When an Old Catton man nominated his wife for a makeover to thank you for being her we jumped at the chance to treat her to a new style. Emma Harrowing follows Penny Carey on her makeover journey.
When Penny Carey reads the letter her husband sent in to the Life Matters desk at your Evening News, she blushes slightly and exclaims that contrary to her husband Simon's comments that she is a super wife and mum to their two children, she is just doing what an 'ordinary mum' would do.
Ordinary or not, being a full-time mum is hard work and finding any time for yourself can be difficult. Enter our makeover team from John Lewis and Kinki Boutique, who aim to not only give 39 year old Penny a new look but also treat her to a day of pampering.
Clothes
'Having two young children means that I have to wear practical clothes that I can easily move about in, but I often look at other mums and think 'why can't I look as stylish as they do', says Penny.
The fact is that anyone can look stylish whether they are just wearing jeans and a top for the day or dressing up for the evening, the key is to find what colours and styles suit you.
The John Lewis fashion advisory service is on hand to help Penny get a smart/casual look that injects a bit of style into her look.
A skirt can be just as practical as jeans when worn with thick tights and flat boots and a cosy knit makes the outfit comfortable to wear.
To add a fashion element to the look both the skirt and top are in two different shades of pink, a colour that looks set to be fashionable this Spring and Summer. The colour is toned down slightly by keeping accessories such as the boots and the bag in a neutral colour such as black.
Penny has a petite figure so skirt hem lengths are best worn on or above the knee, creating any vertical line with your clothes will make you look taller - a cardigan or jacket worn underdone, vertical stripes on an outfit, or a long length necklace can create this vertical line.
For Penny's new look the vertical line down the front of her jumper creates this illusion of height. Wearing similar or the same colour on your top and bottom is also a trick you can do to make yourself appear taller.
Hair
Penny is fed up of her mousey brown hair and wants to go blonde. Kinki Boutique stylist Sian is on hand to offer some advice.
Sian says: 'If you want to go blonde the best way is to have highlights put through your hair as this makes it easier and cheaper to maintain. For Penny I'm going to put some blonde highlights through her hair using two different shades, these mixed with her own colour will create a natural look.'
For the cut Sian takes Penny's hair up at the back to create a graduated bob and adds softness to her face by adding a side fringe.
Make-up
To complete Penny's new look Liz Earle make-up artist Katie shows Penny how she can create a flawless natural make-up look.
The verdict
Penny says: 'I love being blonder and my hair looks and feels great. I never would have thought that wearing a skirt would feel practical enough for my lifestyle and it's surprising how stylish you can look simply by matching your boots to your bag. I feel like the yummy mummy I have always wanted to be.'
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