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Photo 4/16
Her Style
To style Vicki's new blonde locks, Kara had her flip her head over as he removed the majority of the moisture from her hair. Spritzing a volumizing spray (try Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Hairspray, $3.53) onto the hair as she flipped her head up, Kara then used a round brush (try Goody So Smooth Ceramic Boar 53mm Round, $7.99) to add as much volume as possible. To add a bit of beachy texture, large random sections of Vicki's hair were then wrapped around a one-inch curling iron and held there briefly. A light spritzing of flexible hairspray like Pantene Pro-V Style Sheer Volume Flexible Hold Hair Spray, $3.99 followed and Vicki's new style was ready to go and stay in place for hours.

Photo 5/16
Her Makeup
To give Vicki a clean, light-but-polished look to go with her sunny new style, makeup artist Barbara Farman wanted her makeup to be all about shimmer -- with a pop of bright lip color.

Applying a pale shimmery highlighter (like L'Oreal Glam Bronze All-Over Loose Powder Highlighter, $12.99) to key places on her face; across the forehead, down the nose, on the cupid's bow above the top lip and on the chin, Farman then applied a berry cream blush (try Revlon Cream Blush in Berry Flirtatious, $8.49) to the apples of Vicki's cheeks.

To make her eyes stand out, but not look too done up, Farman applied a neutral eye shadow (like the ones in the L'Oreal Paris Wear Infinite Eye Shadow Duo $7.99) and drew the "thinnest line possible" of brow gel eyeliner along the upper lash lines (try Maybelline New York Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Brown, $7.99). A stroke or two of white pencil (try Rimmel London Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Pure White, $4.99) applied along the lower inner rims and a coat of mascara emphasizing the center lashes completed the eye. "You want it to look kind of bare, but to stand out too," Farman explained.

A swipe of magenta lipstick (try Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in Nouveau Pink, $2.99) covered with a berry gloss (try Neutrogena Moistureshine Lip Gloss in Berry Fit, $8.29) and the look was complete.

Photo 6/16
Vicki 'After'
How did Vicki, who'd only hours earlier entered the salon as someone frustrated with a bad haircut, feel about the outcome? "I love it," she said, hair tousled and glimmering in the sun. "I'm so glad I did this. What a fun experience!"

Photo 7/16
Max 'Before'
Forty-something Max had been bleaching her hair blonde since her early teens. But, when she lost her job earlier this year, decided that dropping $250 a month on highlights probably wasn't economically responsible. So, she had it dyed brown. The result? Lackluster hair that left the mom of eight-year-old twins feeling less than glam.

"We'll take care of it," assured stylist Jamie Boone. As someone with the natural gift at being able to envision someone as the shade they ought to be -- and then being able to create it -- Boone knew that she needed to darken and enrich Max's hair.

"Going from blonde to brown is tricky, it can look muddy if the shade is too uniform," Boone said as she applied a chestnut brown allover color. (Try Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme in No. 53 Golden Brown, $12.99 to get a similar hue at home). As the color set, Boone explained that it's important to use a shampoo formulated for color treated hair (like John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Daily Shampoo with Light Enhancers, $16.99). "It will help keep the color truer longer," she said, noting that it would also help keep the greenish hue, that sometimes happens as dark hair color washes out, at bay.

Photo 8/16
Her Cut
Before having kids, Max had thick, curly, long hair, but the pregnancy -- and hormones -- wreaked havoc and she was left with thinner, curly underneath, straight-ish on top hair, which clearly wasn't working for her. Boone to the rescue. "I'm going to cut off about three inches, and add in long layers for maximum movement and volume," she said, mapping out the game plan. "But don't worry," she said, "I know you're a mom and I'm a realist. You'll still be able to pull it back into a ponytail!"

On a recent Saturday morning three moms walked into the Argyle Salon and Spa on Los Angeles' famed Sunset Strip. And, while the celeb-centric spot welcomes hundreds of clients through its mahogany doors six days a week, these three were different -- none had taken the time to "maintain" their naturally good looks or spent money on being primped, in a long, long time.

And, while they may have been different from the typical Argyle client, all three working mothers -- hovering around the 40-year mark -- have loads in common with moms across the nation. Mothers tend to put everyone else's needs ahead of their own, so getting their hair done isn't necessarily a priority -- and, in these tough economic times, dropping dough on unnecessary luxuries is difficult to justify.

But for these three lucky ladies, today would be different. They were being treated to a makeover and, with the help of a team of colorists, stylists and makeup artists, would emerge looking renewed and feeling revitalized.

And, while "Bully for them" might come to mind as you read this, the good news for you at home, is that as we watched each transformation take place, we talked to the pros to get expert tips and how-tos to share -- oh, and we've also substituted the higher end cosmetics and products they used with budget-friendly ones that'll get the job done just as well. Because, after all, you don't have to be a harried mom to crave or need a little sprucing-up, me-time every now and then.

Photographs: Andrew Stiles
BY AUDREY FINE | SHARES
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