My Hip & Humble Makeover

On Tuesday, August 24th my good friend Abby told me she had nominated me for a makeover through the Salt Lake boutique, Hip & Humble.  She told me it was a contest where people were nominating others (or themselves) to get a makeover and they had to tell why they deserved it.  (Abby said she pulled my "cancer card" and said she had to milk it for all it's worth.  She made me laugh!)  The next night Abby received an e-mail from Wendy at Hip & Humble, saying I was chosen to be one of the top 3 finalists and she needed permission from me to post my story on Facebook so people could vote.  Voting went on for a week and it turned out I won by 200+ votes.  Friends, family, old high school buddies, my husband's friends, online friends, Foreign Service friends, even people who have never even met me voted for me.  It was quite overwhelming and humbling, to see so much support and love coming my way.  The actual makeover was last Tuesday and I had a fantastic time.  I honestly felt like Queen for a day, pampered and spoiled.  People all day long were telling me how cute I was, how great I looked, etc.  The positive energy was awesome.

I picked up my sister, Whitney, down in Provo on Tuesday morning so she could tagalong with me for the day.  My sweet friend, Abby, babysat Emma and Josh until Jake got off work.  Whit and I met at Hip & Humble at 12pm.  All the H&H girls were there waiting for me, big smiles, so friendly.  I was a tad intimidated, being around such beautiful and stylish women, but immediately they put me at ease and I knew the rest of the day would be so fun!  Sheridan and Suzette (store managers and sisters) helped put my outfits together.  I tried on a lot of outfits I would never in a million years choose if I was by myself, but that's what this whole experience was about... stepping out of my comfort zone.  Every pair of jeans I tried on hugged my legs.  (I was told that's in style now.)  I guess part of my brain still thinks I'm that overweight girl and so anything tight scares me.  Thankfully I had those sweet girls there telling me how fab (and tiny) I looked.  They helped me feel comfortable in my skin, and I really appreciated that.  After we chose "the outfit", we headed over to Dexterity Salon to get my hair and makeup done.

We arrived around 2:15pm and Jeff, the owner, got to work on my hair.  He cut about 3 inches off and added some color.  Nothing too drastic, but enough to make me look like I had been in the sun all summer (wish that had been the case!)  Jeff had amazing fingers and gave the best scalp massage.  I'm almost tempted to go back just for that!  While he was finishing up, Janelle, my makeup artist, began working on me.  She was great about sharing tips and tricks to help highlight different features on my face.  I have never had anyone instruct me like that and I found it really helpful.  She was so sweet and nice and did a great job.  After my hair and makeup were done, I changed in the bathroom into my new outfit, was surprised with a new green purse, and then we all headed to Faustina's, a restaurant in downtown Salt Lake.

Sheridan and Suzette walked in first and I followed.  Jake, the kids, Jan (mother-in-law), Katie, Mal, Allison (my sister-in-laws), Susi, Jaci, my girls: Abby, Selena, Amber, Kim, and Meighan, my cousins Tonya and Karyn, and Whitney were all there to Ooh and Aah over me.  We took a ton of pictures, talked about my incredible day, and ate some yummy appetizers.  After the night was almost over, Jake and I headed out to dinner at Ruth's Chris, a very nice and expensive steak house.  (It was Jake's parents' treat.)  As we got into the car and headed home, I told Jake I felt like I had been in a fairy tale all day long.  I didn't want the day to end.

Thanks to all my family and friends for giving me this awesome opportunity.  I couldn't have won it without you!  And of course, thanks to the sweet ladies at H&H, Jeff at Dexterity, and Janelle Corey for making me feel like a celebrity for a day.  It was one of the most fun days of my life!

To see more pics, just click the READ MORE link below:

And the last pic is of regular old Jamie on Wednesday morning (plus new hair, new outfit, and makeup ;) )