted to bring more volume to the top of her head.
I went for a graduated shape in the back to bring out the curls, leaving her front bang area longer. Diana’s hair was also much whiter around her face, which was a great look, especially with what I decided to do with the colour.
For the colour, I went with a grey Redken Shades EQ gloss in the back to bring out more silver-grey tones and remove any yellow. For the front, we chose a few bolder pieces with light violet tones. The violet was understated, but it helped enhance her skin tone.
MAKEUP:
For the makeup, I started as I usually do with a primer, and then applied a BB cream foundation. For Diana’s eye shadow, I considered the outfit she was wearing for the fashion show and chose a subtle blue around the corners of her eyes. I also added a few individual false eyelashes to the outside edges of her lash line to open her eyes up, and a touch of dark liner. A hint of colour on the apples of her cheeks, and a natural pink gloss on her lips finished the look.
Special Thanks to the Victoria businesses that contributed to the makeover and fashion show:
Akai Hair Salon –101, 2559 Quadra Street, 250-383-3227.
Shimmer Body and Nail Spa – 4050 Santa Maria Ave., 250-881-3787.
Suzanne’s & Jenny’s – 777, 190 Royal Oak Drive, at Broadmead Village Shopping Centre, 250-658-3618.
Photographer: Regina Akhankina from Couture Photography, www.couture.photography 204.823.3870.
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