Stylists at Bella on the Bay Spa Salon Invitante in Excelsior expertly updated the looks of three busy lake-area women. Follow their transformations and discover useful tips and tricks from Bella on the Bay stylists and makeup artist so you can recreate these great looks at home.
Meet the Models
Katy Elleby
Age: 22
Occupation: Recent graduate of the University of Iowa, nursing student at Bellin College
Fashion Favorite: Biker boots
Katy’s typical beauty routine consists of bronzer and mascara with a dab of eye shadow on the weekends. She’s always wanted to try a smoky eye for evening but is unsure how to perfect the look. She recently dyed her long hair dark and hates the cheerless color. She hopes her makeover will result in lighter tresses and dramatic eye makeup for a fun night out on the town.
Kris Solie-Johnson
Age: 45
Occupation: Owner, American Institute of Small Business
Fashion Deficiency: Ironing
Kris is a busy mother of three. She works out every day, which means daily hair washing and blow-drying that can be damaging to her fine hair. As for makeup, she relies daily on a moisturizing foundation, a bit of eye shadow and mascara. She’s hoping her makeover will deepen her faded hair color and accentuate her eyes for evening.
Sue Craig
Age: 51
Occupation: Wedding and portrait photographer, Austin Images
Fashion Inclination: Sportswear from Brightwater Clothing & Gear
Sue keeps a super-simple beauty routine. Moisturizer and light foundation are her go-to items for day or night. Depending on her mood, she’ll blow out her naturally curly hair or just keep her curls. She’s a boots-and-blue-jeans kind of girl, open to letting this makeover reveal a bit of her adventurous side.
Katy’s Makeover
Stylist: Heather Mackenzie
Cut and color with Mackenzie starts at $75 for each service.
Mackenzie began the makeover by using a gentle color remover to dark tones from Katy’s hair. Afterward, she applied two different strengths of gentle lightener in an all-over foil process, keeping the lightest color highlights at focal points around Katy’s face. Color correction and highlights can be tricky, and Mackenzie recommends always seeking professional help for this step.
After Katy’s hair color treatments were completed, Mackenzie applied Pureology Essential Repair, a light detangling product that helped her comb out Katy’s long locks. She used a straight edge razor to give Katy’s one-length hair some more interesting layers. Then Mackenzie styled Katy’s colored and trimmed hair using a modified round-brush set.
Re-create Katy’s Hairstyle
To recreate Katy’s bouncy waves at home, Mackenzie recommends using Velcro rollers on damp, almost dry hair. Spray the roller set with hairspray and allow to dry for at least 30 minutes.
Makeup Artist: Senior aesthetician, Wendy Shragg
Makeup application $35
Shragg applied facial primer and brightener to Katy’s face, followed by Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream. She added bronzer to areas typically sun-kissed areas such as cheekbones and forehead. To achieve Katy’s smoky eye effect, Shragg worked from the inner corner of the eye outward with layered tones of gray eye shadow. She applied a delicate line of liquid eyeliner to the lash line and overlaid it with a charcoal-colored eye shadow. Katy’s brows were shaped and filled with a color match pencil and her face was spritzed with a finishing spray to set her makeup.
Tip: Whenever you go for the smoky eye look, keep your lip color neutral. Let the eye speak subtlety, not the entire face scream overdone.
Kris’ Makeover
Stylist: Ashlee Olson
Cuts with Olson start at $50, color starts at $75
Olson used a two-step process to achieve Kris’ desired hair color. First, she applied a global hair color by L’Oreal Professional using a paint-style brush, beginning with the roots. At the right time, the color was drawn out to the ends of the hair and rinsed. Then Olson trimmed Kris’ layers to frame her face without sacrificing too much length. For a finishing touch, Olson added soft, natural highlights using the balayage method, a French freehand coloring technique that makes it look as if the sun had streaked just a bit of her hair.
To style, Olson applied L’Oreal Mythic Oil Milk, Thickening Primer and Curl Corset to add texture to Kris’ fine hair. Then she did a blowout using a round brush.
Re-create Kris’s Hairstyle
To fight flat hair and achieve the face-framing fringe of Kris’ look, Olson recommends using texturizing products and a small round brush for blow drying. A smaller brush ensures a bend that lasts longer in fine hair.
Makeup Artist: Senior aesthetician Wendy Shragg
Makeup application $35
Shragg applied a base layer of primer and brightener to clean skin. To balance uneven skin tones, she added Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream using a nylon brush to blend. “Foundation is very important,” says Shragg. “It prepares your canvas and doesn’t need to take a long time. Good makeup brushes are useful tools. But you can use your fingertips.”
Shragg filled Kris’ brows with a combination of pencil and powdered brow color. She smoothed shades of emerald-green eye shadow over her lids and blended outward with a lighter color for a highlighting effect. For just a touch of drama, Shragg used a pencil eye liner just above Kris’s lash line and blended with a dab of green eye shadow.
A rose-colored blush illuminated Kris’s cheekbones and a rich amber lip color accentuated her smile.
Tip: To help lip color last longer, first use a lip-liner pencil on the entire lip. Then top with lipstick to add moisture and shine.
Sue’s Makeover
Stylist: Tonya Cherba
Cuts with Cherba start at $45 and color starts at $70
Sue’s thick, blond hair had recently been cut and colored, so Cherba opted for a round-brush set to smooth out her natural curl and give her a more polished appearance. First, Cherba wet Sue’s hair and then worked through Pureology Colour Fanatic with 21to prime and protect Sue’s hair from damage. She followed up with a spritz of root boost for lift and volume, and a dab of mousse to hold the desired amount of curl.
Cherba pinned up Sue’s damp hair and worked in sections, beginning at the nape of the neck. Using multiple small and medium-sized boar-bristle round brushes, Cherba blew out Sue’s hair, rolling sections under and leaving the brushes to set as she moved on to the next section. After several minutes, Cherba removed a section of brushes one at a time and reset each curl by wrapping it around her fingers and then pinning it with hairpins. Once the blowout was complete and all of Sue’s curls were set with pins, Cherba let the hair set completely under a hair dryer.
After several minutes, Cherba removed the hairpins and tousled Sue’s big, bouncy curls with her fingers. Using a large, flat brush Cherba added a bit of gentle back-combing at the crown. “It shouldn’t need a lot of back-combing,” says Cherba. “The blowout provides so much built-in body to the hair.”
To finish Sue’s look, Cherba brushed out the hair and placed curls with her fingers. A finishing touch of L’Oreal Shine Spray completed the style.
Re-create Sue’s hairstyle
The key is using the correct size round brush and picking up some hairpins from a beauty supply store. Instead of setting the hair with multiple brushes, use one brush and re-roll each curl with your fingers. Pin curls with hairpins and spray to set. This technique delivers a look similar to the effect from hot rollers, only softer and with more shine. Don’t be afraid to brush it out afterward. If done correctly, your curls should be set for the day.
Makeup Artist: Senior aesthetician Wendy Shragg
Makeup application $35
Sue typically wears very little makeup, but she was open to something new. So Shragg began with a base of primer and brightener and followed up with Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream. Using a small brush, Shragg dabbed concealer under Sue’s eyes and around her nose. She kept the eye shadow neutral and used a brown-tinted pencil eye liner at the lash line. A creamy, pinkish blush was used to accent Sue’s cheekbones.
Shragg filled in Sue’s naturally blonde eyebrows with a light brown brow color and finished the eyes with dark brown mascara. Sue’s lips were made fuller with some rosy lip color to complete the look.
Tip: To prevent mascara from rubbing off under the eyes, lightly apply with the wand in a vertical position, sweeping back and forth over the top of the lower lashes. Then use the tip of your finger in the same fashion to remove any excess.
