Ilona, 31, was a teenager when her father abandoned the family. "My mom was a stay-at-home mom -- she had no career," she says. "We had to learn to make the best of the situation, and that made us very close." Her mother Eleanora, 55, went back to school and became an accountant, and she's now happily remarried. Meanwhile, seeing her mom struggle made Ilona extremely motivated. She's currently finishing up her master's degree at Columbia University. "I'm so proud of her," says Eleanora with tears in her eyes.
Both women love the idea of getting glammed up -- even though their everyday beauty routines are minimal. Today, they're planning to put their makeovers to good use and go out dancing after they leave the salon. "I want to look young and beautiful," says Eleanora. "When this opportunity presented itself, I thought 'why not?' Life is so chaotic -- it's wonderful to have a day to get pretty together and then go out and have some fun."
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Hair color
Warren pushes Eleanora to go blonder. "Her hair is neither light nor dark, but she's meant to be a blonde," he says. "I know she doesn't want to go light, so I'm using different shades of golden blonde for contrast and dimension that won't be too drastic." For Ilona, Warren opts for honey-brown ends. "It's a modern take on ombré," he says. "Her hair is so long -- the color needs to be interesting to keep it young and fun."
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Haircut
Tricomi's plan is to give both women more shape. "The daughter's hair is already long and healthy -- I don't want to take that away," he says. "They both need some layers and that's basically it." The big change, he says, will be the styling. "We'll give them big, bouncy curls -- something that will work for a night out." After drying and cutting both women's hair, his team sets them in pin curls.
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Makeup
Chapman also considers the pair's plans for that evening, and she gives Ilona a smoky eye. "It's young and fun," says the makeup artist. "And the effect will be dramatic and mysterious with her dark hair color." Mom, on the other hand, likes a more natural makeup look. "I want to be able to recognize myself," she says. So Chapman focuses on making her skin glow with bronzer and highlighter and goes light on the eyes and lips.
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Their reactions
Eleanora and Ilona change into skinny jeans and sky-high heels, and they look more like models than candidates for a mother-daughter makeover. It's obvious that they feel confident with their new looks. "I love it -- I don't think I've ever loved a change as much as this one," says Ilona. "And my mom looks great!" Eleanora's original goal is definitely accomplished: "I look younger," she says. "And I hope I get to come back to this salon some day -- what a great experience."
A makeover is an awesome Mother's Day gift -- and one we wanted to help facilitate. So we asked women to nominate their moms for a day of pampering in the salon, and chose three deserving mother-daughter pairs who also happen to be best friends. Then, since the only thing better than getting a makeover is getting a makeover with your best friend, we brought in both the mothers and the daughters for transformations.
Not only are the three pairs truly deserving, they're all working towards admirable goals and overcoming obstacles. Mary Anne and Maureen are training for a charity run. Eleanora and Ilona struggled through Eleanora's devastating divorce, but are now stronger -- and happier -- than ever. And Carol, a cancer survivor, says that she wouldn't be here without her daughter Laura's love and support.
To make the experience extra special, we took them to the Warren-Tricomi Salon located inside New York City's Plaza Hotel. There, owner/stylist Edward "Scissorhands" Tricomi -- the stylist who actually inspired the movie "Edward Scissorhands" because of his cutting technique -- gave the women gorgeous haircuts with assistance from Zachary Morad and David Richards. And owner/colorist Joel Warren worked his magic with the help of colorist Kristina Noto. To complete the transformations, makeup artist Misty Chapman gave each of the women a fun look that they could take out on the town. "Wow -- I really feel like a princess here," said one of the moms upon arriving at the salon. And the royal treatment was just beginning.
