We dispatched six women (and one girl) to some of the top local spas and salons in the area. Each one of them was on a mission to solve her peskiest personal care dilemma. Mission accomplished — and we have the pictures to prove it.
Salon: Zsuzsanna’s Salon
241 Conestoga Road, Suite A, Wayne; (610) 688-3969, zsuzsannasalon.com
Makeup: Zsuzsanna Nagy
The scenario: MLT assistant editor Shannon Hallamyer wanted to vamp up her makeup from office casual to after-hours sophisticated.
The solution: Nagy’s private one-hour lesson teaches clients how to accentuate their best features with makeup. To make Shannon’s baby blues pop, 
Nagy subtly lined the bottom eyelid with navy eyeliner and used dark brown liquid liner on the top. Liquid eyeliner on the top lid—a big trend in the 1960s—will definitely be back this fall, says Nagy. Earthy colors such as green, brown and olive are also big this season.
In keeping with this fall’s “in” colors, Nagy used a mix of brown, shimmery salmon and light tan eye shadows, finishing the look with a coat of dark brown mascara. “In my opinion, makeup shouldn’t change the person; it should just make you look better,” says Nagy.
Salon:
La Difference Salon & Day Spa
830 Paoli Pike, West Chester; (610) 429-1808, ladifference-salon.com
Stylists: Katie Bailey and Kristi Cosgrove
Makeup: Samantha Lowe
Cut: Heather Thomas
The scenario: MLT marketing and event representative Connie Alberts was tired of her blond locks and wanted to experiment with a new color.
The solution: When the La Difference color team’s Kristi Cosgrove and Katie Bailey met Connie during an initial consultation, they were struck by her eyes. “We definitely wanted to show them off,” says Bailey.
Bronze and copper, this fall’s hottest colors for hair, also happened to be the perfect choice to liven up Connie’s light blond locks. Bailey used a dimensional color—light chestnut brown for the base, dark golden copper lowlights, and golden blond highlights. Stylist Heather Thomas cut Connie’s hair so it would grow into her natural curl, making it easier to maintain. “The right color can take you from being pale to having that glow that every woman wants on her face,” says Cosgrove. “Connie looks so much younger now, too.”
Salon:
MaryAnne Christopher
Salon Spa
3618 Chapel Road, Newtown Square; (610) 359-9080, maryanne-christopher.com
Stylists: Shannon Brogan and Donna D’Alessandro
The scenario: MLT associate editor Dawn E. Warden wanted to add life to her barely there eyebrows and arrow-straight eyelashes.
The solution: D’Alessandro permed Dawn’s lashes twice for more defined results, and they should maintain their curl for up to six weeks. Next, Brogan tinted Dawn’s brows with a vegetable-based dye.
“I used a medium brown color that was slightly darker than her hair shade, and then I filled in the eyebrows and shaped them,” says Brogan, pointing out that arched brows provide an instant eyelift. “The perming and eyebrow shaping and tinting make your eyes look bigger and brighter.”
Brogan used an airbrush technique to apply foundation and a rosy blush, giving Dawn’s skin a dewy look. Finally, bronze and gold eye makeup was applied by hand to complement her hair and eyes.
Salon: Polished Spa & Boutique
221 Conestoga Road, Suite 100, Wayne; (610) 688-4181, thepolishedspa.com
Esthetician: Christine Moore
The scenario: MLT creative director Ingrid Hansen-Lynch wanted to get rid of her pesky fine lines and wrinkles.
The solution: Oxygen rejuvenation treatments have become a real hit with Madonna and other stars. A non-invasive procedure in which hyperbaric oxygen is infused into the dermis, it “plumps and lifts the skin to reduce fine lines and wrinkles,” says Moore.
Incorporating a concentrated skin-smoothing complex called Atoxelene, the treatment at Polished is relaxing—much like a facial. Oxygen is applied softly to the skin through what looks like an airbrush.
Ingrid saw a line between her eyebrows vanish, and her frown lines and crow’s feet softened. “Ingrid’s skin really took to the treatment,” says Moore. “Her skin now looks more vibrant and fresh.”
While you can see results after just one treatment, a series of six is recommended. “There is no downtime,” says Moore. “The results last up to a week.”
Salon: Mademoiselle Salon and Spa
510 W. Lancaster Ave., Haverford; (610) 525-8100
Stylist: Teresa DeLorenzo
Makeup: Julia Parshad
The scenario: MLT intern Julia Ries needed a serious lesson in how to care for her curly hair.
The solution: DeLorenzo likens cutting curly hair to trimming a hedge. It needs to be shaped, and each curl requires attention. “Wet, curly hair shrinks up to 5 inches once it dries,” says DeLorenzo. “That’s why I cut it dry.”
Julia was suffering from “major summer hair” after too much time in the sun and pool. So DeLorenzo gave her a conditioning treatment before trimming it a few inches. “People with curly hair should use products that don’t have alcohol or silicone in them,” she says. “These ingredients dehydrate the hair.”
Salon: Noel Sy Art
in Beauty
32 Montgomery Ave., Bala Cynwyd; (610) 667-8777
Stylist: Traviss Kraisoraphong
Makeup: Nikki Chung
The scenario: Ingrid Hansen-Lynch’s 16-year-old daughter, Mieke, had the same hairstyle for years and craved a new look.
The solution: “This makeover is the perfect example that you don’t have to chop off all your hair to get a fresh look,” says Kraisoraphong, co-owner of Noel Sy.
Kraisoraphong wanted to modernize Mieke’s hairstyle without making her look too old, so he used layering and long side bangs, trimming about 5 inches of length and accentuating her blond hair’s natural highlights. “Creating texture within long hair makes a person feel like they have a whole new style,” he says. “The long layers give her hair an airiness she didn’t have before.”
And the cut is versatile, so Mieke can wear it straight or wavy.
Salon: Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa and Salon
243 W. Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills; (610) 459-4663, josephanthony.com
Stylist: Denise MacKrell
Makeup: Michelle Klinger
The scenario: MLT senior editor Tara Behan wanted to cut back on the time it took to style her long, thick, wavy, hard-to-manage hair.
The solution: MacKrell suggested the Bio Ionic Straightening System treatment, but Tara wasn’t sure she wanted all of her hair permanently straightened. MacKrell had a solution. “Tara’s problem area was the back of her hair,” she says. “The hair was really wavy, thick and bulky. It was hard for her to get it straight.”
So MacKrell “de-bulked” the back by straightening the hair just beneath the crown area and down. “When you straighten the hair, it doesn’t have to be poker straight,” she says. “We can put a bend into it. There’s still body in the hair, and products make the hair really shiny and beautiful.”
