Eleanora and Ilona change into skinny jeans and sky-high heels, and they look more like models than candidates for a mother-daughter makeover. It's obvious that they feel confident with their new looks. "I love it -- I don't think I've ever loved a change as much as this one," says Ilona. "And my mom looks great!" Eleanora's original goal is definitely accomplished: "I look younger," she says. "And I hope I get to come back to this salon some day -- what a great experience."
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Mother and daughter: Carol and Laura
For Carol, 63, and Laura, 33, this makeover is more than just a haircut and some eyeshadow -- it's a celebration of everything they've been through together. Carol's cancer has been in remission since 2007, and Laura was by her side during the most difficult times -- and she's continued to be there since. "I'm doing fine," says Carol. "But I still don't like to talk about it."
Laura nominated her mom for a makeover because she thought it would be fun to take a day off to hang out before Mother's Day. "She's a great mom," says Laura, an ESL teacher. "I see the kids at my school and they don't have the kind of family life I have -- I'm very lucky." They both wipe away tears before we change the subject to their makeovers. "I want to look different -- younger," says Carol. And Laura is open-minded as well.
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Hair color
Carol admits that she colors her hair herself, and she isn't very happy with her current shade. "She has gray roots, brown hair, and blonde ends," says Warren. "So I'm going to correct that with a warm golden brown color. It should work perfectly with her bangs and straight bob haircut." Meanwhile, Laura's color is a natural medium brown, but she's starting to see some grays as well. "We'll blend in the grays with some rich red-brown highlights," he says. "And I'm also going to do a conditioning treatment for extra shine."
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Haircut
Carol's bob isn't easy to change, but Tricomi tapers it around her jawline. "It's too much of a triangle shape," he explains. "So I'm going to bring it in at the bottom." While he doesn't touch her bangs, he suggests that she grow them out. "I'd like to see them longer and swept to the side instead of straight across."
Tricomi gives Laura flattering layers, and her hair has so much more dimension and movement when he's finished cutting. Plus, the highlights look amazing. "I'm using her cut to bring out the color," he says.
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Makeup
Both mother and daughter are resistant to wearing too much makeup, but they share the same concern about dark under-eye circles. "It must be hereditary," says Carol. "And it only gets worse as you get older!" They'd both like to see their dark circles lightened, so Chapman begins layering on concealer. "I'm using a highlighting concealer, which will reflect light and make the circles much less obvious," says the makeup artist.
She gives both women classic looks, focusing on perfecting the skin and bringing brightness to the cheeks with pink blush. She also plays up Laura's eyes with taupe eyeshadow. "I'm not used to wearing anything underneath my eyes, but my circles do look better," says Laura.
A makeover is an awesome Mother's Day gift -- and one we wanted to help facilitate. So we asked women to nominate their moms for a day of pampering in the salon, and chose three deserving mother-daughter pairs who also happen to be best friends. Then, since the only thing better than getting a makeover is getting a makeover with your best friend, we brought in both the mothers and the daughters for transformations.
Not only are the three pairs truly deserving, they're all working towards admirable goals and overcoming obstacles. Mary Anne and Maureen are training for a charity run. Eleanora and Ilona struggled through Eleanora's devastating divorce, but are now stronger -- and happier -- than ever. And Carol, a cancer survivor, says that she wouldn't be here without her daughter Laura's love and support.
To make the experience extra special, we took them to the Warren-Tricomi Salon located inside New York City's Plaza Hotel. There, owner/stylist Edward "Scissorhands" Tricomi -- the stylist who actually inspired the movie "Edward Scissorhands" because of his cutting technique -- gave the women gorgeous haircuts with assistance from Zachary Morad and David Richards. And owner/colorist Joel Warren worked his magic with the help of colorist Kristina Noto. To complete the transformations, makeup artist Misty Chapman gave each of the women a fun look that they could take out on the town. "Wow -- I really feel like a princess here," said one of the moms upon arriving at the salon. And the royal treatment was just beginning.
