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."
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Mother and daughter: Carol and Laura
For Carol, 63, and Laura, 33, this makeover is more than just a haircut and some eyeshadow -- it's a celebration of everything they've been through together. Carol's cancer has been in remission since 2007, and Laura was by her side during the most difficult times -- and she's continued to be there since. "I'm doing fine," says Carol. "But I still don't like to talk about it."
Laura nominated her mom for a makeover because she thought it would be fun to take a day off to hang out before Mother's Day. "She's a great mom," says Laura, an ESL teacher. "I see the kids at my school and they don't have the kind of family life I have -- I'm very lucky." They both wipe away tears before we change the subject to their makeovers. "I want to look different -- younger," says Carol. And Laura is open-minded as well.
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.
