John Lewis competition winner Anne-Marie Arpino says she hasn't stopped smiling following her style make-over with Telegraph Fashion Director Hilary Alexander.
18 APRIL 2011
PART OF JOHN LEWIS HOT TOPICS
Anne-Marie was one of two lucky Telegraph readers to win a spring make-over with Hilary Alexander at John Lewis Oxford Street in London. The outfits were selected from over 400 fashion brands at John Lewis and Anne-Marie was also treated to a hair styling session with Warren Holmes of Nicky Clarke and make-up by Jaysam of Lancôme. Here, Anne-Marie shares her verdict on the make-over.
John Lewis has always been one of my favourite stores and I was delighted with some of the new womenswear ranges that they have introduced.
There was a huge choice of brands that catered for an assortment of styles and ages. Everything was really up-to-date, well laid out and, as always with John Lewis, the staff knew where everything was and were extremely helpful.
When it came to selecting the outfits, I let Hilary guide me because I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone of wearing nothing but jeans. I also wanted to look at colours that I wouldn't usually try. Some of the outfits were in bright orange and emerald greens, colours which have never graced my wardrobe in the past.
We selected dresses with some lovely cardigans and bolero-style jackets to match, some with gorgeous detailing. The evening dress was a stunning red halter neck with a divine full skirt which we all dubbed the 'Marilyn'!
Hilary was able to show me how some styles didn't suit my shape and also gave me some easy tips on accessorising outfits with different shoes, scarves and jewellery.
The only thing I was concerned about before the make-over was getting my hair done - I have very fine limp hair and have tried a number of styles over the years, but nothing has ever worked. But I needn't have worried. Warren, the Stylist from Nicky Clarke, spent some time looking at my hair and we decided to do some serious cutting and layering to give it some body and then he added lots of curls. The cut has really worked for me and in the days since the makeover it is still looking great and is easy for me to style in the morning.
The final stop for the day was getting my makeup done by Jaysam from Lancôme before posing for the photographs.
Before applying any of the makeup, Jaysam used some new Lancome products on my skin that gave me a blissful base. He also used an amazing new eye care product that included a concealer.
Jaysam gave me some great tips on applying foundation using a foundation brush and managed to get a very even, matte finish to my skin, giving it a healthy glow. He highlighted my eyes and gave them the wonderful 'smokey' appearance that we all see in magazines (using some very easy to apply lash extensions).
When I arrived home after the make-over my husband and children were all surprised and delighted at the change. They all thought that I looked younger and my husband especially liked my hair with all the curls. My boys kept patting my hair and telling me it looked pretty! The next morning when I dropped the boys at school I had lots of comments on how good my hair looked from all the other mums.
I have three young boys all at school and nursery so life is very active and I find I am always running from one place to another. Some of the outfits I chose are adaptable and can be dressed up or down depending on what I am going to be doing, so I can wear them to do some shopping and then, with a quick change of shoes and adding a scarf, they look great for the office.
Since having the make-over I have already been out for a meal wearing one of the outfits and it made me feel sensational.
The experience of having the makeover has made me more aware of how I look and I am going to be more adventurous in the future about trying styles and colours that I would have previously disregarded.
I am also going to spend time experimenting with my hair and makeup and investing in some new products for my face.
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