Sometimes in dating we begin to doubt our attractiveness, especially if we have a series of first dates and no second ones, or it seems difficult to get even a coffee date. I believe most women think they are plainer than they are, as I said in “You are (probably) more attractive than you think you are.” I also believe some people enter the dating scene with low self-esteem, as I discussed in “Don’t think you are damaged goods.”
No matter how good looking you are, there is always room for a little updating or tweaking. And if you feel average-looking, it is amazing sometimes what a makeover will do for you.
Last week, my friend Sandy Dumont offered me an afternoon of her image architect services while I was in her town making a speech for a group to which she belongs. It was a wonderful opportunity to see where I could make some improvements. (When I told my sweetie I was going to become more gorgeous, his always-perfect response was, “That’s impossible!”)
While I’ve worked with a dozen image consultants in the past 25 years, and learned from nearly all of them, Sandy’s approach was different. She worked to educate me as well as show me how I could tweak my make up and hair style to be more attractive and effective. And she suggested my colors weren’t exactly on target and gave me a pallet of new ones that would bring out my best features.
Her wall of “before” and “after” photos was striking — some of the women (and a few men) were unrecognizable in their “after” pictures. One woman’s “before” showed a 70-something mousy woman who looked like she could be anyone’s grandma. Imagine my surprise to see the “after” pic depicting a sexy 57-year-old babe after just some modifications to hair, make up and a more flattering blouse. I knew Sandy was a miracle worker!
So while I’m generally happy with my “look,” Sandy taught me some subtleties that I will incorporate to achieve an image that is more congruent with how I want people to perceive me.
She has a free ezine and offers DVDs, books, webinars and online consulting, as well as workshops around the country.
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Comments
3 responses to “Makeover miracle worker”
While I wouldn’t mind some clothes tips, these makeover thingys always make me feel inadaquate on the makeup and hair fronts. I’ve never worn makeup except for doing theatre, and I didn’t like that at all. Foundation just slides off my oily face and makes me feel fussy and uncomfortable if it smears or gets touched. Lipstick tastes awful and weirds me out when I see in on my face. I’ve worn the tiniest bit of brown eyeliner when I’ve felt extremely festive and that’s about it. I have dark, full eyelashes and have been accused of wearing mascara when I wasn’t.
And my hair is fine, thin in places and requires a very good hair day to satisfy me (although I get compliments on my hair, so maybe I’ve managed to camoflage it’s shortcomings.)
And, actually, my clothes get compliments too, so maybe my nicer things are not as bad as all that! I bought a lot years ago when I lived in Germany and had more money, and they were so classic or quirky that they are still in style. However, living in the country, I’m mostly in jeans and boots.
So anyway, thinking about “power looks” makes me feel gauche, inadequate and doesn’t suit my lifestyle. And my sweetie dislikes seeing makeup on women as much as I dislike wearing it, good for that!
Did anyone notice how most of the after makeover women had a rosette thingy pinned to their shoulder? I wonder what that is supposed to mean!
Hi DG,
I could really use one of those makeovers, although my bad skin is impossible to hide even under a pound of makeup; (I know – I wear it every time I leave my apt., I never know who I might run into). Thank goodness my hair is thick and wavy, it’s my only good feature and I do play it up. Right now I’m in the process of growing it to my rear so it will hopefully distract from my rotten skin. Even with a dermatologist’s help I can’t get rid of the cystic acne and related scarring I’ve had since I was a teen. It’s just too bad women aren’t given the same kind of latitude regarding skin problems that guys are; it seems like acne is acceptable on a guy’s face, but not on a woman’s. No wonder I feel so d**n ugly all the time, sigh…
Where is your friend located? Is she in the Southeast by any chance? I really need a miracle worker, but, hey, I’m willing to try just about anything at this point. 🙂
Best wishes from bookyone 🙂
What Gatti said.
It says on Sandi’s website that she’s in Newport News, so I’m guessing that the rosettes (along with the short sleeves for businesswomen) are a Southern thing.
I’m wondering how many clients she has that are Northeastern businesswomen.