Sarah Lacey

korbybanner.com photos

Sarah Lacey before, left, and after her makeover.

What’s your first impression of Sarah Lacey?

She strolled into our studio looking like a high school nerd in a long, frumpy skirt, strappy, leather sandals, and long brown hair tied back in a severe knot. One of our jury members commented that her red T-shirt was “not offering her enough support in the chest area.” Other comments ranged from, “it’s Ugly Betty” to “she looks like the crazy cat woman on The Simpsons.”

At 22, Sarah has abandoned her own sensuality. She is a specialist in ancient Egypt and her speaking style, dry sense of humour, and nerdy outfits peg her as an intellectual snob who has trouble fitting in to social situations.

The first step in Sarah’s journey was to see our “Bombshell Coach” Jacqueline Bradley (www.TheBombshellBible.com). She gave Sarah tips on bringing warmth and softness to her interactions. That meant speaking more slowly and less staccato; using touch during conversations as a way of making the other person feel more comfortable; and smiling more often.

Sarah doesn’t like smiling, partly because of her yellow, stained teeth. So we sent her to see our husband-and-wife cosmetic dental team of Dr. Andrew Charkiw and Dr. Arma Afsar. They gave her 14 gorgeous, porcelain veneers custom sculpted by Pro-Art Dental Laboratories (www.Pro-ArtDentalLab.com).

Her next stop was at our dermatologist Dr. Kucy Pon. She gave Sarah a chemical peel to reduce her acne and even out her skin tone.

Then it was time for a visit with our superior stylist, David Clemmer. He told Sarah her oversized tops and baggy skirts just made her look bigger than she was.

David took her to the Voluptuous boutique which offers hip apparel for plus-size shoppers. (416-533-3298). First, he got her into a minimizer bra which added lift and definition to her look and helped create a curvy waist.

Her boring glasses were next to go thanks to Amin Mamdani at Josephson’s Opticians (www.Josephson.ca) who fitted her with a modern angular pair that framed her face beautifully.

Then it was on to her hair. Our stylist Johnny Cupello coloured her hair in a copper-gold because, “she’s a little bit pale and I wanted to bring out the red tones in her cheeks.”

Our make-up artist Korby Banner followed Johnny’s lead and matched the shadow, midtone and highlights from Sarah’s hair and recreated the same scheme for her eyes.

Sarah’s makeover journey wasn’t done yet. Jacqueline challenged her to make small talk in a bar. Sarah was petrified, but determined. Could she pull it off?