Makeover stories are fun — but they take a lot of coordination. Still, when we learned that beauty was a theme for September, we decided it was time to do a makeover article for this magazine.
Our first task was to find four women — of different ages and representing all our towns — who would be willing to have their hair restyled and their makeup updated and (most important of all) not be afraid to have “before” pictures taken. This proved to be trickier than we anticipated. Of our four makeover candidates, two volunteered immediately, one needed persuading, and our last model took months to find (apparently Rowayton residents are a bit camera shy). Then came the other details: lining up a talented team of hairstylists, a makeup artist and a photographer; hitting local stores to search out fashions that look good on real people; and, finally, choosing a date and time when everyone could be available.
No, it wasn’t easy. But we pulled it off, and the results can be seen on these pages. What you can’t see are the laughter and good spirits that were present all day on the set. Even our youngest participant, one-year-old Regan, was cheerful and willing to “work” as long as required.
Woman on the Go
Kerry Heffernan-Curtin is a busy woman. In addition to working full time as a real estate agent, Kerry is on the go driving her three teenagers around New Canaan to sports practices, social events and, of course, school. In addition she cares for the family’s pets — two turtles, two birds, seven fish and a rabbit. Like all our models, Kerry wanted a look to match her active lifestyle. Starting with her hair, Tracey deepened Kerry’s natural brunette color while adding some red highlights. Then Livio cut her hair in a contemporary bob to accentuate her features. Kerry’s clothes are stylish and fun and could easily take her from lunch with a client to dinner with her husband.
Trendy Teen
Fourteen-year-old MacKenzie Curtin is a freshman at New Canaan High School. She came to us willing to have her hair styled for an everyday back-to-school look. Holly cut several inches off MacKenzie’s old hairstyle to complement her beautiful bone structure while keeping the hair long enough to pull back for hockey and horseback riding. Ryan applied makeup lightly for a great natural look. MacKenzie’s khaki jeans and moss-green top with its softly styled neckline are appropriate for her teenage lifestyle.
Modern Mom
Casey Famigletti is a Rowayton resident who grew up in New Canaan as one of six children. She worked as a third-grade teacher at the Parkway School in Greenwich and is currently staying home to raise her daughter, Regan, now age one. We wanted to dress Casey in a contemporary look for fall while maintaining the comfort needed to chase after a toddler. Her makeup is clean and light for an everyday look. Her hair was cut shorter to be quick and easy to style.
Glamorous Sophisticate
Barbara Begley may be a mother of three — two in college and the youngest a sophomore at Darien High School — but it is her job at Moffly Publications that dictated our decision to pull out all the glamour stops. As Moffly’s special events manager, part of Barbara’s job is to represent the company at numerous galas and fundraising benefits. To achieve a sophisticated evening look, Tracey darkened Barbara’s hair with strawberry undertones and Livio cut it shoulder length so she could still pull it up. Ryan applied makeup that was all about drama, with hints of rose and gold to accentuate her hair color and the gown.