Style Takeover - August 2016

Makover 32

 

 

Meet katie: Katie Handley works at Lettrs, a gift store located on Hilton Head that does monogramming and carries everything from jewelry, Simply Southern shirts, Spartina beach towels, Corkcicle water bottles, crazy socks, fun stationery, and everything in between. Elizabeth Millen approached Katie about being the August makeover candidate. “Every time I go in Lettrs, Katie always has a smile. She really does. I happen to know that Katie has been through a lot, and sometimes the slightest gesture can make the biggest difference. I’ve seen Pink Magazine makeovers change people’s lives. I certainly wasn’t looking to change Katie’s life, but I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to make her day,” said Elizabeth.

Over the past year, Katie has gone through some major changes, but one of them was not her hair. As a new mom in her 20s, Katie has given her all to motherhood, and like so many new moms, left herself behind. At first Katie was a little skeptical, nervous about the possibility of change, but with the encouragement of her coworkers, she decided to go for it. After all, Katie decided, “Change can be good.”

Step One: choosing the color  
Katie and I met hair stylist and co-owner Rita Davis early one morning at Heritage Dental Spa and Salon to begin her transformation. “I was makeover proud last night,” Rita said. “I just couldn’t stop thinking of all the things we could do to make you over! What do you think about red?”  

Katie, whose life consists of work, taking care of her 3 year old son, and hanging out at home with family, hadn’t done a single thing to her hair in over a year. The word “red” brought about excitement and uneasiness all at once. “I don’t want to look like the Wendy’s girl,” she said. We both laughed. Rita came back with a board covered in samples of varying shades of auburn, red copper, rose gold and black cherry, but in the end, Katie chose a rich mahogany.

Rita assured Katie that the mahogany would add a warm glow to her skin and contrast with the color of her eyes to make them stand out, and was she right!

Heritage Dental Spa and Salon exclusively uses Tocco Magico, an ammonia-free hair-coloring product that contains seven herbal extracts and has no odor or burning. Frank DiBartolo, one of the stylists at the salon, worked as the Director of Education in the United States and Europe for Tocco Magico for 20 years.

Step Two: cut, color & style
Rita cut Katie’s hair, adding long layers to create volume, but keeping the length at Katie’s request. Rita applied the color to Katie’s hair when it was still wet, setting her under the moist heat steamer to speed up the process. Katie and I laughed as the steamer percolated like a coffee maker. Katie wiped the sweat and moisture from her forehead with one of the spa towels. I asked her what it felt like under there. “Kind of like being outside,” she said.

After washing Katie’s hair, Rita used a balayage paddle to apply caramel highlights around Katie’s face. We waited and talked like old friends for another 25 minutes. Then, it was time for the big reveal. We watched with great anticipation as Rita dried and styled Katie’s hair. Without adding a single drop of makeup since the morning, Katie’s skin took on a whole new glow and her eyes flashed, just like Rita had promised.

Step Three: an eggs-ceptional new outfit
We left the salon and headed for Eggs ‘N’ Tricities for Katie to choose an outfit her photo shoot. After lots of looking, Katie chose a Luna Luz batik print silk dress that flattered her shape. Together Nancy Golson and Patsy Hodge, with their fashion expertise, helped Katie accessorize her dress with three different Genia Silver necklaces, two long and one short, as well as a set of three bone and wood, howlite bracelets by Andrea Barnett, and a pair of Julio gold hoop earrings.

Katie boldly braved the Bluffton Farmers Market crowd, striking poses here and there. She was a great sport about the whole thing. People surely noticed her infectious smile and radiant confidence as she went from wallflower to wild flower. Well, maybe not “wild,” she is still a responsible mom after all, but definitely feeling up for a night out on the town!
many thankS and gratitude to:

Heritage Dental Spa and Salon: 32 Malphrus Rd., Suite #115, Bluffton, SC  843-837-4444. Whether you are nervous about getting your teeth cleaned or in need of a new look, you can trust Rita will take good care of you at this beautiful salon and dental spa.

Eggs ‘N’ Tricities: 5 Lawton St., Bluffton, SC 843-757-3446. If you’re looking for fun fashion jewelry, ladies’ clothing, home accents, hilarious cards, or other funky junk, you have to check out this iconic hidden treasure of a store in Old Town Bluffton.

 

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