Despite juggling multiple activities, interests, volunteering and travel, semi-retired Victoria resident Tasma Lee Lacroix is always up for something new. When INSPIRED columnist Pat Nichol gave her a copy of the magazine, and Tasma read a notice about the makeover contest, she thought, why not?

“It seemed like a fun thing,” says Tasma. “Just don’t shave my head” was her only stipulation.

A self-described nature nut, Tasma shares her property with a host of wildlife, including racoons, deer and fowl. She calls her garden a working hobby and regularly gifts flowers to friends and acquaintances in her community.

When she’s not busy with her strata president or landlady duties, Tasma enjoys kayaking on Gonzales Bay either solo or with friends. She attends aquafit classes three times per week with a group of women she considers friends. “Sometimes, the social contact is most important.”

Tasma found the entire makeover process – from the hair appointments to the fashion show – “a hoot. I’ve never spent so much time on myself,” she says. “I enjoyed looking at people in the audience; it was almost like acting.”

Up next for Tasma is a trip to San Francisco in November to spend time with her sister; a solo vacation to Cuba in February; and Ireland on the horizon. Active is an understatement; Tasma is an inspiration.

What the Stylist did:

Hair: Tasma was a pleasure to work with. She came to me with beautiful white hair. Since it was quite grown out and hadn’t been coloured, the ends were starting to turn yellow.

My goal was to find a low-maintenance option, so Tasma wouldn’t need to constantly keep up a colouring regime. To accomplish this, I decided to enhance her white hair. To start, I chose a Redken Pre Art Treatment, which not only takes out the yellow, but also removes any build up of minerals in the hair. I then proceeded with a Chemistry Treatment by Redken, which is a salon treatment of deep-conditioning to strengthen the hair. To make Tasman’s natural white hair gleam, I added thick highlights with a pearl and a platinum colour by Shades EQ Redken to give the hair beautiful shine and a slight bit of dimension.

For the haircut, I decided to go a bit more classic. Tasma is a beautiful, elegant woman, so a graduated bob was a complementary choice for her personality. While still creating height on the top, links cut just below her jawline make for an easy style to deal with between haircuts. It’s a classy-looking shape with not a lot of work.

Makeup: For Tasma’s makeup, I started by applying a primer on her clean skin, which smooths the surface and fills pours and fine lines. Primer creates an ideal canvas on which to apply your makeup. We then went with an age-defying foundation in two different colours: a lighter one, and a slightly darker one to add contour to her face. I used a cream blush on her cheeks and kept the eye makeup simple. With a charcoal liner on the top of her eyelid, I only went half way to create a slightly more open look. I filled in her eyebrows using a lovely brow kit from Elf cosmetics. Defining the brow doesn’t need to be dark, but it adds definition and creates an arch to frame the eyes. A soft mauve shadow brought out her beautiful eye colour. I finished off Tasma’s look with a soft pink lip gloss.

I would like to thank Icon Beauty Supply and Redken for sponsoring the colour and hair products, and also London Drugs on Quadra and McKenzie for supplying all the INSPIRED models with makeup.

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