Knock Five Years Off Your Look

We had the perfect solution to brighten up Sarah's weekday-corporate look, and the perfect team to help us transform her — the masters at the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City.

To start her makeover off on the right foot, Sarah first sat down with colorist Eric Muroski. "It looks like your summer highlights have turned a bit brassy," Eric told Sarah as he consulted on which color would be perfect for her new look. "I think we should go a little darker, a little richer, to give your hair some more dimension. I also think we should bring down the highlights and lighten up your ends so that your color is nice and soft but still has that richness that you're looking for."

Next, Sarah consulted with stylist Katie Seguin. "I really love your length," Katie told Sarah, "but it seems like you have two different haircuts. You have this heaviness in the back, and the layers seem separate from that. So, I want to connect your layers throughout and lighten up the weight in the back. Then in the front, I want to help you continue to grow out your bangs and give you some nice, long layers. This is also going to look great if you end up wearing your hair in a ponytail to work, because these layers are going to frame your face and look really styled."

"I don't really have an intense makeup routine," Sarah told makeup artist and eyebrow expert Landy Dean. "I keep it really minimal and natural for the office. Because my work culture is really conservative, I've cultivated a serious look because I want to look professional, but I also worry that I'll lose my sexiness and individuality, so I want a youthful, fresh, fun makeup look for nights on the town that will help keep my personality out there, but that I can tweak during the week so that I'll be taken seriously in the office."

"Absolutely. I totally agree," Landy said. "We want to give you a look that's not too strong but not too soft, something that will look modern, define and open up your eyes, and that'll be easy to re-create at home. At your age, it's important to have a young, fun look when going out, and although you don't really need to be concerned with tips about things that will make you look younger, you do need to be concerned about things that will age you. Placement matters, so pops of subtle color are really important."

Because Sarah was concerned with keeping her eyes looking big and bright, Landy focused on giving her a soft smoky eye. He lined the outer two-thirds of her upper and lower lash lines using Joe Blasco Ultamatte eye shadow in Midnight Brown and used the trio of violet shades in Vincent Longo Sun Moon Stars Trio Eyeshadow in Chariot Wings to bring soft color to her lids, anchoring the deep chocolate and violet colors with luminous neutrals.

"I love pairing a smoky eye with a nude lip," said Landy as he applied NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Tortola. "It's fresh and modern meets classic and refined."

To complete this look, Landy also used Chanel Vitalumière foundation, bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil powder, and DiorShow Mascara.

Joe Blasco Ultamatte eye shadow, $31.60, megamakeupstore.com

Vincent Longo Sun Moon Stars Trio Eyeshadow, $30, vincentlongo.com

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, $22, narscosmetics.com

Chanel Vitalumière Satin Smoothing Fluid Makeup SPF 15, $54, chanel.com/

bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil, $19, sephora.com

DiorShow Mascara, $24, sephora.com

"Sarah's in the office all day long during the week," said Patrick Fields, stylist at Intermix, "so the weekends are really her time to play around with fashion. These jeggings, for example, are a great fall staple because of their versatility. They give you the look of denim with the easiness of leggings. You can dress them up or dress them down, so they're very transitional, too. And how sexy do they look when paired with this lightweight, air-cashmere sweater? It's cut on a bias, which elongates the body, and because it's so sheer, it's sexy and young, and she can get away with not wearing anything under it at night."

To get this look, Patrick dressed Sarah in:

Hanes Smooth Illusions No Hose Moderate Control Mid-Thigh Smoother, $9.99, onehanesplace.com

J Brand Sateen Stretch Skinnies in Vintage Black, $165, intermixonline.com

Inhabit Sheer Alpaca Curved Seam Sweater, $280, intermixonline.com

Veda Leather Max Classic Jacket in Charcoal, $737, shopbop.com

Missoni 'Zigzag' Scarf, $210, nordstrom.com

Olivia Harris Washed Leather Chain Clutch, $225, saksfifthavenue.com

Bracelet, in Intermix stores or at intermixonline.com

Pura Lopez Suede Platform Pumps, in Intermix stores or at intermixonline.com

"I am in heaven!" she exclaimed upon seeing her final look. "My makeup looks beautiful, my hair looks sexy, and the outfit is rockin'! I am definitely ready for a night out on the town!"

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For 22 years, Karen was a stay-at-home mom who took care of her husband and two daughters, now 22 and 20. Now, for the first time in two decades, she's working full time again, and she and her husband are empty-nesters, so Karen was in desperate need of a trendy new look for this new phase in her life.

"I still feel young," Karen said, "and I want my look to reflect that. This is a new period in my life. I'm starting to redate my husband, my children are grown up, and I want a look that's classy, modern, and fresh, but still works for my age. I don't want to look like I'm trying to be 25 again!"

"Your current color is a little bit too yellow, a little bit too solid," Eric told Karen, "and the color doesn't have much pop to it. I think what we can do is definitely give you some dramatic brightness around the face and put a little more contrast into the interior so that you can see the natural brownish, sandy tones. Then we'll pop in some blonde highlights so that it looks fun and youthful and doesn't seem so heavy and solid."

Next, Karen consulted with Katie, who told her that her hair felt a bit washed-out. "It's a little dry and out of shape — you also have quite a bit of it!" Katie told Karen. "I'm going to cut into it to take off a little bit more in the back, to decrease the bulk but keep the length, so it's going to be a little bit more piece-y. This will also make it healthier and easier to style."

"I usually just do foundation, eye shadow, mascara, and bronzer," Karen explained to Landy. "My makeup routine is five minutes, tops. I'm definitely willing to put in more effort, though. My eyes are really deep-set, so I'd like to pop them out and make them more defined."

"Because of your hair and eye color, I think we should go with eye shadow that's a bit cooler to break up all the brown," said Landy. "We definitely still want to keep it in the natural realm, but if everything's brown, it just blends together. I'm loving a soft, smoky, charcoal look for you; this will define your eyes and bring out the green and amber tones there. I'm also going to keep your skin soft and luminous-looking. And the best part? This is an easy and quick look that you can do it in minutes."

Because Landy wanted to keep Karen's palette natural, he used Vincent Longo Sun Moon Stars Trio Eyeshadow in Easy Rider, a trio of purples ranging from light violet to deep aubergine. He selected deeper tones for Karen's liner and used a cool, smoky tone all over her lid to gives her eyes some lift. "This highlights her eyes but isn't too bright, so it still looks really natural," he said.

Landy also used a Vincent Longo Everbrow Micro Pencil in blonde to softly fill in the background of Karen's lashes.

"If your brows are too arched and rounded, it can age you and look dated," he said. "You want your angle to be soft but still clean and defined. As you age, some gray hairs can pop into your brows and create what looks like a space. To avoid this, fill in your lashes with a pencil a half shade darker than your natural tone. You can also use colored mascara on your brows, which will really adhere to the hair."

To complete Karen's look, Landy also used Weleda Skin Food moisturizer, La Mer The Treatment Fluid Foundation SPF 15, bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil powder, Chanel powder blush, NARS Sheer Lipstick in Love Devotion, and DiorShow Mascara.

Vincent Longo Sun Moon Stars Trio Eyeshadow, $30, vincentlongo.com

Vincent Longo Everbrow Micro Pencil, $20, vincentlongo.com

Weleda Skin Food, $17.50,

La Mer The Treatment Fluid Foundation SPF 15, $85, cremedelamer.com

bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil, $19, sephora.com

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush, $42, chanel.com

NARS Sheer Lipstick, $24, narscosmetics.com

DiorShow Mascara, $24, sephora.com

"Even though Karen is in her 40s, she can still pull off the legging trend that's so hot this fall," Patrick said. "Regardless of age, if you're wearing the right leggings with the right cut and the right detailing, it'll look great and make you look longer and leaner, which will give you the confidence to pull it off. The right way to do a legging in your 40s and 50s is to choose something with more structure and flattering lines — it's all about fit and fabric. Then, make sure you're wearing something longer on top; you don't want to look like you're trying to be a teenager again, so pairing leggings or skinny jeans with a longer top that covers your bottom won't make you feel so exposed."

For this look, Karen is wearing:

Hanes Smooth Illusions No Hose Moderate Control Mid-Thigh Smoother, $9.99, onehanesplace.com

Maggie Ward Zipper Riding Leggings, $185, intermixonline.com

Splendid tank, $68, intermixonline.com

Enza Costa Exclusive V Neck Sweater, $250, intermixonline.com

Improvd Wool Zip Front Jacket, $275, intermixonline.com

Dégaine Shredded Infinity Scarf, $98, intermixonline.com

Treesje bag, in Intermix stores or at intermixonline.com

See by Chloe Leather Lace Up Wedge Booties, $595, intermixonline.com

"I feel so great, and I look awesome," Karen said after her final look was revealed. "I look hip and fresh, and although I definitely don't look like my daughters, they might just want to look like me! Now it's definitely time for date night with my husband!"

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Regina, who wouldn't tell us her actual age, said that while she would "admit to" her 50s, she was looking for a look that would be ageless.

"What's really weird, and you don't usually understand this until you get older," she said, "but in your 50s, you feel exactly the same way you did when you were 22, but you don't necessarily look that way, so when you pass a mirror, it can be a rude awakening. I want an updated look, but I want it to be timeless. Also, there are supposedly lots of rules about what you should and shouldn't do at a certain age. For example, 'At age 40, you should have chin-length hair' — if possible, I want to avoid that. I want to know what works for me, so I can look like my best self at any age."

Regina, a health and wellness writer, told us that she's tried many serums and antiaging products, and while they're helping, she doesn't want to get sucked into Botox or any cosmetic-surgery procedures. "I look for skin care that does the most, and general moisturizers don't really cut it for me anymore. For now, I stick to the topical route and keep it to good skin care."

"I definitely love you as a redhead," Eric told Regina. "I think it looks amazing on you; however, the color's a bit faded, a bit apricoty, and I see some highlights that look chunky. This seems to be referencing something that's a little too young for the look you're going for. We're going to darken your color and make it look more natural by adding some dimension and a bright, rich, coppery color."

"My long, thick hair is definitely my best feature," Regina told Katie, who agreed wholeheartedly. "You're a perfect example of someone in her 50s who can wear her hair on the longer side," she said. "You have great hair, and while it's a little too long and dry on the ends, overall it's very thick and has a great natural wave. If you have healthy hair and it looks good on you, you should do what you like best, not follow any 'rules' about what's good for your age. We're going to keep your side-swept bang, which will bring out your cheekbones and make you look sexy. I also want to lighten up your ends, give you some long layers, and bring your length up to your collarbone. This will give your hair more bounce and create more movement. This look is also going to give you great curl-power: You can wear it natural and wavy and it'll look as great as it will if it's straight and blown-out."

"I've had a similar look for a long time," Regina confessed to Landy. "To be honest, I haven't changed my look in years, and in some ways, I still do what I did in college. I love makeup, especially a smoky-eye look, and if anything, I may go too heavy-handed, which I think I should learn to be careful about at my age so it doesn't make me look older."

"We can definitely give you that smoky eye you love, but I'd recommend keeping it on the softer side," Landy said. "Placement is important, so we want to streamline your look and show you how to make the most of your makeup without using as much. My goal is to be elongate your eyes, because you have great structure, so we don't have to shade or highlight as much as we want to define them and give them the attention they deserve."

Landy showed Regina how to minimize her makeup routine by introducing her to a few key products that work as hard as she does.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Enigma, for example, has four complementary shades in the same compact, and they can be applied dry as shadow or wet as liner. Landy spread the pink hue all over Regina's lid, used the darkest tone on her lash line, and blended the medium tone onto the outer two-thirds of Regina's crease and onto her lower lash line.

Landy also used DiorShow Mascara to create full, fanlike lashes that were thick and gorgeous. "This is an incredibly long-lasting mascara that truly lives up to the hype," he said. "It makes lashes look long, curvy, and sexy in just one or two coats."

Another product that goes the extra mile is Chanel's Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder, which Landy placed on Regina's cheekbones as well as her brow bone to lift and highlight her eyes.

To finish off Regina's look, Landy used Chanel Lift Lumière foundation, bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil powder, Joe Blasco Ultamatte eye shadow in Midnight Brown, and Chanel Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer in Summer Plum.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow, $56, chanel.com

DiorShow Mascara, $24, sephora.com

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder, $50, chanel.com

Chanel Lift Lumière Firming and Smoothing Fluid Makeup SPF 15, $65, chanel.com

bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil, $19, sephora.com

Joe Blasco Ultamatte eye shadow, $31.60, megamakeupstore.com

Chanel Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer, $27, chanel.com

"What's really key for Regina is that she wants to look timeless and elegant, all while being age-appropriate and modern," Patrick said. "We kicked off Regina's wardrobe makeover with a pair of olive green jeggings. This is another great example of how you can wear any trend at any age, as long as you wear it the right way. These are as comfortable as leggings, but they're more polished, and they're absolutely age-appropriate for Regina because we've paired them with an oversized sweater to cover her bum and belted it with a wide belt to give her shape and play up her waist. And it all comes together with this fabulous cape, which is great for fall and is the perfect blend of subtle edginess mixed with refinement. It's dramatic and pretty and hip — think downtown cool meets uptown chic."

For this stylish and chic look, Regina is wearing:

Hanes Smooth Illusions No Hose Moderate Control Mid-Thigh Smoother, $9.99, onehanesplace.com

Cut 25 Doubleknit Kimono Cape in Gray, $385, intermixonline.com

J Brand Sateen Stretch Skinnies in Olive, $165, intermixonline.com

Vince Oversized Striped Sweater, $168, intermixonline.com

Chloé Wrap Buckle Leather Tall Boots, $1,195, intermixonline.com

Treesje Clutch, in Intermix stores or at intermixonline.com

Linea Pelle Three Buckle Wide Belt, $225, intermixonline.com

Necklace, in Intermix stores or at intermixonline.com

Regina was ecstatic about her new look. "I remember feeling this way 25 years ago!" she said. "I recognize my old self, which is amazing. Thank you so much to Eric, Katie, Landy, and Patrick — they're four geniuses, and I owe this incredible makeover all to them! I can't wait for people to finally see me the way I see myself!"

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