From casual to fabulous; one woman's makeover

Florida Weekly columnist Artis Henderson, center, volunteered for a test drive makeover sponsored by Chris Lewis, left, co-owner of Vincent Salon and Judy Starnes, owner of appointmentonly boutique Janet Marie Studios. Until May 30, local fashion and beauty heavyweights Janet Marie Studios and Vincent Salon are taking applications for a makeover valued at over $13,500. Two winners will receive a closet consultation followed by personalized fashion advice, hair and make-up restyling, and tailored skin care services.

When they suggested I take the makeover for a test drive, I feared someone was sending me a fashion message.

"Sometimes the word 'makeover' has a bad image," said Judy Starnes, owner of appointment-only boutique Janet Marie Studios in Fort Myers. "Getting a makeover doesn't mean you look awful. Sometimes we get in fashion ruts, or we need help transitioning into a new phase of our lives."

Point taken.

Still, when Starnes arrived at my house for the first phase - the closet consultation - in an off-the-shoulder black top and a flame-red, ultra-chic short do, I was worried what the fashion maven would think of my casual style.

Starnes, who has a background in the fashion industry, admitted that the process may seem intimidating. "It's difficult to let someone into your closet. It's very personal. But I'm not going to judge. All I see is opportunity."

True to her word, she was enthusiastic and complimentary, pulling out key pieces of my wardrobe to take back to her studio. Before long, I was in the closet with her, showing off a cropped swing jacket and a pair of ankle-strap high-heels.

"I'll take those with me," she said. In her studio the next day, Starnes had created ten outfits using a mix of my clothes and items chosen from her boutique. The combinations were fresh and true to my style, but with a punched-up note of sophistication.

Amazingly, everything she had chosen was exactly the right size.

She grinned. "That's my job."

The next phase of the makeover took place at Vincent Salon, also in Fort Myers. Salon co-owner Chris Lewis sat down for a thorough consultation before embarking on the five-hour transformation. He began with a cut, giving me long, straight-across bangs, then texturized the hair by drying with a diffuser and punching up the natural curl with a curling iron (a look Cosmo calls "the hot new hair combo"). For the color, Lewis chose a soft auburn with delicate, sunny highlights.

"It looks like your head could have grown that color," said one stylist who stopped by to see the progress.

After using a lush-smelling color guard from PureOlogy (a brand lauded by Glamour, Elle, and Newsweek), Lewis sent me to the salon's aesthetician for a make-up session. Like with the previous parts of the makeover, she took my usual relaxed style - light make-up with a touch of mascara and smattering of lip gloss - and transformed it into a pulled-together, high-octane look, complete with false eyelashes and intense lip color.

I slipped into a dressing room to change into one of the outfits Starnes had created. On the way to the photo shoot, I caught a glimpse of the new me in one of the salon's mirrors.

"You look very 'New York,'" my friends would tell me later. How fabulous is that?

If you would like to enter to win a makeover for yourself, applications are available at Vincent Salon or by calling (239) 275-4929. Winners will be announced July 1.