Staff Summer Makeover: Megan Makes A Red Hot Statement

Sometimes getting a new summer look involves little more than dusting on some bronzer and adding a few highlights. Other times, as with Daily Makeover's Associate Editor Megan McIntyre, it calls for a total beauty transformation. Megan's busy schedule didn't give her time to get her hair cut regularly and as a result she was sporting a shapeless, grown out cut that took too much time to style and looked a little blah. "I'm not a high maintenance person. I want something that plays up my hair's natural texture and that I can wash and wear instead of spending tons of time styling," says Megan.

A Haircut That Gets Attention

One look at Megan's long, lackluster hair and Eva Scrivo, NYC Salon Owner and Master Colorist for Wella, knew that some serious length was going to have to go. She cut off a whopping 8 inches of dead and dry hair and used a razor to give Megan an inverted bob -- shorter in the back at the nape of her neck with longer, face-framing layers in the front. "This short, mid-length cut softens the chin area and makes her look younger. Inverting the cut creates a heaviness around the face that looks softer and more interesting," says Eva.

A Scorching New Hair Color

Megan's natural light brown hair looked mousy and was washing out her already fair complexion. Alyson Pemoulié, Senior Colorist at the Eva Scrivo Salons, wanted to give Megan a look that would complement her pale skin and green eyes, so she decided to take her from boring brown to red hot using Wella's new Koleston Perfect Vibrant Red shades.  The new formulation extends the life of the color, which is ideal for red hair color since it fades faster than other shades. Alyson used a hair painting technique to hand paint highlights and lowlights into Megan's hair to add dimension. She then applied a coppery strawberry blonde demi-permanent glaze to give her a warm, golden red that drastically brightened up her existing look. Megan's dark brows were also lightened to match her hair and make her "look like she was born a redhead," says Alison.

A Lip Look That Sizzles
Megan's new bold red haircolor begged for a statement lip look to complete her high-drama makeover. Rire engine red lips were the perfect match. Vinnetta Scrivo, Makeup Artist for Eva Scrivo Salons, moisturized Megan's lips with a balm, then applied a lip primer and a cherry red lipstick. "The primer makes the color last longer and look shinier," says Vinnetta. Clay eye shadow was dusted on her lids and individual brown lashes were placed on the corners of her eyes to open them up. The finishing touch was a swipe of prune-colored mascara on the lashes, a color that Vinetta says really "blends in with her hair and makes the whole look very natural."

Want to see how you'd look with Megan's makeover? Try it on!