Chattanooga resident Leigh Ann Lingerfelt lost her job last year, but she's hoping a recent hair and cosmetics makeover will help her embrace change.
The single mom of a 2-year-old sat down last week with professionals at Bridge Salon and Elea Blake Cosmetics by Darin Wright. The result was a dramatically different hairstyle and a new way to wear makeup. Her qualms about the changes subsided quickly.
"I had a bit of an emotional breakup with my hair," said Ms. Lingerfelt, 42, "but just like most things in my life, change has been a really good thing."
It had been seven years since Ms. Lingerfelt had a haircut, other than the occasional minor trim, and she wore makeup only on special occasions, she said.
The haircut, color and style began with a facial evaluation.
"You have to establish the client's face shape and lines to find the right cut for the face," said hairstylist/colorist Liz Lawrence, who trained at the Aveda Institute in Columbus, Ohio. "Long hair, for example, like Leigh Ann's, makes her face look shorter and rounder. She needs a cut that will make her face shape even."
Ms. Lingerfelt requested a cut that would be easy to maintain -- no curling or flat irons.
Makeover tipsLiz Lawrence of Bridge Salon offers these makeover tips.1. Don't go dramatic. "To some people, their hair is an important part of who they are, and changing it is hard. Most people will freak out" when going from a very long to very short style all at once.2. Ease into color. "If you have dark hair but you want to be a redhead, add red tones first. Then, the next visit, add more red."3. Establish your facial shape to find the cut that looks best on you. "Pull your hair away from your face with a headband. Look at your chin line, your forehead, your eyes to determine the shape (oval, rectangle, round, square, heart, triangle). Research cuts that look best with your facial shape. Remember that a hairstyle that looks good on someone else won't necessarily look good on you. It all depends on your facial shape."4. Part your hair correctly. "Most people part their hair on the wrong side. Look at your nose. If your nose curves a little bit to the left, then part your hair on the right. If your nose goes a little to the right, then part on the left. It balances your face."5. Trim hair every six weeks. "Trimming cleanses the hair. It renews it. It's also good for the scalp, and the healthier the scalp, the better the hair."6. Use a big paddle brush when blow drying. "It's good because air flows through the brush and styles the hair better."
Ms. Lawrence cut Ms. Lingerfelt's hair about 5 inches and slightly layered it to frame her face and to give her hair more body and bounce.
"She has bangs, but I don't think she needs them," Ms. Lawrence said. "Bangs take away from the eyes. She has big, beautiful eyes that should be emphasized. But because I can't lengthen bangs, I'm softening the look by sweeping them to the side."
Highlights of caramel, pale blond and a dark ash tones were added to Ms. Lingerfelt's dark brown hair for a sun-kissed effect.
"By adding different colors, I'm adding dimensions," Ms. Lawrence said. "If it's one solid color, it's not a natural look."
Getting a one-on-one lesson on makeup application was a first for Ms. Lingerfelt, and Ms. Wright approached with caution.
"She wants a natural look, so I don't want to take her too far out of her comfort zone," she said.
First, Ms. Wright determined Ms. Lingerfelt's foundation overtone, then moved on to her most notable feature.
"She has big, beautiful eyes, so I want to emphasize them," Ms. Wright said.
She framed each lid with a base powder of eye shadow. "The idea is to put a little color on the lower part of the lid and use a toner on the bone above the eye," she said.
Ms. Wright applied eyeliner very close to the eyes, smudging just a bit at the corner, and then added a little powder over the liner. She used a plum mascara on the eyelashes.
"I wiggle the mascara on the lashes as I apply it," Ms. Wright said. "It adds a little more mascara to thicken the lashes and gives it a curl so you won't have to use an eyelash curler."
She used a blend of red and brown shades on the lips.
Four hours after the makeover began, Ms. Lingerfelt looked in the mirror to see the results. She was momentarily speechless.
"It's all good," she said. "I am sure my new 'do will be a big hit."
It certainly was with Ms. Lingerfelt's mom, Jayne Zahnd.
"I love it," Mrs. Zahnd said. "She looks much younger, and it's so stylish. She needed a change."
