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Photograph by John Rickman
Stylist Andrew James works his beauty magic on Valerie Castillo while stylist Kristen Hecht looks on.
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Salon makeovers give the gift of confidence
By Jeff Kearns
It wasn't the usual reaction to a makeover. Valerie Castillo stood up out of the chair and gently wept at the sight of herself with new hair, business outfit and makeover, then hugged stylist Danica Finitz.
"It felt overwhelming," said Castillo, a San Jose woman who recently came off welfare and landed a full-time job. "I really like what they've done. A real rush went through me."
Castillo and 13 other women showed up at Andrew James Salon in Cupertino Feb. 27 for free makeovers. The makeovers were offered as part of Amazing Woman, a new program run by local hairdressers. The program offers fashion and beauty makeovers to women trying to make the transition from welfare to work.
Stylists and their customers-for-a-day packed the small salon. Children, trying to fight boredom on the drizzly morning, did their best to keep busy by playing quietly in the corners.
The Sunday event was the third Amazing Woman makeover session since August. Saratoga hairstylist Lynette Manzanares offered her services to a dozen women trying to make the leap into gainful employment. Manzanares said she plans three additional events at salons in the South Bay and San Francisco.
Castillo, a mother of five, just started working as a receptionist at a consulting firm in San Jose, and still is working part-time at night at a Sears department store. She just received her GED through the nonprofit Second Start program in January.
Her children, she said, encouraged her to change her hair and makeup. "I guess I just let myself go into a slump recently because of some family problems," she said. "My confidence and self-esteem were pretty low, but I've managed to pick them up. I wanted to get my GED for a long time, but I always put my kids first."
Castillo said she's hoping to move up into a managerial position at her new job. The new look will give her self-esteem the boost it needed, she said.
"I really wanted a more professional appearance," she said. "I think it would help a lot of girls' self-esteem and give them more confidence in the professional field and for their own personal satisfaction."
With a stylist snipping away at her hair, Virginia Marquart said she was getting a haircut, highlights, new clothes and new makeup before starting a new job as a loan processor at a Sunnyvale credit union.
"It's really fantastic," Marquart said. "Everyone is so nice to be doing this for us. I probably wouldn't have done all this myself. It'll probably encourage me to keep it up."
Finitz, who owns Le Chic Salon in Los Gatos, said 27 women attended the second Amazing Woman makeover event at her salon. She said she had an easy time getting other local business owners to donate food, clothes and supplies. One of her suppliers chipped in about $125,000 worth of makeup, hair-care and other beauty products.
Finitz said she's putting together about 200 Easter baskets containing the remaining beauty products, baby clothes and supplies.
Manzanares planned the first event with Susanna Salim, who owns La Nouvelle salon in Saratoga. Manzanares said she came up with the idea during a self-expression and leadership class she took last year. The course required her to create a community project, and she said it didn't take her long to think of boosting people's self-confidence by making them happier with their own looks.
"People sit with us every day and they say they feel ugly," she said. "It's really just about making people feel beautiful and building their self-esteem."
Manzanares began calling local women's shelters and in August got in touch with Melissa Gonzalez, a case manager at Second Start in San Jose.
"We found there was a huge need for these women," Manzanares said. "The demand was really big. Now, I'm really hoping the project takes on a life of its own and continues to go on in salons all over the South Bay."
Gonzalez said she also is working to extend the program, which she believes is unique in the Bay Area. The program began with helping women on welfare who were looking for work, but now has expanded to include women who already have jobs.
Of the 50 women who have participated in the program, Gonzalez said all the women have been "blown away" by the results. "They come in here not knowing what to expect and they leave a totally transformed woman."
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
