Joan Thompson has a long road ahead – 8,000km long! The retired music teacher, writer, keen traveller and dedicated volunteer will be hitting the road this month to cycle across Canada to raise awareness and funds for Ovarian Cancer research and treatment.
Joan’s epic journey is dedicated to the memory of her younger sister, Sheila Rae, but Joan is no stranger to an active lifestyle – or volunteering.
“Feeling so fortunate to have had the advantages of living in Canada, charity and volunteer work – usually in the form of teaching – have been central to my life in retirement,” she says. “This has included helping with refugees on the Greek islands, and volunteer teaching in Bhutan with the Bhutan Canada Foundation. This summer, I turn my charity work to Canada. It will be a great way to reacquaint myself with my native country and help others in the process.”
The last few years have seen Joan and her partner overseas, exploring lands as diverse as Honduras and South Africa, Turkey and Tajikistan.
“Knowing I can linger longer where I go, my boots and bike have become favourite modes of transportation,” says Joan. “Walking a 1,000-kilometre-long trail, such as the Camino Mozarabe in Spain, is now an achievable goal!”
As a lifelong learner, Joan enjoys the time now to develop new interests and skills such as sailing, mosaic art, foreign languages, and literature. Pursuing writing has led to a few published articles (like those you have read in INSPIRED Magazine) and a desire to become a more informed freelancer.
“A return to ‘school’ to explore world history and journalism is bookmarked for 2020 to help me in this journey.”
Joan indicated an interest in the makeover contest as she had had two challenging years as a family caregiver, experiencing the loss of her parents and Sheila Rae.
“I was looking for positive directions ahead for 2019,” she says. “I enjoyed the makeover experience and appreciated that the whole process was organized. It was fun, indulgent and I enjoyed the spotlight. My favourite part was, without question, meeting my cohorts, and Barbara Risto and the team responsible for our makeover.”
Since Joan’s self-care usually consists of daily exercise and lots of fruits and vegetables in her diet, doing a makeover was an out-of-the-box experience for her.
“It felt like a stand-in for the wedding prep I, as an unmarried woman, never had. I would highly recommend the experience to others – it’s a golden opportunity to spoil yourself!”
To follow Joan’s cross-country journey to shine a light on the need for Awareness, Research and Treatment in support of Ovarian Cancer Canada, visit justgojo.com/ovarian-cancer-ride or on Facebook: @OvarianCancerRide.
WHAT THE STYLIST DID
HAIR:
For Joan, my central focus was updating her look by giving her hair a more natural colour. I also wanted to calm the gold tones. I decided to go with a look that is trending right now – the long bob – with slight layers to add movement and bring out some of the natural curls in Joan’s hair. I applied the drop-root technique, which gives it a little bit more natural shadowing on the root. I used neutral blondes. Then I did some balayage highlights more concentrated around her face to brighten it up.
In every layer of colour, I added the pH Bonder system by Redken to make sure Joan’s hair was strong and healthy throughout the colouring process. I finished off with a beautiful colour gloss called Shades EQ. Her hair was styled with the Aerate 08 All-Over Bodifying Cream Mousse to add a good amount of hold and then I used the Pillow Proof Blow Dry Primer for the heat protectant. All the products I used are from Redken.
MAKEUP:
For the makeup, I started off with a skin smoothing primer. I did a slightly smoky eye and added some false lashes to draw attention to Joan’s beautiful eye colour. Everything I used on her face – from concealer to blush – was all cream and more of a matte finish because as we age, powder can fall into fine lines. With the eyeshadow, I also used a matte finish. Mature women should stay away from shine and sparkles because, again, they accentuate fine lines. For Joan’s lips, I used a neutral gloss to finish off her look.
Special thanks to the entire INSPIRED Makeover team:
Hair Stylist – Hana Akai of Akai Hair Design 2559 Quadra St. Call Hana for details about hair and makeup 250-383-3227. Visit online at www.akaihairdesign.com. Hana is an educator for Redken; all the hair products were sponsored by Redken 5th Ave.
Makeup provided by London Drugs, Yates Street, Victoria. Facial and nails: Shimmer Body & Nail Spa.
After makeover photo taken by Regina Akhankina.
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