Giving Back to Gabi
With four children, full time study, her volunteer work at Kaiapoi Community Support and helping out in the community – Gabi Barlow doesn’t have a lot of time to worry about hair and make-up. And she admits that the day before the makeover she was worried about arriving at the Essence office, and what everyone would be like – imagining something like The Devil Wears Prada and everyone teetering around on designer heels judging each other by their handbag brands.
They were seriously unfounded fears. “I was nervous but everyone was so down to earth. We chatted away about everything and all the ladies were so friendly,” she says the day after her makeover.
Our first stop with Gabi was Hair Handlers where senior stylist Paula gave her a classic, easy to maintain style adding body and a little curl with a blow dry and straighteners. Gabi doesn’t have time to blow dry and style her hair all the time so Paula gave her a cut that could look good naturally and Gabi is heading back in a few weeks when her hair has grown slightly and Paula will work on a concave bob – with the hair long at the front and short at the back. “Paula was amazing and I really liked what she did and her plan to work towards a concave bob. She gets the fact that I’m a mum and I just don’t have time,” says Gabi.
Next it was fashion boutique Country Lane Fashions, where store owners Debi and Carla greeted Gabi and chatted to her about her lifestyle before helping pick out some items that would work for her. They enticed her away from ‘go to’ black with the softer tones of navy and pinks to work with her skin tone and beautiful blue eyes. They chose items that are low maintenance and can be worn dressed up or down with jeans or a skirt in the summer. They were so taken with the lovely Gabi that they generously gifted her the gorgeous Loobie’s Story top you see in the ‘after’ pic.
The last stop was Cocoon Beauty & Day Spa, where salon owner Jess showed Gabi some makeup tips and tricks for a subtle, everyday look. Jess used mineral make up from the Jane Iredale range to give Gabby an even base. Mineral makeup reflects light so gives a natural looking glow. She used rosy tones on Gabby’s cheeks and lips and highlighted her eyes with a soft brown eyeliner and plenty of mascara to frame the eyes.
When Gabi got home that evening her husband and children were excited at her new look because they were not used to seeing her with makeup. Her friends all thought she looked fabulous.
Her final thoughts on a makeover day? “The day before I was thinking ‘why have I done this?’. But it was a really cool day and everyone was so down to earth,” says Gabi. “ I had from 11.30am to 5pm when it was just about me. I don’t often get that. It makes a big difference.”
The Essence team would like to thank Hair Handlers, Cocoon Beauty & Day Spa and Country Lane Fashions for gifting their time and clothing.
